"Wuye, you're special."
Kaguya held Wuye tightly around the waist, refusing to let go for even a moment.
Her long, snow-white hair danced in the wind, lively as an elf's.
Wuye buried his face in the crook of her neck, feeling her warmth and fragrance as he searched for a sliver of peace within his heart.
"Because you're the most special one, you had to go through all this."
Kaguya raised her right hand and gently stroked the back of Wuye's head, hoping to offer him more comfort.
"In the end, everything will be all right, won't it?" Wuye asked heavily.
"Yes, it will."
Kaguya's answer was resolute.
Under the sunlight, their shadows seemed to merge into one.
When Ōnoki arrived with Iwagakure's twenty-thousand-strong shinobi force, what he saw was this rather strange scene.
"Stop advancing!"
At his command, every Iwagakure shinobi halted. Countless gazes focused on Wuye and Kaguya.
Yet the two seemed completely unaware, continuing to embrace without even lifting their eyes.
"Don't you think they're... a little strange?"
Kurotsuchi flew to Ōnoki's side.
Ōnoki frowned. "Konoha is supposedly under attack by Akatsuki. As the Hokage, he shouldn't be here no matter what."
"Could he have already driven Akatsuki back?" Kurotsuchi suddenly asked.
Ōnoki nodded. "That is possible. With Konoha's strength, it's already impressive that Akatsuki lasted this long."
"But he's waiting here alone, and he's... he's holding a woman. It's really... really..."
For a moment, he could not find the right words to describe the Fourth Hokage.
"Choosing women over his life."
Kurotsuchi shifted her long legs. "I really want to kick him!"
Ōnoki was speechless. "Do you want him to capture you and take you back?"
Kurotsuchi: "..."
"Enough with this nonsense. Go around him and fly to Konoha to see what's happening. Ever since Konoha