A Brave Confession

For a time, the entrance to Konoha was a spectacular sight. Envoys from the five great ninja villages stood in neat ranks, waiting quietly with respectful expressions.

The news quickly spread throughout Konoha.

Konoha's ninja flocked over to watch, their faces filled with pride and exhilaration.

Once, Konoha had endured the ravages of war and been looked down upon and provoked by other ninja villages.

But now, because of Uchiha Mu, the envoys of the five great ninja villages

were willingly waiting at Konoha's entrance, not daring to enter without permission.

All of this was glory brought by Uchiha Mu—respect that this lone young man had earned for Konoha through absolute strength!

"That's incredible! The envoys from the five great ninja villages are actually waiting for Lord Mu at the village entrance, not daring to enter without permission!"

"This is Lord Mu's deterrence! With his strength alone, he has made the entire ninja world revere Konoha!"

"With Lord Mu here, Konoha will never be bullied by other ninja villages again!"

The discussions rose and fell. Everyone wore expressions of pride and awe, and their eyes turned toward the mountaintop with pure admiration.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Mu stood atop the mountain,

still overlooking all of Konoha, his expression seemingly indifferent.

Yet Mabui's arrival had stirred a faint ripple in his heart, while Temari's undisguised gaze had left him feeling somewhat different.

He did not go down to meet anyone, but he continued to watch the activity at the village entrance, keeping an eye on the two figures he cared about.

He had long known that envoys from the five great ninja villages had come to visit, but he did not take it to heart at all.

To him, these conflicts in the ninja world and these so-called gestures of goodwill were meaningless.

He only wanted to keep training, increase his own strength, master the five Kekkei Genkai, and cultivate Susanoo to an even higher stage.

As for Mabui and Temari, he was not completely unaware of the feelings quietly growing between them.

The system mission had also indicated that tasks could be completed with the two of them.

But now was not the time.

Only when I reach the peak of Kage level...

"Lord Mu, the envoys from the five great ninja villages are waiting for you at the village entrance. They wish to meet you."

A Konoha ANBU ninja carefully came to the mountaintop, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a subdued voice, not daring to make the slightest noise.

Uchiha Mu gave him an indifferent glance. His voice was cold and without emotion as he said only two words: "Not meeting them."

Two simple words,

yet they carried unquestionable authority. The ANBU ninja shuddered and did not dare argue. He quickly bowed and withdrew, faithfully relaying Uchiha Mu's response.

After the ANBU ninja conveyed Uchiha Mu's words to the envoys of the five great ninja villages, everyone showed a hint of helplessness, though none were surprised.

Mabui let out a soft sigh and said gently:

"Since Lord Mu is unwilling to see us, we cannot force him."

"We will leave the gift behind to express Kumogakure's sincerity. If Lord Mu has any orders in the future, Kumogakure will certainly offer its full support."

As she spoke, she gently placed the brocade box in her hands on a nearby stone table. Her gaze once more turned toward the mountaintop, her eyes filled with reluctance. Then she turned, preparing to leave.

Just then, faint ripples of space-time quietly appeared beside her.

Mabui stiffened all over and abruptly turned to look.

Uchiha Mu had appeared behind her at some unknown time. His expression remained indifferent, but his eyes had fallen upon the brocade box she had set down.

"A Lightning Release chakra crystal?"

Uchiha Mu spoke softly. His tone was calm, but there was a trace of concern that was difficult to detect.

Mabui's heart instantly began racing. Her cheeks flushed again as she hurriedly bowed.

"In reply to Lord Mu, this is Kumogakure's most precious Lightning Release chakra crystal. It was specially brought here as a gift for you."

The surrounding envoys and watching ninja were all stunned.

No one had expected Uchiha Mu to appear in person just for the gift Mabui had brought.

The two stood side by side, very close together. The subtle feelings in the air could no longer be concealed.

Uchiha Mu looked at her, fell silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and picked up the brocade box.

His fingertips accidentally brushed Mabui's. Both froze at once and hurriedly pulled their hands back.

"Thank you."

Uchiha Mu spoke softly. It was the first time he had thanked anyone other than Sasuke.

Warmth instantly welled up in Mabui's heart, and she quickly shook her head.

"You're too polite, Lord Mu. This is Kumogakure's token of sincerity."

Temari, watching from the side, felt a trace of bitterness rise within her.

But she was not jealous. Instead, her resolve became even firmer.

She took a deep breath, gathered all her courage, and stepped forward one step at a time until she stood before Uchiha Mu.

Her hands tightly gripped the Three-Star Folding Fan, her cheeks burning red. Her voice trembled slightly, yet was exceptionally resolute.

"Lord Mu, I... I have something I want to say to you."

Uchiha Mu turned to look at Temari. The coldness in his eyes softened slightly as he nodded. "Speak."

The people around them instantly held their breaths. Every gaze focused on the two of them, curious about what Temari was going to say.

Kankuro stood to one side and shook his head helplessly, but he did not stop her.

He understood Temari's personality. Once she made up her mind, she would not give up easily.

Temari raised her head and looked directly into Uchiha Mu's eyes. Her azure eyes were full of sincerity.

She spoke clearly, word by word:

"Lord Mu, I like you!"

"I've liked you ever since the first time I saw you!"

Her voice was not loud, yet her words carried clearly throughout Konoha's entrance.

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Temari of Sunagakure to confess to Uchiha Mu in public!

Mabui stood nearby, a flicker of disappointment passing through her eyes before she quickly regained her composure.

She silently stepped back, leaving space for the two of them.

She could feel that Temari's feelings were firmer than hers, and that Temari was braver than she was.

Uchiha Mu looked at Temari's flushed cheeks,

at the sincerity and expectation in her eyes, at her courage to risk everything,

and some cold corner of his heart was quietly moved.

He fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking. His tone was calm, but carried a note of acknowledgment. "I understand."

He neither rejected nor accepted her.

Yet those four simple words instantly brought Temari to tears of joy,

and the shyness in her eyes turned into overwhelming happiness.

"Lord Mu, I..."

"Train hard. I'll always be watching you."

Uchiha Mu interrupted her. There was a trace of encouragement in his tone that was difficult to detect.

Those words were undoubtedly a promise, a hope, to Temari.

Temari nodded heavily. Tears streamed down her face, but her smile was incomparably radiant.

"I understand, Lord Mu! I'll definitely train with all my strength, become stronger as soon as possible, and one day stand by your side!"

Though Mabui felt disappointed as she watched this scene, she was also happy for Temari.

At the same time, she secretly made up her mind. She, too, would become stronger. She could not simply give up like this.

Uchiha Mu glanced at Temari, then turned to Mabui. His gaze paused slightly as he said softly:

"You too."

Three simple words caused warmth to rise in Mabui's heart once more.

She nodded heavily, her tone resolute: "

Then Uchiha Mu turned around. With a flicker of his body, his space-time teleportation activated instantly, and he vanished from before everyone's eyes, leaving only faint ripples of space-time behind.

The envoys of the five great ninja villages watched the scene, their hearts filled with shock.

They had not expected this peerlessly aloof young man to show such a gentle side to two female ninja.

Mabui gathered her emotions, respectfully bowed, then turned and slowly left with Kumogakure's attendants.

Temari remained where she was, gazing in the direction Uchiha Mu had vanished,

her face still blooming with a happy smile. She gripped the Three-Star Folding Fan tightly, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Kankuro stepped forward and said helplessly:

"All right, you've finished confessing. We should return to Sunagakure now, or Father will get angry."

Temari nodded, yet she still could not bear to look away. The smile at the corners of her lips never faded.

"I know. Let's go back. I'm going to train hard, become stronger as soon as possible, and stand by Lord Mu's side as soon as possible."

The envoys of the five great ninja villages each left behind the gifts they had brought. After respectfully bowing, they departed one after another.

At Konoha's entrance, only the mountain-like pile of gifts remained—all of them the most precious resources, scrolls, and treasures from the various ninja villages.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at those gifts, then recalled the interactions between Uchiha Mu, Mabui, and Temari just now. Their faces were full of emotion.

"Mu's deterrence

has actually reached such a level. Even the envoys of the five great ninja villages are so respectful,

and there are even female ninja confessing to him in public."