Akishinomiya Yuri!

At the entrance to the shrine.

Seeing the red-and-white figure in shrine maiden attire inside the shrine's outer hall, both Hyuga Setsuna and Kakashi froze.

Was this Her Highness the princess?

As Hyuga Setsuna looked at the figure in the shrine's outer hall, a strange expression appeared in his eyes. The red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, coupled with her obviously young figure, gave him a particularly familiar sense of déjà vu!

Inside the shrine's outer hall, Akishinomiya Yuri had noticed Hyuga Setsuna and Kakashi the moment they pushed open the door and entered.

When she saw the clothes they wore, a glimmer of light seemed to flash through her eyes. But after noticing their height and build, disappointment flashed through them again.

The maid kneeling beside Akishinomiya Yuri to attend her was delighted when she saw the two of them and said in a strange tone,

"Your Highness, the two ninja sent by Leaf Village have arrived."

Akishinomiya Yuri rose from the shrine's outer hall, straightened her red-and-white shrine maiden attire slightly, then came before the two of them and said apologetically,

"I am Akishinomiya Yuri. I truly apologize for making the two of you come all the way from Leaf Village because of my personal wishes."

Hearing the princess before him apologize, Kakashi had intended to let Hyuga Setsuna, the leader of this mission, answer.

But when Kakashi looked at Hyuga Setsuna, he discovered that this guy was actually distracted at a time like this? Or rather, he was spacing out?

Faced with this situation, Kakashi could only respond helplessly.

"Please don't apologize for us. Accepting a mission and completing it is the duty of us ninja!"

At that moment, Hyuga Setsuna also came back to his senses and looked at Kakashi, who was speaking with Akishinomiya Yuri.

He did not speak, merely quietly observing Akishinomiya Yuri before him.

She looked around seven or eight years old, with a slightly childish appearance, snow-white and delicate skin, moist eyes, and long, black, silky hair naturally falling down her back. Paired with her exquisite features, Hyuga Setsuna thought she was a beautiful girl with a promising future!

Just then, Akishinomiya Yuri, who had been talking with Kakashi, seemed to sense something. She quietly turned around, and her watery eyes met Hyuga Setsuna's gaze.

Seeing that Akishinomiya Yuri had noticed his stare, Hyuga Setsuna nodded at her as though nothing had happened.

Akishinomiya Yuri was also taken aback by his nod, then returned it with a sweet smile.

As he watched Akishinomiya Yuri turn away, Hyuga Setsuna's brow furrowed slightly beneath his Rabbit Mask.

This princess clearly did not possess Chakra under his observation, so why had she noticed his gaze just now?

With his current strength, if he secretly observed an ordinary person without Chakra, there was no way she would notice.

Yet Akishinomiya Yuri's turn just now had been as though someone had suddenly reminded her beside her ear.

As Hyuga Setsuna pondered this, Kakashi and Akishinomiya Yuri finished their conversation.

Kakashi came to Hyuga Setsuna's side and said,

"Captain Yagokoro, Her Highness Yuri asked us to go rest first."

Hearing Kakashi's words, Hyuga Setsuna nodded before saying to Akishinomiya Yuri,

"Then, Your Highness, we'll take our leave for now."

With that, Hyuga Setsuna and Kakashi headed outside the shrine.

Outside the shrine gates, Hyuga Setsuna quietly glanced back as he left.

He felt that this shrine was strange. Not only was there no name of the God it worshipped, there was not even a statue of the deity that a normal shrine should enshrine.

There was also that strange turn from Princess Akishinomiya Yuri just now.

This mission...

Inside the shrine.

The maid watched Hyuga Setsuna and Kakashi leave, then asked Akishinomiya Yuri in a puzzled tone,

"Your Highness, why didn't you ask those two ninja from Leaf Village to demonstrate the power of ninja for you?"

"And before they came, didn't you have many questions you wanted to ask these ninja? Yet today, you didn't ask any of them!"

Standing beneath the cherry blossom tree outside the shrine's outer hall, Akishinomiya Yuri listened to the maid's words. A troubled expression appeared on her delicate little face.

"But my questions were meant for adult ninja who had grown up. I never expected Father and Leaf Village to send ninja around my age, or even... even younger than me."

After saying that, Akishinomiya Yuri's exquisite face puffed up in anger, making her look especially adorable.

Seeing Princess Akishinomiya Yuri throwing a little tantrum, the maid did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Clearly, Your Highness, you're still a child yourself. Why do you always want to ask adult ninja such questions?

Just then, Akishinomiya Yuri's formerly puffed-up face suddenly turned delighted. She said to the maid beside her,

"You may leave first. I want to stay here alone!"

Her tone allowed no room for doubt.

After hearing Akishinomiya Yuri's words, the maid hesitated for a while but ultimately obeyed and withdrew from the shrine.

Forget it. Her Highness had always been like this these past few years. It was better to listen to her.

Meanwhile, the sky outside gradually became covered by a layer of "dusk."

Daimyo's Mansion.

Inside Hyuga Setsuna's room.

Kakashi looked at Hyuga Setsuna, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, and said softly,

"Captain Yagokoro, there's a major problem with this mission."

Hyuga Setsuna, seated cross-legged on the bed, spoke after hearing Kakashi's words.

"There's something off about that princess in this mission!"

"What's off about Her Highness? She's merely an ordinary person without Chakra!"

Beneath his dog-face mask, Kakashi wore a strange expression.

After all, from his observations, there had been no Chakra reaction from that princess whatsoever.

She was completely and utterly an ordinary person!

Not a ninja at all!

Hyuga Setsuna removed his Rabbit Mask and looked at Kakashi, speaking suspiciously.

"It's precisely because she's an ordinary person without Chakra that it's strange. When you were talking to her just now, I secretly observed her, yet she actually noticed my gaze!"

"That's very wrong!"

"As someone who doesn't even have Chakra, don't you find it strange that she could notice my gaze?"

Kakashi fell silent upon hearing this. The situation before them indeed proved that there was something strange about this mission.

After a long while, Hyuga Setsuna said softly,

"You should go back and rest first. For now, we don't need to do anything. Let's see when that princess comes looking for us next!"

Kakashi nodded at those words without objecting. After all, Hyuga Setsuna was the leader of this mission.

Kakashi rose and walked toward the door. As Kakashi left,

Hyuga Setsuna calmed himself and asked Otsutsuki Kaguya in the Sealing Space,

"Grandmother, did you notice anything strange in that shrine just now?"

After pondering for a moment in the Sealing Space, Otsutsuki Kaguya explained in a strange tone,

"There was a spirit following that human girl!"