Killing Intent Under the Moonlight 2

"Feng, are you okay? Why don't you head back first?" Ino asked worriedly as she looked at Samu Kokaze's pale face.

"I'm fine. Maybe I really was overthinking it." He forced a smile, then lowered his head as everyone's concerned gazes turned toward him.

But the instant he lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly. From the corner of his eye, he glanced toward somewhere behind him, cold killing intent bursting forth.

He secretly swore to himself, Just wait. Whoever you are, since you want my life, I'll send every last one of you to hell! I swear it!

"Feng..."

Seeing the sinister expression that flashed across Samu Kokaze's face as he lowered his head, Ino's face filled with concern.

Naruto, who had walked over, rolled his eyes when he saw Samu Kokaze's terrible complexion. "Why don't we go somewhere and have some fun? I know a place that's especially beautiful in winter—especially at night!"

Ino's eyes lit up at those words, and she looked at Samu Kokaze expectantly.

Listening to Naruto, Samu Kokaze's thoughts raced.

Sensing that the person behind him was still following, a flash of killing intent passed through his eyes.

"Whew... all right. Maybe I've just been too tired from carving wooden sculptures lately and made everyone worry. Going out to relax sounds good too."

Letting out a long breath, Samu Kokaze patted his stiff face to make himself look more spirited. Then he smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed twice, looking overjoyed. With his hands on his hips, he pointed down the road ahead and shouted, "Since everyone agrees, the great Naruto Uzumaki will take you to see my secret base!"

"What an idiot," Sakura muttered as she watched Naruto run ahead.

The night was at its darkest.

The place Naruto mentioned was not far from where they were.

As time slowly passed, the group arrived at the place Naruto had mentioned amid their laughter and horseplay.

"Whew... it's so beautiful!" Slightly out of breath, Ino widened her eyes at the breathtaking sight before her.

This place was near the edge of Konoha. The clear lake had frozen over in the cold winter, and beneath the moonlight, an enormous full moon was reflected in the center of the icy surface.

The scattered trees along the shore were coated in silver frost. The scene before them was like a fairyland; simply standing there made one feel refreshed.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed twice and pointed at the moon reflected in the lake below. "Beautiful, right? Hardly anyone knows about this place, and even fewer people come here."

"It really is beautiful! Who would've thought you were actually useful for something?" Sakura said as she looked at the scenery, unable to stop herself from speaking to the excited Naruto.

"Hehe!"

Naruto grinned foolishly at Sakura's praise.

"Come on, everyone, let's go down and play! I used to love coming here when I was alone. Whenever I saw this view, all the unhappiness in my heart disappeared."

Looking at the moon reflected on the lake, Naruto was the first to run down.

Still on the shore, Ino and Sakura exchanged a glance and nodded. Holding hands, they followed after him.

Watching Naruto attempt fancy skating moves on the lake, only to fall while trying to look cool, they let out clear, pleasant laughter.

"Why aren't you two going down?"

Feeling much better as he took in the beautiful scene, Samu Kokaze walked over to Choji and Shikamaru and asked.

"Just sitting here quietly and looking at the scenery is enough. Going down there would be too troublesome." Sitting by the lake, Shikamaru looked at the others playing on the ice, then glanced up at Samu Kokaze.

"I'll stay here and watch with Shikamaru." Choji replied while somehow pulling out a bag of chips and eating them.

"You really are lazy, Shikamaru." Samu Kokaze could not help laughing at Shikamaru's answer.

"Feng! Shikamaru! Choji! Come play with us!"

As the people on shore talked, Naruto shouted toward them from the ice.

Samu Kokaze looked at Naruto waving to him from the lake and smiled as he nodded.

Lowering his head toward Shikamaru and Choji, who were sitting there, he said, "Come on, let's play for a while. It's rare for everyone to come out at night like this. Who knows when we'll get another chance to see a sight like this together?"

"Tch... honestly." Shikamaru wore a helpless smile as he looked at Naruto waving in their direction.

He stood up, brushed the snow off his pants, then pulled the seated Choji to his feet and headed for the frozen lake.

As he looked at the magnificent view before him, Samu Kokaze's face still held a smile, but his eyes contained no emotion. Sensing the chakra fluctuations from the trees beside the lake, he bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, clenched it tightly, and walked onto the frozen surface.

"Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto! Let's have a snowball fight! The three of us will be one team. Whoever hits someone first wins. How about it?"

With a slight push against the ice, Samu Kokaze instantly skated over to the others and made his suggestion.

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he shouted his agreement. A spark of interest also flashed through Ino and Sakura's eyes as they looked toward Shikamaru and Choji.

"What a pai—" Shikamaru was about to say his usual line when he saw Ino's threatening glare. He swallowed the words already on his lips and nodded with a bitter expression.

"Great!" Samu Kokaze nodded in satisfaction when everyone agreed. "Then Naruto, Sakura, and I are one team."

"Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru, you're the other team."

"The winners can each choose one wooden sculpture from my house as a reward. What do you say?"

Shikamaru, who had been listless and unconcerned about the whole thing, suddenly had a sharp glint flash through his eyes. "All of them? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course!" Samu Kokaze nodded firmly. Then, turning to the somewhat confused Sakura, he said, "I carved all the sculptures myself, just like the birthday gift I gave Ino today. If you and Naruto win, you can both come to my house and pick one."

"The same as Ino's?" Thinking of the life-sized wooden sculpture she had seen at Ino's house earlier, Sakura asked in surprise.

"Uh... there's still a bit of a difference from Ino's. The ones displayed in my room are all small ones, not that large." Samu Kokaze sounded a little embarrassed by Sakura's question.

"Oh!" Sakura looked slightly disappointed when she realized it was not what she had imagined. But when she thought about winning a small wooden sculpture, she quickly perked up again.

"Don't you dare deliberately go easy on Ino," Sakura said after looking at Ino and thinking for a moment.

"Billboard Brow! I don't need you to go easy on me!" Ino shouted angrily from the ice.

"Hmph!" Sakura glanced at Samu Kokaze and snorted.

"Shikamaru! Why are you getting excited too?" Choji asked as he ate chips and looked at Shikamaru, whose eyes were gleaming.

"One of the wooden sculptures at Feng's house is worth a hundred thousand ryo." Shikamaru did not say more, merely giving Choji a meaningful look.

"Isn't that a little unfair?" Choji sounded somewhat reluctant.

"When he tricked the two of us earlier, did he care whether it was fair? This is the perfect chance to get even and make him hurt for a while!"

Whenever Shikamaru thought of the list Samu Kokaze had handed them, his teeth itched with hatred. He wished he could go back in time, drag out his past self who had agreed to it, and give him a thorough scolding.