"An S-rank rogue ninja from our village? How come I never heard about this?" Shinichi asked in confusion.
"Hmph, of course you haven't. You were still at Jonin school back then," Iwasui said flatly. "If I'm not mistaken, the paler one should be Yui Hyuga, and the other one is Nai Hyuga."
Disbelief flashed across Shinichi's face. The thought that the woman who had pinned him beneath her foot was so powerful sent a chill through him.
Then he remembered how he had provoked her earlier. His body trembled involuntarily, and he even stumbled as he walked.
"That woman isn't going to hold a grudge against me over this, is she?"
"What's wrong, Shinichi? Are your injuries that serious?" Iwasui asked with a frown. He slowed down to examine Shinichi's injuries, but Shinichi waved him off.
"No, Captain Iwasui. My injuries aren't that serious," he said sheepishly, then quickened his pace and continued ahead.
"Good, as long as you're all right. Luckily, Nai Hyuga didn't go all out. Otherwise, even a dozen lives wouldn't have been enough for you."
A trace of puzzlement crossed Iwasui's face, but he didn't pursue the matter. He glanced at the distracted Fugaku and shook his head helplessly.
Fugaku didn't notice his captain's look. His mind was still caught on what the captain had said earlier, and he couldn't snap out of it.
He mouthed silently, An S-rank rogue ninja... No... Please, no...
He felt as though his heart had shattered, as though something was slipping away from him, something he would never be able to reach.
Why did she have to be a rogue ninja? If only she weren't! Fugaku screamed inwardly. He had finally found someone who stirred his heart, only to discover she was a rogue ninja.
It was utterly heartbreaking.
He