Wood Sorrel Gold Mine Mountain

Kazahana Koyuki grabbed Shuofang Si's wrist, trying to pry his hand away.

But Shuofang Si's hand did not so much as twitch. It remained perfectly still.

"Did you just say you'd seen plenty of people like him?"

Shuofang Si sounded casual, but his grip did not loosen in the slightest.

Kazahana Koyuki's eyes reddened. She gritted her teeth and kicked him, but Shuofang Si did not react at all. It was no different from a tickle.

"People like you make a couple of movies and think you're famous. You have no idea how far out of your depth you are. It's laughable.

"And you put on quite an act in front of outsiders, but you're really just a coward who doesn't dare face reality."

That struck a nerve with Kazahana Koyuki. Although she did not know whether Shuofang Si was referring to the Land of Snow, she could not help connecting his words to her own situation.

Only then did he release her. Kazahana Koyuki slid down the wall and collapsed into a sitting position on the floor.

"Apologize."

Kazahana Koyuki glared at him, her chest heaving. For a moment, she was too furious to speak.

"Apologize?" Kazahana Koyuki caught her breath, but her attitude remained hostile, her chin held high.

Then she suddenly raised her hand and pointed at Naruto, who stood helplessly nearby. Her voice was both furious and aggrieved.

"Didn't you accept our commission? Aren't you supposed to escort me? This brute who attacked me is standing right in front of you.

"If you're a Konoha ninja, knock him down for me! Right now! Immediately!"

Naruto froze, at a complete loss.

He looked at Kazahana Koyuki, then at Shuofang Si, unsure what to do.

Hit Mr. Arasaka?

Was she kidding? He'd clearly come to help me out. How could I turn around and attack the person who'd helped me?

"What are you standing there for? Didn't you say you liked me?"

A note of mockery crept into Kazahana Koyuki's voice as she shouted, no longer caring about anything else.

"Then do something! Prove it to me!"

Naruto's fists clenched involuntarily.

His heart ached as he looked into Kazahana Koyuki's reddened eyes.

But he still clung to his reason and shook his head. "Sorry. I can't hit him."

"Useless!" Kazahana Koyuki snatched another glass from the bar and hurled it straight at Naruto. The glass traced an arc through the air.

Just then, a bottle swung in from the side.

Shuofang Si had casually picked up the empty bottle Kazahana Koyuki had just finished, his movements effortless and fluid.

With a dull thud, the bottle struck Kazahana Koyuki squarely in the forehead.

The bottle shattered with a crack, and Kazahana Koyuki instantly collapsed unconscious.

Naruto still had his eyes reflexively squeezed shut after being splashed with alcohol.

But when he opened them, Kazahana Koyuki was already lying unconscious on the floor, with a little alcohol still lingering on her face.

The sight left Naruto frozen in place.

"Too much talking." Then Shuofang Si told the bartender, "Put this bottle on my tab too."

Shuofang Si pulled a few bills from inside his clothes, slapped them onto the bar, and headed outside.

As Shuofang Si passed Naruto, he paused. "Take her back to her attendant."

Naruto stood in the middle of the Izakaya, looking from the unconscious Kazahana Koyuki on the floor to the figure disappearing into the night.

Mr. Arasaka really swung that bottle cleanly. He felt like someone born to fit right into Konoha.

"Sorry for the disturbance." Naruto carefully apologized to the bartender, then picked up Kazahana Koyuki and left the Izakaya, heading toward her inn.

The night breeze swayed the faded lantern at the entrance, and silence returned to the alley.

When Kazahana Koyuki opened her eyes again, it was noon.

Dazzling sunlight pierced straight through a gap in the carriage's canvas canopy and fell on her face, making her instinctively close her eyes again.

A dull ache throbbed in her forehead, her temples pounded, and her mouth was dry and bitter.

It took her a while to remember what had happened the night before: the Izakaya, Naruto, Shuofang Si, the wall, the bottle.

She abruptly sat up, then nearly toppled over as the carriage jolted.

She lifted the carriage curtain. Blinding sunlight instantly flooded in, forcing her to squint.

The carriage was swaying along a dirt road, with dense woods on either side and rolling mountains in the distance. The scenery was completely different from the area around Konoha. They had clearly already entered the Land of Rivers.

Asama Sandayu was holding a map and discussing something with Kakashi beside him.

Seeing that his princess had finally woken up, he hurried over and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Kazahana Koyuki ignored him. Instead, her gaze landed on that man Shuofang Si outside the carriage. He looked utterly carefree, even humming a tune as he rode his horse.

The commotion of her waking up drew everyone else's attention as well.

Naruto turned to look at her. When he realized she was looking back, his face immediately flushed, and he turned away, pretending to study the roadside.

Shuofang Si also glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow as he teased, "Oh, you're awake. You were still snoring when we hauled you out of the inn to leave."

Kazahana Koyuki clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked.

She really wanted to curse him out. But the throbbing pain in her forehead still reminded her of what had happened last night.

She took a deep breath and yanked the curtain shut. Then her frustrated voice came from inside the carriage.

"Sandayu! How much longer until we get there?!"

"We're in the Land of Rivers now. We need to finish this fellow's mission first. Please be patient, miss."

"I am being patient!"

The carriage continued onward, kicking up clouds of dust.

By now, the group had been traveling for an entire day, barely stopping since leaving Konoha.

Kazahana Koyuki spent most of her time inside the carriage. Even when she occasionally lifted the curtain for some fresh air, the sight of Shuofang Si's back would send her angrily retreating inside again.

Naruto, on the other hand, was full of energy. Along the way, he kept pestering either Sakura or Kakashi.

Neji remained silent throughout, occasionally activating his Byakugan to scan their surroundings before nodding to Kakashi.

"We're here." Just as the journey was beginning to feel tedious, Kakashi suddenly spoke, pointing into the distance.

A black mountain had come into view on the distant horizon. Countless mine entrances dotted its slopes like a honeycomb.

"That's Wood Sorrel Gold Mine Mountain." Kakashi's tone grew serious.

"According to our previous intelligence, Raiga Kurosuki is holed up there. From here on, everyone needs to stay sharp."

The young Konoha ninja grew nervous, especially Naruto and Sakura. They remembered Zabuza, another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist whom they had encountered before.

Neji activated his Byakugan, veins bulging at his temples as he carefully surveyed the surroundings.

"Look over there!" Tenten suddenly shouted, pointing into the distance.

Following the direction of her finger, the others finally noticed a small wooden cabin not far from the roadside.

A worn cloth curtain hung over the entrance, with the word "curry" written on it.