Fortune-Telling Master Tahm

Within the daimyo's residence, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was still exchanging pleasantries with Tahm, eventually warmly inviting him to stay a few more days.

Tahm did not want to remain here any longer and only wanted to return as soon as possible to see Hinata. Just as he was about to refuse, Kakashi took the initiative and accepted on their behalf. "Then we'll trouble you, Daimyo."

The daimyo was delighted. He had his people arrange for the three of them to stay in a quiet, elegant courtyard, then ordered his servants to entertain them with the finest ingredients.

Tahm was not at all shy about accepting the hospitality. He dragged Kakashi and Karin into a feast. The food at the daimyo's residence was indeed excellent, almost on par with his own cooking.

Tahm gave this objective yet somewhat narcissistic assessment of the meal. Kakashi also ate comfortably, but incredibly, he insisted on keeping his mask on while eating. He would bring food to his mouth with his chopsticks, then wave both hands in a blur, and the food would simply disappear. His technique was so superb that Tahm, who had hoped to take the opportunity to glimpse Kakashi's true face, was sorely disappointed. Karin, meanwhile, had never eaten such high-class food before and was unaccustomed to being respectfully served by attendants, leaving her looking rather ill at ease.

Tahm noticed that Karin was distracted, so he reached out and gently stroked her little head to comfort her. He also ordered the solemnly standing servants nearby to leave. Only then did Karin relax, a smile appearing on her face.

"Tahm, why are you so good to me?" Karin suddenly asked cautiously. "Your healing ability is so powerful. I should just be useless to you, right?"

The girl's eyes flickered, afraid that some terrible answer would shatter the little bit of light she had only just gained.

"Well..." Tahm organized his thoughts. He could hardly say that he simply liked little girls. No, wait! Is the system forcing me to raise your favorability?

"Because we're fated to meet."

"Fated to meet?" Karin still could not understand such an abstruse phrase.

"That's right! I'm the direct disciple-grandson of the Great Toad Sage, the supreme prophet. In the jianghu, I'm known for never being wrong and for calculating the fate of all living beings." Tahm began acting like a mystic. "The moment I saw you, I knew that you were destined to achieve extraordinary things in this life. We're fated to meet!"

That single sentence made Kakashi, who had been serving as a background prop beside them, roll his disdainful dead-fish eyes.

Tahm became more enthusiastic as he deceived her. After enjoying the treatment of an urban miracle-doctor protagonist earlier, he now wanted to experience what it felt like to be a master fortune-teller, so he continued spinning his tale:

"As the saying goes, no one knows where fate begins, yet once it starts, the feeling only deepens! Ahem, that quote doesn't fit here." Tahm awkwardly cleared his throat twice. "In short, you'll become someone who stands at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World alongside me!"

Karin fell silent when she heard this and shyly lowered her head. Her flushed face and the crimson hair of the Uzumaki Clan made her look just like a young, adorable chili pepper.

Once it starts, the feeling only deepens?

A system notification suddenly appeared in Tahm's mind:

Character Uzumaki Karin's favorability with the host has reached 90 points: a bond of life and death.

Obtained a first-level reward draw opportunity.

Drawing ultimate skill...

Obtained ultimate skill Divine Protection: Bathe the target in holy light, granting immunity to all types of damage for three seconds!

This skill from Kayle, the angel, was true three-second invincibility. It not only granted immunity to damage but could also save someone at a critical moment, greatly improving Tahm's life-saving and support abilities.

Tahm, however, was utterly baffled. What had I just conned her about? How had Karin's favorability risen so quickly? We'd only known each other for half a day...

As expected, problem children easily become dependent on strange old men?

It was late at night. After coaxing Karin to sleep, Tahm quietly left her room.

When he reached the courtyard, he found Kakashi waiting for him.

"Did you have something to say?" Tahm asked.

"Are you sure you want to take this girl back with you?" Kakashi countered. "You haven't asked why I agreed to stay at the daimyo's residence, but I assume you've already guessed."

Tahm sighed and said, "That's right. Ten billion is enough to tempt a lot of people. What's more, it was taken from the Land of Wind by shinobi from the Land of Fire. I'm afraid many people in Sunagakure won't be happy about that. The moment we leave, we'll become the target of everyone."

Although Tahm was usually unreliable, he was not some naive, ignorant fool. After seeing what had happened to Karin today, he had gained an even deeper understanding of the cruelty of the Shinobi World.

"As long as we make it into the Land of Fire, regular troops will be there to meet us. The two of us leaving won't be difficult." Kakashi analyzed the situation without a trace of emotion. "But taking a little girl with us will be troublesome."

"We can't leave her here alone." Tahm rarely wore such a solemn expression. "First of all, I'm Karin's entire world now. She won't accept being abandoned here by me, even if I promise to come back for her later."

Kakashi was not moved by the emotional appeal and gestured for Tahm to continue.

"The abilities I displayed were enough to make even the daimyo covet them. Leaving behind a girl who has ties to me in the Land of Wind, which has a blood feud with Konoha, would lead to what? I don't believe you can't guess. Besides, she possesses the pure bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. Bringing her back to Konoha would be worth more than ten billion. The Grass Village may not recognize her value, but the Shinobi World is not short of knowledgeable ambitious schemers."

Kakashi wore a troubled expression and sighed softly. "All right. Tahm, you're not as honest and ignorant as you look."

"Likewise. You're not as cold and rational as you appear." Tahm put on an inscrutable expression. "Someone once said something to you. That is the real reason I insist on taking Karin with us."

"That person said: 'Those who violate the rules of the shinobi are called trash. But those who fail to cherish their comrades are worse than trash!'"

Kakashi was stunned. He had never heard those words from a second person, nor had he ever again met a comrade worthy of saying them to.

After a long while, Kakashi finally said with a bitter smile, his voice strained, "Can you really tell fortunes?"

"Of course I can, haha!" Some sage answered without the slightest shame.

Shinobi from Sunagakure, bounty hunters who had caught the scent, and even the daimyo himself had all fixed their gazes on this small courtyard.

Whether it was ten billion in cash, Tahm with his strange healing methods, or Kakashi's Sharingan, which carried a bounty of fifty million by itself, they all seemed like bait giving off the most enticing scent, drawing the sharks into circling endlessly without leaving.

In that same dark corner, after receiving a report from a small snake, Orochimaru gave his two companions an evil smile and said, "They've already left. Kakashi's Shadow Clone, combined with the genjutsu laid down through the Sharingan, fooled those mediocre fools."

"The Sharingan. What a useful thing." Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, looking as terrifying as a venomous snake about to devour its prey.

Sasori ignored everything else and merely glanced over before saying coldly, "Wait. You two are not to interfere."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said teasingly, "Just don't lose your touch when the time comes. Kakashi of the Sharingan won't be that easy to deal with."

"No one may question my eternal art!"

The three of them instantly transformed into three phantoms and disappeared into the streets and alleys.