"Did this place bring back memories?" Oto Uchiha walked over and crouched beside Zou Hyuga, brushing back the strands the wind had loosened and tidying them into a braid.
Lost in his memories, Zou Hyuga nodded, then stood up and said, "If I hadn't run into that Sunagakure Jonin, I might still be a Genin in the Hyuga Branch Family. I really never wanted to stand out."
Oto Uchiha gazed into the distance, then followed behind Zou Hyuga.
The battle that had taken place in this valley was a memory she could never forget. It was the first time she had experienced the cruelty of life as a Ninja. The Sand Ninja's ruthless methods had shattered her pride as an Uchiha.
If Zou hadn't already possessed the strength of an elite Jonin back then, she probably would have killed herself.
A female Ninja with a kekkei genkai would rather die than be captured alive. Capture would most likely mean being reduced to a breeding vessel for that kekkei genkai.
Rubbing her eyes, Oto Uchiha caught her reflection in her short sword and only then realized she had activated her Sharingan.
Those really weren't memories I wanted to revisit!
Still, if she encountered that elite Sunagakure unit again, she could wipe them out in an instant.
Ultimately, she had simply been too weak back then, and she hadn't known how to keep a low profile.
Amid an endless expanse of yellow sand.
After several days of traveling by night and resting by day, Zou Hyuga and Oto followed the caravan to an oasis in the desert.
The oasis was only the size of a town, yet hundreds upon hundreds of people lived there, forming clusters of settlements around its water sources.
Such oases were not uncommon in the Land of