The next day, Shuo slept until he woke naturally. Sunlight warmed his face, and he rolled over, wanting to stay in bed, but his stomach kept growling annoyingly.
He dragged himself out of bed, washed up, and changed, then wandered out with a straightforward destination-the new sweet shop in the Shopping District. He had heard their honey cake was good.
The little shop on the corner had bright windows and clean tables, with its pastries beautifully arranged.
Shuo pushed the door open, making the bell jingle. "One slice of honey cake."
"Coming right up!" The plump auntie smiled and handed him his cake.
There weren't many people inside. Shuo found an empty seat and sat down, nibbling at the soft, sweet cake. At last, this felt a little like leisure.
He half closed his eyes and swung his feet, not bothering with anything around him.
Halfway through his cake, more people came through the door-Obito, Rin, and a little brown-haired girl he had never seen before.
"Shuo! You're here too!"
Obito bustled over noisily.
"Mm."
Shuo didn't even lift his head, continuing to eat his cake.
Rin smiled as she introduced them. "This is Nohara Shizuka, who just transferred here. Shizuka, this is our senior, Namikaze Shuo."
Nohara Shizuka nodded lightly, and Shuo gave a casual acknowledgment without saying much.
Obito eyed his cake longingly. "That looks so good. I want some too!"
"Buy your own."
Shuo's reply was flat. He couldn't be bothered to share.
Obito pouted and ran off to order.
They each ate their own food, and the shop was quiet.
Shuo had just finished his cake and was considering another slice when something suddenly registered in his perception-someone on the second floor across the street was reflecting light with a little mirror. Once, twice, three times, in a very regular rhythm. It was clearly a signal.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he quietly swept his Light Perception over the area. The one receiving the signal was the fellow in the corner of the shop, head lowered over his cake.
Tch.
Even eating cake, I run into people pulling something underhanded. What a pain.
Shuo couldn't be bothered to get involved. He stood and headed outside.
"Leaving already, Shuo?"
Rin asked.
"Yeah, taking a walk."
He answered offhandedly, paid, and pushed the door open.
He didn't go far. Turning into an alley nearby, he stopped against a wall and leaned there lazily, his perception firmly locked onto the fellow.
Three minutes later, the person in the corner finished eating, left the shop, and walked briskly deeper into the Shopping District.
Shuo didn't make any particular effort to tail him, simply keeping track through his perception. It took no effort to watch him anyway, and changes in light couldn't lie.
The man turned down a quiet lane. At the end stood an old bookshop with a closed sign hanging outside, and he slipped straight in through the side door.
Shuo extended his perception inside. There was more than one person there. Three chakra signatures were well concealed, but the changes in the patterns of light caused by their breathing and body heat were perfectly clear to him.
"...Confirmed. It's the target."
"Is the information reliable? The preparation time is..."
The rest was spoken extremely quietly, and Shuo couldn't even be bothered to listen.
If I hear it, I'll have to deal with it. Dealing with it means trouble. Better to leave.
He had just turned to go when-whoosh-a senbon shot from the bookshop's side window, straight at the back of his neck!
Without even turning his head, Shuo casually flicked his left hand backward, a faint light flashing at his fingertips.
Ten centimeters from his neck, the senbon suddenly seemed to strike an invisible mirror, veering off and embedding crookedly in the wall.
The bookshop fell silent. A second later, three people rushed out and surrounded him.
"Who are you?" the thin man leading them demanded coldly.
"Just passing by," Shuo said flatly.
"You followed us here just passing by?"
"I got lost."
Shuo sighed, looking utterly helpless. "I just wanted a slice of cake, but you had to make things so troublesome."
With that, he gently snapped the fingers of his right hand toward the sky.
Snap.
The next second, the light within ten meters of him suddenly warped-everything distorted, wavered, and folded. All three men's vision instantly fell into chaos, leaving them unable even to stand steadily.
"What's going on?!"
"Genjutsu? No, there's no chakra!"
Within that warped light, Shuo slowly walked past them without so much as brushing his clothes against them.
Once he was more than ten meters away, he snapped his fingers again, and the light instantly returned to normal.
By the time the three regained their footing, Shuo was long gone.
"Where is he?!"
"What the hell was that ability?!"
Their leader's face was ashen. "Investigate! Find out who that blond kid is!"
Meanwhile, Shuo had already strolled back to the main street, without so much as getting winded.
That light-field distortion just now took a little concentration but saved trouble. There was no need to fight, which suited him best.
Passing the sweet shop, he glanced inside. Obito and the others were still chatting happily, so he decided not to go in.
He took out a piece of candy the shop had given him, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. It was sweet.
The system interface quietly popped up:
[Inadvertently entered an intelligence transaction scene] [Response: nonviolent escape] [Evaluation: perfectly matched the template's "the less trouble, the better" style] [Imitation Points + 0.4%] [Current Imitation Points: 45.3%] [New insight: local light environment control · distortion field]
Oh, past 45%.
Shuo chewed his candy, looking indifferent, without the slightest surprise or delight.
He walked to the river, found a rock to sit on, and casually made grasping motions over the water. The patches of light on the river gathered and scattered with his movements. It was a rather dull way to play, but quite trouble-free.
The distant clock tower rang out. It was noon.
Shuo patted his trousers and stood, slipping both hands into his pockets.
Time for lunch. What should I eat today?
He ambled toward the Shopping District, while the scattered golden reflections on the river behind him continued to sway gently with the current.
As for the people in that old bookshop, whatever intelligence, whatever conspiracy...
Who cares? What a pain.
Before you continue