If some mysterious explosion had occurred a few days earlier, Yūto would definitely have volunteered to investigate.
But before his death, the Elder had asked him to restore the Uchiha Clan.
So his plan to get himself killed had to be postponed.
Otherwise, even if he returned to Blue Star, he would probably have trouble sleeping at night.
The Elder's soul might even cross worlds to launch a surprise attack on him.
"Damn it, this has to be a Kumogakure plot!"
After that fierce declaration, Yūto immediately changed the subject and began asking after Tsukimi's safety.
"Tsukimi, were you okay just now? Did you get hurt?"
Hearing Yūto show concern for her, Tsukimi felt as sweet inside as if her heart had been filled with honey.
She lowered her head, two patches of red blooming on her cheeks.
The corners of her mouth secretly curled upward before she hurriedly pressed her lips together, afraid he would see through her little thoughts.
"I-I'm fine!" She waved her hands frantically, only to nearly hit the tree trunk beside her with the overly large movement.
Yūto frowned. Tsukimi's face was unusually red. She hardly looked fine.
"Tsukimi, did that explosion scare you? Your face looks a little red."
Seeing Yūto staring at her flushed face, Tsukimi panicked even more.
"No way! I wasn't scared! It's-it's just too hot!"
As she spoke, she desperately fanned herself with her hand, completely forgetting that it was late autumn.
She secretly raised her head and glanced at Yūto, suddenly remembering that night when Tsunade had interrupted them.
She had planned to go on a date with Yūto then, only for Tsunade to ruin it.
Maybe she could use the explosion as an excuse to try again tonight?
She mumbled quietly, "Um, our patrol got interrupted last time. Want to continue tonight?"
Yūto considered it for a moment. His main goal had now shifted from getting himself killed to restoring the Uchiha Clan.
But he was currently on the front lines, so restoring the Uchiha Clan was beyond him for the time being.
So...
"Sure. I've been sleeping a bit too much these past two days anyway."
The moment he finished speaking, Tsukimi instantly perked up, like a puppy that had just been showered with affection by its owner.
"Then it's settled! At the usual place!"
She turned to run, then abruptly stopped to add, "Don't bring anyone else!"
With that, she hurried away in a fluster.
Watching her retreating figure, Yūto felt rather baffled.
Bring anyone else?
Who did she mean by anyone else?
Tsukimi returned to her little tent, her cheeks still slightly hot from her conversation with Yūto.
Humming a tune, she dug a lunch box out of her storage chest, then sneaked into the kitchen tent to swipe some ingredients.
She was a patrol ninja, after all. No one would say anything if she occasionally took a little food.
She crouched before a small makeshift stove and clumsily cut a carrot without a chopping board.
The pieces came out in all sorts of bizarre shapes. Some looked like stars, while others looked like...
Well, some sort of indescribable geometric shape.
But she did not mind at all, smiling as she arranged them in the lunch box instead.
She even picked out the few slightly more presentable pieces, planning to put them in Yūto's half.
"This... should be edible, right?"
She poked the Tamagoyaki she had fried a little too dark and took a tentative, guilty bite. It actually tasted all right!
Night fell. In the woods outside the camp, Yūto leaned against a tree trunk, counting the stars in utter boredom.
Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps.
He turned to see Tsukimi jogging toward him, a bulging bundle clutched in her arms.
"Slow down. Don't trip." Yūto could not help laughing. "What, are you planning to defect? You've even packed your bags?"
"Of course not!" Tsukimi glared at him indignantly. "This is... a secret!"
She hugged the bundle tighter, her eyes darting about as she refused to look Yūto in the eye.
"All right, keep your secret." Yūto shrugged and asked no further questions. "Come on. Let's go on patrol."
Tsukimi sighed in relief and hurried after him.
She deliberately led Yūto toward the edge of the camp, taking him farther and farther out until they could hear the burbling of a nearby stream.
Sensing something was off, Yūto raised an eyebrow. "Do you usually... go this far on patrol?"
"O-of course!" Tsukimi raised her voice guiltily. "This is a key area! We have to check it carefully!"
But Tsukimi actually knew full well that this was already the farthest point their usual patrols reached.
Yūto gave her a suspicious look but did not pursue it.
After they walked a little farther, Tsukimi suddenly cried out and braced herself against a tree trunk, making a show of panting:
"I'm so tired... Yūto, you must be tired too, right? Shall we take a break?"
Yūto: ?
He had not even broken a sweat, but he helplessly nodded along anyway. "Yeah, a little."
Tsukimi's eyes lit up. She immediately pulled the lunch box from her bundle and held it out before him as though presenting a treasure:
"Th-then that's perfect! I brought food!"
Once the lunch box opened, Yūto fell silent.
One corner of the Tamagoyaki was burnt, and the carrot pieces were crooked and uneven. The rice was nice and white, but plums had been arranged on top in a lopsided heart.
It looked nothing like food Tsukimi's cooking skills could produce.
Tsukimi nervously watched his expression and muttered, "It might not look very good, but it should taste all right!"
Yūto stared at the heart for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Thanks. I really like it."
Tsukimi's face turned completely red. She fumbled with the lunch box and stammered:
"H-hurry up and eat! It won't taste good once it's cold!"
Under the moonlight, the two sat beside the stream, one eating with his head down while the other stole glances at him with a silly smile.
Tsukimi gazed at the distant moonlight and the stream, as well as...
The several burly men who had suddenly appeared.
Her heart no longer felt quite so sweet.
She clenched her fists.
Why?!
Where did these guys come from?!
Tsukimi's little face flushed red with anger.
She had finally found a chance to be alone with Yūto, only for this bunch of oblivious Kumogakure ninja to ruin it again!
"You bastards!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "Do you have a death wish?!"
Yūto looked utterly bewildered. "Huh? Tsukimi, why are you suddenly so angry?"
He did not understand why Tsukimi was angry, because he still had not realized that she had actually been planning a date.
The leader of the Kumogakure group was a burly man with dreadlocks. Hearing Tsukimi's fierce words, he burst out laughing:
"Two wet-behind-the-ears brats, and you still dare talk tough?"
With a large sword resting on his shoulder, he pointed contemptuously at the pair. "Surrender now and save me the trouble of dealing with you!"
A masked Kumogakure Jonin beside him added sinisterly:
"Stop wasting time. Just finish them off."
Tsukimi glared viciously at the Kumogakure ninja, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan activating automatically. "None of you... are getting away!"
The Kumogakure ninja had initially looked disdainful, but the moment they got a clear look at Tsukimi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, their expressions turned grave.
"Three Tomoe? This brat is actually one of the Uchiha Clan's elite?"
"Hmph, so what if she's an Uchiha? We have two Jonin on our side!"
"And besides..." One of the Kumogakure ninja gave a sinister smile.
He whispered to his companions, "Don't forget, we still have our secret weapon."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the middle-aged man behind him.
Before you continue