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The next day.
Accompanied by Yūrei, Kaito went down to the forest to meet with Shigeru.
After their conversation concluded, the two held hands and strolled leisurely along the path outside the woods.
"Gurē gurē gurē… Kaito!!!"
Kaito looked up just in time to see a giant owl diving down from the sky.
Its broad wings stirred up a small whirlwind, tousling the hair of both of them.
The owl swiftly transformed into human form just before reaching the ground, landing lightly on its feet.
"Long time no see, Gurē. You certainly gave us a grand greeting as soon as we met!"
Kaito smiled, his hand darting out lightning-fast to ruffle Gurē's hair into an equally disheveled state.
"What are you doing, don't touch my feathers!"
Gurē, a particularly vain owl, immediately jumped in agitation, trying to swat Kaito's hand away.
"Think carefully, Gurē."
Kaito leaned close to his ear and whispered. "You blew Yūrei's hair into a mess just now. Either let me mess up your hair too so she can vent her displeasure, or face her punishment directly."
Gurē glanced at Yūrei, who stood smiling behind Kaito, and couldn't suppress a shudder.
In that moment, Gurē vividly recalled the terror of having his feathers mercilessly plucked by Yūrei in the past, and the humiliation of being rendered bald.
Thus, he obediently stood still, allowing Kaito to ruffle his head for what felt like an eternity, his grey hair ending up looking like a complete bird's nest.
"Nothing good ever happens when I run into you." Gurē glared fiercely at Kaito with his large, round eyes, grumbling quietly.
Kaito had been holding in his laughter until his stomach hurt, finally feigning magnanimity as he released his hand.
He whispered at the same time, "There, Yūrei probably won't be angry anymore."
Having said that, he sidestepped, placing Gurē directly in Yūrei's line of sight.
"Pfft." Yūrei raised a hand to cover her mouth.
"Ahahahahaha…"
Simultaneously, uproarious laughter erupted from the nearby forest.
Gurē's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly lifted his hands to fix his hair.
A group of little yōkai had already scampered out joyfully, jumping and dancing around Gurē, mocking him relentlessly, each one thoroughly delighted.
"Hey! You lot!"
Gurē flew into a rage.
"Mere underlings daring to laugh at me! I'm your big brother!"
"Tch."
A little inu-gashira, dog-eared yōkai, stuck its tongue out at Gurē.
"So lame! From today, we're not going to acknowledge you as our big brother anymore!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"So embarrassing!"
"You're not our big brother!"
The other little yōkai chimed in one after another.
"Damn you! You little brats! Just you wait, I'll show you what punishment means!"
Gurē raised a fist, aiming to thump the little dog yōkai on the head.
"Run!"
The little inu-gashira immediately dropped to all fours, transforming into a small dog and bolting away.
"Run for it!"
"He's going to hit people!"
"Ahahaha…"
Then, the whole pack of little yōkai scattered in a chaotic frenzy.
"Damn it! I'll teach you a lesson for sure!"
Gurē shouted threats loudly but made no move to actually chase after them.
"Alright, Gurē, don't take it to heart with the little ones."
Kaito, having had his fill of amusement, spoke up.
"By the way, did you need me for something?"
"N-no… nothing really."
Gurē cautiously glanced at Yūrei, then flinched again at her smiling face, bowing hastily.
"Forgive me! That was reckless of me earlier! Boss Lady!"
"Pfft." Yūrei laughed again. "It's fine, I wasn't really angry. You just got tricked by Kaito again, Gurē."
Gurē's body froze. Then, he turned an incredulous stare towards Kaito.
"Ha, just a little joke."
Kaito waved a hand, his smile unwavering.
"U! Chi! Ha! Kaito!"
Gurē lunged headfirst at him.
"I swear eternal enmity with you!!!"
…
After some roughhousing, Gurē finally revealed the reason he had sought out Kaito.
"Earlier, Lord Shigeru sent word that any yōkai interested in garrisoning the moon should come to you to register, so I came straight over!"
He crossed his arms, snorted coldly, and turned his head away.
"And here I was, thinking I'd go to the moon to help you out, considering, for the sake of Boss Lady's! And you go and trick me again, you jerk!"
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Thank you, Gurē." Kaito, of course, knew this owl yōkai was likely just restless from being cooped up and looking for an adventure, but he didn't expose him. Instead, he offered several more words of placation.
Immediately, Gurē cheered up again.
Kaito and Yūrei exchanged a glance, both seeing the shared amusement in each other's eyes.
After that, yōkai began arriving one after another to register. Kaito turned away some whose strength was too lacking, eventually compiling a finalized list.
By the time he and Yūrei, trailed by a group of followers, returned to the Uchiha residence, they found Orochimaru standing just outside the main gate.
"Orochimaru, it's been a while."
Kaito greeted him with polite courtesy.
"It has indeed been some time, Kaito-kun."
Orochimaru's current appearance was meticulously crafted to match his former human self exactly, though his serpentine pupils held an even deeper chill than before.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say those eyes no longer held any warmth whatsoever.
"Was there something you needed from me?"
Kaito pushed open the gate, gesturing inside.
"Please, let's continue inside."
"In that case, I'll intrude, Kaito-kun, Miss Yūrei."
Orochimaru offered a brief greeting to Kaito and Yūrei, completely ignoring the other yōkai, and entered the courtyard first.
Kaito turned to the assembled yōkai, informed them of the assembly time, and told them to disperse for now. Only then did he enter the courtyard and lead Orochimaru to the engawa.
The two knelt facing each other. After Yūrei brought tea and poured for them both, their conversation began.
"Kaito-kun."
Orochimaru habitually extended his now-forked tongue to lick his lips.
"This time, I also intend to accompany you to the moon."
Kaito nodded in agreement. "No problem. Are you interested in the moon as well?"
"As for me, now that I have obtained longevity, I find myself interested in anything novel." Orochimaru spoke words of uncertain sincerity.
"Since ancient times, those who have set foot on the moon could be counted on one hand. Yet now, under Kaito-kun's direction, even the mediocre masses of the shinobi world can travel freely between the earth beneath our feet and the moon in the sky. Truly is something."
His cold gaze roamed over Kaito.
"It's truly remarkable, Kaito-kun. I am very interested in witnessing how you will lead those decadent shinobi to protect our planet. Heh heh heh heh…"
'Honestly, ever since this senior obtained the immortal body he desired, his personality has become even more inscrutable.' Kaito thought to himself.
"Merely to witness?"
A somewhat feigned look of vexation appeared on his face.
"I had assumed you would offer some assistance."
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm…"
Orochimaru emitted another series of strange chuckles.
"That can be arranged. Since I will be going to the moon, I shall offer you my aid. After all, I also have no desire to lose the planet beneath our feet."
"Is that so? How wonderful."
A somewhat artificial smile returned to Kaito's face.
"With your help, I feel my confidence has grown by several measures!"
Orochimaru merely smiled noncommittally in response.