Iron Country, Takeo City, Headquarters of the Forge Blade Studio
In a lavishly decorated, golden hall, two figures appeared simultaneously before the ninja cat Sawarabi as a cloud of white smoke dispersed.
Kamihane glanced around, a slight surprise in her heart. The surroundings were crowded with people, almost all the core members of the Forge Hall had gathered. It seemed this trouble was no small matter.
After several years, everyone's appearance had changed quite a bit.
Aya Niwa looked older, with a weathered face and fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her back was slightly hunched, but her deep eyes seemed even sharper.
His senior disciple, Ryūnosuke, had thick eyebrows and large eyes. His shiny bald head stood out in the crowd. He had grown a beard, making his appearance more rugged, but also exuding a subtle calmness.
Yukino Niwa still wore a white dress, her alluring figure perfectly proportioned. This time, she did not wear a veil, her makeup was exquisite, and she was breathtakingly beautiful. The faint, seductive vermilion at the corners of her eyes enhanced her charm as a mature woman.
Sugawara Shouko didn't seem to have changed much. She still had that loli face that didn't match her figure at all, and her rough linen shirt was about to burst. She walked with a wobble.
"Who's next?" Kamihane pressed a hand on her sword, narrowing her eyebrows and asking.
"Uh... this..." Mayoi Niwa coughed a few times, leaning on her cane as she stepped forward, "Young Master, since that incident four years ago, no one has dared to cause trouble for the 商会 anymore."
Ryunosuke followed up with a forced smile, "Yes, yes, they all submit to your overwhelming might, Young Master, and dare not act recklessly, not to mention that the 幕府 is also strongly supporting us..."
Kamihane frowned slightly and turned back to question, "If there's nothing wrong, then why did you summon me?"
"It was their idea, I was just following orders, meow." Zezhu waved his hand, curled up his tail, and licked the dried fish by himself.
"Actually, we wanted to formally thank the young master for all the support over the years."
Yukino gently stepped forward and said softly to Kamihane, "Kamihane-kun, everyone wants to properly thank you."
Kamihane only realized now that the hall tonight was decorated with great solemnity. The golden marble tiles were luxurious and imposing, complementing the vermilion carpet perfectly. The walls were clearly textured, and the arched ceiling was painted silver and gold, embedded with crystal chandeliers that emitted a soft glow.
Not far away, hundreds of times more sumptuous delicacies than in the base were displayed on round tables, with a hot pot in the middle simmering gently, sending the spicy aroma to every corner of the hall.
"Oh, I should have brought Lord Madara," Kamihane muttered to himself.
"Kamihane-kun, come on." Yukino suddenly stepped forward, her eyes shimmering softly.
Kamihane slightly stepped back, Yukino was too close, and the faint fragrance was overwhelming, making him a bit uncomfortable.
A flame fan was placed between the two, its wide surface directly separating Kamihane and Yukino.
"You woman, how can you be so lacking in boundaries?" Hikari raised her chin, her beautiful eyes glinting with dangerous intent. "Speak if you must, but why get so close?"
Kamihane immediately sensed that someone was in a bad mood right now, but even so, she didn't recklessly unleash her chakra, because she knew the other person was an ordinary woman with no combat ability.
"Who is this younger sister?" Yukino blinked.
"My name is Uchiha Hikari."
"So you're Hikari-chan." Yukino nodded with a smile, intentionally or not, she puffed out her proud chest.
"He is my fellow disciple of Madara-sama." Kamihane carefully pushed aside the Flame Fan and cast a tentative glance at Hikari. "Although we've already eaten, since they've kindly prepared dinner, it would be rude to refuse. So… shall we have a little something?"
"It doesn't matter." Hikari's wrist turned slightly, deftly stowing the Flame Fan back behind her.
When Kamihane sat down, Hikari boldly and unceremoniously took a seat to Kamihane's left.
Zhen Ye felt a bit awkward, leaning on his cane and moving to the right, but a graceful white-clad figure lightly took a seat, his beloved daughter, who was seated to Kamihane's right.
On the left, Yukino gently leaned her head forward and asked in a soft voice, "How old is your sister this year?"
Kamihane nearly spat out her fruit wine.
"It's very impolite to ask someone's age so abruptly," Hikari responded casually, "Didn't your mother teach you that?"
"My mother passed away when I was very young."
"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional."
"It's all right, I was the one being presumptuous." Yukino smiled warmly. "I don't know what your relationship with the young master is?"
Kamihane bit the iron spoon clean in half this time, chewing without any awareness.
Hikari was stunned, and the meat slice he had just picked up fell back into the bowl.
Yukino narrowed her sparkling eyes, as if she had found an opportunity to counterattack, "Could it be that you two are already secretly betrothed?"
"No!"
"Not yet!"
Kamihane and Hikari spoke simultaneously, making a fuss.
They glanced at each other, both blushing and looking away, pretending nothing had happened.
Before leaving, Kamihane went to the kitchen and selected several exquisite dishes, storing them in a sealing scroll to take back for Madara to try.
The night sky was filled with the continuous booming of fireworks, bursting into a kaleidoscope of colors. The two walked side by side on an empty street.
Because of that one word "not yet," Uchiha Hikari's face is still flushed with embarrassment, and she obediently clasps her hands behind her back, not daring to look at Kamihane.
At sunrise, the two arrived at the eastern coast of the Land of Iron.
The huge red sun rises from the distant horizon, dyeing the sky and earth in orange-yellow, the sea surface undulating, as if a giant sea beast is about to break through the water, golden waves rolling, crashing against the cliffs at the foot of the mountain, the air cool and moist.
"Are you taking me to see the sunrise?" Hikari glanced at Kamihane, and in an instant, her pale cheeks were covered in blushes, gently biting her delicate thin lips, she was extremely shy at this moment.
"No, what I actually wanted to show you is…" Kamihane took a deep breath, grabbed Hikari's small hand, and leaped towards the sea, "The starry sky under the sea!"
Kamihane was like a cruising submarine, diving straight into the sea with Hikari, reaching 200 meters below the surface. He created an invisible domain with a diameter of ten meters around him, as if he were a monarch, with all the seawater repelled outside the domain.
Hikari felt no pressure from the sea, and her clothes were not wetted by a single drop of water. Outside the domain, the currents carried the two of them rapidly diving deeper.
Hikari was still immersed in shock at Kamihane's water control abilities when she heard his words and only then did she raise her head, belatedly.
The vast, deep azure blue came rushing at her, like an endless expanse of sky, the sunlight filtering through the ripples of the sea, illuminating her eyes.
Hikari turned his gaze slightly, and the sunlight filtering through the water cast a mesmerizing glow on Kamihane's face.
"Thank you, Kamihane, I really like it."
"Lord Madara also said you don't like romance." Kamihane stared into Hikari's eyes, as if through these bright eyes, she could see a more beautiful starry sky. "It seems I know you better,"
"If you dare to say it out loud, you're dead."
She gently wrapped her arms around Kamihane's neck, tiptoed, and her soft, fresh lips slowly pressed against his.
In the stillness of the night, a deep and resonant whale song echoed through the vast ocean depths, as countless fish danced and swirled around the two of them.
The light intertwines with the sea, tranquil and profound, as if time stands still at this moment, with only the ethereal starlight faintly shimmering.
———— 🌟 ————
ps:Support and join my Patreon
patreon.c@om/chenc11 Remove @
You can read up to 20 premium chapters.