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Is this a woman's intuition?
Sawara Kiri felt a chill in his heart.
If it weren't for the fact that all of his life experiences in this lifetime were traceable, and his romantic history could basically be described as a blank slate, he felt that his Miss Megumi might really become a master at catching cheaters.
Fortunately, Megumi seemed to have only spoken unintentionally, and after a brief mention, she didn't continue to ask.
The two strolled leisurely through the Village like ordinary lovers on the street.
Compared to the deserted appearance during wartime, there were now many more pedestrians around them, finally giving the Village some bustling market atmosphere. In the distance, dust and smoke could be seen constantly rising near the new city, clearly indicating that many Earth Release Ninja were being hired to level the land, and the cries of street vendors were heard everywhere.
However, they had only walked a short distance when Sawara Kiri already sensed various gazes from their surroundings.
Before long, two girls who looked to be their age ran over together, looking excited, and clasped their hands, requesting:
"Lord Sawara, could you please sign for us?"
"On this shirt is fine!"
Suddenly, Sawara Kiri felt a clear killing intent rise from beside him, several times more fierce than the dust and smoke in the distance.
However, these two girls in front of him were clearly just ordinary people and did not possess the keen perception of a Ninja. They completely failed to notice the obscure gazes sweeping over their necks and hearts from beside them, still looking at him excitedly.
"Here is fine, right? On the shoulder."
"Yes! Thank you very much!"
Sawara Kiri barely maintained his smile, quickly signed his name, and then pulled Megumi into the denser crowd further away, avoiding the increasing number of gazes behind them.
As for the joyful cheers coming from behind, he simply pretended not to hear them.
"Hmph."
Megumi's gaze finally dropped from them after a long distance, and she let out a soft hmph, which counted as reluctantly letting them off the hook.
What a bunch of clueless people.
"Alright, alright, it's unavoidable."
Sawara Kiri comforted her softly, and changed the subject: "Have you heard? What happened with our team in the Land of Wind seems to have been made into a movie in the Snow Country."
"Many ordinary people only know our names because of that."
"Then let's kill the one who made the movie too." Megumi said aggressively.
"How can you do something like harm ordinary people..."
"I don't care."
The girl's strong and clear possessiveness seemed to overflow from her dark eyes, showing great displeasure.
At the same time, she secretly glanced in Sawara Kiri's direction.
I'm going to cause trouble.
Seeing this, Sawara Kiri knew she was clearly doing it on purpose. After thinking for a moment, he pulled her hand closer to him, wrapped his arm around her slender arm, and gently leaned her shoulder against his.
Megumi's lips immediately curved into a smile, and her fingertips rubbed against his arm.
"Heh heh."
She succeeded.
Megumi was very clever.
This closeness lasted the entire way, as if her whole body was glued to him. Sawara Kiri felt that this must have been Megumi's plan all along.
How cunning!
When they arrived at a relatively large clothing store, the clerk at the door couldn't help but sigh in her heart, and a gentle, aunt-like smile appeared on her face.
How youthful.
Once the two entered the store, their expressions became even more enthusiastic.
Megumi looked at the dazzling array of clothes before her, feeling no ripples in her heart.
As Ninja, most of them began relevant training from a very young age. Even if they had some girlish desire for beauty, it was often limited to picking flowers from the bushes to weave a wreath for themselves, like Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.
The profession of a Ninja was destined to be accompanied by iron and blood throughout their lives.
There was no gender on the battlefield.
Because of this, even female Ninja had to wear shorts and shirts most suitable for movement. How could they have time to pick and choose in these stores like ordinary people?
However, as Megumi looked, she seemed to suddenly remember something and glanced at Sawara Kiri beside her:
"Kiri, which one is better?"
In Sawara Kiri's opinion, the clothing styles of this era were basically the same, just different colors.
But when he turned his head, he realized that Megumi probably had even less experience than him.
So, he picked through the clothes racks like an old father, putting together a light-colored top and a dark long skirt for her.
He felt he hadn't put much thought into it, just choosing something that looked decent, but somehow, when Megumi saw him pick out a skirt, her eyes seemed to flicker with an inexplicable light, and he didn't know what she was thinking.
"Hello, please try on the clothes here."
After sending Megumi into the fitting room, he sat on a nearby chair, bored, like all helpless boyfriends.
However, when Megumi opened the fitting room door again, his eyes couldn't help but light up.
Megumi, already tall, stood there, her graceful figure filling out the clothes that had initially seemed a bit loose. After shedding her previous capable attire, she lost some of her gloomy solemnity and gained a touch of quiet serenity, like a water lily still adorned with dew, standing tall and elegant.
If she were to remove the forehead protector tied to her arm, it would probably be impossible to tell that she was a fierce Uchiha Ninja.
Just looking at her standing there seemed to make one aware of the temperature of their own breath.
But for some reason, upon seeing him look up, Megumi suddenly twirled in place.
Her light skirt also twirled with her steps, creating a flowing arc.
If you wear a skirt, would you want to twirl?
For some reason, Sawara Kiri suddenly thought of this sentence.
"Hey, does it look good?"
Megumi stared straight at him.
Sawara Kiri kept a straight face, speaking in a serious and solemn tone: "When a child sees a piece of candy, do they think if it's sweet or sour?"
"Do they?" Megumi asked subconsciously.
"Fool, he'll only think about how to eat it."
Sawara Kiri raised a finger, pointing and gesturing like an experienced person.
Megumi leaned down, moving closer to Kiri, who was sitting in the chair, and he seemed to smell the fragrance in her hair.
"Then will Kiri think that way too?"
Mister Sawara's raised finger touched the girl's forehead, pushing her back slightly from the almost-touching distance, and he said calmly:
"I wouldn't even think about it."
"Eat it first, then talk."
"Hmm, as expected of Kiri's style."
Megumi suddenly chuckled.
When she looked up, she suddenly attacked, gently biting his raised fingertip, leaving a faint tooth mark as a sign.
Sawara Kiri was stunned.
When he looked up, he saw the girl tilting her head and glancing at him, her eyebrows forming a curved arc, like a little fox who had just stolen honey.
A little bit proud.
Especially cute.
If he didn't know that this guy's true nature was yandere, Sawara Kiri would have thought he was being fooled.
However, when he got up to follow, Megumi acted as if she had done nothing, showing an innocent expression: "Is there anything else Kiri wants to try on?"
Perhaps because he had slightly lost the previous exchange, Mister Sawara felt a subtle sense of being manipulated by a young girl, and subconsciously tried to counterattack, continuing to point and gesture as an experienced person:
"Don't you, Megumi, have anything you want to buy yourself?"
"You know, girls dress up to please themselves."
"But..." Uchiha Megumi tilted her head and looked at him, as if stating the obvious, "If Kiri doesn't like it, I wouldn't come to a place like this."
"..."
This person.
How could she be so direct!
Mister Sawara, as the experienced one, was completely defeated, hanging his head in dejection.
The saleswoman next to them still had an aunt-like smile on her face.
How nice, young people.
After paying and leaving the clothing store, Megumi hugged the two outfits in her arms as if they were treasures. The usually indifferent expression on her face now held the smile of someone who had just eaten candy, and her other arm was linked with Kiri's.
If her teammates saw this, their jaws would surely drop, right?
Sawara Kiri thought to himself.
However, just as he was thinking about how to get the upper hand on Megumi next time, he suddenly saw a strangely patterned sparrow quietly staring at them from the eaves. Its dark, beady eyes rolled, its small head tilted, and then it suddenly flapped its wings and flew away.
Noticing the particularly distinctive sparrow, Sawara Kiri seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped.
"Megumi, you go home first."
"I have something I need to take care of quickly."
His voice was flat, yet Megumi, who had just been smiling serenely, suddenly turned cold, scanning her surroundings before furrowing her brow.
"You don't need me to go with you?"
"Don't worry."
Sawara Kiri casually said, "It's just a slightly troublesome chore."
Uchiha Megumi stood there, looking somewhat helpless, and replied, "I understand."
Such was the life of a Ninja.
Even a small date always had some twists and turns.
The later plans naturally fell through.
Sawara Kiri, on the other hand, leaped onto a rooftop, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.
Uchiha Megumi watched his retreating figure, quietly holding the newly bought clothes, standing in place, gazing far beyond the rooftops.
Unbeknownst to her, her dark eyes had already turned crimson.
The swirling tomoe spun rapidly like windmills in the center of her pupils, and faintly, fine black lines could even be seen connecting the different tomoe, only to suddenly break apart and split into three distinct sections due to the lack of a certain trigger.
Nevertheless, the dark ocular power seemed to swallow everything around it, causing even ordinary people who couldn't sense Chakra to instinctively step back a few paces, creating a blank space in the crowd.
Patience.
Patience.
The young girl took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the increasingly unstable emotions deep within her mind, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.
There were so many irritating things that made one feel at a loss, always appearing at such inconvenient times.
Damn it.
"Creak—"
A faint grinding sound was drowned out by the noise of the crowd, leaving no trace.
Sawara Kiri naturally didn't know about the minor incidents that occurred after he left. Following the corresponding Hidden Mist signals, he bypassed the Anbu's Sight, quickly covering several kilometers and appearing in a secluded corner.
When he saw the figure waiting there, his expression finally relaxed slightly, and he put on a gentle yet emotionless smile again.
"Lord Yagura, we meet again."
However, this time, Yagura Karatachi was no longer as rational and arrogant as before. He bowed slightly towards Sawara Kiri, his expression completely unchanged:
"Lord Kiri."
"Your subordinate has already begun implementing the task you assigned earlier."
"However, establishing an intelligence network in Konoha also requires some cooperation from you."
Sawara Kiri's smile remained, and he calmly said, "Before that, there should be other matters, right?"
Yagura Karatachi's voice faltered, and only then did he take out a list from his embrace and hand it to Sawara Kiri.
"This is the list your subordinate prepared."
After Sawara Kiri took it, he merely glanced at it, and his expression grew even gentler.
At the top of the list, the names of Mei Terumī and two others were prominently displayed.
"When can they arrive?"
"They have already arrived and are currently waiting outside the barrier."
Yagura Karatachi's tone was calm, completely unfazed by becoming a double agent.
It was as if he had accepted his fate.
Clearly, whether it was Yagura Karatachi's previous analysis in Hidden Mist or the subsequent series of actions after sending these Hidden Mist prodigies to Konoha, everything had been discussed with Sawara Kiri beforehand.
If Yagura Karatachi had held some hope after escaping back to Hidden Mist, by now, with Konoha having completely won the Second Shinobi World War and becoming the undisputed strongest nation in the Ninja World, he had completely given up hope on the Third Mizukage and others.
Such drastic external changes, yet internal strife still persisted.
If they could still succeed under such circumstances, it would be better to hope that Sawara Kiri would suddenly drop dead tomorrow.
Naturally, he chose another path.
"However, Lord Kiri…"
After seeming to hesitate for a few seconds, Yagura Karatachi still said with some unease, "If my infiltration plan goes awry later, will these children also...?"
"By then, they will be Konoha Ninja."
Sawara Kiri's tone was matter-of-fact: "Furthermore, regarding the intelligence network, I will also instruct another group of people to liaise with you. For a period of time, your actions will not involve these people."
"Does that reassure you?"
His tone remained warm and considerate.
Upon hearing this, Yagura Karatachi indeed breathed a long sigh of relief: "Thank you, Lord."
At this point, he no longer cared what would happen to the Village behind him.
He only hoped that these seeds, who originally had the potential to grow, could continue to exist—as seeds of the former Hidden Mist, and also as Konoha Ninja.
At least in his heart, the downfall of Hidden Mist was a foregone conclusion.
At the same time, as Sawara Kiri grew stronger, there would likely be more and more people like him, right?
Yagura Karatachi remained in a bowed posture, but this thought unconsciously emerged in his mind.
Sawara Kiri merely nodded, looking at him calmly:
"Since you're reassured, then bring them to meet me first."
"As for their identities, leave that to me."
As if remembering something, Sawara Kiri smiled slightly: "Coincidentally, the next Ninja Academy enrollment is about to begin, and their ages are just right."
"Yes."
After retreating, it wasn't long before Yagura Karatachi, using another loophole in the barrier, brought three little ones closer to Sawara Kiri.
They were Hohzuki Mangetsu, Zabuza, and Mei Terumī.
These powerhouses, who would shine brightly in the original timeline, were now just three little ones who had undergone preliminary training. They had only become candidates for Hidden Mist's intelligence network reconstruction in Konoha due to their slight talent.
Now, seeing the current 'Strongest Ninja in the World,' whose identity had been emphasized multiple times, their expressions were all tightly held, as if afraid of accidentally revealing the inexplicable thoughts in their minds.
Sawara Kiri's gaze swept over the three of them, revealing a gentle smile, and he took out three candies from his pocket, offering them:
"One each, no more."
The beautiful girl on the far side, who at a young age already showed glimpses of her future appearance, trembled upon hearing this, then seemed to pluck up her courage: "Lord Ren, is it poison?"
Sawara Kiri smiled and looked at them: "Yes, poison that can control your tongues."
"And it's green apple flavored."
Mei Terumī secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
However, before she could reach out, Zabuza had already taken a candy first, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth.
He swallowed it expressionlessly.
Seeing that he was fine, Mei Terumī then took one herself, habitually sucking on it without swallowing.
Immediately, her cute little face scrunched up, her features seemingly squeezing together.
Gulp, it's super sour!
"Sorry."
"It's just a very sour candy."
Sawara Kiri maintained his smiling expression, calmly looking at them.
"Gulp!"
Mei Terumī's eyes widened in anger, but she still didn't dare to spit it out, stubbornly crunching it up.
"Children are indeed very fun."
Only after Hohzuki Mangetsu also swallowed his candy did Sawara Kiri withdraw his hand, with a distinct sense of mischief accomplished.
However, the three little ones' previous tension in front of a super important figure had clearly dissipated a lot.
Yagura Karatachi behind them covered his face with a somewhat helpless expression.
"Alright."
Seeing that the three little ones had formed an impression of him, Sawara Kiri then composed his expression and softly said, "From today onwards, you are members of the Konoha Ninja. All actions must follow my command, you are not to inquire about any irrelevant matters, communication will be one-way, and you will execute orders unconditionally."
"Do you understand?"
At this moment, the three little ones finally felt as if they were infiltrating to carry out a top-secret undercover mission, and immediately responded in low voices:
"Yes!"
Sawara Kiri then nodded and instructed, "So, your first mission will be this."
The three little ones all looked up.
Children always have some romanticized fantasies about missions.
Even if it's espionage, or a suicidal assassination.
Then, they heard Sawara Kiri say with a smile:
"Enroll in the Ninja Academy."
"Then study hard and strive for progress every day."
The three little ones: "??? "
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