The round moon hung high.
Moonlight spilled across the forest.
From time to time, a nightingale called out—clear and melodious, lingering gently through the dark.
Below the branch—
The woman's pale legs dangled in midair, her clean bare feet swinging lightly, brushing at the air as if teasing the surface of water.
At her age, she shouldn't have been making such girlish motions.
But there was no one nearby.
Through the lenses of her round glasses, she watched that squad grow more distant.
They hadn't shown any insistence on finding her.
Only then did she feel at ease.
They had left in a hurry—like fugitives.
Once gone, they likely wouldn't come back.
"It's the first time I've ever been interrupted while bathing…"
She sighed softly, a gentle smile forming on her lips.
"Sorry."
"I have a mission. I can't waste too much chakra helping others."
The knot of hesitation in her heart loosened completely.
She rose slowly and reached up to undo the towel.
Moonlight was clean as snow.
Her skin was smooth as white jade.
The white towel slipped to the ground, draping over the thorns below.
Her toes—pale with a faint rosy tint—pressed lightly against the branch as Yakushi Nono formed hand seals, unsealed a storage scroll, and took out clothing. With practiced ease, she dressed, then body-flickered away.
Buzz—
The branch trembled faintly.
Wearing her shrine maiden robe—unable to restrain the full curves of her figure—she leapt toward the lodge.
…
Back at the wooden house—
The door stood open.
Nono pushed back her white hood. Beneath her golden hair, her fair, delicate face was revealed.
Looking at the empty hall, her pale green eyes flickered with confusion and surprise.
"Hm?"
"Where did my bathtub go?"
She raised a brow, stepped outside barefoot, and scanned the area.
There were no traces of anyone dumping water.
A giant question mark rose in her mind.
That bathtub was new.
She had bought it yesterday after submitting a mission in Kikyo Castle—one for killing rogue ninjas.
Sure, someone could seal a bathtub into a scroll.
But who could seal it with the water still inside?
Those people couldn't find her…
So they stole her bathtub out of spite?
"How can someone be like this?"
"Stealing even my bathwater… disgusting."
Even with her usual gentle temperament, a thread of anger rose on her face as she clenched her fingers.
Her gaze slid toward the mountain road below.
Along the rugged path, Jaeger and Doctor Nake were still chatting.
"Doctor Nake, it's so late," Jaeger said warmly. "Why not stay the night at my place?"
Nake shook his head, refusing with forced politeness.
"No. The red-light district still hasn't settled my bill. Bad luck."
"Dragged out in the middle of the night to treat someone, and those friends of yours didn't even pay medical fees."
"I'll pay," Jaeger said with an honest smile.
Nake glanced at him. Seeing how sincere he was, he waved it off.
"Your whole family depends on you."
"And besides, how much money could a refugee hunter even have?"
"Forget it."
"I'll go to your house and drink a cup of hot tea."
"After that, I'm leaving."
Jaeger's smile didn't fade. He led Nake back inside.
The moment they stepped through the door—
Both men froze in place.
The candlelight flickered.
Yakushi Nono sat in the seat of honor, eyes half-closed, a gentle smile on her lips—like a graceful, well-kept lady of the household, calmly watching the two of them at the doorway.
"Ss—!"
Nake's eyes widened as he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Blond hair, round glasses… pretty face… shrine maiden outfit!!"
He spun to leave.
Jaeger immediately clutched Nake's arm with a death grip. His entire body tensed. He swallowed hard and stared blankly at Nono, his voice small.
"Doctor, don't go."
"I'm scared."
"I'm scared too!" Nake's face twitched.
Inside, his mouth and his heart complained in perfect harmony—
I shouldn't have gotten greedy for that cup of tea.
…
In the pitch-black night—
The Uchiha moved with a torch in each hand, making their way through the darkness. With a stretcher to carry, their speed wasn't fast.
They didn't encounter any attacks along the way, and that allowed their tightly drawn nerves to loosen slightly.
Now, all they could do was pray.
In the remaining three to four days…
They had to find a medical-nin who could save Tamayū.
Izumi stayed close to Kazuki and asked curiously, "Captain Kazuki, that shrine maiden shinobi… why didn't she kill Mr. Jaeger and the others for pretending to be Mist rogue ninjas?"
Kazuki thought for a moment.
"For a shinobi," he asked, "what's the most important thing before taking action?"
Izumi smiled instantly.
"Intelligence."
Kazuki nodded faintly.
"I get it!"
Izumi suddenly understood.
Before that woman acted, she must have investigated the rogue ninjas operating in the area.
She knew Jaeger's lodge wasn't a real rogue-nin hideout, which was why she borrowed lodging there—and helped the family out of goodwill.
Still, Izumi thought pretending to be rogue ninjas was extremely foolish.
Kazuki landed on a branch and looked up at the night sky.
The stars glittered like diamonds.
The bright moon hung high—cold and pale.
This night was just like the night he killed Danzō.
Beautiful beyond words.
The corner of Kazuki's mouth lifted slightly.
He stopped and turned back toward the squad, his voice calm.
"We're going back the way we came."
"Huh?"
The Uchiha were completely stunned.
…
Inside the simple wooden house—
Nono's brows were tightly drawn as she stared at Jaeger, who was gritting his teeth and refusing to speak.
Then she looked at Doctor Nake.
"You talk."
"What were those people just now?"
"What are they doing on Kikyo Mountain?"
Jaeger and Nake were tied back-to-back to two chairs, unable to move.
Their faces were stiff and pale.
As for Jaeger's wife—
She stood behind Nono, holding the sleeping baby, her expression tense as her gaze fixed on the back of Nono's neck.
Nake sighed.
"I really don't know them. I don't even know their names."
Thunk.
Nono deliberately drove a kunai into the tabletop.
Jaeger stared at the blade, his eyes going wide.
Nono deliberately hardened her tone.
"I'll give you one last chance."
She had no intention of harming Jaeger or Nake. She only wanted to threaten them and gather information about that group.
It wasn't even necessary.
But traveling alone—
As a former Root intelligence specialist, collecting information was instinct, carved into her bones.
For her mission to proceed smoothly, she believed it was worth probing.
If that group had nothing to do with her task, she would let it go.
If she truly wanted to force information out—
The fastest method would be to threaten Jaeger with the woman and child behind her.
That would be easier.
But she didn't do it.
Before Jaeger could even attempt a lie—
Nono's brows lifted slightly. A sense of foreboding rose in her chest as she looked toward the tightly shut wooden door.
BANG—
The door was kicked open from outside.
Wood dust and splinters rained from the ceiling.
A thick stench of blood flooded in.
Jaeger's eyes widened. The smell was even more suffocating than the blood on Nono two days ago.
Nono remained composed. She adjusted her glasses with one hand and looked through the clear lenses.
Four figures walked into the room at an unhurried pace.
Jaeger's wife flinched. The baby in her arms began crying loudly again.
The infant's wail became the fuse that ignited the chaos.
Tied to the chair, Doctor Nake's pupils shrank. He turned his face slightly, cursing silently once more—
I really shouldn't have been greedy for that tea.
The four shinobi wore Konoha uniforms and Leaf forehead protectors.
Their gear was stained with fresh, not-yet-dried blood.
One fat shinobi with short hair and a chestplate marked with the character "Food" gripped several Mist rogue-shinobi forehead protectors in his thick hand.
One of them was missing a corner.
Then—
A white-furred ninja hound slipped in through the doorway, its nose twitching as it sniffed the lingering scent in the room.
"Woof!"
Suddenly, it caught a familiar scent.
The dog yelped in alarm and tried to bolt outside—
Only to be jerked back hard by a leash held by one of the shinobi.
Jaeger's gaze went blank.
His eyes locked onto the broken-corner Mist forehead protector in the fat shinobi's hand.
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