"I should not have eaten that."
— Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
☯ ──────── 忍 ──────── ☯
Otis looked back at the Daimyō.
"You still don't walk out of this room."
The man's eyes bulged.
"I-I helped you! I told you everything!"
"You ordered children cut open," Otis said flatly. "You don't get a retirement plan."
He turned away, already done with him.
"Yuki."
This time, the bear didn't hesitate… And this time, no one stopped her.
Yuki lunged.
The daimyō screamed.
"AAAAHHHHHGGHGH!"
A pig-like shriek ripped from his throat, sharp and ugly, as Yuki's jaws closed around his torso. The bed slammed into the wall under her weight, wood exploding into splinters.
His scream broke into choking gasps as bones cracked one after another, the sound dull and sickening. His hands clawed uselessly at her fur, fingers slipping, strength draining away as panic drowned everything else.
Another muffled scream tried to force its way out…
KRRUNCHH
Yuki's jaws snapped shut.
Silence followed…
Yuki straightened slowly, breath fogging the air. Blood soaked into the sheets, dripped down the bedframe, and pooled on the floor beneath her paws.
Whatever had once been the Daimyō of the Land of Grass was gone.
Erased from this world.
…
Just before sunrise, Otis and Yuki returned to the inn.
The caravan was already preparing to move.
Takeshi looked up as they approached. He was giving final instructions when everyone noticed Yuki looked… off.
Yuki sat off to the side, unusually quiet. Her ears drooped and her posture was miserable.
Yuki looked… unwell. Takeshi thought
She took a step, swayed slightly, then promptly vomited onto the side of the road, a frankly impressive rainbow-colored mess spilling out of her mouth.
Very unwell. he thought
(Pic)
Takeshi stared.
"…Is she alright?"
Otis glanced at Yuki, who looked deeply betrayed by her own stomach.
"She ate," he said calmly, "a poisonous bug."
Takeshi blinked. "…A bug?"
Otis nodded solemnly.
"A Very toxic bug."
Yuki glared at him.
Otis didn't meet her eyes and walked forward without looking back.
"…Told you not to eat garbage on the side of the road."
Yuki groaned.
The caravan started moving.
Takeshi had hired additional samurai. Better ones this time, professional men who knew when not to ask questions. Within the hour, the caravan was ready.
The journey back toward the Land of Fire took two days.
There were no ambushes. No trouble.
Just road and wind beneath open skies.
Ren slowly stopped flinching every time Yuki moved. By the second night, he even sat near the bear while eating, though he kept a careful distance.
On the final day, as the border came into view, Takeshi approached Otis.
He bowed deeply.
"My family is alive because of you," he said. "Because of you and Yuki."
He straightened slightly.
"We're safe from here. From here on, we'll manage."
He handed Otis a sealed scroll.
"No amount of money could repay this," Takeshi said, "but I'll make sure this mission is recognized as A-rank. You didn't just guard us. You saved my family."
Otis waved it off.
"Just take care of your family."
Takeshi smiled. "I will."
He hesitated, then added, "My shop is in the capital of the Land of Fire. If you ever need anything… supplies, money, information… please find me."
Otis nodded once.
As the caravan began moving again, Ren turned around.
He waved.
"Bye, Mister Otis!" he called.
He hesitated, then looked at Yuki.
"…Bye, Yuki!"
Yuki snorted proudly.
The caravan moved on.
Otis watched them until they disappeared down the road. Ren kept waving until he couldn't see them anymore.
When they were gone, the road felt quiet.
Otis looked down at the mission scroll in his hands.
"…Mission complete," he said quietly.
He slipped it into his pouch, then glanced at Yuki.
"Let's go home."
She growled in agreement.
Together, they turned back toward Konoha, leaving the Land of Grass behind at last.
…
Meanwhile~
Rain fell endlessly over Amegakure, drumming against walkways and concrete towers like a pulse that never stopped.
(Pic)
Konan moved through the Akatsuki base in silence, her cloak damp at the edges. Her footsteps echoed softly through the corridors as she walked without urgency.
She was almost at her door when
"Konan."
She stopped.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
She turned as Nagato approached, Yahiko's face looking back at her from a body that was no longer his.
Nagato stopped a short distance away. The corridor lights reflected off wet stone and off his eyes as he looked at her carefully.
Too carefully...
His gaze sharpened, and he lifted a hand, fingers hovering near her face as he pointed.
"There's blood on your lips."
Konan blinked once.
Then she wiped her mouth with the back of her glove,
"…It's nothing," she said. "Probably someone else's."
Nagato didn't reply.
The sound of rain filled the space between them.
She met his gaze.
"…Did you need something?"
"No," he said finally.
Konan nodded once.
"Then I'll rest."
She turned and walked toward her room.
As she walked away, the sound of rain filled the space between them again.
Nagato remained where he was, watching her retreating figure disappear down the corridor. His expression did not change.
"…I didn't say it was your blood," he murmured.
…
On the other side of the world, in the Land of Lightning~
Steam curled lazily from a porcelain cup.
The man holding it stood near a wide window, gazing out over the Hidden Cloud Village. Towers cut through rolling thunderclouds like spears. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the village for a brief moment before the world dimmed again.
(Pic)
He took a slow sip.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Our informants have uncovered something," a voice said.
The man did not turn. He sighed, irritation flickering across his face.
"I told you already," he replied calmly. "The village's problems are no longer my responsibility. They're yours to handle now."
The footsteps stopped.
"Yes, but …It concerns that woman" the voice said after a pause
"Hikari."
The cup hovered halfway to the man's lips. His fingers tightened without him noticing.
Silence filled the room…
He lowered the cup with care and stood.
This time, he turned.
"…Continue," he said.
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