"Are you saying... Yu is in grave danger?"
In the middle of the chaotic camp, Might Duy faced Yumiko, who had just brazenly revealed her identity as a spy. Combined with the cryptic warnings Hyūga Yu had given him earlier, Duy's mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
He hesitated for a moment. Instead of immediately launching an attack, he pressed her for more information.
"That's right, Duy-san," Yumiko replied, nodding with a heavy, solemn expression.
"We've received word that several major powers have their eyes on Hyūga Yu. This includes the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki of the Stone, and Lady Chiyo of the Sand. They want him for his medical expertise, but more importantly, for his ability to bypass the Caged Bird Seal and perform Byakugan transplant surgeries."
She stepped closer. "Surely you, of all people, understand just how much value Hyūga Yu possesses?"
Might Duy knit his brows. "I... I see..."
Watching Duy waver, a flicker of triumph flashed through Yumiko's eyes. Under the training of the "Hidden Division" founded by Ebizō, the first rule every spy carved into their marrow was: Know your target.
From the beginning, Yumiko knew that with her background, she couldn't be a deep-cover agent in the heart of the enemy village; she had likely been exposed long ago. But for a clever operative, exposure was just another tool to stir up chaos, flip light into shadow, and create the opportunity needed to complete the mission and earn a promotion.
Approaching Might Duy, deliberately showing her "true" side as a medical ninja, garnering his sympathy, and then "burning" her own identity as a spy... it was all part of the plan to achieve her ultimate goal.
She looked at Duy and continued with a look of utter sincerity.
"Aside from the situation with Yu... Duy-san, through our time together, I've realized that you are a truly dedicated and exceptional Taijutsu specialist."
"Using someone like you just to haul cargo and do chores around the camp... it's a tragic waste of your talent!"
Duy's expression turned sheepish. "No... this is where I belong. After all, I can't use Ninjutsu at all..."
"Duy-san!" Yumiko interrupted. "Even without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, a man can become a magnificent shinobi through Taijutsu alone! I believe that with all my heart."
It was as if she had touched his most sensitive nerve. Duy looked up sharply.
"You must have heard of the great battle between the Cloud and the Stone a year ago," Yumiko said. "The Third Raikage took on ten thousand shinobi all by himself! And the Third Raikage didn't rely on Ninjutsu or Genjutsu—it was his peerless Taijutsu that made him invincible!"
Seeing Duy's resolve softening, she pressed her advantage.
"Duy-san, you haven't had a good life in Konoha, have you?"
"Your son, Might Guy, has been sent on the most dangerous supply escort mission of this period. Your student, Hyūga Yu, was treated with nothing but coldness by the Hyūga Clan. Even in the Medical Corps, his talents were ignored, and he was relegated to the Corpse Processing Unit. And now, at the most dangerous moment before the war starts, they've pulled him from the morgue just to throw him onto the front lines."
"I truly feel the injustice of it all for you!"
Duy found himself unable to argue. No matter the reasoning or the excuses the Leaf Village might offer, the reality was exactly as she described.
"So, Duy-san... please, trust me!" Yumiko pleaded. "I have no intention of harming you. My mission is simply to protect Hyūga Yu. I'm not even the one who will try to persuade him to leave."
"Our Fourth Raikage is on his way. He will personally speak with Yu and ensure his safe passage back to the Hidden Cloud. This is the secret letter he gave me."
"And... one more thing..."
Suddenly, Yumiko grabbed Duy's arm, pulling it against her chest. Through their thin clothes, he could feel the warmth of her skin. She looked up at his rugged, hesitating face with genuine-looking eyes.
"Duy-san... I truly loved the feeling of training with you."
Duy began to tremble.
For a moment, the world around them seemed to freeze. The noise of the bustling camp faded into a distant, muffled hum. His mind, usually slow to process such things, struggled to grasp the emotions flooding through him.
In the ten-plus years since his wife passed away, he had been alone, scraping by on a Genin's meager salary to raise Guy. He had avoided women, told himself to be strong, tried to be a role model for his son, and pushed himself—a man with no "shinobi talent"—to the absolute limit.
A forbidden thought suddenly bubbled up: What if... what if I hadn't come to the Leaf, but to the Cloud instead?
Terrified by the disloyal thought, Duy's body went rigid.
In that moment, Yumiko squeezed his arm tighter. Hidden from his view, a flash of murderous intent crossed her eyes as she whispered softly, "Duy-san, please... tell me where Yu is. I have to protect him."
Duy licked his dry lips and closed his eyes in pain. Finally, with a sharp exhale, he wrenched his arm away from her.
"I'm sorry. I have work to do."
Yumiko stood there in stunned silence, watching the middle-aged man hoist his crate back onto his shoulders and walk away.
She quickly pulled a mirror from her tool pouch, staring at her fair, elegant face and her fox-like, alluring eyes. She briefly wondered if she had grown old or ugly. But quickly, the reflection showed eyes that were sharp and cold.
She quietly formed the Tiger hand seal.
A specific scent, a fragrance planted on Duy's arm, wafted toward her nose. She masked her expression, adjusted her clothes, and followed him through the crowd at a distance.
She had nearly tricked Duy with her lies, using the truth to mask the deception. Everything she said had been true—except for the claim that she was a Cloud ninja.
The Sand had received intelligence: The Fourth Raikage, A, was indeed heading toward the Mist battlefield.
According to her village's orders, if she learned the Fourth Raikage was moving, Yumiko was to immediately abandon the plan to kidnap Hyūga Yu. Instead, she was to assassinate him instantly to prevent him from falling into enemy hands.
Following the trail of special powder she had left on Duy, she tracked the scent to a secluded corner of the camp, stopping before an unremarkable tent.
She waited until Duy left the area with a conflicted look on his face. Then, Yumiko crept forward and peeled back the tent flap.
But what greeted her eyes wasn't the boy Duy had come to check on.
In the center of the tent sat a special, large vat. And inside it was a pitch-black, shimmering mass—a light-veined cocoon that looked exactly like a giant silkworm chrysalis.
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