In the mansion assigned to Amane, four people were sitting on the wooden floor of the dojo, no one saying a word.
Nakamura Iku and Amane locked eyes, while Ringo Yuriko watched the two with interest. Ye would glance at the other three from time to time, and the scene remained at a standstill.
[Hahaha, interesting. Ding wants to exchange information with me, but Mei Terumī has banned me from training. Yet Yuriko and Ye chose to come over and supervise me.]
Although this was just a temporary, bug-like situation, it was precisely because of this that it seemed so amusing.
Amane also discovered that her teacher in espionage actually had such a weakness.
If Amane were in Ding's position now, she would have definitely chosen to kick Ringo Yuriko and Ye out directly and then communicate normally through sparring.
During this process, as long as the intensity was lighter than usual, it would be fine.
This would both demonstrate the guardian's strictness and show a gentle side.
But Ding did not make that choice.
He was clearly wary of something, and by the way Ding occasionally glanced at the other two, it was obvious he didn't want to have to keep dealing with Mei Terumī about this matter afterward.
[The more you say, the more mistakes you make; the less you say, the fewer mistakes; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes.]
Acting this way indeed left no openings, but it also meant losing a certain amount of room for maneuver.
"Um, should we start getting dinner ready?"
Suddenly, Ye broke the stalemate. Indeed, it was about time to prepare dinner.
By the way, since leaving Root and receiving Ding's espionage training, he had been in charge of the meals.
The taste couldn't be called good or bad; just like the espionage traits Ding displayed now, it was a flavor that one couldn't find fault with.
Nakamura Iku stood up without a word, seemingly heading to the kitchen out of reflex.
"Ye, I'll go with you. I want Mr. Nakamura to taste your cooking, and I want to continue learning from you. You can't stop me from learning that, can you?"
Since leaving the hospital, these two had been watching her very closely. Normally, she would have had the chance to sneakily leave behind a Shadow Clone or two.
"Mhm! I'd be happy to. Amane's cooking has improved a lot over the past two months. Why don't you try being the head chef today?"
Hearing Ye say this, Ringo Yuriko clicked her tongue in displeasure.
Among the three, in terms of talent for cultivation—excluding Amane's use of Shadow Clones to grind experience, which made it hard to judge objectively—the gap between their levels hadn't widened much so far.
But outside of cultivation, in terms of life skills, Ye stood head and shoulders above the rest.
According to her, it was because her family had lived in complete seclusion to avoid pursuit, being entirely self-sufficient.
Therefore, she had impressive achievements in areas like foraging for food in the wild, cooking, and medicine.
Amane knew them too, but only for emergency use in the wild.
Thus, when several dishes that looked slightly less than perfect but tasted quite good were served, Amane felt strangely moved.
From her past life to this one, she finally knew how to cook.
"Boring. It's just okay."
Ringo Yuriko commented after taking a bite.
"At least it's better than the charcoal you burn. I really didn't think a pot could actually explode in reality; I've only ever seen that in dreams."
[And in videos from my past life.]
Amane's sarcasm made Ringo Yuriko a bit indignant, but Ye firmly pressed her hand down, repeatedly mouthing the word "orders."
"It's great, considering you've only been learning for two months. Actually, Amane, you just need to do it often and make it look a bit prettier."
"So, have I completed my apprenticeship?"
When asked if she had finished her training, Ye coughed twice, saying there was still more to learn. In reality, she just didn't want to give up this advantage; in Ye's eyes, Amane was simply too excellent, and this was one of the few areas where she could surpass her.
Watching this, Nakamura Iku's brow furrowed deeper, having no appetite for the meal.
[Jiu, what exactly are you up to?]
According to Mei Terumī, the only thing that could have caused Amane to faint was the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu technique. Moreover, it would only happen if a large number of clones accumulated fatigue and were released all at once.
This meant Amane was using Shadow Clones to do something secret without informing him.
But Nakamura Iku couldn't figure out what it could be.
Could it be... Lord Danzo had assigned another mission to Amane?
If Amane knew what Ding was thinking now, she would definitely be grateful for Danzo's policy of cultivating people by eradicating their emotions.
A person who was originally quite smart actually couldn't even imagine the possibility of Amane betraying them.
Although betrayal requires a motive, Ding, like Danzo, knew that Amane had grown up in Root since childhood. How could she have any reason to rebel against the organization?
But a normal person might think: could this spy be assimilated by this beauty?
Although the reasoning was off, the result was the same. However, this had nothing to do with Amane. She didn't have mind-reading skills, so she couldn't exploit Ding's current thoughts, and she had already planned her response to this matter.
Her chopsticks tapped against the edge of the bowl from time to time.
{Kagura Mind's Eye cultivation successful. Now I can send Shadow Clones out of the stronghold. Do you want me to pass on intelligence?}
Since it was currently difficult to find an opportunity to get rid of Ding, she would continue to use him.
After thinking it over, Danzo was indeed the key to whether she could return to Konoha. Even if she got rid of Ding now and bolted back to Konoha, there would be too much to explain.
And more importantly, Amane could not trust the Third Hokage.
Although she understood that the so-called conspiracy theories surrounding the Third were due to inconsistencies in the manga's settings, since she had transmigrated here, Amane had to look at the problem from a realistic perspective.
Incompetence or Machiavellianism—logically, he must be one or the other; otherwise, many things really couldn't be explained.
Upon hearing the signal Amane transmitted, Nakamura Iku couldn't help but feel secretly annoyed.
Indeed, learning Kagura Mind's Eye as soon as possible would help the mission; this was something they had discussed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let Amane use her Sensing Technique as a "selling point."
But you shouldn't have taken such a huge risk!
[As expected of a youth, Jiu is still too immature as a rookie spy. To be so eager for success, she needs special "education" to burn this lesson into her mind.]
{There will be major moves here soon. For now, don't do anything conspicuous. Just do as Mei Terumī requested.}
At this moment, Nakamura Iku felt a bit lucky. No matter how immature Jiu was, she shouldn't make such a basic mistake given her past performance.
And if the worst came to the worst, Danzo had given him the authority to activate the Cursed Seal and make Amane disappear.
{Major moves?}
Nakamura Iku then passed on what he had heard at the meeting to Jiu.
Then Amane fell silent. Nakamura Iku just assumed Amane understood the current situation and didn't think much more of it.
But not long after, the sound of a chopstick accidentally hitting a nearby plate rang out while picking up food.
{I think Mei Terumī plans to take the elites to liberate the Mizukage. I expect the remaining manpower will stay to guard the stronghold. What's your plan?}
{Did you not hear what I just told you?}
At this point in the coded exchange, Nakamura Iku secretly formed a seal with his hand, and Amane's body suddenly stiffened.
Although it was only for a split second, Amane truly didn't speak again until the end of dinner.
"Then we're off. You absolutely must not train; Lady Terumi is definitely serious this time."
After dusk, the three prepared to say goodbye at the entrance.
Ye seemed a bit hesitant when she said this, her eyes occasionally darting toward empty spaces.
"She is a Sensing Ninja."
After Ringo Yuriko finished speaking, she turned her back, waved to Amane, and pulled Ye along as they disappeared into the twilight glow.
"Quite impressive children. They are capable of carrying the hopes of the Hidden Mist's future."
Amane raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.
"I hope this unrest doesn't affect them."
After Nakamura Iku finished speaking with a smile, he retreated into the house behind him, leaving Amane alone leaning against the door shrouded in shadows, watching the sunset in the distance.
[How truly vicious. I couldn't even have imagined this in my past life.]
Truly a subordinate of Danzo. To an onlooker, this was a heinous act of the highest order. Even from Konoha's standpoint, unless this matter was handled with absolute secrecy, it would become a major liability.
Amane once again experienced the cruel side of the Ninja World.
She couldn't help but recall her experiences during this time to confirm her own heart.
It wasn't that she wanted to strengthen her resolve to stop it; after all, that would depend on the specific situation at the time.
Although Amane believed she had a moral compass, if it were truly necessary or if the cost to herself was too high, she would still go through with it or at least stand by and watch.
Recalling that moment at the dinner table just now, a killing intent rose in Amane's eyes for the first time in a while.
The Tongue Binding Seal has already been analyzed. Now I can have some fun with you.