That night,
Yuu and Pakura spread out their bedding in a dry, sheltered corner of the cavern.
After a simple wash, Yuu leaned against the stone wall, closed his eyes, rested his mind, and began reviewing today's battle.
This encounter with Sasori had come rather suddenly, and Yuu's response had been somewhat rushed. Now that he thought back on it afterward, there were many details he could have improved. He needed to summarize the experience and lessons while the memory was still clear, then apply them next time.
Of course…
the more important matter was completing all his daily galgame routines and collecting every bit of affection he could get. Especially ninjutsu like Dragon Fire Technique, whose affection was already close to max, deserved special attention. He needed to see whether it could activate something new.
Beside him,
Pakura also sat cross-legged, unconsciously rubbing a kunai with her fingers as she thought about what she would do after returning to the village.
Although Yuu had given her some advice, explaining the encounter with Sasori and the Third Kazekage clearly to Sunagakure, and using that to build a stairway toward becoming the Fourth Kazekage, still required careful planning.
This was not something she could conveniently "ask" Yuu about either. After all, he was a Konoha ninja. Asking a Konoha ninja to teach her, a Suna ninja, how to seize the Kazekage position… saying it out loud felt rather strange. It was better for her to spend more time thinking it through herself.
Although she did not directly ask him, Pakura would occasionally raise her head and glance at Yuu's profile. Toward this Konoha boy, who was younger than her yet absurdly powerful, and whose thoughts were also far deeper than someone his age should have, she felt even more curiosity and desire to understand him.
In the end, however, she could only press her lips together, suppress the complex emotions surging in her heart, and force herself to focus before continuing to think.
When the moon rose above the treetops, the two finally returned from their thoughts one after another. They blew out the oil lamp, lay down less than a meter apart, and closed their eyes to sleep amid the sound of each other's breathing.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, after brushing his teeth, washing up, and eating some dry rations, Yuu followed the Tarōmaru brothers to the depths of Wailing Canyon.
This was where the Sanddew Cactus grew.
As previously agreed, the Kamatari Clan allowed Yuu to dig up two plants and bring them back to try growing.
It had to be said, this cactus's vitality was indeed extraordinary. It could survive in extremely dry soil, and its appearance was also quite unique. It was about one meter tall, its entire body a deep ink-green, covered in a layer of fine silver-white fuzz. Its fruit was pale blue.
Yuu used the Sword of the Thunder God as a shovel and was carefully digging around the cactus's roots when he suddenly sensed something. He raised his head and glanced at the rock wall more than a hundred meters away.
"Hm?"
It was a larger weasel, around the size of an adult ninja dog. Its fur was either pure black or pure white, and its tail was very long. It was lying on a protruding rock on the cliff wall, its cold eyes looking this way, as if examining something.
"Hey, Kazekirimaru! What are you doing over there?"
Tarōmaru shouted.
"Kazekirimaru?"
Yuu's heart moved.
That name sounded familiar. Wasn't that the "strongest fighter of the Kamatari Clan"?
Mm… just from that entrance pose and gaze, it really did have the air of an expert. He just did not know how strong it would be in an actual fight.
For the moment, neither Yuu nor Kazekirimaru spoke. They merely calmly looked at each other from about a hundred meters away, while Yuu continued digging sand with his hands. Until at a certain moment, Kazekirimaru seemed to find it boring. With a whoosh, its body turned into a light breeze and vanished.
Just from that move, one could tell its Wind Release attainments were impressive. It was much smoother and more fluid than when the Tarōmaru brothers activated Wind Release ninjutsu.
"Um… Kazekirimaru is pretty solitary. He doesn't like interacting with others. Even we rarely get to talk to him normally. He wasn't targeting you on purpose. Next time there's a chance, I'll call him over to chat with you."
Tarōmaru rubbed his paws together and explained on behalf of his clansman. Looking at him like this, he seemed oddly human, making Yuu feel slightly amused.
As for the content of his explanation…
"I understand."
Yuu nodded.
Geniuses always had some quirks. Just like Konoha's Kakashi, who liked pretending to be aloof while reading dirty books. Or a certain Uchiha genius who was still just a little brat right now, but liked making his entire family kill themselves and pressuring his biological younger brother…
Since he had already come here, Yuu had originally wanted to try interacting with Kazekirimaru and see whether he could woe it.
But considering that he had already spent quite a bit of time on this trip, especially after the unexpected encounter with Sasori, and the extra day spent resting in the canyon after the battle, if he did not hurry back soon, who knew what unexpected changes might occur on the southwestern battlefield.
He could wait until he had time next time before woeing this large weasel.
Soon,
Yuu returned to the original stone cavern with two cacti.
At this time, Pakura had already efficiently packed both their bags. She was sitting idly off to the side, teasing a fluffy little weasel, with a gentle smile on her face that was different from usual.
When she heard footsteps, she immediately raised her head and looked at Yuu and Tarōmaru. Her eyes faintly brightened.
"You're back, Yuu. How was it? Are we setting out again?"
"More or less. If there's no problem on your end, let's go. We've already stayed here for some time."
Yuu nodded and said.
Naturally, Pakura had no problem.
And so,
the two dressed properly, once again said farewell to the Weasel Great Elder, and under the escort of the Tarōmaru brothers, left Wailing Canyon and began the journey back.
This time, the journey was calm and uneventful. Nothing strange appeared along the way. Forget attackers, they did not even encounter many ninja beasts like sandworms.
After leaving the canyon, the Tarōmaru brothers first carefully confirmed the surrounding situation. After making sure nothing was chasing Yuu and Pakura, they escorted them a little farther before waving goodbye with their claws from a sand dune.
"We'll send you off here. Any farther and it won't be an area we're used to moving in. Be careful on your way back. If you run into a situation you can't handle, you can use Reverse Summoning to come back and hide for a while. Our clan's territory is quite hidden. Ordinary humans can't get in."
As Tarōmaru spoke, Jirōmaru and Saburōmaru beside him also squeaked and chirped, seemingly expressing the same meaning.
Yuu and Pakura smiled and waved.
"Thank you. You three should head home too. We'll come visit again when we have time."
Afterward,
the two retraced their original route. They spent about a day crossing the latter half of the Death Desert, then quietly crossed the Land of Wind's border and returned to the battlefield region at the junction of the Lands of Rivers and Fire.
As the yellow sand in his vision was replaced by familiar mountains and forests, Yuu unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, the climate over in the Land of Wind really was harsh.
Yuu was used to staying in the Land of Fire, so suddenly going over there had really been a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, he was only staying temporarily for a few days, not living there long-term, so it did not matter much.
"Wildfire City is up ahead. Let's part ways here."
Yuu stopped, took two scrolls from his chest, and handed them to Pakura.
"Here. The Third Kazekage puppet and Sasori's severed arm. Take them back first and report to Sunagakure. When I need your help, I'll find a way to contact you."
"…Mm."
Pakura raised her hand and accepted the scrolls. She seemed to want to say something, but for a moment, she was speechless.
After all, most of what needed to be said had already been said over the past few days. As for the rest, it was not quite suitable to bring up in this kind of situation.
Silence spread between them. Only the rustling of mountain wind through the shrubs could be heard.
Suddenly,
Pakura bit her lip and, as if possessed, leaned closer to Yuu. Then she kissed him hard on the cheek.
The warm, soft sensation, along with a faint girlish fragrance, made Yuu freeze slightly. He instinctively wanted to turn his head to look at Pakura, but stopped halfway.
If he turned his head at this moment, what got kissed might not be his cheek, but his lips.
After a full three or four seconds,
Pakura finally stepped back half a pace. A faint, almost imperceptible blush rose on both sides of her cheeks.
"Cough, cough… Consider that a tiny bit of interest paid in advance. As for the rest, once things in Sunagakure settle down, I'll find a way to repay you as soon as possible."
"I hope that the next time we meet, it won't be on a battlefield, but in each other's villages as guests."
After saying this, Pakura seemed a little embarrassed too. Without waiting for Yuu's response, she waved her hand, turned, and leapt away. Her agile figure quickly disappeared down the mountain path leading toward Wildfire City, leaving only the sight of her dark brown cloak fluttering behind her.
"…Alright then."
Yuu touched the cheek she had kissed and looked in the direction Pakura had disappeared. He shook his head somewhat helplessly, then quickly slipped into the mountain forest near Kikyo City.
It had already been five or six days since he had first requested leave from Jiraiya. That was not especially long, but during the period when Konoha and Sunagakure had yet to fully make peace and were still negotiating the ceasefire, it was enough time for many things to happen.
He needed to return quickly and confirm the situation with Rin and the others.
…
Cold. Shaking.
The red-haired boy woke from unconsciousness and felt as if every bone in his body had shattered. Even the slightest movement sent intense pain sweeping through him, making it nearly unbearable.
"You're awake?"
A strange voice, with a hint of curiosity, sounded beside him.
"Wow, you suffered such serious injuries and still survived. That's amazing! You should be a human, right? Can I ask you a question? What does pooping feel like?"
The voice continued.
"…?"
Sasori forced his eyes open. The first thing he saw was a dim rock ceiling. The air was filled with a heavy smell of medicine, blood, and a damp earthy scent.
He turned his neck slightly and looked toward where the voice had come from. He noticed a strange person standing there. Its entire body was pale white, and even its head was a white spiral shape, as if formed from plant roots or fungal folds. It looked rather bizarre.
"Is this… the underworld?"
Sasori tried to speak.
In his understanding, he should already be dead, killed by Yuu and Pakura working together. A creature like White Zetsu, standing beside his bed, would look strange in reality. But if it was in the underworld, then it was normal.
After all, the underworld should not only contain humans. It should also have all kinds of dead rare beasts. The appearance of one or two strange-looking things like White Zetsu was perfectly normal.
But…
"The underworld? What kind of place is that? Is it fun?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, not quite understanding the meaning of the word.
At this moment, another voice, lower and hoarser, came from the shadows deeper in the cavern.
"Sasori of the Red Sand, correct? You are not dead. This is our place. You may call us Zetsu."
"…"
Sasori silently looked into the depths of the cavern. He could not see the speaker's appearance, so he could only ask with some difficulty, "Who exactly are you? Why did you save me?"
"Of course, because you and we share a common enemy."
"?"
Sasori's heart trembled.
"That's right. Our enemy is also Konoha."
Black Zetsu laughed lowly. In the empty cavern, his laughter sounded especially eerie.
"The existence of Konoha is a great threat to peace. You should understand that very deeply. So we hope we can unite and deal with them together."
"Moreover, we saw your 'art.' It was very splendid. Turning fleeting lives into immortal puppets to achieve eternity—what a great artistic concept. It truly inspires longing."
"!"
Sasori's pupils contracted, and a trace of heat appeared in his eyes.
As an "artist," he had an almost pathological pursuit of his artistic philosophy. That was why he had devoted his energy to developing human puppets. He had even abandoned his identity as a Suna ninja and candidate for the next Kazekage, killing the Third Kazekage before defecting.
For a long time, no one had understood his pursuit. Even his grandmother Chiyo had viewed his hobby as abnormal and tried to persuade him to give it up. And now, a "person" he had just met for the first time actually recognized his view of art. This was no different from a lighthouse lighting up in darkness.
For a moment, countless words surfaced in Sasori's mind. He wanted to pour out his ideas about art and eternity to the person before him.
But…
"Heh."
The current him had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of that white-haired brat. Even his most precious "artwork," the Third Kazekage puppet, had been taken by the other side. What right did he have to speak grandly here and explain his understanding of art?
It was nothing but a castle in the air.
The light in Sasori's eyes dimmed. He lay there in despair, falling into deep self-doubt.
Black Zetsu took in all the changes in his emotions. A barely noticeable glimmer flashed through his pupils. Then he continued in that low, hoarse voice:
"Your injuries are severe. Rest properly for now. This place is relatively safe. No one will come disturb you.
"As for everything else… we can talk after you recover a little."
With that,
Black Zetsu's chakra presence retreated into the distance, slowly withdrawing into the darkness deep within the cavern before disappearing.
Only White Zetsu remained standing in place, curiously observing the blood-soaked bandages on Sasori's body, seemingly wondering why human blood was red.
Sasori closed his eyes and said nothing more.
At this time,
in another enormous stone chamber far from the cavern where Sasori had awakened,
Uchiha Madara sat upright on a stone seat. While receiving chakra supplied by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he listened to Black Zetsu's report.
"…Understood. That brat has awakened?"
"Yes, but his injuries are severe. It may take some time for him to fully recover."
Black Zetsu said.
After a pause, Black Zetsu carefully asked, "Lord Madara, how do you intend to deal with this Suna missing-nin? He is currently in quite a miserable state. He even lost the Third Kazekage puppet and had one hand severed."
"It does not matter."
The corner of Uchiha Madara's mouth curved slightly as he said calmly, "His strength and talent are both decent. That technique of turning people into puppets is somewhat similar to the Rinnegan's ability to control corpses. It is interesting.
"More importantly, he has already formed an irreconcilable feud with Konoha, especially that brat named Mikami Yuu. That is a necessary quality for someone to be cultivated into a 'tool.' After I leave, perhaps he can become a pawn to assist Nagato and Obito in completing the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"…"
Black Zetsu said nothing.
Although he did not like the Eye of the Moon Plan, he still agreed with Madara's judgment.
Human puppets were indeed a technique with a very high upper limit.
In theory, as long as there were suitable and sufficient corpses, and enough time to modify and produce them, one could directly pull out a massive army. Especially since Sasori's human puppets seemed to retain their abilities from when they were alive and could release ninjutsu. That made them even rarer.
Another technique with similar traits was called Reanimation Jutsu, invented by a certain naturally evil white-haired man.
At the current stage, Reanimation Jutsu had not yet been improved by Orochimaru, and Senju Tobirama's original version was somewhat crude. The reanimated dead could only display around half of their living strength. Most of the time, the technique relied on their immortal bodies combined with Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
Compared with the Third Kazekage human puppet Sasori had displayed, the human puppet technique looked more outstanding.
"By the way, Lord Madara."
Black Zetsu seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke. "That brat named Mikami Yuu seemed to use a special ability during this battle. It looked like some kind of medical ninjutsu, instantly neutralizing Sasori's poison. I believe this is a point worth paying attention to."
"Oh?"
Madara's gaze darkened. He had clearly also recalled this detail.
"Heh. It seems that little girl Tsunade has researched quite a few things over the years."
"You mean…"
"Hmph. Medical ninjutsu of this level naturally could not have been independently developed by that brat. He has been close to Tsunade recently, so he must have received some inheritance from her… Unfortunately, compared with Hashirama back then, he is still far too immature. Hashirama was a man who could heal his injuries without even forming seals."
"…"
The corner of Black Zetsu's mouth twitched slightly. He was already used to Madara suddenly starting to praise Hashirama while talking.
Although he was an old thing that had lived for over a thousand years, and Uchiha Madara was also a remnant of the Warring States Period, neither of them had done much research into poison. They also did not take such unorthodox methods seriously. They only assumed Yuu had used an ability similar to Yin Healing Wound Destruction or the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
Of course, the Strength of a Hundred Technique was currently still Tsunade's personal secret technique. But similar medical ninjutsu had appeared over the past thousand years, so it was not too unusual.
"That said… this brat's rate of improvement is indeed a little too fast. We cannot continue allowing him to grow freely."
Uchiha Madara glanced at Black Zetsu, his tone carrying unquestionable decisiveness.
"Zetsu, from now on, strengthen surveillance on him. I want to know his every move. We absolutely cannot allow him to leave the path of our control."
"As you command, Lord Madara."
Black Zetsu's figure slowly sank into the shadows of the ground, as if he had never appeared.
…
"Yuu—! You bastard! You're finally back!"
Inside the Kikyo City stronghold,
Uchiha Obito shouted loudly while punching Yuu hard on the shoulder. His face showed undisguised joy.
"You disappeared for a whole week, right? Seriously, where did you run off to all this time? We were worried sick!
"Oh right, you don't know this, but Kakashi has been squeezing Rin and me dry this whole time, making us do this and that. I suspect he's using his position for personal revenge against me. Hurry up and come back already, or that guy is going to torture me to death!"
"…Hmph!"
Kakashi was following behind Obito. At this moment, his hands were in his pockets as he coldly glanced at Obito. Then he used those dead-fish eyes to look Yuu up and down. After confirming that Yuu seemed to be in decent condition, he finally spoke calmly.
"Welcome back, Yuu. I'll hand over this week's mission reports to you later."
"No rush."
Yuu poured himself a cup of water and gulped down several big mouthfuls. After suppressing the lingering dryness from traveling through the desert, he wiped his mouth and asked, "Right. How has the front line been while I was gone? Any new changes?"
"Well…"
Obito scratched his head and answered first.
"Heh, Sunagakure has completely wilted. I heard the terms of the peace treaty between Konoha and them have basically been finalized. Most likely, in the next few days, the two villages will officially sign the ceasefire agreement. Then we can finally leave this damned place!"
"Understood."
Yuu confirmed with Kakashi that Obito's words were true, then nodded, feeling relieved.
The temporary end of the war was a good thing. It meant he would have more time to improve his strength and woe those troublesome "ninjutsu young ladies" in the galgame system.
"Speaking of which…"
Yuu raised his head and looked faintly toward a certain direction in the south.
By now, Pakura should have returned to Wildfire City and met with Chiyo and the others, right?
He wondered how things were going on her side.
He imagined that Chiyo's expression would be very interesting when she learned the truth behind the Third Kazekage's disappearance, as well as the whereabouts of her grandson.
~~~
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