Chapter 35: Fuka? Or Wood Wind?
A rich, alluring fragrance instantly drilled into Haruko's nostrils. Just as those red lips were about to touch Haruko—
'Damn! I don't want to be sucked dry into a mummy by a Ghostly Kiss!"
Bang! The "delirious" Haruko suddenly exploded into action, punching her squarely in the chest. There was no trace of desire in his grey pupils, only clear, playful mockery.
'Hmm?"
He hadn't held back with this punch, aiming to shatter a clay puppet, but the moment he made contact, he realized the person was real.
Haruko hurriedly pulled back his strength, barely avoiding causing her severe injury or killing her on the spot.
"Gaha..." Even so, she slumped onto the bed, drooling, unable to get back up.
Pulling steel wire from his ninja tool pouch, Haruko bound the woman tightly, showing absolutely no intention of being gentle.
"First drugging me, then a night raid. What, do you want to harvest my kidneys? Or do you want to drain me dry?"
"No... it's not..." The woman struggled to squeeze out a few words. Her allure had long since vanished, replaced by the fear of death.
"Then tell me, who are you? Who sent you? What is your goal?"
Haruko took out a Kunai and waved it in front of the woman, then, as if to demonstrate its sharpness, sliced off a lock of her hair.
'No special reaction to having her hair cut, so she's probably not Fuka, just looks like her. Maybe her corpse was stolen and used as a template after death?"
This series of actions left the woman with no doubt that Haruko would actually kill her, so she obediently opened her mouth: "My name is Taketori Kaede... The clan leader said... said the clan's bloodline is about to die out... You have pure Shikotsumyaku... We must make you stay..."
"Stay for what?"
Taketori Kaede bit her lip, the blush on her face spreading all the way to the roots of her neck. "To leave offspring... I need to conceive your child... I am the first one..."
'What kind of H-game plot is this? "Everyone is eyeing my ○○," is that it?!"
Although he had already guessed it, hearing her admit it was still shocking. Haruko knew that since these people had developed such an idea, if it didn't work tonight, they would definitely have other tricks up their sleeves tomorrow.
Perhaps next time, the whole clan would mobilize to place a powerful barrier on him, then lock him in a dark room to be a full-time stud.
"I've transmigrated, and I still run into things like 'paying a fortune for a child'..."
Haruko grumbled while packing his luggage.
"I would have married and had children sooner or later anyway. If you had approached me normally, I might not have refused."
He formed hand seals with both hands, releasing a wind of detection to confirm there were no ambushes nearby.
"But you absolutely shouldn't have drugged me. Are you in such a rush? Or do you feel you must have complete control to feel at ease?"
"That's because..."
"Ah—stop, no need to explain. You're not worth talking to, and I can't be bothered to listen. Tell the Old Man, thanks for the hospitality, but I have no interest in being a stud."
Taketori Kaede panicked and tried to struggle to her feet. "You're leaving? No! You can't leave! For the sake of the clan, I must..."
Bang! Haruko cleanly and neatly delivered a hand chop to the back of her neck. Taketori Kaede rolled her eyes back and slumped into unconsciousness.
"If I don't leave, should I wait to be drained dry by you? I'm only thirteen, I haven't enjoyed life enough yet." He laid her gently on the bed and even thoughtfully covered her with the blanket.
"Sorry, beauty." Haruko looked at the unconscious Taketori Kaede and shook his head. "Although I've seen your pictures in my past life, I hate trouble more than anything. This heavy script of carrying the fate of an entire clan is better left for someone else to act out. Hmm, Kimimaro would be quite suitable."
After confirming once more that there were no ambushes nearby, Haruko pushed open the window and jumped out. Landing silently, Haruko used light body techniques to swiftly dash toward the outskirts of the village.
He had to leave before the clan leader discovered him; otherwise, given that Old Man's level of madness, he might actually send the whole village to surround and capture him. Although he wasn't afraid of a fight, he preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible.
Rushing past the village entrance, Haruko disappeared into the night without looking back. Behind him, the lights of Taketori Village gradually faded into the distance.
"Kaguya Clan... Now that I know the location, I'll come visit again when I have time. But that will have to wait until I'm strong enough that the Old Man doesn't dare harbor any crooked thoughts. I hope the Old Man isn't too stubborn, otherwise, I wouldn't mind'solving the problem'."
This retreat route in the Land of Fire, the Taketori Clan, was temporarily ruined.
"Heh, they really are one family, same behavior as the Kirigakure Taketori Clan."
He had originally fled the Kirigakure Taketori Clan because they wanted to keep him in captivity as a weapon. And this time, it was to keep him in captivity as a stud.
Haruko didn't rush back to Konoha, but instead headed toward the Land of Hot Springs. For one, the excuse he used when applying to leave the village was to go to the Land of Hot Springs for a vacation; returning too early would be strange, so he might as well make the fake play real.
Secondly, if Sanuki sent pursuers, returning directly to Konoha would expose his background, so it was better to go to the Land of Hot Springs to confuse them. Thirdly... he was already here, might as well make the most of it.
"Next... I'll treat it as a real vacation."
He couldn't help but quicken his pace, running toward the lights of the Land of Hot Springs in the distance.
...
Land of Hot Springs. There was no scheming between great nations here, nor the twisted obsessions of bloodline clans, only streets full of steam, hot spring buns, and the scent of sulfur lingering in the air.
After traveling all night, Haruko arrived at the hot spring town in the early morning and immediately found a hot spring inn to check in at lightning speed.
"Haa—" Submerging his entire body in the open-air hot spring, Haruko let out a sigh as if his soul had left his body.
"That woman named Taketori Kaede is probably awake by now, right? That old geezer is probably jumping with rage? But—none of my business."
Although his "retreat" was still nowhere to be found, and things had even become more troublesome because he had offended the Taketori Clan in the Land of Fire, Haruko just wanted to put everything down and have a good rest.
"Hmm, the hot springs in the Land of Hot Springs are pretty good. I can bring Dad and the others here next time."
Coming out of the hot spring, the exhaustion from a night of traveling surged up, and he climbed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
He slept from morning until dusk, and the moment he opened his eyes, it was dinner time again.
"Guest, your marbled beef." A server knelt outside the sliding door, carefully sliding in the food tray.
Haruko picked up a piece of raw meat with exquisite, marble-like marbling, dipped it in some special ponzu sauce, and put it into his mouth.
The fat exploded on his tongue, the rich yet non-greasy texture instantly hitting the top of his skull.
'This is what life is about... fighting and killing is just a waste of life."
Haruko narrowed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion from running all night vanish along with this bite of meat. Ninja World peace, bloodline secrets—none of it was as important as this bite of meat at this moment.
After eating and drinking his fill, Haruko changed into a loose yukata, put on wooden clogs, and walked down the street like a rich young master to aid digestion.
Compared to the slightly serious, militarized village of Konoha, the commercial atmosphere here was much stronger. The roadside was full of hawkers calling out, selling all sorts of strange little trinkets.
"Young man, please wait."
A middle-aged man wearing a dark red robe with a kind face suddenly blocked his path. He was holding a flyer with a strange inverted triangle pattern drawn on it, with that salesman fake smile on his face that Haruko was all too familiar with.
"Do you feel empty? Do you feel even lonelier after laughing? God says, pain is not a punishment, it is purification..."
Haruko stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Not at all, I'm quite happy."
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