Chapter 10:Tsundere Breaking Plan!

Yuto walked down the snowy streets with the riddle scroll in hand, his face devoid of emotion. The cold wind brushed against his cheeks, but he paid it no mind.

To some readers, his behavior might seem callous, even unfair, especially toward Naruko and Hitomi, who were clearly upset. But Yuto's detached demeanor was intentional, born from a deep-seated frustration he harbored toward one particular trait: the tsundere personality.

'Tsundere...' he thought, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mind. In his previous life, he'd enjoyed watching anime protagonists deal with the over-the-top antics of tsundere girls. It was amusing in a fictional setting—the playful banter, the blushing denials, the occasional slapstick violence. But real life was an entirely different story.

In reality, the constant hot-and-cold behavior wasn't endearing. It was exhausting. Troublesome. Annoying.

'The last thing I need is to tiptoe around their emotions while trying to keep us all alive,' he thought, his grip tightening on the scroll. 'Naruko and Hitomi are strong, smart, and capable. But this tsundere nonsense is a liability, and I won't let it hinder our progress. If they think I'll let this slide, they're in for a rude awakening.'

Yuto's eyes glinted with determination as he hopped onto a nearby rooftop, leaping effortlessly from one to the next. 'I'll be ruthless now if it means breaking that behavior in the long run. They need to understand that this isn't a game. We're in the middle of the Chunin Exams, and there's no room for childish tantrums.'

He let out a slow breath, his Anbu Kakashi-like composure settling over him like a second skin. "Focus on the exams." he muttered to himself.

Yuto arrived at the inn. He stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. Naruko and Hitomi were already waiting, their expressions shifting when they saw him. They looked like they wanted to say something—apologies, explanations, anything—but the sight of Yuto's cold, emotionless face silenced them.

"I've brought the riddle scroll," Yuto said flatly, his tone devoid of the usual warmth they were accustomed to. He didn't look at them for long, instead moving to the small table in the center of the room. Sitting down, he unrolled the scroll.

Both girls exchanged uneasy glances, guilt flashing in their eyes.

'He's angry... I've never seen him like this,' Naruko thought, biting her lower lip. She felt her chest tighten, the weight of her earlier behavior sinking in. 'Why did I have to be so stubborn?'

'Yuto's never treated us this coldly before,' Hitomi thought. She clenched her fists at her sides. 'This is my fault too. We've pushed him too far.'

Yuto broke the silence as he read the riddle aloud, his voice calm but detached:

"'I am cool to touch, but can be deadly when used by some ninjas. I am always present in some state in you. If someone fell while breaking my shell, they are doomed. What am I?'"

The question hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

Naruko and Hitomi both had pained expressions as they listened, not just to the riddle, but to the stark lack of emotion in Yuto's voice. It wasn't like him. Yuto had always been the one to lighten the mood, to encourage them, even when they were at their worst. But now, he was distant, his demeanor reminding them of Anbu-Kakashi's cold, mission-focused side that their Sensei had told them about when he recounted his Anbu days.

'This... this is my fault,' Naruko thought, her hands curling into fists. She felt like a knife had been stabbed into her heart. Yuto's warmth had been a constant for her, a reminder that someone cared. Now it was gone, and it was unbearable.

'i have hurt him, and now he's shutting me out,' Hitomi thought, her guilt mirrored in her eyes. She wanted to say something, to apologize, but she hesitated. The weight of her earlier actions kept her silent.

Yuto looked at neither of them as he continued, his focus fully on the scroll. "We need to solve this quickly," he said curtly. "The faster we finish this, the better."

The girls shared another glance but reluctantly decided to set their emotions aside. Now wasn't the time to address the growing distance between them. Yuto was clearly determined to complete the first round of the exam, and any attempt at reconciliation would have to wait.

Naruko and Hitomi nodded in unison, their expressions resolute but tinged with regret. They joined Yuto at the table, their minds shifting to the riddle, though their hearts were heavy with unspoken words.

Yuto spread out the map of the Land of Iron and its surrounding areas. He ignored the lingering silence in the room, his focus solely on the task at hand. His finger traced over the various locations marked on the map as he began to explain.

"There are a few things that match the first sentence," Yuto began, his tone analytical, "but the most plausible answer is ice. Ice is cold to the touch, and it's used by some ninjas, like the Yuki clan—where Haku comes from."

Naruko and Hitomi listened silently, their expressions downcast as they watched Yuto work.

"Ice, in its liquid state—water—is always present in our bodies," Yuto continued, his voice steady and matter-of-fact. He tapped a specific spot on the map. "As for the 'shell breaking and doomed' part, I'm 70 percent sure it refers to a giant lake covered in ice. If someone fell through that ice, breaking its shell, they'd be doomed to drown or freeze."

Yuto paused for a moment before concluding, "All these descriptions match Oni Lake, situated in Kiju Village to the north of the Land of Iron. That's where the riddle is leading us."

Naruko and Hitomi exchanged another glance, their guilt only growing as they saw how distant Yuto was. Normally, he would've included them in the deduction, encouraging them to think and contribute. Now, he was treating them as bystanders.

"We should head out now," Yuto said curtly, rolling up the map and packing the scroll without sparing them a glance. He stood up and moved toward the window.

Before they could say anything, Yuto jumped out of the window, disappearing into the snowy landscape.

Naruko and Hitomi remained still for a moment, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.

"He's really angry with us," Naruko muttered, her voice soft but full of regret.

Hitomi nodded silently as she clenched her fists.

With heavy hearts and sad expressions, they followed Yuto, leaping out of the window and into the cold air. Both girls resolved to make things right with him, but for now, they focused on keeping up with their teammate as they made their way toward Kiju Village.

(Pls give me some power stones!)

(Find out next time on Naruto:Eye system)