Chapter:91

"Have you heard? The Senju and Uchiha are going to war again!"

"I've heard that too. They both have their own reasons. They signed a three-year truce, but it's been broken after just a year and a half."

"Which side broke the agreement first?"

"I think it's the Uchiha. I've hired ninjas from both clans, and the Senju seem easier to deal with."

Inside a small inn along the northern road of the Land of Fire, a group of merchants and civilians were discussing the rumors of renewed conflict between Senju and Uchiha after a year and a half of peace. In the midst of their heated discussion, they failed to notice a man and a woman seated in the corner, calmly drinking tea and eating dango.

"We're about to go to war with Senju. Shouldn't you, the deputy leader, be heading back?" the girl asked, her voice ethereal yet confused. She appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

The man responded calmly, "I'm handling the war in my own way. Honestly, I want to kill Senju Kawaragi, and truthfully, your grandfather is also on my list."

The two were none other than Uchiha Izuna and Uzumaki Mito. Mito frowned when Izuna mentioned killing her grandfather, but held back her displeasure, reminding herself that he was an enemy of her clan.

After finishing the last of the dango, Izuna left a few copper coins on the table and stood up. "Let's go."

Uzumaki Mito, lips pursed, followed him.

They had been traveling together for almost half a month now, and Mito was beginning to get used to it, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head sharply, trying to drive it away.

What am I thinking? He kidnapped me!

The pair entered the forested northern border of the Land of Fire, moving toward a wetland area. Although this region was less fertile than the central lands, it was still habitable, if somewhat less prosperous.

Izuna led the way, aiming for a more remote location. After a week of travel, they would reach what would later become the Land of Lightning. Currently, though, there were no established nations.

At nightfall, they stopped to make camp. Izuna caught two hares and set them to roast over a fire.

"Why come this far?" Mito asked, her voice carrying her curiosity.

"Thanks to Kawaragi and your grandfather, I had no choice but to go through all this trouble," Izuna replied, his tone laced with irritation.

Mito furrowed her brow but accepted the roasted hare he handed her. After thinking for a moment, her eyes widened in realization. "You're after the tailed beasts, aren't you?"

Izuna, chewing on his meat, looked a bit surprised. "You know about the tailed beasts?"

"Of course," Mito replied. "According to our Uzumaki clan's history, there are nine in total. From the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails, they're chakra-based monsters. They fought with humans long ago. Even if they're killed, they'll eventually return…"

Her voice trailed off as her lips felt dry. Without hesitation, she licked them and continued. Izuna tossed her a flask. "Drink."

Mito took a sip and immediately spat it out. "This is wine!"

Izuna chuckled. "What, you don't drink?"

Annoyed, she threw the flask back at him, and he took a sip, amused.

After a few more bites of the dry roasted hare, Mito's lips and throat became uncomfortable. Izuna stood up and said, "Wait here. I'll get some water."

As Izuna walked off into the woods, Mito found herself reflecting on their time together. "He's not such a bad person," she whispered to herself. Realizing how absurd that thought was, she quickly shook it off.

Izuna returned a short while later with water, startling her from her thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, setting the kettle on the fire.

"N-Nothing! Where's the water?" Mito stammered, flustered.

Izuna glanced at her and replied, "The water didn't seem very clean. Better to boil it first, so you won't feel uncomfortable, especially with… uh, your situation."

"My situation?" Mito raised an eyebrow.

Izuna's face reddened. "You know, that time of the month… the bleeding."

Mito's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red. "You—!" she exclaimed, slapping him.

Izuna caught her hand, smirking, but when she tried to slap him again, he grabbed her other hand. He gently released a pulse of chakra, causing her body to lose balance and fall into his chest.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still. Izuna's arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

In the quiet of the night, under the light of the campfire, something tender and unspoken passed between them.

(End of the Chapter).

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