Hanare

Hanare, dressed in exotic clothing, walked onto the bustling streets of Konoha. As she observed the crowded, lively atmosphere, she felt momentarily lost.

"The village..." Hanare murmured, smiling faintly as she brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over her face. This simple gesture stirred something in Furen, who had been quietly following her.

Just as Furen was about to step forward and approach Hanare, he caught sight of a few Konoha shinobi bearing the Yamanaka clan emblem moving through the crowd. Their eyes were scanning the surroundings, clearly searching for something.

Furen mentally noted that, as expected, the Yamanaka clan had detected Hanare, whose unfamiliar chakra had entered Konoha.

Every powerful shinobi village has its own defense system. In Konoha, the entire village is surrounded by a barrier that immediately alerts the sensory ninja whenever someone enters. During the time of Pain's invasion, it was mentioned that Uchiha Itachi could infiltrate Konoha undetected because he had once been part of the Anbu. Itachi knew the Anbu's techniques, which allowed him to enter unnoticed, while Pain used a summoning jutsu to bring others into the village. Not long ago, Furen had managed to enter Konoha with Haku by fully enveloping Haku's body in his chakra, successfully bypassing the village's sensory system.

Hanare had entered the village disguised as an ordinary person, naturally triggering the detection system.

"But... being noticed by Konoha and taken for interrogation is probably Hanare's plan, right?" Furen mused, recalling Hanare's original encounter in Konoha.

She was discovered and subsequently interrogated by Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, during which she managed to extract Konoha's information in return.

"This time, it won't be like that." Furen chuckled softly and walked straight toward Hanare, who was still gazing at the sky.

Sensing the unfamiliar chakra approaching her, Hanare's eyes flashed with a hint of complexity. "Konoha's shinobi..." she thought.

However, the scenario she had imagined—where Konoha's shinobi would apprehend her and chain her up—did not occur.

System Detection...

Beep!

Hanare's favorability toward you: 10%.

Hanare's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Furen for two full seconds before trying to wriggle out of his grasp. But the more she struggled, the tighter Furen held her.

"Don't move. Konoha's sensory unit is coming for you," Furen whispered softly near Hanare's ear. Feeling the warmth of his breath, Hanare's face flushed bright red.

Moments later, Furen's chakra flowed from his hand and wrapped around Hanare's body, completely concealing her.

By then, the Yamanaka clan's sensory ninja had already approached.

Seeing them coming, Furen gently pushed Hanare's head down and kissed her.

Hanare's pupils widened in disbelief.

Hanare's favorability toward you: 20%.

"Konoha's headbands, looks like a couple. What's there to see?" one of the Yamanaka sensory ninjas said, nudging his teammate with his elbow.

"Yeah," the other one agreed, continuing to scan the street ahead.

They knew there was an unfamiliar chakra user somewhere in Konoha, but they hadn't pinpointed the location yet.

As Furen pulled Hanare away, her mind was in a daze, and she remained silent.

"My name is Tsukiyo Furen," Furen introduced himself, pulling Hanare to a small food stand on the street.

They waited in line for a long time before finally buying two skewers of three-colored dango. These sweet rice dumplings were Itachi's favorite and were very popular in Konoha, rivaling even Ichiraku Ramen in fame.

"Here... for you," Furen handed one skewer of dango to Hanare.

"Th-thank you."

Hanare carefully took the dango and bit into it. The soft, sweet flavor of the rice dumplings instantly filled her heart with a warm, sweet sensation.

Hanare's favorability toward you: 10%.

Looking at Furen beside her, a sense of happiness welled up within Hanare.

Hanare raised her head and, using the leftover skewer, pointed to a cloud in the sky. "My name is Hanare. I think that cloud looks like my parents, though I've never met them."

"In difficult times, in moments of sadness, I always look up at the clouds. I stare at their shapes and begin to imagine what the village might look like... the parents who should have lived in the village."

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A/N:

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