Chapter 10: Fireworks Festival

Shinji didn't expect to encounter Shion again under these circumstances, his heart racing.

Tilting her head, Shion asked, "I have seen you somewhere . Why can't I remember?"

Shinji shook his head firmly. "We haven't met before!"

"Oh, I see." Shion frowned, trying hard to recall.

Though Shinji remained composed, inwardly he panicked slightly. He wasn't entirely certain about the effectiveness of his illusion.

Observing Shion's intense gaze fixed on Shinji, Haku, curious, watched them both.

"Your Highness, where are you?"

The guards' shouts rang out nearby.

"Move, brat!"

With the guards closing in, Shion pushed Shinji in front of her and bolted away hurriedly.

Shinji twitched his mouth, muttering to himself, "She called me 'big brother' earlier, now 'brat'... what a character!"

Before long, several Ghost Country guards, laden with bags, chased after her, visibly sweating.

Apologizing for the disturbance, they asked Shinji and Haku about Shion's escape route before continuing their pursuit with renewed shouts.

Watching them go, Haku chuckled. "Looks like the Ghost Country's Miko is quite mischievous."

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.

Though caught off guard by the recent encounter, it reaffirmed that his Mangekyo Sharingan's psychological influence on Shion was still active!

Shion's visit to Konoha likely meant seeking refuge after the Ghost Country's massacre of its guards during the recent ghost invasion.

"[Invasion Alert] [Countdown: 3]"

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in Shinji's mind without warning.

Glancing at Haku beside him, Shinji realized Haku couldn't hear it at all.

Seeing Shinji's puzzled look, Haku asked, "Continue training?"

"No, let's head back."

Shaking his head, Shinji led the way back to their apartment. Closing the door behind them, he grimaced.

Only three days remained until the invasion!

A sense of unease gnawed at him.

The next day,

With teams from other villages gathering in Konoha for the Chunin Exams, the village buzzed with activity.

Even during their break, Shinji didn't slack off, continuing his gymnastics training with Haku at the training grounds.

During a pause, Haku smiled. "The lady at the meatball shop downstairs told me the priestess we saw yesterday slipped away from the mission station again this morning. She's been wandering around the village alone."

"I see," Shinji replied casually.

Internally, he resolved to avoid Shion during this period to prevent another encounter.

Haku added, "I heard there's a fireworks festival tonight!"

"A Fireworks Festival?"

"It's to welcome the ninjas from other villages here for the Chunin Exams." Pausing, Haku asked, "Some classmates are organizing a barbecue and fireworks viewing. Are you going?"

Shinji shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll pass."

"In that case, I'll skip it too."

That night,

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Leaning against the window, Shinji watched the colorful fireworks bloom in the night sky, his expression blank.

A closer look revealed his gaze was distant, preoccupied with his thoughts.

Next door,

Haku also stared at the sky, but his expression was unusually serious, not captivated by the fireworks.

Abruptly, his focus shifted to an unremarkable firework in the sky, his demeanor suddenly grave.

Then, sighing resignedly, he went to the closet and changed clothes.

In the village,

Sasuke sat alone, legs crossed by a small lake near his apartment, not watching the fireworks but staring at their reflection on the water's surface.

His mood starkly contrasted with the festive atmosphere.

The serene reflection suddenly distorted, morphing into the face he detested the most.

"I'll kill you!"

Without hesitation, he drew his kunai and plunged into the lake with a splash, disturbing its tranquility.

Back in the apartment,

"It's too risky to infiltrate!"

Shaking his head, Shinji banished the thought.

No matter how much he desired Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, breaking into the Anbu headquarters posed too great a risk.

It was irrational!

But dealing with the impending invasion posed a significant challenge.

"I can't rely on 'Susano'o indefinitely. Why such a short countdown this time?"

Shinji fretted internally.

Click.

A soft click from next door caught his attention, barely audible amid the fireworks.

"If not for the fireworks, I might not have noticed."

"So late, and Haku's heading out?"

Perplexed, Shinji didn't dwell on it. With the village bustling, a nighttime stroll wasn't unusual.

But soon, a furrow creased his brow.

After the faint click, there were no typical footsteps.

Quieting his breath, Shinji approached the door, listening carefully. He faintly heard Haku's light steps descending the stairs.

"Sneaky... what's he up to?"

After a moment's deliberation, Shinji decided to follow discreetly.

But his tracking skills proved inadequate, and soon he lost sight of Haku, who disappeared into the lively streets.

"He's meeting someone. Whoever it is, their identity must be sensitive."

Contemplating Haku and his unusual connection to the Uchiha clan, Shinji sensed something amiss.

Pacing by a small stall, Shinji halted abruptly.

Seeing an array of masks, he recalled Shion catching him off guard before and purchased a fox mask resembling Anbu's.

Learn from past mistakes.

Next time he faced the invasion, he'd conceal his identity.

With the mask secured, he continued wandering.

Unknowingly, he returned to the secluded training ground in the woods where he sparred with Haku.

Bang!

In the night sky above, fireworks sporadically illuminated the sky.

"The village is lively tonight."

Deciding to lay low, Shinji resumed practicing "Water Breathing" at the training ground.

Swish, swish!

Suddenly, two faint sounds of breaking wind reached him from nearby.

Startled, Shinji sidestepped into the bushes.

Moments later, two figures—one fleeing, the other in pursuit—landed on the training ground.

Even beneath his mask, Shinji recognized the fleeing figure as Haku, who had sneaked out earlier, and the pursuer as a Konoha Anbu ninja.

Glaring at masked Haku, the Anbu ninja declared, "Hmph! I was tailing the kid next door, but stumbled upon you—a bigger fish. You're caught!"

End of chapter.