Chapter 32: Beyond the Sea

Kaoru Asano held a stone pestle, forcefully grinding seeds.

Copper-colored oil slowly seeped out with the kunoichi's efforts. From twenty seeds, only a thin strand of hair-like oil was extracted. Kaoru carefully collected it, surprisingly accumulating half a bowl.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking on the door had a familiar rhythm, instantly revealing who was outside.

"Come in, the door's not locked."

With a creak, Takeda Takeshi entered the room and locked the door behind him.

Without turning around, Kaoru continued to press the oil from the seeds.

"Captain, entering a female subordinate's room in the middle of the night is quite impolite, you know."

"Ah..." Takeda mumbled, trying to maintain a normal tone.

"What are you doing?"

"Extracting oil."

"You've always been fond of various plant seeds, but it's the first time I've seen you interested in oil."

"These are [black palm] seeds. They're not pretty and have no fragrance, but their oil is very useful... if it is applied to metal, it prevents rust."

Takeda paused, touching the chakra short sword on his back.

"For me?"

"For the pig."

Unconsciously, the man's lips curled slightly. The coldness he had mustered before entering the room dissipated.

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly. "Come with me."

Kaoru put down the pestle, stood up, and followed Takeda without the slightest hesitation, showing no sign of being an infiltrator.

They walked for a long time, leaving the Akatsuki base, leaving the underground, and reaching the surface, disappearing into the endless rain, moving farther away.

Finally, they stopped at the edge of Amegakure.

Takeda turned to look at Kaoru's delicate face, calmly saying. "Konoha shinobi, Kaoru Asano, nice to meet you."

"..." The kunoichi remained silent, neither refuting nor responding.

"I thought you would run away." Takeda frowned, having deliberately brought Kaoru here, implying she could leave the village without obstruction.

Kaoru just stared, rain soaking her hair, black strands sticking to her fair cheeks like fragile porcelain. "Where would I run to? The three leaders are all very powerful."

"This is the edge of Amegakure. The leaders wouldn't chase you to the Land of Fire for you."

"My mission isn't complete yet. Even if I returned to Konoha, it wouldn't be pleasant."

"Mission... mission!" A surge of anger suddenly welled up, Takeda stepped forward, grabbing Kaoru's shoulders, nearly digging his nails into her skin. "Your mission was to design my assassination, then replace me as the organization's fourth member, right? You..."

'Even disregarding your own life, you would complete the mission and kill me.' Takeda hesitated for a long time, not daring to voice this thought. He feared Kaoru would affirm it, making his actions today seem utterly foolish.

"Ah... mission." Kaoru ambiguously responded, looking aside.

The sky over Amegakure was always an awe-inspiring leaden gray. During the day it was manageable, but at night, looking up revealed an endless black, like a deep pool.

Entering Amegakure felt like falling into an abyss, a place one could never leave. The kunoichi thought softly, "Stop saying such childish things... Takeda." No longer addressing him as captain, she stared into his eyes.

"Who do you think we are? We are shinobi! Killing, gathering intelligence, waging wars... we can do many things, but mercy for enemies isn't one of them!"

"You think sparing me would make me grateful? No, Takeda, I'd only mock your weakness!"

"The Land of Fire and the other great nations have waged wars here for years. Many people from Amegakure died at Konoha's hands, and vice versa, Amegakure caused great harm to Konoha forces."

"I am a Konoha shinobi, and you are a high-ranking member of Amegakure's Akatsuki."

"No matter how well we get along, it's an illusion. When they know I'm a spy, only one of us will live!"

"Generational blood feuds."

"Hatred... is the greatest bond between people in our world."

Kaoru felt the grip on her shoulders weaken.

'I've hurt him,' she thought, feeling bitter yet miraculously unafraid. Dying at Takeda's hands was a fate she could accept.

The pressure on her shoulders disappeared, and suddenly, something was placed in her hands.

She looked at it, confused. "This is...?"

"A shell." Takeda's voice was gentle, as if trying to dispel the gloomy weather. "I've never been to the seaside, have you?"

"I haven't either... but what's the connection to our situation..."

Takeda wiped the water from her face, speaking softly. "In a faraway place, there's a country called the Land of the Sea."

"It's even farther from the world's center than the Land of Water, composed of islands, with few people, and reportedly no shinobi... Chakra didn't favor that land."

"But it's a wonderful place. I've heard from travelers that in the Land of the Sea, the sunlight turns the beaches golden, reflecting off the sky, making the clouds look like golden palaces; at the tops of giant straight trees, there are strange fruits, hard as iron on the outside, but filled with sweet juice inside; there are no shinobi, no wars, only houses in the mountains and by the sea, and people living happily."

He paused, lowering his voice. "Let's go to the Land of the Sea... together."

The woman suddenly felt lost, even though she had become an excellent shinobi. At this moment, she was as flustered as a little girl caught stealing candy by her mother years ago.

Many years had passed, her mother and father were long gone, but now, the man before her wanted to give her a new blue sky.

Takeda opened his arms, embracing her.

The rainy night was no longer cold.

"Let's leave together... away from the shinobi nations, to the Land of the Sea. We've done too much over the years; we owe nothing to the organization, and you owe nothing to Konoha."

"I have enough connections to ensure our safe departure, but preparing the safe route will take time."

"Give me a day."

"Tomorrow, at midnight, I'll wait for you under the red sign at the base's sixth exit."

"We'll leave together, to the Land of the Sea, to the place where the beach is full of shining white shells."

"Kaoru, give me a chance, and give yourself a chance... okay?"

In the dark rainy night, after an unknown time, the woman closed her eyes, nodding, and hugged the man's waist.

Her voice trembled, as if embarking on a grand escape.

"Mm."

(End of Chapter)