By the campfire, Tamao exclaimed excitedly:
"Ha! I can't believe big bro has already figured out the correct way to use Izumi!
Think about it—
whenever we face another choice like that, we just ask Izumi.
She gives a suggestion, we do the opposite.
I'm telling you, that might help us avoid most of the risks!"
The Uchihas' eyes lit up at once—
That actually made sense.
They looked at Izumi differently now, delighted as if they'd found a way to turn scrap into treasure.
Suddenly, Izumi felt the world was cold and heartless.
"Everyone, get some rest,"
Yu said.
At his words, the Uchihas quieted down.
They gathered around the fire, broke into shifts, and began to rest in turns.
At the rear of the group, the curvy, habit-clad Nonoyu slowly rose from beside Mikoto and tiptoed toward Yu.
The two exchanged glances.
Yu, seeing through the lenses of her round glasses, could tell at a glance what this woman had in mind.
Nonoyu offered a soft smile, adjusted the hem of her nun's robe around her ample figure, and gracefully kneeled beside him on the grass.
She felt that after all this time traveling dutifully and quietly, it was about time she spoke with Yu about the terms of her continued presence and possible compensation.
"When we reach the Land of Grass, I'll have to leave the group to carry out a mission,"
Nonoyu said as calmly as she could.
At that, the Uchihas, along with Kurenai and others nearby, were quietly stirred from rest.
They said nothing, only watched Yu and Nonoyu in silence.
After so many days traveling together, everyone had come to respect the blonde nun's professionalism and ability.
She was a reliable medical ninja.
Her departure would be… unfortunate.
After speaking, Nonoyu's gaze softened.
Suppressing her emotions, she chose to meet Yu's eyes, trying to appeal to him on a personal level.
The young Uchiha's calm and striking face gave her some comfort.
But they hadn't spent enough time together—she didn't quite know how to interact with him.
To her, this was the man who had killed the Hokage's son and monks of the Fire Temple without blinking.
His strength and audacity were far beyond anything she could contend with.
Facing someone like him—
was like standing before an iceberg.
Nonoyu held on to her nun's composure, wearing a serene and pure smile, hoping familiar etiquette might help neutralize his overwhelming presence.
Yu tossed a dry branch into the fire and said calmly,
"Just say it."
Nonoyu's eyes lit up. She nodded.
"You mentioned… compensation before."
"Oh."
Yu's expression didn't change.
Suddenly, he raised his right hand beside the nun and spread his fingers.
The space around them trembled.
The next instant—
SPLASH—
A wooden bath barrel appeared out of thin air and thudded heavily onto the grass.
Water splashed out from the impact, and the flower petals inside had already settled at the bottom.
"Uh…"
The Uchihas were startled awake by the noise and looked toward the massive tub beside the campfire in utter confusion.
No one could understand—
Why had Captain Yu summoned that?
Even the usually sharp-witted Tamao was dumbfounded.
Mikoto, Kurenai, and Izumi stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
A… bath barrel?
Could it be that the "reward" the captain promised…was a moonlit bath invitation?
There were even red rose petals at the bottom of the tub.
How romantic was this supposed to be?!
And there were still so many people sitting around the campfire…Mikoto, Kurenai, and Izumi were all overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions.
"Ah—this… this… this!"
Nonoyu stood frozen, completely stunned.
She had never expected her negotiation over compensation would start out like this.
Suddenly, Tamao popped up and leaned over the edge of the tub, using the firelight to clearly see the red rose petals inside.
His eyes widened, and after a long pause, he muttered in awe:
"Damn, this is spicy."
Nonoyu's neck turned like a stuck gear.
She stared at the familiar bath barrel… and at the rose petals she had personally sprinkled in, one by one.
Hearing Tamao's blunt remark,
Nonoyu silently pulled down her hood to hide her face, biting her lip, her whole body trembling.
The toes beneath her skirt clenched so hard against the earth, they nearly dug into it.
That was her bath barrel!
And her own bath water!
The shame—was so intense it made her scalp tingle.
The idea of her personal, girlish belongings being openly exposed and observed by strangers…
A wave of crippling embarrassment exploded in Nonoyu's mind, blasting her thoughts into a total blank.
She felt like she was being subjected to public execution.
Under all the sharp, scrutinizing gazes…
Nonoyu suddenly felt like there was no place left in the ninja world for her to hide.
Yu remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Oh," he said flatly. "That's interest on the reward."
You brought my bath barrel on the run.
Thanks a lot, Captain Yu.
Nonoyu's mind bled with mortification.
She could almost kill someone out of sheer embarrassment,
but considering she was no match for this group of Uchihas, she decided to let it go.
She knew it—
That brand-new bath barrel didn't just disappear on its own.
All this time…
Nonoyu had known that Yu might have some sort of space-related ninjutsu.
But she had never imagined this kind of application.
After a long silence—
Everyone looked at the quiet Yu and Nonoyu,
completely confused, unsure of what just happened.
It was like watching a drama with half the script missing.
First, Nonoyu went over to discuss compensation.
Then Yu suddenly summoned a bath tub?
Was… was the tub the compensation?
That negotiation was as good as dead, right?
Nanami and a few others did know the context,
but even they weren't sure if they should speak up right now.
Eventually—
Nonoyu fought through the shame exploding inside her and forced a laugh:
"Ha… ha ha… Captain Yu, you must be joking, right? Didn't you say the reward was related to my mission?
How did you know—it was a task directly assigned by Danzo?"
At last, they were back on topic.
Yu nodded calmly.
"Yes. Why don't you tell me about the mission first."
The nun, still mentally fried from the shame, blurted out automatically:
"My task was to assassinate someone. I was planning to ambush him at Kikyo Mountain, along his route—"
She suddenly stopped.
Her eyes drooped slightly.
She looked down at her own lips—shocked to realize:
The Seal of Tongue Binding hadn't activated.
"Your mission has been canceled."
Tamao had just stepped away from the bath tub.
"Canceled?"
Nonoyu turned to Tamao in shock, lifting her hand to adjust her glasses. Then she looked at Yu—her face blank, full of confusion.
Yu gave a small nod, signaling that what Tamao said was true.
Tamao chuckled mockingly and said:
"Root is gone. Before we escaped from the village, Danzo Shimura was killed—by big bro Yu himself!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Nonoyu's eyes trembled.
Her mouth hung open in a daze, her entire body frozen.
This news hit her even harder than the blast of shame from earlier.
It was far more shocking.
Uchiha Mikoto also trembled from head to toe, a storm surging in her heart.
She lifted her head, those dark, beautiful eyes staring fixedly at Yu.
It was then that she understood.
Why all these clansmen followed Yu so firmly and without hesitation.
On the night of the massacre…
Before the escape…
It turned out Uchiha Yu had led his people in a direct act of vengeance against the upper ranks of Konoha.
"You've already felt the change in your body. If Danzo were still alive, you wouldn't have been able to speak the details of your mission issued by Root."
Yu looked directly into Nonoyu's quivering eyes and said calmly:
"Join us."
Nonoyu fell silent, sinking deep into thought.
Long ago—
She had already wanted to leave Root.
She just wanted to spend the rest of her life peacefully running her orphanage.
Before she left for this mission, she had made all the arrangements, afraid she wouldn't be able to return.
But now…
Someone was telling her—
That the high-ranking, cruel man who had always loomed over her life, forcing her into things with threats…
Was dead.
Killed by the young Uchiha man standing before her.
The organization she had once belonged to—was gone.
Danzo…
Was truly dead.
If not, the Seal of Tongue Binding would never have lifted.
Yu saw that Nonoyu was still in a daze.
So he played his trump card.
He said softly, calmly:
"Say yes—for the child's sake. For Kabuto Yakushi."
°°°
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