The Enemy

Under the watchful eyes of his companions and the other patrons in the restaurant, Yuji performed a live broadcast of a competitive eating contest, quickly devouring the grilled meat on the table as fast as a gust of autumn wind sweeping through fallen leaves. His speed was so fast that even the Akimichi clan would be ashamed.

In less than five minutes, only the oil-stained empty plates remained on the table.

Hokusei stared blankly at Yuji, the piece of meat on his chopsticks falling with a snap onto the table. Meanwhile, Kushina had already filled her plate with enough servings.

"It seems not enough," Yuji said, rubbing his stomach, still feeling a slight hunger. He furrowed his brow slightly. Despite not being fully satisfied, he didn't intend to order more grilled meat—after all, Hokusei wasn't made of money.

After a quiet sigh, he looked at Kushina, who was leisurely eating her grilled meat.

Sensing Yuji's gaze, Kushina quickly pulled her plate back, watching him with caution, as if expecting him to pounce like a wolf, and huffed, "Don't expect me to share."

"Tch," Yuji muttered, not surprised by this outcome.

At that moment, Hokusei, finally snapping out of his daze, nervously picked up the piece of grilled meat that had fallen on the table and ate it silently. After a moment, he swallowed the meat, calculating how much money he had left in his wallet during those brief moments of chewing. A forced smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he asked, "Um, do you want more?"

Yuji's eyes lit up at the offer, but he shook his head to indicate that he didn't want any more.

Hokusei, feeling relieved, let out a quiet breath. He wouldn't have felt so pressured if it were someone else, but Yuji's stomach was like a bottomless pit; you never knew how much food he could consume.

Although Yuji was done eating, Hokusei, who had only eaten two pieces of grilled meat, felt embarrassed to order more. He sat there staring blankly at his plate, which only had a small patch of oil stains left.

Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks holding grilled meat reached over and dropped a piece onto his plate.

Hokusei turned his head to look at Kushina, who had split the meat from her plate and placed half of it onto his.

"Kushina..." Hokusei said, touched.

"Eat quickly, or someone might steal it," Kushina said, casting a quick glance at Yuji, who was unfazed, resting his chin on his hand and staring out the window.

After finishing their meal, Hokusei suggested they take a walk in the Sakura District, and Yuji and Kushina gladly agreed.

It was the peak of cherry blossom season, and the area filled with sakura trees was teeming with villagers. The pink petals danced in the wind, and the air was filled with the distinct fragrance of cherry blossoms.

Kushina gazed at the swirling petals, remembering how, a year ago, she had come to realize that she didn't truly want to become Hokage.

Even now, she couldn't forget the malicious jeers aimed at her bright red hair, but thankfully, the two companions beside her had never shown any disdain for her hair—not even a trace.

Looking at Yuji, whose expression remained indifferent with his hands in his pockets, and Hokusei, who was smiling warmly, Kushina couldn't help but smile.

In the evening, Hokusei reluctantly said his goodbyes to Kushina and Yuji, leaving first.

Yuji watched Hokusei's figure stretch in the fading light of dusk, then turned to Kushina and asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Kushina replied, playing coy.

"Never mind," Yuji said, shaking his head. He waved his hand and walked off.

After Yuji's figure disappeared around a corner, Kushina sighed slightly. She knew Hokusei liked her, but she had no feelings for him. She wanted him to give up sooner, but thinking about Hokusei's personality, she felt somewhat helpless.

She shook her head, putting these troublesome thoughts aside, and began walking in the direction of her home.

At the corner, Yuji leaned against the wall, turning his head slightly to watch Kushina's retreating figure. He wondered if he should quietly follow her.

The presence of the few hostile auras he sensed at noon definitely wasn't good news, especially since they seemed directed at Kushina. Although he didn't know why someone would target a mere Genin like her, he felt the need to warn her or shadow her to protect her. However, when he recalled the distinct signatures of the Leaf ninjas and the Anbu keeping an eye on him, he hesitated.

"Since someone else is already watching over her, it wouldn't make sense for me to follow," Yuji thought, leaning toward the decision not to go.

He took a step but couldn't bring himself to take another.

"But... what if something happens?"

Yuji paused, his brow furrowing deeply. If it had been before, he wouldn't have cared, but now, he felt an unfamiliar hesitation. Was it because Kushina resembled someone he once knew?

He shook his head in frustration. He knew it probably was because of the resemblance to that person, but he didn't want to admit it. After all, his ultimate goal was to leave this place and return to Earth. He didn't want to get involved with anyone here.

Yet... why couldn't he just turn around?

"Damn it."

After hesitating for what seemed like an eternity, Yuji muttered a silent curse and quietly made his way toward Kushina's house.

He could sense the presence of an Anbu watching him, but there was no way to shake off the Anbu. Even though he had the ability, it wasn't something he could do right now.

The village was vast, with the Hokage Mountain serving as one wall, surrounded by towering walls that enclosed a large area. Inside the walls, aside from the dense residential districts, there were also the Forest of Death, creating a mix of bustling and desolate parts within the village. Kushina lived in a relatively remote part of the village.

When Yuji arrived at Kushina's house, he found several Leaf ninjas lying in pools of blood. His expression instantly changed, and he quickly assessed the situation. His eyes were filled with regret.

Several Leaf ninjas had died, their wounds numerous, with fatal gashes across their throats. The blood still had some warmth, indicating they hadn't been dead long.

"Kushina..."

Yuji glanced toward the house but didn't sense Kushina's presence. Worry immediately filled his eyes. He quickly ran toward the nearest wall.

There was no time to notify anyone else, and he was sure the Anbu would have seen this and stopped their surveillance to report to the Hokage.

Sure enough, as he scaled the wall to leave the village, he could no longer sense the Anbu's presence.

Once outside the village, Yuji wandered aimlessly like a headless chicken, unable to track Kushina's captors, even though they had likely left not long ago.

His heart sank, a deep, unrelenting fury building in his chest.

If only he hadn't hesitated...

His hands clenched into fists, and his face darkened, filled with an ominous killing intent.

He suddenly thought of someone else, and his expression darkened further.

The feeling of not being able to protect someone was like having his heart torn apart, and it was unbearable.

If Orochimaru were here, he would be surprised. Though Yuji had killed many during his missions, Orochimaru had never seen the faintest trace of killing intent from him. But now...

Just as Yuji was about to give up on finding any trace, a few strands of bright red hair appeared in the last rays of the setting sun.

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