Chapter 40: Fallen Tsuchigumo Clan

"Alright!"

Uchiha Yu stood up decisively, clean and crisp.

Nonoyu was stunned—she hadn't expected Yu to agree so readily!

In that moment—

His figure, illuminated by the firelight, appeared noble in her eyes.

There was a unique charm about him that warmed the depths of her heart.

Her shame and embarrassment melted away.

In her excitement, she momentarily forgot—

The bathing barrel had originally been brought out by Yu.

Nonoyu asked gratefully:

"Captain… if I had refused to join your team just now, would you… have killed me?"

"I wouldn't."

Yu remained expressionless, his right hand resting on the bath barrel.

Nonoyu's eyes turned red, her voice low and full of emotion as she sincerely said, "You really are a good person!"

Yu nodded calmly and replied,

"I would've kicked you out of the team immediately."

"…"

Nonoyu lowered her head. That was fair.

Not killing her was already generous.

Then Yu seemed to remember something. He patted the barrel and added:

"Also, I would've made you carry the bath barrel full of water on your back.

There are definitely Konoha tracking ninja nearby.

They'd be extremely curious about why you're wandering around carrying a bath barrel for no reason."

"Eh?"

Nonoyu's face changed instantly.

She imagined herself—dressed in a nun's robe, marching under the moonlight with a barrel on her back—encountering Konoha ninja, getting captured, interrogated…

Her story spreading all over Konoha, and then across the whole shinobi world.

Even if she didn't die, she might as well have.

What an evil idea!

"…"

Nonoyu stared at Yu's back, her whole body trembling.

Buzz—

The space in front of Yu shimmered, and the bath barrel under his palm vanished into thin air.

She had sincerely joined them.

There was no need for Yu to make things difficult for her anymore.

"Whew—"

Seeing the bath barrel disappear, Nonoyu finally let out a sigh of relief.

The shame and awkwardness she had felt completely vanished.

"Get some rest. I'll keep watch," Yu said as he scanned the camp.

The Uchiha members and Kurenai Yuhi were all fast asleep.

Life on the run was exhausting.

"Okay."

Nonoyu, seemingly having grown attached to Yu, agreed softly but didn't move away.

Instead, she lay down right next to him on the grass.

She and Kurenai Yuhi now occupied the space on either side of Yu.

Yu didn't react in the slightest.

He slowly sat down and sensed the green elixir in his body had been fully absorbed.

His strength increased again—by roughly 1% of an adult man's power.

So long as the green potion kept replenishing daily,

his power would rise at an astonishing rate.

---

…

…

At the base of Mount Katsuragi

One thousand meters away…

In a shadowy forest, a fifty-person caravan drove twenty cargo-laden wagons along a forest path toward the plains ahead.

The torches in the hands of the caravan members lit up the narrow path and illuminated the flags on the wagons—marked with the emblem of the Tsuchigumo Clan.

Clip-clop—clip-clop—clip-clop—

The sounds of hooves and wagon wheels echoed together.

The caravan moved in a straight line like a long dragon.

This was a Tsuchigumo merchant caravan, heading out from Mount Katsuragi to sell goods and procure supplies.

On the front wagon's bed sat three people dressed like guards in leather armor—one man and two women.

Among them were an elderly white-haired man and a cute blonde girl with wavy hair.

Of the group, only the elderly man and the blonde girl belonged to the Tsuchigumo Clan.

The guards were hired escorts from a nearby mercenary town.

Rumble—

The wagon jolted.

"Ugh—"

The pretty face beneath the blonde girl's pale forehead twisted in discomfort.

She frequently placed her delicate hands beneath her rear to soften the rough ride on the wooden bench.

The white-haired elder shook the dust from his grey sleeves. His sharp eyes glanced at the girl, his expression dim as he sighed inwardly:

"Sigh… Since the Third Great Ninja War, the Tsuchigumo Clan has declined greatly. There are barely any capable ninja left in the clan.

Even our merchant caravans must be protected by hired help from mercenary towns.

And now even Hotaru, the clan leader's daughter, must shoulder the responsibility of escorting the caravan—traveling with me, an old man over eighty.

Sigh…

When will the Tsuchigumo Clan return to its glory days, when our forbidden technique—Raging Hair Heaven—struck fear far and wide, and we stood as equals in alliance with Konoha?"

Caw, caw, caw—

The elder's thoughts were interrupted by the bleak, raspy cries of crows echoing through the forest.

Flap—

He looked up. Countless birds were fleeing from the treetops in every direction.

A sense of unease stirred within him.

Hotaru furrowed her brows and looked toward the elder.

In a soft voice, she asked:

"Great Elder, how much longer until we return to the clan grounds?"

It was her first time leaving the clan on an escort mission, and now that night had fallen, she had completely lost her sense of direction.

The Great Elder of the Tsuchigumo Clan stroked his graying goatee and replied with a peaceful smile:

"Almost there, almost there."

Hotaru looked helpless. She sighed inwardly—this "almost there" was something she'd heard so many times she could memorize it.

Her gaze shifted to the front of the wagon bed.

Things were lively there.

The guard captain, wearing a green short robe over leather armor, was chatting and laughing happily with his two female companions. The atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed.

When Hotaru first hired this guard squad, she had thought that having other girls along might mean they'd have some common topics during the trip.

But along the way, the two girls hadn't spared a word for her—even though she was the one paying for their services.

One of the women wore a tall conical hat and carried a wooden staff.

The other had long blue hair and a curvy figure.

Both were strikingly beautiful, which made Hotaru feel even more self-conscious.

The girl and the elder fell into silence.

Hotaru suddenly clenched her small fists, working up the courage to join the guard captain's conversation.

She looked nervously at him and asked:

"Um… Captain Sōsen, did you really not hear anything strange in the forest just now?"

Their cheerful conversation was abruptly interrupted by her question.

Sōsen, clad in a green short robe, turned to glance at his beautiful young employer. He grinned and replied:

"Miss Hotaru, no need to worry.

There are always strange noises in the mountains and woods.

But as long as we're here, the caravan will reach the Tsuchigumo Clan safely. We're a professional, disciplined, and skilled escort team. You saw our worth and chose us—that means you chose safety!"

His eyes sparkled with confidence, and his voice was firm and convincing, filled with conviction.

In truth, he hadn't heard anything at all—probably just got too caught up in chatting with his companions and tuned it out.

But really, what did it matter?

Along the journey, they had already encountered a few bandits and low-level rogue ninjas. Those had all backed off when they saw the Tsuchigumo Clan flag—especially after a little fast talk from Sōsen.

Now they were nearly home.

What danger could there possibly be?

To Sōsen, this escort job was rock solid—nothing could possibly go wrong!

Hotaru, however, remained uneasy. She looked up toward the moonlit sky, where the clouds had once appeared to be cleaved in two by a blade—but now, most of those clouds had already dispersed.

She couldn't help but press further:

"And the clouds in the sky…?"

Sōsen cut her off with a chuckle:

"Ah, that I did see! But those clouds weren't that high up. Maybe some hawks or falcons were bored at night and stirred up a little spectacle for fun!"

"…"

Hotaru lowered her gaze and clenched her hands tightly.

It had taken her so much effort to join the conversation—she wasn't willing to let it end so easily. She continued:

"Captain Sōsen, since your escort team is based out of the local towns, you must've heard about that S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha that everyone's been talking about recently, right?"

As soon as she said it—

Sōsen perked up with interest. He immediately pulled a newspaper out from his coat, grinning with excitement:

"Hehe, you mean Uchiha Yu, right?"

°°°

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