Chiho adjusted her hair, her voice steady as she broke the lingering tension. "Would you like so tea? I'll go pour so for you both." Without waiting for an answer, she slipped back into the kitchen.
Natsuhi let out a dry cough, a forced, awkward smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I heard you were back, so I ca to check on you."
She scratched her head, the deep flush still visible on her sun-kissed skin. "You... are you alright?"
"Still breathing, at least," Shisui replied, continuing to massage his stomach. He offered a teasing grin. "You're the sa as ever—never learned how to knock."
"How was I supposed to know you were..." Natsuhi bit back the rest of the sentence, coughing again. "Forget it. Regardless, it's good that you're back safe."
Silence reclaid the room, save for the sound of the kettle whistling in the kitchen.
Finally, Natsuhi spoke up, revealing the true purpose of her visit. "I actually have sothing to ask... Tonight, at the old spot. Drinks? Consider it a welco-ho toast."
"The old spot?" Shisui looked genuinely puzzled.
Natsuhi glanced toward the kitchen, assuming his hesitation was due to Chiho's presence. She quickly clarified, "Sorry, I forgot you weren't an official mber of our squad.
The 'old spot' is that clearing behind the waterfall, by the river. There's a flat rock there where the squad used to have dinners."
"Oh. Right. I'll be there," Shisui nodded.
"Then it's settled." Natsuhi exhaled sharply, as if she had just completed a grueling A-rank mission. She stood up and headed for the door. "See you tonight. Chiho, I'm heading out!"
"Take care, Natsuhi-san!" Chiho called out from the kitchen.
As the door clicked shut, the house grew quiet once more. Chiho erged with two cups of hot tea, her face still carrying a faint rosy glow. "Natsuhi-san is still so... straightforward."
Shisui took the cup, a soft chuckle escaping him. "She's been that way since we were kids."
They chatted for a few more minutes until Chiho glanced out the window at the lowering sun. "Should we head to the Sato residence? Mrs. Sato should be starting dinner around now."
"Let's go."
The Sato ho was exactly where Chiho had described—on the west end of the village, near the skeletal remains of the old mill.
The wooden house was slightly larger than Shisui's, featuring a small vegetable garden that was ticulously weeded.
A woman in her late twenties answered the door. She had a gentle, refined face and wore an apron dusted with flour. "Can I help you...?" Her gaze shifted between the two of them, landing on Shisui with a flicker of confusion.
"Mrs. Sato, I am Takigawa Shu. This is my fiancée, Chiho," Shisui bowed slightly.
Mrs. Sato blinked, then offered a warm, weary smile. "Please, co in."
The interior was modest but cozy. A family portrait hung on the wall—Sato Yoshisuke with his arm around his wife and daughter, beaming with a radiant, uncomplicated joy.
A little girl about four or five years old was playing with a rag doll on the floor; seeing strangers, she darted behind her mother's skirts.
Mrs. Sato patted the girl's back gently. "Don't be afraid, darling. Go play outside for a bit; Mother has guests."
Once the girl was gone, Shisui pulled a scroll from his vest. With a quick seal, he unsealed it, revealing a stack of bills and a collection of items: clothes, small trinkets, a few kunai, and a set of shuriken.
"This is the money the Captain asked to keep safe... and so of his personal effects."
Mrs. Sato reached out and picked up a heavily worn protective charm—a common talisman Taki ninja carried for luck.
Her fingers traced the faded embroidery, and though her eyes welled with tears, she forced them back with a heartbreaking resolve. "Thank you for bringing these to ."
She cried silently, a controlled grief that refused to disturb the child playing outside. In truth, she had felt a premonition the mont they arrived, but she hadn't expected her intuition to be so piercingly accurate.
Shisui offered standard words of comfort. "Please, accept our deepest condolences. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."
To an outsider, he had facilitated Yoshisuke's death. But logically, Shisui knew that even without his interference, Yoshisuke likely would have perished at the hands of the rogue ninja eventually.
Shisui had never actually struck a blow; at most, he had simply declined to save a man who was already lost. He felt a twinge of sympathy, but not much.
It was simply a waste that a man with such a resilient will couldn't have been turned into a useful tool.
Eventually, Mrs. Sato wiped her eyes. "Forgive , I'm being rude. A ninja's wife should always be prepared for this day... but when it finally cos, it is never easy."
They spent the next hour in quiet conversation. Mrs. Sato spoke of her husband's quirks—how he always promised that after this mission, he'd apply for the village patrol so he could spend more ti at ho.
She spoke calmly, though her hand never let go of the lucky charm.
As they left, the sun was dipping below the horizon, stretching their shadows long across the dirt path. Twilight in Takigakure was stunning; the waterfall caught the setting sun, turning into a mist of liquid gold.
They walked side-by-side in silence until they reached a small wooden bridge. Chiho suddenly stopped. She turned and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"Shu-kun... can you stop being a ninja?"
Her grip tightened. "We could farm. There's a patch of wasteland on the east side we could clear. If we work hard, the harvest will be enough.
We could grow flowers—I can take on more garden design work, and you could find sothing else. There's always work in the village."
Her words ca faster and faster, but her voice grew smaller until it was barely a whisper.
Shisui pulled her into a proper embrace, his hand resting on her hair. "Chiho, being a ninja isn't sothing you just quit.
We have a responsibility to protect the village. Don't worry... I'll make sure to protect myself from now on."
Chiho pressed her head deeper into his chest. "Shu-kun... let's get married."
Shisui's body stiffened. He hadn't expected the plot to move this quickly. Before he could formulate a response, Chiho spoke again.
"I know it's sudden. But all those days you were missing, I kept thinking... if you ever ca back safe, I had to say it. I don't want to wait anymore."
"Haha..." Shisui gave a dry, awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "But... isn't this a bit early for us?"
Though his disguise was flawless, he wasn't the real Takigawa Shu. More importantly, he had a mountain of secrets and a world of freedom he had only just begun to taste.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers