Chapter 23

Under Sasori's cover, Yuki and Sasori successfully blended into the caravan, and their departure from Sunagakure should have been easy and without incident.

However, just as they were about to leave the village, the Sand Village ninjas stopped them during the checkpoint inspection.

"You two... your faces are unfamiliar." The ninja glanced at them sideways, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"It's all written on the customs documents, sir." The caravan leader smiled obsequiously, trying to offer a stack of banknotes wrapped in oiled paper to smooth things over. The man, with his nostrils flared, disdainfully opened the customs documents, carefully checked the number of people, and only then accepted the bribe from the caravan leader.

"Don't bring these two kids next time. They're unfamiliar faces and can't help you carry anything." The man grumbled with dissatisfaction, as if he was extremely disgusted with the two "unnecessary" children.

"Yes, yes, these two children are just unsophisticated and want to come out with me to broaden their horizons..." The caravan leader hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement, seemingly afraid of offending this ninja.

After leaving Sunagakure and crossing the border of the Land of Wind, they formally bid farewell to the caravan leader. As they parted, the caravan leader pulled Yuki aside and said earnestly, "Don't quarrel with your family. Your brother loves you very much." Then, she quietly leaned close to Yuki's ear and whispered, "Last night, before you went out, those Sunagakure ANBU were taken care of by your brother."

Upon hearing this, Xue felt a chill run down her spine. Her gaze fell on the unremarkable woman in front of her, then involuntarily locked onto the scorpion not far away. Her expression was complicated, and she felt a wave of fear wash over her.

One can't help but marvel at how extraordinary Scorpion is, and how extraordinary this entire caravan is as well.

How could she possibly believe that the person who could bring her into Sunagakure under its highest level of security was a civilian or an ordinary ninja...?

As they parted, the woman waved goodbye, then swiftly slipped a bouquet of fiery red roses, a specialty of Sunagakure, into Sasori's arms. Yuki gazed at the roses, finding them strikingly similar to Sasori's hair—like roses meticulously dyed with blood, displaying a vibrant yet eerie crimson.

Scorpion held Snow's hand, and the two remained silent, the atmosphere slightly awkward, as if an invisible barrier stood between them.

"When did you first find out, Scorpion?" Xue finally broke the silence and asked.

Scorpion's gaze fell on the rose in his other hand, and he sighed for no apparent reason.

Is this family game of pretending to be house coming to an end? Is it really better to turn her into a puppet after all?

That way, the two of them will never have to separate again...

The idea had just surfaced in his mind when his eyes met Xue's, but it suddenly vanished the moment they met.

As expected, if Xue were alive... she would be far more vibrant, incomparable to any puppet.

Immortality, immortality, even the immortal flower is nothing but an illusion.

“Since entering the Land of Wind,” Sasori replied in a low, calm voice, his eyes lowered.

Xue paused before she could finish speaking, as if she had been choked by Scorpion's reply and was momentarily at a loss for words.

They returned to the cave, and Scorpion seemed to have no intention of hiding anything.

He pulled off the bandages binding the puppet, revealing the Third Kazekage, who had been turned into a puppet.

Snow opened his eyes wide, and Scorpion, seeing this, wrapped himself around him again.

“If it’s information about Sunagakure, this should be enough for you to report back to the village.” Sasori carried the puppet steadily on his back, casually placing the bright red rose aside as if it were an insignificant item.

Xue frowned, thinking to herself that this information was more than enough for her to report back to the village.

In the heavily guarded Sunagakure village, the value of bringing back such intelligence unscathed is immeasurable.

Scorpion looked up at her, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. "So, Xue is breaking up with me?"

Xue clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the force. She warily surveyed her surroundings, silently calculating that if her opponent wanted to kill her, she would find it difficult to win in this environment… However, puppeteers generally seemed to lack close-combat skills; perhaps she still had a sliver of hope… Besides, her opponent was unaware that she was an Uchiha clan member and possessed the Sharingan…

Scorpion stared at her for a long time, as if trying to remember her face forever.

"Would you like to come with me?" Scorpion's voice carried a hint of expectation, mixed with an indescribable sense of loneliness.

"Can't you come with me?"

"I will protect you, just like family. Brother protects sister, Xue."

Snow shook her head. Scorpion couldn't help but gather chakra at his fingertips, then quickly dissipated it.

He frowned, unable to articulate his emotions.

"Then... next time we meet, we'll be enemies. Yuki."

"If you wish, I want you to become eternal."

"It will definitely be beautiful." Scorpion's gaze fell on Snow, his eyes flashing with a strange and persistent light.

Yuki hadn't expected Sasori to let her go so easily. At their parting, Sasori didn't even ask which country's ninja she was from; he simply handed her the small doll he had been meticulously carving, which he had been sitting by the window in Sunagakure for days.

One of them had her image engraved on it, while the other had Scorpion's own image engraved on it.

Two tiny figures are carved together, holding a large bouquet of roses in the middle.

They cannot be separated.

Xue paused for a moment, then looked up at him.

Scorpion frowned slightly and said in a calm tone, "A farewell gift."

Should she accept it? Xue pondered, what if it contained a tracking device, or a bomb that would explode upon returning to Konoha...?

As if sensing Xue's thoughts, Xie became somewhat angry, his furrowed brows deepening.

"If you don't accept it, I'll kill you."

"There are no bombs inside, don't worry."

Xue really couldn't understand this Sand Village ninja who was much stronger than her, or perhaps a rogue ninja.

When I returned to the village, it was already late autumn.

Yuki arrived at the Hokage Building to submit her mission report. As she was leaving, the Third Hokage called her back.

Inside the Hokage's office.

"You did a very good job on this intelligence gathering mission," the Third Hokage praised.

Xue paused slightly, as she had not specified Scorpion's identity in the mission report.

In the current situation, apart from Konoha Village being aware of the Third Kazekage's death and having sufficient preparations to deal with the situation ahead, the major powers have not actually been able to make any further changes.

"It's my duty," Xue replied calmly, lowering her eyes.

The third generation looked down at the girl who was kneeling on one knee in front of the desk, her appearance still somewhat immature.

During her time at the ninja academy, the girl's grades were not outstanding; in fact, they could be described as mediocre.

She has grown up very quickly since her parents passed away.

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. Originally, the village's higher-ups planned to groom Uchiha Yuki as the successor to the deceased Uchiha Kagami, but now there was a more outstanding Shisui as a replacement.

Moreover, Shisui was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, so the Third Hokage was more inclined to side with Shisui.

As for... Uchiha Yuki, since she doesn't serve in the Uchiha Guard, it wouldn't be bad to have her as a reserve member of the future Fourth Hokage's elite guard force.

Her life story is still not perfect enough... Suddenly, a good idea came to the Third Generation.

They had originally intended for her to join the Anbu... and having Hyuga Hizashi of the Hyuga branch family as her partner would definitely strengthen her bond with Konoha. This child... when not on missions, is like a rootless duckweed, it's hard to tell which side she leans towards. However, these things still need to be taken care of first. The Third Hokage sighed.

"Alright, go back and get some rest. Take a few days off these days."

"yes."

Xue stood up, lowered her head, and left the office, closing the door behind her.

"Senior Xue!"

Yuki never expected to run into Shisui here. Although Yuki was a few years older than Shisui, they were already of the same generation in terms of ninja rank. Shisui was small in stature and wore the vest of a Konoha Special Jonin. The early autumn sunlight shone through the branches outside the corridor and fell on Shisui's face. The boy's smile was pure and sunny.

"It's Shisui... Long time no see."

The girl's voice was somewhat ethereal. Shisui raised his eyes and looked at his senior, who was slightly older than him.

The other person displayed a very humble and polite smile; to outsiders, this was how Uchiha Yuki was. She wasn't exactly aloof, but her gentleness was limited to those close to her. Towards others, she always maintained a detached demeanor, occasionally tilting her head slightly with a "?" expression when faced with something puzzling. Shisui had also worked on missions with this Yuki-senpai; during missions, she would be even more indifferent than usual. When called by her codename, she would always react a beat too late, but the next second, the enemy would be decapitated. Or, she would cast genjutsu, trapping the enemy in an extremely cold hell, coldly watching them shed their clothes due to hypothermia. Sometimes, she couldn't bear it, and her Ice Feather Sword would plunge into the enemy's heart, ending their life.

Sometimes, blood would splatter onto Yuki-senpai's beautiful face. Shisui, however, didn't find it dirty; instead, he thought Yuki-senpai was even more beautiful.

After each mission, Senior Xue would always breathe a sigh of relief, as if she had finally relaxed. Her dim eyes would gradually regain their brightness during the mission.

Shisui thought that this kind of Xue-senpai was very cool and also very interesting.

"Senior Xue, after this mission is completed, will you be able to rest for a few days?" Shisui asked casually, his eyes bright, like a boy next door.

Zhi Shui and Xue walked side by side on the road in the Hui ethnic area.

"I'm not sure, but I should take a break for a while."

The two chatted idly.

"Is this mission dangerous, senior?"

"It's an intelligence gathering mission, so the level of danger isn't too bad."

"Hey, can I visit you at your house next time, senior?"

"Sure, provided I'm home."

"I heard Obito became a Chunin!"

Xue was slightly taken aback, then replied, "So fast?"

Thinking of this, Yuki realized that Obito was already twelve years old this year; time really flies… Yuki listened as Shisui recounted what had happened during her time away from Konoha on a mission. Because Mito Uzumaki was getting old, Kushina Uzumaki officially became the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki a month ago. Due to the previous kidnapping incident involving Kumogakure ninjas, Minato Namikaze seemed to be getting quite close to her. As Shisui spoke, his gaze subtly swept over the girl beside him. Seeing that she didn't react, he continued. He wasn't quite sure if Minato's approach to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had been hinted at by the Konoha higher-ups, and also, Itachi had recently learned to walk on his own…

Speaking of this, Xue recalled the last time she saw Itachi after leaving the village; he was already making squeaking noises.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Shisui, but I still need to go to the village to buy some things later." Xue stopped and asked, "Shisui, would you like to come along?"

"No, Senior Xue. I have other matters to attend to!" Shisui waved and left.

The two parted ways at the entrance of the clan's territory, and Xue returned to the dumpling shop in the center of the village.

After completing his mission as usual, he bought Obito a serving of three-colored dumplings to take home.

As Xue finished paying the bill, she caught a glimpse of a red figure and a yellow figure out of the corner of her eye.

Nineteen years old, the most dazzling age. A handsome blond boy walked side by side with a girl with long red hair; the two looked perfectly matched. They were talking about something, and the red-haired girl smiled beautifully, while the blond boy's face was full of spirited joy.

That was Kushina Uzumaki, the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Minato Namikaze, the prized disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin—the rising star of the ninja world, the "Yellow Flash." With the passing of Dan Kato and Sakumo Hatake, the promising young man might even become the next Hokage.

Ah…it's Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. The two seemed a little bewildered when they saw the black-haired girl. They had just been chatting happily and standing very close, but now they were suddenly separated, with a distance large enough for several people to stand between them.

"Good afternoon, Minato-senpai and Kushina-senpai."

Xue took the dumpling from the shop assistant and, amidst the gossipy stares of the crowd, bowed slightly in greeting. As she was about to pass between the two people to leave, almost simultaneously, one hand grabbed her left arm, and the other grasped her right wrist.

"Yuki, Kushina and I aren't what you think."

"Yuki, Minato and I aren't what you think."

The two explained in unison, their level of understanding was so high that even their explanations were so consistent.

"...Seniors, please let go of my hand."

Xue was pulled backward by this strange posture, and was even a little at a loss, not knowing whether to look to the right or the left.

"Hey, it's Kushina and Minato-senpai! Are they on a hot date?"

Just then, a boy with a watermelon-shaped haircut and wearing a green jumpsuit walked out from the side. These words made Kushina and Minato's faces turn pale instantly. They looked at Yuki and, seeing that the black-haired girl's expression remained unchanged, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue remembered this Might Guy. He was Obito's classmate at the Ninja Academy and was very famous in the village. He was a commoner ninja who specialized in taijutsu without chakra.

"Hey, isn't that Obito's older sister?!"

Xue frowned as she looked at Minato Namikaze, who was still holding her wrist, and whispered, "Please let go, Minato-senpai."

Minato Namikaze showed a distressed expression almost instantly, but quickly regained his composure. He obediently released Yuki's hand and lowered his eyes.

Kushina was still holding Yuki's hand, so Yuki had no choice but to stand next to her.

The red-haired girl smiled with a hint of delight and moved closer to Xue. Xue merely frowned slightly but did not refuse.

Minato Namikaze unconsciously clenched his fists. He remembered... Kushina had never told him that she was close to Yuki. In his memory, Yuki and Kushina had no connection.

After catching up briefly with Might Guy, it was actually just Yuki asking about Obito's recent situation.

"Well then, Kushina-senpai, I'll head back now. Obito's still waiting for me at home."

The black-haired girl's expression was indifferent. Kushina knew she was always like this, with an expression that seemed indifferent to everything, as if nothing concerned her. Only when talking about close friends or being with them would Yuki reveal a faint smile, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curving slightly when she smiled, her obsidian-like eyes sparkling. Kushina had seen Yuki smile at her like that before…

"Um... okay, alright." Kushina's face was a little pale, and even her words were incoherent. "Then eat well and go home."

"Yes, I will go home and eat properly." Xue nodded.

Kushina's face flushed red.