Chapter 22 "It's nothing to say such things while blushing..."
Although it was hard to admit, Obito Uchiha did follow your footsteps subconsciously. You walked down the steps, round and round, until you finally reached the bottom exit. You said, "Would you like something to eat?" Just like an ordinary person browsing a market, you treated him with a drowsy and casual attitude.
It's as if he's just an ordinary person in your eyes. When you ask him if he wants something to eat, he retorts, "Didn't you bring your entourage this time?" You're quite bold, not afraid that he'll attack you directly.
You said, "Bai is my partner. Please don't use such words to refer to him anymore. It's very disrespectful." You took a few steps and then turned back. He noticed your slightly furrowed brows. You, who had remained calm no matter how many provocative things he said before, now showed a hint of displeasure. And the trigger was that boy named Bai.
Anyone with a discerning eye can immediately see that your attitude towards the dialogue is quite unusual. He said, "Respect, is that something that exists in you?"
"Of course, I will give full respect even to those who want to kill me."
Obito Uchiha always felt that you were being sarcastic towards him. He did intend to kill you before, but it was just a plan and he didn't actually do it. And now... his thoughts have changed. Rather than killing you directly, he would rather maximize your value by utilizing you.
As you walk out of the clock tower, you buy a pastry from a small shop on the street. Although the taste certainly can't compare to the pastries from your past life, it's made better by being purely handmade and all-natural, without any added technology.
This is a pastry platter, with flower cakes, mung bean pastries, winter melon candy, and soft, glutinous red bean cake all crammed together, dazzling the eye. You pick up a piece of winter melon candy, take a bite, and then hand the rest to the other person, who asks curiously, "What do you mean by this?"
"Sharing is caring. I'm not the kind of person who likes to eat alone. Come on, have a taste. Eating something sweet will lift your spirits." Besides, as far as you know, most Uchiha clan members really like sweets; they're true sweet tooths.
Obito hesitated for a few seconds. The relaxed and pleasant atmosphere made him feel out of place. He shouldn't be like this, he shouldn't be wasting his time here, and he shouldn't be playing this childish game with you. It felt like he was being played.
In the end, you accepted the food box but didn't immediately choose any snacks. After a long time, you caught a glimpse of him picking up a soft red bean cake and lifting a corner of his mask to reveal the lower half of his face. Although one side of his face was covered with a horrific scar, you could tell from the outline that he was handsome.
He quietly ate a piece of red bean cake, pursed his lips, and then you asked, "Aren't you going to give me your opinion?"
Obito Uchiha scoffed, "Boring."
This is what stubborn guys are like. You weren't angry at his rude attitude; instead, you looked at him with a smile. It wasn't because you had a particularly good personality. You felt that after binding yourself to this big capitalist's system, your personality was gradually becoming cold-blooded, and it seemed that you were only one step away from becoming a truly ruthless big capitalist.
The reason you can be so patient with Obito Uchiha is simply because he is full of value that you can use. In a sense, your thoughts are in sync. However, there can only be one winner in the end, and it will most likely be you.
Walking from one end of the market to the other, and finally sitting on a bench by the river, quietly watching the sunset sink into the water, you say, "Isn't this kind of life nice?"
"How can you guarantee that this place will remain as prosperous and idyllic as ever for the next few decades, or even after you die?" Uchiha Obito sat at the other end of the bench. He always tended to get stuck on things, or rather, he was too obsessed with the ultimate—the ultimate peace, the ultimate perfect new world.
"But at least for now, you and I are both living in this moment. Didn't you just feel it too? The beauty of this world." You rested your arm on the back of the bench, turning your head to look at Uchiha Obito. "Not even a little bit?"
"It's nothing but a dream, a bubble."
You don't need to rush to convince him. Your intuition tells you that he will come back to you in the future, so you have many more opportunities to persuade him to join you.
As for today… You glanced at the sunset trailing on the horizon, gradually spreading its colors. It was getting late, so you stood up. “I’m going back now. Do you want to come with me? Bai should have already prepared dinner.”
Both your tone of voice and your expression made Obito Uchiha feel inexplicably annoyed. It wasn't until later that he realized it was the unease that arose in his heart as things gradually slipped out of his control. But he hadn't realized it yet, nor could he be sure. He didn't respond and used Kamui to disappear from your side. When you turned around again, there was no one behind you.
Walking slowly home in the last rays of the setting sun, you see Haku waiting for you at the crossroads. He looks behind you but doesn't see Obito Uchiha, which eases his mind somewhat. However, he still politely asks, "Didn't he come back with you?"
"No, I guess they have other things to take care of."
Indeed, you were right. Back in his dimension, Obito Uchiha glanced at the food box he was still holding and wanted to throw it away, but in the end he didn't.
He couldn't let you lead him by the nose anymore. He secretly made up his mind that he would turn the tide and take back control the next time he saw you.
*
Your life in the Land of Waves is quite leisurely. If it weren't for the work you still have to do, it would be no different from retirement.
Zabuza, who went to the Land of Rain to gather information a while ago, has returned, bringing with him a bloody smell. He hasn't found you yet, but the first person he saw was Haku. He said, "Mr. Zabuza, you should clean yourself up before you see Aki."
Haku put it tactfully, but Zabuza said unhappily, "What, can't she even stand the smell of blood?"
That's what you said, and your expression and actions showed impatience, but your body still obediently went to the bathroom to wash yourself. You really don't like the smell of blood. He noticed this when he escorted you to the Land of Water before. Every time he defeated the enemy, you would tell him to wash himself properly, and he would be just as impatient.
I wonder what happened to you while he was away. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The warm water cascaded down. His back and chest were covered with scars of varying depths. Some of the wounds hadn't fully healed. The hot water made them sting slightly.
It was just a stinging pain, and he didn't care about it at all.
Not only did he wash himself, but he even used citrus-scented shower gel to remove the smell of blood. When you meet him again, you can still smell the shower gel scent on him, and you'll say, "You just took a shower?"
"Yes, otherwise, my bloody smell would probably give you nightmares, right?"
It's not like you'll have nightmares, it'll just make you feel a little uncomfortable. You nodded and said in a half-praising tone, "Well, you're really quite sensible."
Zabuza doesn't want praise like that. He pursed his lips, his lip line straight. Some people are born with an angry face like that. They look angry when they are expressionless, and they also look angry when they laugh. Zabuza belongs to this type of person. Asking him how his work went this time is the only way to divert his attention a little.
He reported the situation to you in a businesslike tone, very briefly, summarizing it in just a few sentences: shortly after arriving in the Land of Rain, he was attacked and barely managed to escape after a fierce battle. After listening to his report, you said, "Then I'll grant you a few days of sick leave, or half a month if that's not enough."
Perhaps it's because you were a corporate slave in your past life, so when you heard Zabuza say that, all you could think about was workers' compensation and sick leave. But that's definitely not what Zabuza wanted to hear. His expression didn't improve after you finished speaking. He said, "Is this how you dismiss me?"
Look at what he said. What do you mean by "getting rid of me"? You're already a very conscientious boss, offering workers' compensation and sick leave. And you say, "What else do you want? Tell me."
You'd like to see what else he might want.
Zabuza stared at you for a long time, then looked back at you and said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I want you." His voice was calm, yet it concealed a surge of emotion that had been suppressed.
"How about this, you go get another head checkup," you said patiently. Zabuza is a very useful employee. Although he has a temporary problem with his head, you don't want to fire him just like that. Otherwise, where would you find such a hardworking and dedicated subordinate?
"I want you."
"If you say that again, I'll leave you," you said lightly. "Don't you understand? The decision is mine."
Zabuza said irritably, "So that Uchiha brat can climb into your bed and be your so-called bed partner, is that it?"
Why bring up the Uchiha clan out of the blue? You were having an endless argument with another Uchiha just a couple of days ago.
"Can't I?" he asked.
"I don't have that in mind for the time being." In your opinion, Zabuza just has a temporary problem with his head, but fortunately it won't affect his work ability, so your attitude towards him is still relatively mild.
"Is that so?" Zabuza looked at you with suspicion, half believing and half doubting. You thought you had acted honestly and hadn't done anything wrong. At most, you had just messed with an Uchiha, which was no big deal. It was something that would make the gossip but would be forgotten in a couple of days.
He fell silent again, and finally changed his mind, saying, "I can take sick leave, but I want to take sick leave here."
Of course, that's possible. The Land of Waves has beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, which is indeed very suitable for recuperation. Moreover, your villa is very large, so you can let him stay in any room you like. The only thing to be careful about is not disturbing your sleep in the morning.
On the third day of Zabuza's sick leave, you were sitting on the open-air balcony admiring the moon when Obito Uchiha appeared silently beside you, leaning against the balcony railing. He was still wearing that tasteless orange mask. You were holding a non-alcoholic drink in your hand, the color of which was a gradient red. At the bottom, there was a thick red ring that spread upwards and gradually faded into a light pink.
You took a bite of the string of olives resting on the rim of the glass. "Would you like a drink?"
Obito Uchiha turned his head to the side. He still couldn't see through you. You seemed to still have hope for this world, which was why you tried your best to create a peaceful country. This was something he had never seen before.
“I don’t want olives,” he said.
You said "Oh," and made him the same drink as you. The red stuff at the bottom of the glass was actually strawberry jam, which tasted refreshing when mixed with sparkling water. You leaned against the balcony railing and watched him lift a corner of his mask. You said, "Can I see your face?"
Obito Uchiha refused without hesitation, and even asked, "Is this your goal? What else do you want to do next?"
Like an animal experiencing a stress response, his tone became slightly hurried as he said, "It's nothing, just pretend I didn't say anything. I didn't expect you to be so afraid of me."
Afraid? Are you kidding me? He could snap your neck with the slightest flick of his finger. With such a disparity in strength, how could he possibly be afraid of you? He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I'm not afraid of you at all."
"Really? Then you'll wear a mask when you meet me. Are you worried I'll recognize your true identity? Or what else are you afraid of?"
"Save your breath, your attempt to provoke me won't work."
That's not necessarily true. The moment he said those words, it meant he had already fallen into your trap. You squinted slightly, and the small light installed in the corner of the balcony emitted a faint glow. You used the dim light to search for his eyes. You reached out your hand, the movement was very slow, comparable to slow motion in a movie in the eyes of a ninja.
He could have easily dodged, but he didn't. He stood still, letting your fingers touch the edge of his mask. What was he expecting? And why did he hold his breath when your fingers were twirling a corner of his mask?
The expected resistance did not occur. He obediently allowed you to remove his mask, and you were able to see his face beneath the mask, which was covered with terrible scars. However, at first glance, he did not seem frightening, perhaps because of his expression.
Your fingertip gently touched his cheek, and he seemed to regain his voice and his thoughts. He took a step back and said, "Now that you have seen my face, if you ever reveal any secrets in the future, I will definitely kill you."
"Really?" You raised your glass and tapped it against his, making a crisp sound. "Saying things like that while blushing isn't very threatening."
A note from the author:
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