Doubts gradually dissipate and the identity veil is revealed
Senju Tobirama's recovery of consciousness wasn't a sudden, swift process. Instead, he struggled to emerge from the abyss of endless darkness and excruciating pain. The first thing he felt was a searing pain in his abdomen, followed by a dry throat that felt like it had been rubbed by sandpaper, and finally, his hearing gradually cleared and his vision blurred.
He found himself lying in a simple but relatively clean room, covered with hay and a thin mattress. The wound on his abdomen was bandaged roughly but effectively, and although it still hurt, the cold feeling of life draining away with blood had disappeared.
His alertness instantly reached a peak! He tried to sit up suddenly, but it agitated his wound, causing him to groan in pain and break out in a cold sweat. He endured the pain, his sharp eyes quickly scanning the surroundings—an unfamiliar environment, resembling a storage room or servants' quarters. He had changed into rough but clean cloth, his ninja uniform and weapons gone.
Who saved him? What was the purpose? A trap?
As an elite ninja of the Senju clan, he had long been accustomed to dealing with conspiracy and danger, and was deeply suspicious of any sudden "goodwill." His last memory was of an encounter with an Uchiha team, where he was injured in a fierce battle and fell into the water, being swept away by the turbulent river...
He forced himself to calm down, regulating his breathing. He began silently refining his meager chakra, sensing his surroundings. There seemed to be only one person guarding the house, breathing steadily but not a master. Beyond, the atmosphere of many people's daily lives was regular and orderly, not like a ninja family, but more like... a noble residence?
Just as he was thinking rapidly, the door was gently pushed open. A middle-aged man with a sharp face and wearing ordinary samurai clothes walked in with a bowl of medicine. He didn't seem surprised to see him awake.
"Are you awake?" The man's voice was steady, with a hint of scrutiny. "How do you feel?"
Tobirama didn't answer, but just stared at him with cold and vigilant eyes, secretly accumulating strength.
The man didn't seem to care about his attitude and put the medicine bowl aside: "It's good that you're awake. Drink this medicine, it will be good for your injury."
"Where is this place? Who are you?" Tobirama's voice was hoarse and low, with an unquestionable question.
"It's safe here." The man evaded the question, "Our young lady found you seriously injured while out for an outing yesterday. We can't just stand by and watch you die. When you're better and can walk, you can leave on your own."
Young lady? Outing? Tobirama's suspicions grew even thicker. What a coincidence? A noble lady saving him? This seemed like an elaborate trap. Was it set by the Uchiha? Or some other force seeking to gain intelligence on the Senju?
"Which lady saved me?" Tobirama continued to ask, trying to find a flaw.
"Your cousin is staying here temporarily." The man answered without leaking anything, obviously unwilling to reveal more. "Just focus on recovering from your injuries, no need to ask too many questions. This is not a place you should stay for long." There was a warning in his tone.
For the next two days, Tobirama cooperated with the treatment (he secretly checked the medicine and found it was just ordinary wound medicine) while quietly gathering information. He couldn't get any useful information out of the servant who delivered the food (he had been sternly warned not to talk too much), so he could only make judgments based on observation and perception.
He confirmed that this was indeed a noble residence of considerable stature. While heavily guarded, the security was primarily aimed at preventing intruders. They seemed uninterested in this "unexpected visitor," merely isolating and observing him. The food and medicine they delivered were perfectly normal, and one could even say they treated him with "kindness."
This shook his initial judgment of a "trap." If he were truly an enemy, there would be no need to go to such great lengths to save him.
So, he focused his investigation on the "cousin" who had "accidentally" discovered and saved him. This required a more covert approach. He took advantage of the brief break between the night watchmen's shifts and carefully released a weak chakra perception. Like an invisible net, it quietly spread out from the hut and captured fragments of conversation within the mansion.
He "heard" the maids' low chatter, bits and pieces about a "Miss Kui": she was about seven or eight years old, brought from distant relatives to live permanently more than a year ago, quiet and well-behaved, a little timid, not very talkative, and loved by the old lady... She sounded like an ordinary little aristocratic girl living under someone else's roof.
He even caught the voice of the girl known as "Miss Aoi" during one of his perceptions. She was reciting a waka poem in the courtyard. Her voice was childish and clear, with a slightly nervous earnestness befitting her age. There were no unusual energy fluctuations; she was a completely ordinary person.
All the fragments of information gradually fell into place. A coincidental incident, discovered by a kind (or perhaps ignorant) little girl. Rescuing him was more likely a noble's decision out of respectability and a desire to avoid trouble than any deeper conspiracy. His guard finally dropped a little.
A wandering ninja of unknown identity who had been accidentally rescued by a noble lady—this was the most reasonable explanation he could find for his current situation. As for his true identity as a member of the Senju clan, it seemed that it had not been exposed. This was a blessing in disguise.
The injuries healed quickly under the effects of the medication. On the third night, feeling that he had regained some of his mobility, Tobirama decided not to stay any longer. The longer the night, the more trouble he would face. He had to leave as soon as possible and return to his family.
He quietly dealt with the guard (just knocked him unconscious), changed into dark civilian clothes that he had prepared long ago and got from somewhere unknown, and restored the hut to its original state, leaving no trace of his identity or whereabouts.
Like a shadow blending into the night, he easily avoided the patrolling guards of the mansion, climbed over the high wall, and landed on the quiet street outside. He looked back at the fortified mansion with a complicated look.
This unexpected encounter and rescue felt like a bizarre interlude. The noblewoman named "Aoi" who had inadvertently saved him left a vague, insignificant impression in his mind—a lucky, harmless, perhaps a little too kind. He didn't connect the incident with the Uchiha clan (how could a noblewoman possibly be an Uchiha?), simply chalking it up to a near miss.
However, he had no idea what secrets and struggles lay hidden behind what he considered "chance" and "ignorance." The thread of fate had quietly connected him and the girl, and with the passage of time, it would only tighten.
Senju Tobirama's figure quickly vanished into the night sky of the capital, as if he had never appeared. Uchiha Aoi, who was still in the mansion, didn't learn until the next day that the white-haired boy had quietly left. Standing in the courtyard in the early morning, gazing towards the small house in the backyard, the heavy weight that had been hanging in her heart finally settled, yet at the same time, she felt an indescribable sense of emptiness and loss.
A dangerous episode seemed to have passed. But was it really over? Only the future would tell.
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