Escape from Konoha.

In the past, when ninjas mentioned the Uchiha clan, the first thing that came to mind was not the Sharingan, but the name Uchiha Madara.

Because it is a symbol of power that is even purer than the Sharingan.

When ninjas today mention the Uchiha clan, they don't think of a particular Uchiha ninja, but rather of the Sharingan.

Liuli believes this is the goal she will surpass in the future.

"That's just like you. Looks like I was worried for nothing."

"Are you looking down on me? Besides, even if that old relic were still alive, he'd be too old to move by now."

"I didn't say that. Besides, this is just speculation and can't be taken as conclusive evidence."

Seeing that Ruri seemed to be sulking again, Shiraishi smiled and explained.

"Humph."

Liuli turned her head away, indicating that she didn't want to pay attention to him.

The sky gradually darkened, and the beautiful sunset was slowly sinking at the edge of the western forest.

Shiraishi and Ruri strolled together along a road beside a river.

The weather in May has warmed up a bit, and a gentle breeze brings a sense of comfort while also dispelling any restlessness.

The streetlights on both sides of the path have been turned on. Looking into the distance, you can see the central area of ​​the village, where a bustling night market is already beginning to take shape, with lights lighting up one after another.

Only Shiraishi and Ruri were walking on this road.

But on the riverbank, some ninja school children who hadn't gone home yet were playing ninja games tirelessly.

Upon seeing this scene, Shiraishi stopped walking.

"what happened?"

Liuli stopped and turned to look at his face.

"It's nothing, it's just that seeing them like this makes me nostalgic for the old days."

Shiraishi looked at the students playing ninja games on the embankment, a look of emotion on his face.

In a daze, Baishi remembered something else.

"Speaking of which, the scene of us leaving the ninja academy and going home together felt like we were really back in our student days."

After Shiraishi said those words, it also stirred up Ruri's memories of the past.

Because her parents were often away on business and rarely home, Shiraishi played an irreplaceable role in her life, both during her childhood and her adolescence.

Back when they were in ninja school, just as Shiraishi said, the two of them always went to school together and came home together, almost inseparable every day.

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"I was thinking... I hope it can always be like this in the future. Because we are the best partners."

Shiraishi looked up at the distant sunset, and under its glow, his face appeared even more gentle than usual.

When Liuli heard Baishi say that, she suddenly felt uneasy, as if something was missing.

Just partners?

"Let's hurry up and go, we still have to go back..."

Liuli was about to hurry home when suddenly her hand was enveloped by something.

This prevents the body from moving forward, leaving it stuck in place.

Liuli's expression froze for a moment, then she turned her head and lowered it slightly.

It was a man's broad, thick hand.

He carefully and gently took her hand in his, making it impossible for her to escape his control.

"Actually, many times, I don't know how to deal with these kinds of things. But after I said that just now, I thought about it carefully again. If we're just partners, it might not be enough to explain everything between us. So, how about we become something closer than partners?"

A calm and composed smile appeared on Shiraishi's face as he asked for Ruri's opinion.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm going back."

Liuli's face had already turned slightly red. She turned her head away, and although she was saying that she was going back, she was already at Baishi's mercy when her hand was held.

"Let's go for a walk there together. We're leaving get off work so early today, we should have enough time."

"Don't ask me about this. You're injured, so you should make the decision. Just make sure you don't catch a cold tomorrow."

Liuli turned her head away from Baishi, seemingly letting him make the decisions.

Shiraishi felt a bit strange, because after so many years of being with Ruri, this was the first time he had held such an important initiative.

I was so moved that I almost cried.

"It's already May, how could I possibly catch a cold? It'll be fine."

His body wasn't that weak. Although the weather did get cooler at night than during the day, he could manage with a little care.

Holding Liuli's hand tightly, their skins radiated each other's body heat.

Shiroshi could clearly feel that Ruri's body had become very hot.

Holding Ruri's hand, Shiraishi led her toward the village's bustling night market.

Shiraishi clearly saw the obvious happy smile on Ruri's face.

In that instant, for some reason, I felt a sense of guilt.

There might be another woman in his mind.

For me, they are probably also an extremely important 'partner'.

But today, I should belong to Liuli, right?

Thinking about it this way, the feeling of guilt dissipated somewhat from my heart through self-comfort.

--the next day.

Shiraishi caught a cold.

Because I got home very late last night, I discovered I had a cold as soon as I woke up this morning.

He was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor, covered with a blanket. He felt dizzy and his body was very cold.

"Honestly, you kept saying you were fine yesterday, and look what happened. Your physical condition has deteriorated so much."

At home, Ruri was dressed in casual clothes, not in her black ninja outfit. She knelt down next to Shiraishi's makeshift bed and berated him in an almost disdainful tone.

"...I never expected things to turn out like this... Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever caught a cold..."

Bai Shi had no choice but to suffer this injustice in silence.

Sure enough, I shouldn't have pushed myself too hard last night.

But under those circumstances yesterday, if I had simply done nothing and come back, I would have regretted it even more.

Seeing how carefully Ruri was taking care of him, and how he even skipped work again today, Shiraishi felt embarrassed, but at the same time, he also felt that even if he had a bad cold today, it wasn't such a bad thing.

"I've already sent someone to explain to Tsunade. You should just stay home and rest today. I'll be here to protect you."

Ruri stood up from the floor, walked to the cabinet next to her, and rummaged through something while speaking to Shiraishi.

"Thank you for your help. Actually, I don't think my cold is that serious, this afternoon..."

"Just stay home and rest today. Do you want me to say it a third time?"

Liuli raised her voice again, her face expressionless.

Shiraishi was trembling with fear and dared not speak again.

Liuli took a medicine bottle from the cabinet, took out a few pills from it, and also prepared a cup of hot water.

"This is a cold medicine that you haven't officially launched on the pharmaceutical market yet. You probably never thought you'd be the first user after it was developed. What are your thoughts on your medicine?"

"...If possible, I don't want to make any comments."

With mixed feelings, Shiraishi took the cold medicine he had developed.

◎

On the sea between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, a small boat pushed through the waves, approaching the port on the coast of the Land of Fire.

There were four people on the small boat; they were all ninjas from Konoha Village.

The leader was a Konoha ninja wearing a Jonin uniform, while the other three wore Chunin uniforms.

This is a team led by a Jonin, with three Chunin as members.

Even within Konoha Village, this falls into the category of an elite squad.

Most squads consist of one Jonin paired with three Genin, or one Jonin, one Chunin, and two Genin.

Their mission this time was to go to the neighboring Land of Waves to wipe out an illegal roaming ninja organization. This roaming ninja organization was robbing villages all over the Land of Waves. Konoha sent their squad to deal with the illegal ninja organization in the Land of Waves at the request of the Daimyo of the Land of Waves.

Konoha was already used to this situation.

Not to mention during the Fourth Shinobi World War, even after the war, small countries lacking ninja power were frequently attacked by wandering ninja organizations; such incidents were already commonplace.

These wandering ninjas either became ninjas by chance or were rogue ninjas who engaged in various illegal profit-making activities.

For large countries, such ninja organizations are not worth their attention, and only small, powerless countries would be bothered by such things.

Konoha dispatched an elite team of one Jonin and three Chunin. After a fierce battle, the team successfully wiped out the wandering ninja organization and is now preparing to return to the Land of Fire by ship.

The Konoha Jonin leading the team, seated at the bow of the ship, had long, straight black hair that fell to his waist.

She wears a headband on her forehead and has pure white eyes.

He is a Jonin from the branch family of the Hyuga clan.

His name is Hyuga Shingo, and even within the Hyuga branch family, he is a Jonin with outstanding strength.

Because the waters of the Land of Waves are shrouded in dense fog year-round, Shingo Hyuga frequently activates his Byakugan to observe the surrounding seas and prevent any unforeseen situations.

In his glaring vision, two kilometers ahead, five people were approaching by boat.

These people have very little chakra, so they can basically be judged as ordinary civilians and are not to be feared.

Moreover, these people had no weapons on them, only a small amount of money.

They were undoubtedly ordinary civilians heading to the Land of Waves.