Chapter 92: A Piece of Candy
The village where Terumi Mei lived was nestled against the mountainside, surrounded by dense forest.
Almost no young or middle-aged people remained in this isolated settlement—only a group of elderly residents lived in dilapidated wooden huts that let in cold drafts from every crack and gap.
When Uchiha Kazuki carried Terumi Mei to the village entrance, he immediately encountered an elderly woman leaning heavily on a weathered cane. She wore even more tattered clothes than the child, her emaciated frame trudging desperately through the wind and snow. Her weathered face showed profound anxiety as she repeatedly called out Terumi Mei's name with increasing desperation.
"Grandma! Grandma, I'm here!"
Terumi Mei, still secured on his back, waved excitedly upon spotting the old woman.
Uchiha Kazuki knelt down carefully and helped her dismount from his back.
Little Mei Terumi immediately ran forward and threw herself into the old woman's arms, nuzzling her head affectionately against her grandmother's chest: "Grandma, I missed you so much!"
"You silly child! Where did you go?!" The old woman's anxious expression eased considerably after seeing that the girl appeared safe and sound, and she released a trembling sigh of profound relief: "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I searched everywhere for you and couldn't find you anywhere! I thought something terrible had happened to you!"
"I... I saw that you were sick, so I wanted to go into the woods to gather some firewood."
Mei Terumi lowered her head without any sense of self-pity, clutching tightly at the old woman's worn clothes. Her voice trembled with suppressed tears: "But... but I accidentally stepped into a hunter's trap, and thankfully this kind ninja-nii-san saved my life."
"Oh no!"
The old woman gasped in shock and immediately hugged Terumi Mei even tighter, speaking with overwhelming concern: "Does it still hurt badly? Let Grandma examine you—how seriously were you injured?"
Terumi Mei obediently shook her head and gently comforted the distressed old woman: "It's completely fine, Grandma. That ninja already healed me with medical jutsu. Look, there's not even a single scratch on me now~"
Still not quite believing this miraculous claim, the old woman carefully examined her granddaughter's previously wounded leg again before finally relaxing with visible relief: "Thank goodness you're alright. Thank goodness. You scared Grandma half to death. You absolutely must never run off alone like that again, understand?"
"Mmm~"
Terumi Mei nodded her head vigorously, still visibly shaken by her near-death experience.
At this moment, the old woman's attention finally turned toward Uchiha Kazuki. She immediately began shuffling forward while leaning heavily on her cane, then dropped awkwardly to her knees in the snow: "Thank you, thank you so much, ninja-sama."
Uchiha Kazuki gently stopped her, smiling with genuine warmth: "It's perfectly alright. Terumi Mei actually helped me tremendously today, so if I'm being completely honest, I'm the one who owes her gratitude."
"This child—if she has somehow offended you in any way, please don't hold it against her, ninja-sama." The old woman repeatedly tried to explain herself, clearly terrified of ninja authority.
"Grandma, ninja-nii-san is really nice!" Terumi Mei tugged at the old woman's sleeve, covering her mouth with one small hand as she whispered conspiratorially: "He's not like those mean ninjas at all. Ninja-nii-san is very gentle and kind!"
"Be quiet!"
The old woman's expression changed dramatically, and she immediately glared at her granddaughter with genuine fear, scolding harshly: "Don't you dare speak about ninja-sama behind his back! Have you already forgotten how your parents died?!"
Upon hearing this painful reminder, Terumi Mei's bright eyes immediately filled with profound sorrow as she silently lowered her head in shame.
Watching this heartbreaking scene unfold, Uchiha Kazuki frowned deeply and sighed inwardly with frustration.
He had a reasonably clear understanding of why this situation existed. It stemmed from the remote Land of Water being severely resource-scarce while maintaining an iron-fisted policy of absolute secrecy—leading to an extremely elevated status for shinobi. The common people living under constant oppression naturally developed deep-seated fear of all ninja.
In a very real sense, all of Kirigakure's domestic policies essentially involved systematically squeezing the civilian population completely dry in order to supply resources to the elite shinobi at the top of the hierarchy.
And this oppressive dynamic wasn't unique to Kirigakure whatsoever—it existed throughout the entire shinobi world to varying degrees.
Even in the wealthiest and most prosperous village, Konohagakure, such situations existed, though they remained carefully hidden from public view.
The high-ranking shinobi enjoyed the most abundant resources available, never worrying about food or comfort, while common people deemed "unqualified" for ninja training were forced into backbreaking labor to support the privileged class above them.
Ninjutsu—which should have been utilized far more efficiently for productive construction and development—had instead become nothing more than an increasingly refined means of mass slaughter.
"Ninja-sama, the snow is falling heavily outside."
Seeing that he hadn't responded or moved at all, the old woman hesitated nervously for a moment before cautiously probing: "If you don't mind the humble conditions, you're welcome to come into our hut and rest for a while."
"No, but thank you for the offer."
Uchiha Kazuki shook his head with finality: "My continued presence here would bring you nothing but danger. You've already realized that truth, haven't you?"
Terumi Mei was still far too young and perhaps didn't fully comprehend the true implications of encountering a foreign 'ninja' operating within Kirigakure territory.
But the old woman, who had survived within Kirigakure's oppressive system for so many decades, had been secretly sizing him up with fearful calculation from the very first moment she spotted him.
He wasn't wearing any Kirigakure headband—which was absolutely impossible for any legitimate shinobi operating within the village's jurisdiction.
The old woman's heart churned violently like a raging internal storm, but her deeply ingrained survival instinct forced her to feign complete ignorance, carefully not revealing her suspicions aloud.
But now, the mysterious person before her had deliberately shattered that fragile illusion of mutual pretense!
"No, no, no—I didn't notice anything suspicious at all!"
The old woman's face changed drastically with pure terror. She quickly pulled young Mei Terumi down forcefully to kneel beside her in the freezing snow: "Ninja-sama, we know absolutely nothing about your presence here!"
Countless horrifying possible outcomes flashed rapidly through her experienced mind: a foreign ninja from another village had somehow appeared deep within Kirigakure territory—their absolute best possible outcome was being permanently silenced!
"Please, I'm begging you—please spare this innocent child's life!"
The old woman kowtowed with forceful desperation, a visible bruise forming rapidly on her wrinkled forehead. With absolutely terrified eyes, she pleaded frantically: "She's extremely obedient and won't tell anyone what she saw! Please... kill me if you must, but spare Mei Terumi!"
Mei Terumi remained completely bewildered, forced to kowtow by her grandmother's insistent grip.
Only after hearing the old woman's desperate pleading did she slowly begin to comprehend the danger, a hint of frightened confusion appearing in her large emerald eyes: "Ninja... nii-san...?"
"Hey now,"
Uchiha Kazuki sighed with genuine weariness, gently helping both the old woman and Terumi Mei back to their feet: "Don't worry. I have absolutely no intention of killing either of you."
"Really? You truly mean that?"
The old woman still seemed utterly incredulous, protectively holding Terumi Mei tightly in her trembling arms.
Uchiha Kazuki didn't bother answering her question verbally. Instead, he simply squatted down to the child's eye level, reached out and gently patted Terumi Mei's head with surprising affection, then handed her a single milk candy wrapped in plain white paper. He spoke with genuine gentleness: "From now on, don't ever go into the forest alone again, alright? Take good care of Grandma for me. I'm leaving now, but you mustn't tell anyone you saw me here today, okay?"
Terumi Mei carefully accepted the precious milk candy, her large eyes blinking with innocent confusion: "Ninja... nii-san... Will we... ever meet again someday?"
"Yes, absolutely."
Uchiha Kazuki affectionately ruffled her hair one final time, slowly rising to his full height as he smiled enigmatically: "At some point in the future—when you've grown much stronger—we will definitely meet again."
With those final words, his figure vanished completely in an instant.
"Grandma, ninja-nii-san... disappeared."
Mei Terumi gazed intently at the spot where he had been standing just moments before, a hint of wistful longing appearing in her striking emerald green eyes.
She carefully placed the precious candy against her heart, as if desperately trying to preserve the lingering warmth and comforting scent.
"Let's go back inside now."
The old woman took Mei Terumi's small hand firmly and led her step by careful step back toward their humble village dwelling.
"Grandma, when I grow up, I want to become a ninja too!"
Mei Terumi suddenly announced with fierce determination, her young eyes blazing with newfound resolve: "I want to become a gentle yet strong ninja just like ninja-nii-san was!"
"Alright, alright then."
The old woman chuckled softly with bittersweet acceptance: "Then you'd better start eating much more food~ To become a proper ninja, you can't remain so dangerously thin."
Uchiha Kazuki, who had just departed from the village area, suddenly frowned with unexpected concern.
"Why... do I suddenly have this bad feeling?"
He felt genuinely puzzled, his brows furrowing deeply as he carefully retraced his recent actions in his mind, wondering if he'd made any critical mistakes. But ultimately, he found absolutely nothing concerning and could only give up the analysis, muttering to himself: "Perhaps it's just my imagination running wild. I've systematically erased all traces of my presence. Even Kirigakure's Hunter-nin couldn't possibly locate that remote village."
"Besides... I left a crucial insurance policy in place."
"That white paper wrapping the candy was specially imbued with 'Psychological Invisibility' effects. Mei Terumi should be perfectly protected."
After confirming everything appeared secure, Uchiha Kazuki cautiously proceeded with his original plan: "Alright, that way there shouldn't be any problems whatsoever."
Choosing a completely different direction, he deliberately disappeared into the snow-covered forest.
And this time, just like his previous movements, he intentionally didn't erase any traces—deliberately leaving obvious footprints for pursuers to follow.
[End of Chapter 92]
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