After chatting for a while, Takeshi eventually grasped the reason for the two of them being there.
They had actually been in the prison as well during the attack and took advantage of the chaos to escape. Along the way, however, they heard a fight and couldn't help but go check it out Yoshiro especially.
Seeing that it was Takeshi, they decided to cooperate with him, even though Yoshiro wasn't in favor of it. Ayano, on the other hand, having witnessed his abilities, remained adamant about staying.
For his part, Takeshi agreed. In any case, leaving alone might not have been very wise. The enemies he had encountered so far weren't particularly strong, but who knew what awaited him outside?
"I think the exit is this way."
"Do you have this damn exit or not?!" Takeshi snapped, irritated by Yoshiro, who kept taking the wrong turns.
At first, he had chosen to travel together mainly because he didn't know where the exit was, but maybe he had been wrong to team up with this idiot.
"You think it's easy to remember a path you walked blindfolded, you son of a bitch?!" Yoshiro, just as annoyed by Takeshi's attitude, didn't hold back on the insults.
If it weren't for the girl behind him, he probably would've taught that arrogant bastard a good lesson. But out of the corner of his eye, as he observed Ayano's well-endowed silhouette, his mind gradually calmed.
'All this just to impress a girl…' Takeshi thought with an inward sigh. '…And the worst part is she's probably just using him.'
He didn't remember much about the relationship between the three of them after his reincarnation, but the dynamic between Yoshiro and Ayano reminded him of someone… he couldn't be mistaken.
A simp, living mainly to please a woman who had no interest in him… he knew that pattern all too well.
As for Ayano, she hadn't said much only what needed to be said. She preferred to observe, more specifically the newcomer who had joined their ranks.
She might appear passive, but she always kept an eye on Takeshi, proof that she didn't fully trust him at least not before understanding the nature of his relationship with the Mizukage.
'A simp, and the other one won't stop staring at me…' Takeshi thought, casting a brief glance. He had also felt the girl's persistent gaze but said nothing.
He understood her. As a mercenary, how could she trust so easily? Still, being watched twenty-four hours a day like a chicken thief made him extremely uncomfortable.
Especially since the other party had genjutsu. With every step, he couldn't help wondering whether he was already under a genjutsu… and there was no way for him to break free now.
"...There it is!" Yoshiro exclaimed in relief, puffing out his chest as if trying to prove something. "We can finally get out of this rat hole."
As he finished speaking, he discreetly turned to look at Ayano. She obviously noticed and responded with a simple nod.
'Tch…' Takeshi noticed it too. He felt like mocking him, but the scene unfolding before him didn't allow it.
When they pushed the door open, it creaked loudly, and sunlight flooded the room, preventing them from making out anything in their surroundings for a moment.
Having been exposed to darkness for so long, it was only natural that it took time for their eyes to adjust. It really was a rat hole.
While their vision was impaired, their other senses were fully functional. As the door opened, a strong metallic smell greeted them the smell of blood.
After a few seconds, their vision returned.
"What the hell happened here…?!" Yoshiro was the first to speak.
Various bodies were scattered everywhere, limbs torn off, blood still flowing from the corpses lying on the ground. Some even had their eyes open at the moment death grabbed them by the throat.
Several columns of black smoke rose here and there across the city, a sign that the fighting might still be ongoing, but farther away.
"...Screw it, let's move!" Takeshi finally said, his face impassive as he stepped over the body of a young guy with a nasty wound stretching from his head down to his chest.
As a former soldier, he had seen horrors of war before… and unfortunately, wherever he went, the same scenery seemed to paint itself before his eyes.
Without a word, Ayano followed him, and despite some hesitation, Yoshiro eventually stepped outside as well.
"The war isn't over yet, so where are we going…?" he asked, stepping over the young ninja's corpse himself.
"We don't know who's attacking, we don't know their numbers or where they're coming from…" Takeshi said while inspecting an alley. "...I suggest we grab supplies if possible and head into that forest over there."
"That might be where those guys in black are coming from…!" Yoshiro exclaimed immediately.
"...So what, you'd rather walk out through the front gate like a king maybe? While we're at it, should I prepare you a mount too…?" Takeshi clicked his tongue and kept walking.
"Aya…" Yoshiro tried to seek support from the girl, but she seemed to agree with Takeshi's logic. His shoulders slumped as he clenched his fist.
"Forget it…" he muttered.
Sooner or later, he would have his revenge. He just needed to be patient for now.