Chiba noticed someone secretly watching and immediately asked her to come out.
The girl was the clan leader's granddaughter, a young girl named Hotaru.
In the original timeline, she would later become Utakata's disciple.
But for now, none of that had happened yet.
Hotaru looked shy, yet her eyes were filled with curiosity as she stared at Chiba.
"Are you… the hero Lord Chiba, the one who quelled the rebellion and saved the Land of Water?"
Chiba smiled faintly. "That should be me."
Hotaru was even more surprised.
"But you're so young…!"
"You can't be much older than me, right?!"
Chiba chuckled. "If age decided everything, then wouldn't this world belong only to old men?"
Hotaru scratched her head, thought about it for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"Alright… that actually makes sense."
She was a bright, cheerful, and beautiful girl.
Her long golden hair shimmered softly, slightly wavy.
Her skin was fair and delicate, her features refined, and her vivid green eyes sparkled with life.
Despite her young age, her figure was already graceful and well-developed, enough to make one's heart skip a beat.
Thinking of her original fate, Chiba couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
But this time, he would never allow that tragedy to happen.
Hotaru quickly became familiar with Chiba.
She sat lightly on a nearby chair, swinging her legs back and forth, her face full of excitement.
She was endlessly curious,and openly admiring.
She kept asking him about everything he had done.
Whenever the story reached an exciting part, she couldn't help clapping enthusiastically.
Especially when Chiba talked about capturing Zabuza Momochi alive, and freezing the entire rebel army with a single move,Ice Age,
Her eyes practically sparkled with awe.
Chiba laughed. "Telling my own story like this makes me sound a bit self-praising."
Hotaru shook her head vigorously.
"Not at all! Everything Lord Chiba said is the truth!"
"So, Lord Chiba, you came this time to look for the Rokubi Jinchūriki, right?"
"If you find him too, with your achievements, you'll definitely become the Mizukage, won't you?!"
Chiba pretended to think for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah… probably."
Hotaru immediately lit up with excitement.
"That's amazing!"
"Then the Land of Water is truly saved!"
"And,and I'll do everything I can to help you find him, Lord Chiba!"
Looking at her sweet, radiant smile, Chiba couldn't help but gently pat her head.
Hotaru's face instantly turned red, yet she didn't pull away,instead, she smiled even more brightly.
What a lovely girl…
Chiba sighed softly to himself.
Just then,
The clan leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan, En no Gyōja, finally returned.
Seeing how close his granddaughter was to Chiba, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
He knew Hotaru's personality well,and her admiration for Lord Chiba.
There was nothing he could do about it.
"Ahem. Clan Head Chiba, I've already sent out everyone we could spare."
"The moment there's any news, it will be reported immediately."
Chiba smiled. "Thank you, Clan Leader."
That night, Chiba temporarily stayed with the Tsuchigumo Clan.
Hotaru tried to sneak into his room again, pestering him to tell more stories,
Only to be dragged back by her grandfather.
"My apologies," En no Gyōja said helplessly.
"My granddaughter is far too willful."
Chiba laughed. "Not at all. Having such a lovely granddaughter is something anyone would envy."
En no Gyōja smiled as well.
"I was just worried she might disturb your rest."
"You're too polite, Clan Leader."
At that moment,
"Clan Leader!"
Both men turned to see a Tsuchigumo ninja rushing toward them.
"We discovered a suspicious man in the rear mountains!"
"Judging by his appearance, he's very likely the Rokubi Jinchūriki!"
"We didn't dare act rashly and came back to report immediately."
En no Gyōja nodded. "Good work."
Then he turned to Chiba.
"Clan Head Chiba, what should we do next,"
"Leave it to me," Chiba said calmly.
Soon after,
Chiba set out with Hōzuki Mangetsu, Clan Leader En no Gyōja, over a dozen elite Tsuchigumo ninja,
And Hotaru, who insisted on tagging along no matter what.
Together, they headed for the clan's rear mountains.
Before long,
Under the full moon, they spotted the man.
He sat leisurely on a tree branch at the mountain peak, one leg crossed over the other, calmly blowing bubbles.
The bubbles floated upward in the moonlight, rising gently before popping one by one.
Clearly, he had no intention of hiding from them.
Chiba stepped forward.
"So… you weren't planning to run."
The man glanced at him.
"You're the so-called hero, Lord Chiba?"
Chiba smiled.
"I didn't expect even someone constantly on the run to know my name."
Utakata replied calmly,
"In the Land of Water, there's probably no one who doesn't."
Chiba suddenly asked,
"Are you jealous?"
Utakata froze for a moment.
"…What did you just say?"
"I said,aren't you jealous of me?" Chiba replied calmly.
Utakata fell silent, his gaze fixed on Chiba.
Chiba smiled faintly and continued, his voice unhurried.
"As a Jinchūriki, you're bound to carry burdens no one else can truly understand."
"You can't live freely like ordinary people."
"You're stared at, kept at a distance,met with indifference, disgust, hatred, fear…"
"You endure every kind of pain imaginable."
Utakata's eyes darkened.
"So what?" he said coldly.
"That's the fate of every Jinchūriki."
Chiba shook his head slowly.
"You're wrong."
"Even a Jinchūriki can change their fate."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"For example,"
"A Perfect Jinchūriki."
Utakata's expression changed instantly.
"…A Perfect Jinchūriki?!"