Just as Uchiha Ran finished dealing with Caotang, he casually spun the zanpakutō in his hand twice, slid it back into its sheath, and lifted his gaze toward the other battlefield.
There, he saw Inuzuka Tsubaki revert from her Fang Over Fang state back to normal. Opposite her, the unidentified ninja lay sprawled on the ground, clearly more breath leaving than entering—on the verge of death.
Seeing this, Ran walked over to Tsubaki and looked down at the fallen ninja, speaking in an almost polite tone:
"Um… honored ninja, the ground's pretty cold. Why don't you stand up? Or if you still have the strength to talk, should we help you find a nice burial site?"
Hearing Ran's words, the ninja twitched twice, eyes flying open as he weakly raised a hand—
"Looks like that won't be necessary," Ran said thoughtfully. "Youth really is wonderful. You can just fall asleep whenever you want."
The ninja never managed to lift his hand all the way before his breath finally stopped.
Tsubaki stared at Ran with the expression of someone looking at a demon.
"R-Ran… san…"
"What is it, Tsubaki?"
"I'm only realizing now that… you actually have a pretty twisted sense of humor."
"Oh? Is that so?" Ran replied thoughtfully. "I didn't even notice myself."
After finishing their conversation, Ran glanced at the bandits who were scattering in all directions. He made no move to pursue them. Instead, he instructed the guards to bury the bodies properly to avoid contamination.
For ninja, bandits who hadn't directly attacked were usually left alone. And judging from their appearance, these ones didn't seem to possess much fighting ability anyway.
Most bandits were just ordinary people who couldn't survive anymore and retreated into the mountains to farm and scrape by. If they hadn't committed serious crimes, ninja wouldn't go out of their way to eliminate them—especially since this wasn't a bandit-clearing mission to begin with.
Clap, clap, clap.
Applause came from behind them.
"Well done, Ran—and you too, Tsubaki," Kurenai Yuhi said as she approached, clapping with a smile.
"Most ninja are glass cannons—high offense, low durability," Kurenai continued, offering her assessment. "What you did was excellent. When the enemy doesn't know your abilities, that ignorance becomes your greatest advantage."
"All right. Once everything's cleaned up, we'll continue on our way."
After witnessing Ran's performance, Ōmaeda became noticeably more enthusiastic.
"Um, Uchiha-kun," he said mysteriously as he rode his horse up beside Ran. "Have you ever heard of the Yoshiwara District in the Capital of the Land of Fire?"
"…Huh?" Ran blinked. "Ōmaeda-san, this is my first time heading to the capital on a mission. Forget Yoshiwara—I don't even know what the capital looks like."
To be honest, Ran wasn't particularly curious.In his past… he'd seen far more than this.
…Or rather—
Huh?His head throbbed faintly.
Ran suddenly realized there were many things he couldn't clearly remember anymore.Had he sealed himself away for too long back then…?
"Hahaha! Ran-san, once the mission's over, let's grab a meal together!" Ōmaeda laughed heartily. "I'll take you to Yoshiwara. For young ninja like you, balancing work and relaxation is very important!"
"Ōmaeda-san, I appreciate the offer," Ran replied politely, "but once the mission ends, we'll be returning to Konoha with Kurenai-sama."
Hearing this, Ōmaeda didn't get upset at all. Instead, he glanced toward Kurenai in the distance, then leaned in with a knowing smile.
"Ran-kun, you really are new to escort missions, aren't you?"
"Oh?" Ran raised an eyebrow. "You could tell right away? That's impressive."
"Haha, let me tell you—when ninja go on long-distance missions like this, they usually stay an extra day or two after completion. Sightseeing, enjoying local customs—that sort of thing."
"Really?" Ran's eyes widened. "So that's how it works?"
Seeing Ran's surprised expression, Ōmaeda looked extremely satisfied.
"Then there's no problem at all! Haha! Don't worry—I've entertained plenty of ninja in Yoshiwara before. So far, not a single one has been dissatisfied."
"Oh?" Ran smiled. "Is the food really that good? Then I absolutely have to experience it myself. If Kurenai-sama allows enough time, I'll gladly trouble you."
"Food? Hahaha, yes—excellent food!" Ōmaeda said with anticipation. "I can't wait to arrive safely at the capital. It's been a long time since I've been to Yoshiwara myself. I'm already craving the delicacies."
"I see," Ran nodded seriously. "After days of travel, the rations have only been enough to keep us from starving. My mouth's gone completely bland."
He looked at the soldier pill in his hand with visible disgust—then put it away.
After experiencing a real battle together, the guards finally realized that the ninja weren't aloof or unapproachable at all.
One by one, they opened up, striking up conversations with Kurenai Yuhi, Inuzuka Tsubaki, and Dōmu Shin'ya.
Ninja were still human. On long, boring journeys, they enjoyed chatting too. Conversation not only eased the tedium—it could also yield valuable information, especially from merchants who traveled far and wide. And sometimes, ordinary people simply provided something just as important: emotional affirmation.
"Wow—Kurenai-sama's students are all this strong? Then Kurenai-sama herself must be unbelievably powerful!"
"Tsubaki-sama's combat ability—there's probably no one her equal among Konoha's genin!"
"Dōmu-sama hasn't even made a move yet… are you the hidden trump card, the one protecting everyone at the end?"
"Ran-sama, your fighting was like art itself! So this is the famous Uchiha clan—even without the Sharingan! If you activated it… it'd be unstoppable!"
So this was how ordinary people looked at ninja.
It wasn't hard to imagine how Obito might have lost himself amid such praise, little by little.
The rest of the journey passed without incident.
"All right, the mission is complete, Ōmaeda-san," Kurenai said.
"Thank you so much, Kurenai-jōnin," Ōmaeda replied sincerely. "It's already late—why don't you all stay at my place for dinner and the night? My old man would love to see Kurenai-jōnin's heroic bearing in person."
Seeing the genuine invitation, Kurenai considered it briefly before agreeing.
First, it really was getting late.Second, maintaining a good relationship with the client was crucial—especially when the invitation came directly from the head of the household. It could mean more missions for Konoha in the future.
In the end, Ōmaeda even asked Kurenai to let Uchiha Ran go with him separately—his reason being that he wanted to treat Ran to some Land of Fire specialty cuisine.
Kurenai readily agreed, trusting Ran completely. Before he left, she specifically reminded him to build a good relationship with Ōmaeda.
7:00 p.m.
Uchiha Ran and Ōmaeda arrived at the streets of the Yoshiwara District.
Ōmaeda's massive body stood beneath the gate, arms spread wide.
"Ran-san! Welcome to the place I know best! Next, let's go enjoy the Land of Fire's finest cuisine!"
Ran lifted his gaze.
"Senhime Courtesan House."
The moment he saw those five characters—
Ran's pupils violently shrank.
"…Eh?"