Tetsu lowered his head, then quickly brought the hot noodles to his mouth. The warmth spread throughout Tetsu's body, as if filling the empty cavity in his stomach that had long been accustomed to hunger.
Aoki glanced at Tetsu for a moment before leaning back against the wall, his thoughts beginning to wander.
...
...
...
Now, Aoki had someone he could rely on. Someone who could help Aoki manage the group he was about to build. But the problem was not yet solved.
This new group would need a place, a territory that could serve as a base. But more importantly, they needed people.
Loyal people.
Aoki knew that loyalty was the most important element in building strength. Kisatsutai and Oni were already well-established, each led by women who held great respect and loyalty to Kurisu. There were no issues with those two groups. But the new group Aoki was building would be different.
This group would be filled with new people, those who did not yet know Aoki, who did not have absolute loyalty to him. Building trust takes time, and Aoki was aware that he had to be selective in choosing who would join.
Aoki then looked up at the sky outside, which remained dark even though the sun should have risen. The sky at the border of Amegakure and Konohagakure was almost always shrouded in gloomy clouds, as if reflecting the bleakness of the ongoing war. The moisture in the air felt damp against his skin, and faintly, the scent of impending rain could be detected.
That was when Aoki felt something.
His gaze shifted directly to the door. There was something there.
A pair of small eyes peeked through a gap in the rotting wood.
"A child?" Aoki murmured softly.
The voice was quite faint, but Tetsu, who was chewing on ramen, immediately turned his attention to the exit.
There, behind the half-collapsed door, stood a little girl.
Her hair was dark purple, tied into two small buns on the sides of her head, resembling onions. The girl's eyes were a pale green, with deep, empty black pupils, as if she was holding something that a child so small should not possess. She wore a dirty, worn light purple kimono jacket, tied with a brownish-orange sash at her waist. The girl's tattered lavender pants were covered in dirt and mud stains, as if she had been on a long journey without a place to rest.
The girl seemed to say not a word. She simply stared straight into the room with a blank expression.
"That girl," Tetsu said quietly, his tone revealing a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"Do you know her?" Aoki asked without taking his eyes off the little girl.
Tetsu sighed and nodded. "Boss, that girl... she's very strange. She hardly ever speaks. But what's even stranger is that she has managed to survive here... in the midst of this chaos."
Aoki stared at the girl longer. He felt something familiar about her. There was something in her face that made Aoki think hard.
Suddenly, realization hit Aoki.
His eyes widened.
"Ajisai?" Aoki murmured, almost inaudibly.
Tetsu, hearing this, furrowed his brow. "Huh? Boss, how do you know that girl's name?"
Aoki did not answer immediately. Instead, he suddenly began to laugh. Softly at first, then louder until it turned into a hearty laugh that echoed in the small room.
Tetsu looked increasingly confused. Even the girl outside was now staring at Aoki with a questioning expression.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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