Thin trails of smoke rose from the chimney, and clinking sounds echoed through the air.
"Master, welcome back home. Hiroki went to pick up Uzumaki Karin, and he said he'd return before dinner. Well then, tonight's dinner will be arranged by me."
Inside the kitchen stood someone who looked exactly like Hiroki Hyuga, wearing an apron and busily moving around with cooking utensils in hand.
It was White Zetsu in disguise.
The new White Zetsu Hyuga.
Upon seeing Kaguya's arrival, he immediately flashed a bright smile and greeted her enthusiastically.
Kaguya slightly tugged at the corner of her lips.
Back in his days at Konoha, Hiroki had always lived alone, preparing all three meals for himself.
White Zetsu only handled light housekeeping tasks.
Of course, part of the reason was that Hiroki worried about White Zetsu's curious fascination with poop, fearing he might create something terrible and therefore forbade him from entering the kitchen.
Now that there was another presence, White Zetsu had suddenly become so proactive—clearly attempting to show off for Kaguya.
Looks like White Zetsu wasn't as unintelligent as imagined.
Sighing inwardly, Kaguya walked over and took the utensils from his hands.
"Let me do it."
"Eh?" White Zetsu hesitated slightly.
A few minutes later, watching the clumsy figure frantically bustling about inside the kitchen with clearly very little experience, he couldn't help but wonder: Would this meal really be completed before Hiroki returned?
Was she just playing around?
After all, White Zetsu did indeed have prior cooking experience.
Back in those days, they were the ones who cared for the living Madara Uchiha.
Even though Madara Uchiha was proud, he certainly didn't survive solely on Military Rations Pills and sustaining life through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
When he got a craving, he wanted real meals.
Those dishes had been prepared entirely by the White Zetsus.
Sometimes they even went out to purchase ingredients.
Just by observing Kaguya's movements, White Zetsu understood immediately—she practically had no kitchen experience whatsoever, having perhaps merely skimmed through some cookbooks or watched others prepare food.
Her hands were clumsy, her movements awkward.
"Mother…"
Black Zetsu hurried over excitedly after receiving news of her return, yet when he saw Kaguya actually cooking in the kitchen, he froze completely.
"Mother, what exactly are you doing?"
"It's you, Black Zetsu…"
Kaguya turned her head to glance at him briefly.
A bit of water mixed with oil splattered violently inside the pot, nearly spraying onto her body. Immediately startled, she hastily stepped back while still reminding Black Zetsu absentmindedly, "Wait a moment. We'll talk later."
"She's making dinner for Hiroki," White Zetsu remarked coldly, speaking up from where he had remained inside the house.
Hearing that, Black Zetsu's expression stiffened slightly, bitterness creeping into his heart.
Mother, why must you behave this way?
You're the mighty Goddess of U, whose delicate hands have never touched even yangchunshui (spring water)! How could you stoop to becoming like a common housewife cooking for someone else?
What does that guy possibly have that makes you favor him so much?
Clearly, it's I who've devoted the most effort!
I've been busy handling everything, risking death multiple times, enduring humiliation and hardship all along!
Could it be that my thousand years of devotion still mean less than just a few years of companionship?
Black Zetsu's heart ached with jealousy, silently making a decision.
He must separate these two as soon as possible.
He finally got it — if you stayed too far away, your mother wouldn't even notice what you were doing for her. He had to stay close, keep showing off.
He couldn't stand it — Hiroki Hyuga monopolizing his mother's affection!
Hu… hu… hu…
Karin gasped for breath as the woman beside her raised a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. Karin immediately understood and tried to quiet her breathing.
Beside her, the female Grass ninja wearing a Grass Forehead Protector kept glancing around nervously.
They had already been on the run for nearly a full day since last night.
They weren't just physically drained — their minds were fried from staying on high alert the entire time.
Suddenly, a faint sound reached their ears. The female ninja instantly pressed down on Karin's head, and both dropped flat to the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An explosion tore through the ground, hurling dirt and sparks into the air along with a thick cloud of smoke.
The two exchanged a glance before seizing the chance to make a run for it.
After they left, three male Grass ninjas cursed nonstop.
Though not life-threatening, repeated encounters with explosive traps had left their clothes in tatters.
"Another trap? How many did that woman set anyway?"
"You think she actually planned all this from the start?"
Juzo, their leader, squatted down to examine the trail marks.
"With a burden like that, she can't have gotten far."
"Move out."
The trio took bites of their stored rations before continuing the pursuit once more.
"Why are they running for their lives now?" Hiroki Hyuga asked casually, watching the chase unfold through his Byakugan after White Zetsu dropped him nearby.
White Zetsu explained, "Grass Village was too cruel. That woman wants to defect to a major village for a better future."
"With Karin's Uzumaki bloodline, any ninja village would welcome her — as a jinchuriki replacement candidate or for other development purposes."
"She had been deliberately building Karin's trust all along."
"Oh, I've found some fellow escapees." Hiroki smiled.
"Hey, how much longer do we have to walk?"
In the jungle, Karin's face had gone pale as she weakly asked.
She was truly exhausted, starting to regret everything — could they really escape their pursuers?
Had choosing to leave with this person really been the right decision?
The female ninja answered, "Once we pass through this jungle, we can..."
Before she could finish, a cold voice cut in sharply:
"Unfortunately, you won't get that chance!"
With those words came a surge of concentrated electricity, sending numbness through their bodies.
Juzo had used his Lightning Release: Ring of Thunder again.
Buzz...
Karin lost control first, her body tingling uncontrollably as her legs gave way, dropping her hard to her knees with a loud thud.
But the female ninja, being a chunin, had much better physical conditioning.
Footsteps approached slowly. Gritting through her stiff limbs, the female ninja quickly yanked Karin in front of her, drew a kunai blade, and pressed it against her throat, shouting fiercely, "Come any closer, and I'll kill her."
The expressions of the three Grass ninjas turned increasingly cold as they halted their advance.
"If Karin dies, even Lord Juzo will face severe punishment," the female ninja sneered.
Lord Juzo's eyes flickered as he calculated how best to seize her in his mind.
The two Grass Ninja behind him drew their weapons, ready to act at his command.
A cold chill ran down Karin's neck and spread through her body as her heart sank into darkness.
She never imagined she'd be betrayed like this.
She had once believed that woman would help her start a new life, but in the moment of life and death, she was still treated only as a bargaining chip.
Just as the two sides faced off, Hiroki stepped forward into view.
"Karin, what've you been up to lately? I haven't seen you around. I thought you were busy with a mission."
Karin stiffened.
Could it have been Hiroki who'd been waiting by that lake all along?
She hadn't returned there since their last meeting.
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