"I heard. Apparently, they're both blaming each other. They signed a three-year truce, and now, not even halfway through, it's broken."
"Who do you think broke the agreement first?"
"I think it was the Uchiha. I've hired ninja from both clans before, and the Senju seem easier to get along with."
Inside a small post house on a northern highway in the Land of Fire, a group of merchants and commoners were buzzing about the latest news: the renewed war between the Senju and Uchiha after a year and a half of peace.
engrossed in their discussion, they failed to notice a man and a woman sitting opposite each other in a corner of the post house, sipping tea and eating dango as they rested.
"A war with the Senju is about to start. Why aren't you, the Vice-Clan Head, hurrying back? What are you up to?" the woman's voice was ethereal and pleasant. She sounded no older than sixteen or seventeen, and a hint of confusion could be heard in her tone.
The man responded flatly, "I am participating in the war in my own way. I'm dying to kill Senju Yuma. And to be honest, your grandfather is a target too."
The man and woman were, of course, Izuna and Uzumaki Mito.
Hearing Izuna say he wanted to kill her grandfather, Mito's brows furrowed, and she pouted in displeasure. But then she remembered that his clan was her clan's enemy, and there was nothing she could say. She could only swallow her frustration.
After popping the last dango from the skewer into his mouth, Izuna left a few copper coins on the table and stood up. "Let's go."
Mito pressed her lips together and followed him with small steps.
They had been traveling together for nearly half a month, and Mito found herself growing accustomed to it. But the moment that thought arose, she shook her head vigorously to banish it. *What am I thinking! He's the one who kidnapped me!*
This area was already considered the northern frontier of the Land of Fire. Further north, they would pass through the country's dense forests and enter a wetland region. Though not desolate, it was a far cry from the fertile plains of the Land of Fire. No wonder in future ninja wars, the other four great nations were always eyeing the Land of Fire.
After leaving the post house, Izuna led Mito into a swampy area. Another week or so of travel northward would bring them to the borders of the future Land of Lightning. Of course, like the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning had not yet been established as a nation.
They finally stopped for the day as night fell. Izuna found a suitable spot to camp, started a fire, and caught two wild rabbits, which he began to roast over the flames.
"Why have you come all the way out here?" Mito asked, sitting on the other side of the fire, unable to hold back her curiosity.
"I have Senju Yuma and your grandfather to thank for all this extra effort," Izuna said with a hint of resentment. He took one of the rabbits off the spit and handed it to her.
Mito's brow twitched, but she accepted the roasted rabbit. After a moment of thought, realization dawned on her. "You... your target is a Tailed Beast!"
"You know about the Tailed Beasts?" Izuna mumbled, his mouth full of rabbit meat. He was a little surprised. Within the Uchiha clan, they were usually referred to as "monsters with incredible chakra" or something similar. He hadn't expected Uzumaki Mito to use the term "Tailed Beast."
"Of course. According to the history passed down in my clan, there are nine Tailed Beasts in total, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails. They are monsters formed from chakra. Long ago, they fought with humans. Even if humans used all their strength to kill them, they would just revive after a period of time..."
As she spoke, Mito's mouth grew dry, and she unconsciously licked her lips with her delicate tongue.
Izuna tossed her his water flask. "Here."
Mito picked up the flask and took a sip, only to spray it out immediately. "This... this is alcohol!" she exclaimed.
Izuna chuckled. "You can't drink?"
Mito angrily threw the flask back at him. Izuna caught it and took a swig himself.
She said no more, taking large bites of the rabbit meat. But roasted food was naturally dry, and after a few mouthfuls, her lips and throat felt even more parched.
Izuna stood up. "Wait here. I'll go find some water." With that, he turned and walked off.
Mito watched his retreating back and whispered to herself, "He's not such a bad person..."
The moment she said it, she remembered their opposing allegiances and quickly fell silent, refusing to dwell on it. In the firelight, Mito's pretty face looked even more delicate and captivating.
"What are you thinking about?"
After some time, Izuna's voice suddenly sounded by her ear, startling her back to reality. She turned to see he had already returned.
"N-nothing. Where's the... the water?" Mito stammered.
Izuna gave her a suspicious glance and placed a water flask over the fire. "The water here doesn't look very clean. I'll boil it just in case. Don't want you women feeling unwell during your time of the month."
Mito blinked. "Time of the... month? What's that?"
Izuna broke into a sweat. *Right, they don't call it 'Auntie Flo' in this world!*
"You know... that time every month for you women, when you... bleed a little," he explained awkwardly.
"That time... every month... bleed..." Mito thought for a moment, and then her face turned a deeper shade of red. She swung her hand, aiming a slap straight at his face. "You... you rogue!"
Just as the slap was about to land, Izuna caught her wrist with his other hand. Furious, Mito didn't think twice and swung with her other hand. Izuna, no longer minding the water flask, tossed it into the fire and caught her other hand as well.
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