"A woman dressed like a shrine maiden?"
Uchiha Yu's eyes lit up.
Doctor Nak face turned grave, and he said in a low, serious voice:
"If that woman could cure such a troublesome infant illness, it means her mastery of medical ninjutsu chakra is extremely precise. If we can bring her here, she might be able to save this guy!"
The Uchihas' expressions shifted subtly. The hope that had previously been shattered began to gather once again.
Everyone looked toward Uchiha Yu.
But Yega's expression changed drastically. A flicker of fear crossed his face as he stammered: "It's just… she's a little scary."
Minami asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Yega took a deep breath to steady his nerves before replying:
"When she came up the mountain, her shrine maiden robes were soaked in blood. She was carrying several rogue ninja forehead protectors. I think… she really might've wiped out the rogue ninjas in the area."
The Uchihas were just about to press for more details—
—but were silenced by a glance from Uchiha Yu. He gestured for Yega to continue.
Yega's pupils shrank as he recalled the first time he met the woman. A shiver ran down his spine:
"After she came up the mountain, she walked to our front door and knocked—very politely.
I opened the door.
The stench of blood hit me instantly.
Under her white hood, she had a beautiful face. But her glasses were stained with blood. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had a gentle smile on her lips. In her hand were several white bundles—dripping blood.
Her voice was soft. She only said she wanted to spend the night and even handed me a generous amount of money, asking me to handle her meals.
At the time...
I wanted to refuse.
But reason told me not to act rashly. My gut said she didn't mean any harm—she really just wanted a place to stay.
So I forced down my fear and brought her to the vacant cabin on the right side of our house.
Later that night, she heard my baby crying in pain. She came over on her own and helped us treat him.
That alone shows—she's probably a good person.
So tonight, I took a few people out hunting to catch her something as thanks. Normally, we wouldn't hunt at night.
Captain Yu…
Please don't tell her that I told you any of this."
Uchiha Yu nodded and asked,
"Is it the cabin on the right after entering, about a hundred meters away, with the lights still on?"
The Uchihas' eyes flickered. They hadn't expected Captain Yu to already have memorized the layout of the area upon arriving.
Even Mikoto, known for being detail-oriented, gave him a surprised look. Back when she was a full-time shinobi, she hadn't been this thorough.
Izumi clicked her tongue in awe, a chill running down her spine.
A beautiful blonde woman, soaked in blood, holding severed heads in the dead of night… This sounded like the beginning of a ghost story.
"Yes," Yega nodded, looking serious, like he had resigned himself to whatever might come next.
"Minami, bring some people and come with me. Izumi, you all stay here." Uchiha Yu issued orders swiftly.
With a clean and decisive gesture, he left the cabin, stepping outside into the rugged mountain terrain. Looking toward the distant cabin, he could see the candlelight still glowing through the paper windows.
The four of them vanished into the darkness.
They arrived silently at the cabin door.
Bang—
Minami kicked the wooden door open with a loud bang. The two subordinates behind him had black lines forming above their heads, silently sighing—their captain was still as direct and decisive as ever.
Uchiha Yu's expression turned strange. He looked at Minami and said calmly:
"We're here to invite someone, not raid the place."
"Sorry… my bad…" Minami apologized, looking sheepish, and even reached out to close the door so they could "start over."
But the others had already followed Uchiha Yu into the room.
Inside the main hall was a wooden bathtub filled with water, pink flower petals floating on the surface, and steam rising into the air.
Puddles of water were scattered across the floor.
At the far end, there was a clean bed neatly made with fresh bedding.
Beside the bed lay a bloodstained black-and-white shrine maiden robe, along with two pieces of purple lace lingerie—embroidered with classical floral patterns and edged with delicate cutouts.
A soft fragrance, like orchids, lingered in the air.
It was obvious: a woman had just been bathing here, but upon hearing commotion, she fled in a hurry—so fast that she didn't even have time to put her clothes back on.
Uchiha Yu swept his gaze across the otherwise bare cabin, his eyes passing briefly over the clothing. In his heart, he formed an impression:
Elegant on the outside.
Secretly provocative within.
The kind who hides behind kindness and virtue, but whose methods rival any shinobi.
"Where is she?"
Minami looked around the cabin, which could be seen end-to-end in one glance, and asked anxiously.
One of the Uchiha team members sighed:
"Even if she was here, she was probably scared off by your kick, Captain Minami."
Minami's face immediately froze in embarrassment. He stopped speaking and looked silently toward Uchiha Yu, who remained expressionless.
Splash—
Uchiha Yu gently skimmed his right hand across the surface of the bathwater. The petals parted instantly to both sides. He felt the temperature with his fingertips and reached a conclusion.
"She left right before we arrived," Yu said as he placed his hand on the edge of the tub, concentrating on something specific.
"Captain Yu, I'll take some men and track her dow—"
Minami's voice halted mid-sentence, his pupils widening in shock.
The other two Uchihas also looked bewildered.
Right before their eyes, the bathtub next to Uchiha Yu disappeared into thin air—without the slightest warning.
All three were inwardly stunned. Captain Yu really does know some of the most mysterious space-time ninjutsu!
"She didn't want to confront us, nor be found. Let's go. Tracking down a shinobi who can travel freely through the ninja world—in the middle of nowhere—would take an enormous amount of time," Yu analyzed calmly.
With that, he ignored the stunned faces around him and turned to leave the cabin.
As for the bathtub, bathwater, and all—it now lay quietly inside his personal storage space.
Uchiha Yu already knew who the shrine maiden was. He just hadn't expected…
she would be on Mount Kikyo.
Golden hair, round glasses, shrine maiden robes, stunning appearance, skilled in medical ninjutsu.
This was, without a doubt, the well-known former Root member of the ninja world—Yakushi Nono.
Before and after the night of the Uchiha Massacre, she had not yet died.
As for why she appeared here,
when Uchiha Yu and the others returned to the cabin, he already had a rough guess in mind.
Seeing the four return empty-handed,
Izumi, Mikoto, and the other Uchihas all showed dim expressions. Even Yega looked dejected on their behalf.
Tamao suddenly laughed aloud:
"If I die, it'll lighten your burdens—so it's actually a good thing. Don't be too sad!"
The sorrow among the group only deepened.
While the four were away, under Dr. Nak's guidance, Izumi had learned some basic bandaging techniques, and with materials provided by Yega, she had crafted a simple stretcher for Tamao.
Uchiha Yu walked to Yega's side and instructed "We're leaving. Starting tomorrow, take your family to stay at an inn in Kikyo City for a while."
He didn't offer much explanation.
But Yega nodded solemnly, expressing his trust in Uchiha Yu, and hurried into the kitchen.
The Uchihas packed up quickly. Two of them lifted Tamao and headed out.
Yega came running out, arms full of food, and called anxiously: "Captain Yu, please take these with you!"
Uchiha Yu turned back to look.
Yega came jogging up, panting heavily. He was carrying ten pounds of smoked boar meat and a bag filled with chicken and duck eggs.
A sudden warmth bloomed in the hearts of the Uchihas.
Back in Konoha, just walking down the street would earn them glares from villagers. But now, a refugee—because of their captain—was treating them with genuine kindness.
Yega stuffed the food into Nanfeng and the others' hands. Then, from his chest pocket, he pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Uchiha Yu, grinning:
"Captain, I don't know what mission you're on, but this is a map I personally charted of this entire area. I hope it helps!"
Uchiha Yu didn't refuse the gesture. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he smiled: "Go back now. Take good care of your wife and child."
Yega nodded with a smile.
Izumi, holding the bag of eggs, hesitated, then softly reminded him:
"Mr. Yega, we've taken your Kirigakure rogue ninja forehead protector. Please don't pretend to be a rogue ninja again—it's dangerous in the Land of Fire, even near the borders."
Yega scratched his head awkwardly:
"That was just to scare off mountain bandits… but we'll try to grow stronger on our own, without relying on tricks."
Seeing that he was receptive to advice, Izumi nodded in approval.
Dr. Nak came running out too.
Seeing the group finally leaving, the doctor let out a long breath of relief.
These walking disasters were finally gone. What a relief!
Under the pitch-black night sky, Uchiha Yu and the others headed northwest.
With a few leaps, they melted into the darkness and disappeared at the end of the mountain path.
---
…
In the desolate wilderness, deep within the forest under moonlight,na curvaceous, graceful woman sat on a tree branch.
She wore nothing but a snow-white bath towel.
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.