In the courtyard, Qingchuan's trademark chopping motion remained as sharp as ever.
Orochimaru hadn't shown his face for a whole day.
Truth be told, Qingchuan was starting to feel a bit unaccustomed to it.
Even though it was nearly impossible to land a hit on that guy, simply pointing the blade at his face always put Qingchuan in a good mood.
As for Itachi....
After reporting to the Anbu, the two of them had parted ways straight-away.
Those two little genin, though, had actually come through.
Right in front of the Anbu they kept thanking Qingchuan, rattling off line after line of "If it weren't for Seiko we probably would've..." and the like.
And no one pursued the matter of him sneaking out of the village.
Same old story...
If the sky falls, Itachi will prop it up.
Mission failed—whatever the reason, it was still Itachi's squad's assignment...
Had nothing to do with him.
Who would rebuke a kindhearted girl who drew her blade to help a stranger?
Especially one this pretty!
Otherwise.
It'd be a crime against the flowery sundress he was wearing!
The chopping continued....
Realizing the importance of fundamentals, Qingchuan had once again centered his training on this most basic cleave.
Only when his raw physical stats rose
could the power of Initial Release, of Zanpakutō, Hakuda, Hohō, Kido, and of the Sharingan be brought out more effectively.
The cheat had made up for the talent stat.
Everything else, though, was up to him...
In the end, Itachi's Sharingan had awakened.
And he'd even made an enemy of Brother Tobi.
The odds of Skirt-Off Day turning into a 1-v-2 were getting higher and higher....
"Ma! Sensei's finally busy for once today."
"Don't you know how to take a break, little Haruko?"
Anko muttered, still substituting dango for training.
"You're putting a ton of pressure on your senpai here, y'know!"
No comparison, no hurt.
As a senior, Anko was finding it harder and harder to locate any shred of "upperclasswoman dignity."
Orochimaru had two students.
One was in charge of training, the other... of eating.
She was the one in charge of eating, and had to look after her junior's meals as well.
That left Anko feeling just a little threatened by this cute kouhai...
"Mm... Senpai, what are we having for lunch today?"
Qingchuan paused mid-swing, turned his head, and fired off his newly-mastered Healing Buff at Anko.
"Obviously Ichiraku Ramen!"
"We haven't had it in a whole week! We've gotta make up for that today!"
Sense of crisis, whatever.
Senpai pride, whatever.
To hell with it...
Anko's resolve would never let her miss a single lunch.
"Then... I want the supersize bowl. Could I trouble Senpai to get it to go for me?"
"Just bring it back after you're done eating; I'm not that hungry yet."
Qingchuan kept smiling as he spoke.
But the moment he said the words "to go"...
Anko's silhouette had already vanished.
"What a... certified chow-hound."
Qingchuan raised an eyebrow, then his expression gradually cooled.
"You've been watching long enough. How about you come out now?"
The voice wasn't loud, yet it was enough for every corner of the courtyard to hear.
And the instant the words left his mouth,
two masked figures appeared behind him.
They kept a bit of distance—not out of fear, but to block Qingchuan's path to the gate.
Qingchuan had never seen them before.
Still, the eerily familiar scent deep within their souls wasn't hard to place.
Root.
"As expected of Orochimaru-sama's disciple—spotted us that easily."
One of them sounded flattering, yet his hand was clamped tight on the hilt behind his back, ready to draw at any time.
"However, the Honorable Elder has ordered that Lady Seiko cooperate with Root for an investigation."
"This order has also been approved by Orochimaru-sama."
"Please come with us, Lady Seiko."
The aura was familiar, the lines familiar.
Only, this time Root's attitude was far less aggressive, their tone almost consultative.
She was Orochimaru's disciple, after all.
They could snub the Uchiha, but they still had to give Orochimaru face.
Besides,
ever since a colleague came back from the same assignment maimed and was promptly disposed of as trash...
when it came to this Uchiha girl,
Root had become extraordinarily cautious.
"Not going. Beat it."
"Or I'll cut you down."
No matter how Root's attitude changed,
Qingchuan's answer was unwavering.
He would never set foot in Root, for any reason, not in this lifetime.
That place was no different from one of those shady red-light barbershops....
Once you went in, you basically never came out.
He was still a kid; self-preservation mattered.
He'd just have to confess to Orochimaru-sama afterward.
The two Root operatives exchanged a glance, each seeing resignation—and a rapidly rising...
bloodlust—in the other's eyes.
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