Kushina's expression instantly froze.
'Kana not only has met Sasuke, she even knew about Karin and Sakura?'
'What exactly happened between Sasuke and Kana?'
Kushina couldn't help but grab Kana's shoulders and ask, "Anyway, what?"
Kana took a deep breath, as if wanting to say something, but in the end she only said, "Nothing. I just took care of Sasuke for a while when he was injured. After he recovered, he left."
"Other than chatting with him a little before he left, and knowing he was entangled with two girls, there was nothing else."
"Actually, about him… I only think about it sometimes. He seems to carry some deep hatred. A person like that has no mind for love or romance."
Kushina finally let out a sigh of relief, "Kana, Sasuke isn't suitable. I can't tell you the exact reason, but you can care about Sasuke, even treat him like your own son and care for him, that's fine. Just don't fall in love with him."
Kana didn't quite understand why her sister was so strict in this matter, but she only nodded lightly and answered obediently.
The two went on chattering about other things.
At this time, Obito had already transferred back to Nagato, who had been watching earlier.
He smiled and said, "Nagato, even though they're your clansmen, even your cousins, it's better you don't get involved in sisters' private talk."
Nagato felt Obito made sense. The two exchanged a glance and stepped further away. With nothing to do, they started chatting.
Obito asked, "Nagato, Yahiko and Konan-nee are already settled. Among the three of you, the only one still single is you. Don't turn into someone like my teammate Kakashi."
"You should also chase after your own love."
Nagato's face flushed slightly, then he said, "Obito, I actually think Pakura is not bad. I kind of like her."
Obito laughed, "I'm not stupid, of course I could tell. And Pakura protects you too, she even glared at me once for your sake."
"So you two really have a chance. Don't be like Yahiko and Konan-nee, obviously liking each other but wasting time."
Nagato nodded, as if mustering courage in that moment. But right away he lost heart again, embarrassed, saying, "Give me a little more time. At least, after this trip to Kirigakure…"
Obito couldn't help but shake his head. He thought of himself.
When it came to meeting Rin's parents, he had been just as timid. Since he was that cowardly himself, he had no right to lecture Nagato.
So he only said, "Then we'll see after Kirigakure. When we return, Pakura will almost be leaving to Sunagakure as Akatsuki's ambassador. That will be your last chance, don't miss it."
Nagato nodded, "I will…"
———
After Yahiko and Konan, and Kushina and Kana had finished resolving their feelings, Obito sent Kushina back to her home in Konoha, releasing the false aura he had disguised with Kamui's power.
Then, he returned to Amegakure, and together with Akatsuki, set out toward Kirigakure.
———
Elsewhere, Kakashi had received a secret mission from the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Without much thought, he accepted, put on the Anbu uniform, masked his face, and set off ahead toward Kirigakure.
———
[Land of Water]
Waves crashed against a lonely reef along the shore.
A girl with a bruise at the corner of her mouth and her arms covered in wounds sat there.
She curled up, staring blankly at the horizon of the sea before her.
At that moment, a boy came running in a rush from the distance, panting heavily as he reached her side.
When he saw the wounds on her, his heart ached and his anger rose. Carefully, he took out a still fairly clean cloth from his chest and gently pressed it to the bleeding corner of her mouth.
The girl didn't cry out, only shivered slightly, letting him tend to her.
The boy panted and said, "Did your father hit you again?"
The girl's face showed no expression. She only nodded, her tone calm, numb.
"Yes. He came home late again yesterday, drunk, staggering. He stepped on the floor I had just mopped, fell down."
"Then, when he got up, he started hitting me… said I wasn't working hard enough, asked why I only mopped so late. But I had just finished washing clothes before, I had no time…"
The more the boy listened, the angrier he became, "Hanami, it's just that he's useless, and he takes it out on you. Your mother was beaten to death by him like that too."
"No, you can't keep living in that house. Let's run away!"
The girl stiffly turned her head to look at him, showing a bitter, broken smile.
"Run? Where can we run to?"
But the boy clenched his fists, "Let's just escape the Land of Water, cross to the other shore. I heard they built a shipyard there that provides free boats for fishermen."
"I already learned how to survive at sea. As long as we get a boat, I can fish out at sea and keep us alive."
A glimmer of hope flickered in the girl's eyes.
But soon, she thought of something and shook her head.
"Makoto, am I really that useless? Dad says I'm just dead weight, dragging him down, that money at home keeps getting less while I eat more and more."
"I don't want to be a burden anymore. I want to just jump from this rock into the sea, sink to the bottom. Maybe then… the world will finally be quiet."
The boy panicked and grabbed her hand at once, "Hanami, I won't let you die! I've liked you for so long, marry me, I'll take care of you!"
The girl shuddered, looked at him, "Makoto, are you serious?"
The boy nodded firmly, "You're not a burden. You're the Hanami I love the most. I swear I won't let you suffer another bit of pain!"
The girl said, "But I don't want you to leave your family just for me. You can live happily with them together."
But the boy said resolutely, "Hanami, I'm destined to conquer the seas. Even without you, I wouldn't stay here."
"Lately, the Land of Water's taxes keep rising. Half of every harvest has to go to the state. But Mom and Dad have no courage to resist, they agreed to everything!"
"They're cowards, and I don't want to be a coward!"
Seeing this, the girl suddenly cried, tears of grievance spilling out in large drops, unstoppable.
She stretched out a hand, placing it before him, "Makoto, if you really mean that, then I'll give myself to you. Let's… escape somewhere else, live the life we want!"
The boy took her hand and spoke loudly, words like sweet poetry, "Hanami, I'll give you the whole world."
But though the words were moving, their first real problem was right before them.
How could they escape from the Land of Water?
After all, the Land of Water had long been closed off from the world, strictly controlling all ships entering and leaving. It wasn't something you could just do at will.
And even if you qualified to board, you still needed a huge sum to pay the fare.
Thinking of this, the boy frowned in frustration. He couldn't help but raise his head to the sky and mutter, "If only we could fly, then no matter how big the world is, we could go anywhere we wanted."
The girl beside him turned her gaze, looking at her beloved.
"Makoto, do people really exist who can fly?"
The boy thought for a moment and said, "Maybe. After all, ninjas always have strange powers."
Just then, he suddenly saw several black dots appear in the distant sky.
He raised his hand and pointed, "Hanami, look, what's that?"
The girl looked in the direction he pointed. And saw the black dots in the distance rapidly growing larger, bigger and bigger.
Very soon, the two could see clearly: those black dots were people, floating in the sky, swiftly approaching the shores of the Land of Water.
As they drew nearer, the boy and girl could even see clearly, the group wore black cloaks with red clouds, their robes billowing in the wind, looking extremely cool.
The girl's mouth fell open in shock, "Makoto, so there really are people who can fly!"
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