Liu Chuan Cheng—that was the name of the man whose memories Mo Yu had absorbed.
Just an ordinary chunin from the Village Hidden in the Rain.
After reading through his memories, Mo Yu felt as if he had lived his entire life.
What fascinated him most was the chaotic system of the Rain Village. Compared to the peace and order of Konoha, the Rain Village was basically a lawless zone.
Without a strong leader, the village was rife with disorder—no laws, no rules, only countless gangs and factions.
Many jonin formed cliques, ruling their own little corners. Each day was filled with infighting—either you attack me, or I attack you. They behaved like bandits.
In the Rain Village, killing among shinobi was not forbidden. As long as the backer supporting you was strong enough, you could get away with anything.
The law of the jungle was on full display there.
When Mo Yu saw this in his memories, he sighed to himself. The Rain Village and the Mist Village really are cut from the same cloth. More than ten years later, the Mist would implement the "Bloody Mist" policy, which is practically a carbon copy of today's Rain.
To Mo Yu, the rules of the Rain Village were quite to his liking.
After all, he earned his gold coins through killing enemies and farming EXP. Konoha's strict rules often bound his hands and feet. In contrast, the Rain Village seemed like the perfect playground for him.
Of course, Konoha had its benefits too. Back when Mo Yu was still weak, its rigid rules had actually protected him. Otherwise, he might have been toyed with to death by the Uchiha long ago.
So in the end, the Rain was a paradise for the strong, but a hell for the weak.
But in Liu Chuan Cheng's final memories, Mo Yu discovered something strange.
This time, Liu Chuan Cheng and the other Rain shinobi had infiltrated the Land of Fire to carry out a top-secret mission.
The mission: rendezvous with a spy the Rain had planted in Konoha, receive intelligence from them, and bring it back to the village.
But as for the identity of that spy, Liu Chuan Cheng didn't know. None of them did.
Only the leader of their group knew.
In the memory, Mo Yu saw how they infiltrated the Land of Fire, moving carefully and changing routes multiple times. Finally, this afternoon, they encountered two Konoha squads returning from a mission—Tamako's squad among them.
A conflict erupted, and a bloody battle followed.
Up to this point, everything seemed normal—just an ordinary clash. Conflicts like this often occurred near the borders of rival nations.
But what was strange was this: their leader had given an order beforehand, as if he had predicted the fight. He instructed them—under no circumstances were they to harm a black-haired, single-ponytailed kunoichi around ten years old.
And so, the result of the battle was exactly what Mo Yu had seen. The Konoha shinobi were all killed—except for Tamako.
She survived not because of luck, but because…
In the final moment of Liu Chuan Cheng's memories, they had just finished slaughtering every Konoha ninja except that one girl. And right then, Mo Yu arrived.
The only Rain shinobi who escaped that battle… was their leader.
By the time Mo Yu finished absorbing this memory, his fists had unknowingly clenched tight.
His nails dug into his flesh, blood dripping from between his fingers onto the ground—but he didn't even notice.
The memory hadn't spelled out Tamako's identity directly, but the implication was glaringly obvious. Anyone with half a brain could figure it out.
That Rain spy planted in Konoha… was Tamako!!
Mo Yu couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
Back then, the Uchiha tried to frame him as a spy. Who would have thought there was actually a real one right beside him?
This memory really was a "great gift" indeed!
Thinking of the girl who had just made him risk his life in anger and desperation, Mo Yu felt a headache coming on.
Yes, Tamako was a spy. But she was also his friend—someone he had treated as a little sister all these years.
Now, how was he supposed to face her?
Mo Yu had no real loyalty to Konoha. Even if Tamako was a spy, it wasn't necessarily unacceptable to him.
But what he now doubted was—had Tamako ever truly regarded him as a friend? Or had she only ever been deceiving him?
If he confronted her now, there would only be two possible outcomes:
Either they cleared everything up, reconciled, and their friendship grew stronger…
Or they would completely fall out, ending in life-or-death conflict.
Sigh… If I'd known, I'd rather not have received this memory at all. Staying ignorant would've been better than being torn like this.
Mo Yu sighed, shaking his head.
Caught in this dilemma, he finally cast a Fire Release jutsu and incinerated all the corpses.
He then collected the forehead protectors from both Konoha and the Rain shinobi—those would serve as evidence to bring back to the village.
By the time Mo Yu returned to the cave, the hesitation and conflict on his face were gone. His expression was calm again, as if nothing had happened.
"Tamako, I'm back," Mo Yu said with a bright grin.
He had already decided. For now, he would pretend not to know Tamako's secret and treat her the same as always.
After all these years, she had never harmed him. As long as she never tried to in the future, she would always remain his little sister.
But if she harbored malicious intent… well, he'd deal with that when the time came.
"Ah—don't come in yet!"
Tamako's voice called from inside the cave.
But she was a moment too late.
Mo Yu had already walked inside and was greeted by a scene that made his blood boil.
Tamako was kneeling on the ground, her upper body completely bare. Her arms were crossed over her chest, while her smooth, pale back was exposed to the entrance.
"You… what are you doing?" Mo Yu asked, eyes wide.
Tamako's face flushed red with shame, on the verge of tears.
"—I had a wound on my back. I was just about to apply medicine when you suddenly barged in. I—I can't show my face now."
Only then did Mo Yu notice the wound on her back. He couldn't help but think—Wow, to sell her act, she even went for the full 'wounded beauty' routine.
"What are you standing there for? Get out! Wait until I've put on my clothes before you come back in!"
Her face was burning, and she didn't dare turn to face him.
Mo Yu's eyes glimmered slyly. Instead of leaving, he stepped forward.
"Come on, don't be like that. A back wound is hard to treat by yourself—let me help you."
Tamako jumped like a startled rabbit. "Don't come any closer, I can do it myself!"
"What's there to be shy about? I've always thought of you as my sister. There's no need for siblings to keep such a distance," Mo Yu said casually.
Tamako froze, not daring to move. She couldn't even argue back. With her chest uncovered, she didn't dare risk any sudden movements for fear of exposing herself further.
Mo Yu simply picked up the medicine, rubbed some onto his hand, and pressed it against the wound on her back.
"Bear with the pain a little," he said.
"Ah!"
Tamako let out a small cry—whether from shame or pain, even she couldn't tell. Tears welled in her eyes, making her look pitiful.
"If this wound isn't treated properly, it'll leave a scar, you know?" Mo Yu remarked.
That did the trick. At once, Tamako went quiet. Girls cared most about things like scars, after all.
To spread the ointment evenly, Mo Yu's hand gently rubbed across her back.
You dare deceive me? Hmph… I'll at least take some 'interest' first. He thought.
Tamako had already given up resisting. She pressed her lips together, silently enduring his touch.
But gradually, Mo Yu's hand didn't stop at the wound. It began to wander upward, brushing across her shoulder blades and the nape of her neck… then downward, gliding along the sides of her slender waist.
Wherever his hand passed, Tamako's skin burned and tingled, leaving behind a strange, almost pleasant sensation.
"Mm~"
Unable to suppress it, Tamako let out a soft moan. In the empty cave, the sound echoed—sweet, vulnerable, and unbearably enticing.