"You're not going to kill me?"
Having witnessed the immense gap between them, she instead lost her fear.
She could now calmly accept any outcome.
In her view, failure meant death; under Orochimaru, she had only survived through victories.
"Why would I kill you?"
Takumi chuckled lightly. "Your talent for Genjutsu is rare, and you're also a remarkably loyal person."
"I admire people like you. After all, truly loyal people are becoming scarce in this world. What's more common are all kinds of betrayal."
"It's as if this world is sick. There's no trust between people; everyone schemes and plots against each other every day."
"Your willingness to make such a sacrifice for Orochimaru – I see it as a very rare quality."
"So, I won't kill a loyal person like you. At least, not by my hand. That would feel like defiling my own principles."
As he spoke, he glanced at the flute that had unknowingly fallen by Tayuya's feet, and took two steps forward.
Tayuya instinctively stepped back, then watched as Takumi bent down and picked up her fallen flute.
Her face flushed slightly.
His defenseless back was right in front of her, but she no longer had any thought of wielding her kunai.
'Takumi was so magnanimous; how could she be so narrow-minded?'
'I owed him my life; otherwise, I would have died here long ago.'
"Here."
Takumi handed the flute back to Tayuya. Watching her take it respectfully, he smiled and said, "If you want to learn Genjutsu, you can come to me anytime. It's rare that we both use music to cast Genjutsu."
He gestured with the blade of grass, indicating it was his instrument.
Tayuya's face flushed with shame.
In front of Takumi, her Genjutsu was truly insignificant.
"I'm not worthy."
She muttered, then quickly retreated before swiftly turning and running away.
But as she turned, Takumi saw her flushed cheeks; clearly, she wasn't uninterested.
'So what Kimimaro said was true,'
Tayuya's gaze was somewhat mesmerized, carrying a hint of joy. 'He really is a good person!'
At that moment, Tayuya was thoroughly captivated by Takumi's gentleness.
And what was the gentle Takumi doing now?
He watched Tayuya quickly disappear into the distance and couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Although he thought everything was foolproof, after all, it was her body; she might sense something was off.
Maybe the earlier part was an illusion, but being pounced on later was definitely not.
Having been pent up for a few days, he did need an outlet.
So, after learning that Tayuya would attack and gaining the Genjutsu ability, he immediately devised this simple plan.
Although the process inevitably left many marks on her, with his superb medical skills, erasing those traces wasn't a hassle.
Tayuya probably didn't even know how much time had passed.
She might think it was only a few minutes.
But in reality, two hours had gone by.
Two hours was enough time to do many, many things.
Having relieved his pent-up desires, Takumi was in a wonderful mood.
He gently woke Kurotsuchi, ready to send her off.
"Wake up."
He patted her cheek softly.
"Mmm..."
Kurotsuchi rubbed her eyes and sat up. "I thought I heard a really nice melody... Hmm? There's a smell of blood?"
Her gaze instantly sharpened.
Takumi's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected her to smell the almost-vanished trace of blood still in the air.
'Was she part bloodhound?'
"Probably some animal hunting."
Takumi lied casually.
Just then, the howl of a wolf echoed in the distance.
"Oh, I see."
She nodded in understanding, her eyes softening again as she looked at Takumi. Then she stretched out her hands.
"Hmm?"
Takumi looked at her quizzically.
He knew what she meant, but he didn't want to give in to her every whim.
In matters of emotional guidance, he preferred to take the initiative.
If the other party tried to take the lead, Takumi preferred it to be in bed.
"Pull me up~"
Kurotsuchi said coquettishly, with an expression that said, "If you don't pull me up, I'm not getting up."
"You're impossible."
Takumi sighed, reaching out to pull her up.
"Not a hug, but that's okay. One step at a time."
Kurotsuchi said, casually removing the chains from her hands and feet.
Takumi didn't look surprised.
After all, with Kurotsuchi's strength, these chains were just a joke.
Any Chunin or higher-level Shinobi had several ways to get out of such restraints.
Let alone an Elite Chunin like Kurotsuchi.
He was just a bit puzzled, wondering why she was removing the chains now.
"Although I didn't achieve my ultimate goal, having this night with you is enough."
Kurotsuchi gazed affectionately at Takumi, reaching up to touch his cheek. Her eyes gradually grew hazy. "I really, really want to be with you forever, but now isn't the time."
"You're Konoha's hero, and I'm the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. At least for now, our identities restrict us from getting too close."
"But I believe there will be a way in the future for us to break through all these obstacles and eventually be together."
"Let's stop here for now. Let me leave with beautiful memories. Don't say anything."
She put her finger to Takumi's lips, then stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against the back of her own hand.
Surprise flickered in Takumi's eyes.
He hadn't expected Kurotsuchi to guess his intentions before he even explained.
But thinking about it, maybe it was normal.
Kurotsuchi was, after all, a highly skilled Elite Chunin and Onoki's daughter.
Even if she usually acted naive, her identity indicated she wasn't a complete fool.
She was just deeply influenced by that memory, holding it in great esteem and longing for it.
She was willing to make sacrifices for it.
Understanding this, Takumi's gaze towards her was no longer cold.
When Kurotsuchi opened her eyes, what she saw was a gaze filled with a smile.
This surprised her greatly.
Because in the past two days, the look she had been consistently expecting but never saw had finally appeared.
At that moment, her firm resolve wavered.
But Takumi's soft words helped her re-firm it.
"Now... it's not the time yet. But it won't be long."
Takumi said softly.
"Mm."
Kurotsuchi slowly nodded. But when she looked up, she found herself in a strange place.
"Takumi-kun?!"
She turned to search, but there was no sign of Takumi.
Panic immediately surged within her.
She was afraid it had all been just a dream.
But soon, she felt something in her hand.
Opening her palm, she saw a small note.
On it was written exactly what Takumi had just said to her.
"It's real."
Kurotsuchi's heart immediately calmed.
Holding the note with both hands against her chest, she closed her eyes as if praying.
When she opened them again, her gaze was calm.
Next, to prepare for a future where she could be with Takumi, she also had to work hard.
She just wondered how long she could endure the time without seeing Takumi.
Having sent Kurotsuchi away, Takumi returned home.
The ceiling still had a large hole.
But the person on the ceiling was gone.
Konan had left sometime between when he took Kurotsuchi out and now.
After all, she had to take care of the incapacitated Nagato. Being away for too long would be hard to explain.
"It suddenly feels quiet, huh."
Takumi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable.
After all, in Konoha, he had more people he cared about.
But unconsciously, many people outside the village had also come to matter to him.
He wondered what they were all doing now.
Lying in bed, hands behind his head, he stared at the sky through the large hole. What was going through his mind beneath his calm gaze was hard to tell.
"Maybe the next few days won't be calm either."
Tayuya's appearance seemed to confirm some of his suspicions.