Just as Benimaru was about to turn back into the cave—having no intention of involving himself with ninjas from Kumogakure and Konoha—the cloth covering the kunoichi's face suddenly slipped loose and fell away.
She instinctively reached for it, trying to regain control, but there wasn't enough time. She knew that if she slowed down for even a moment, she would lose the rhythm of her run. Letting the cloth go, she pushed forward instead.
At that same instant, Benimaru's eyes settled on her uncovered face.
It was striking—stunningly beautiful. For a brief moment, his thoughts stalled, and before he could fully process it, his body had already moved, acting on instinct rather than reason.
He appeared directly in front of the kunoichi, startling her so badly that her steps faltered. A red-haired man with two horns stood in her path without warning. Before she could speak—or even react—he vanished again.
To her, he simply disappeared from her sight.
In the next heartbeat, Benimaru reappeared behind the pursuing Kumogakure ninjas, unseen by the kunoichi. She only realized something had changed when a wave of heat brushed against her back. Turning sharply, she saw the Kumogakure ninjas engulfed in flames, their pursuit ending in an instant, while the red-haired man calmly sheathed his sword.
By then, she had more than enough time to piece things together—the horns, the crimson hair, the strange and distinctive clothing. All of it pointed to only one conclusion.
This man was none other than the Fire Oni King of Uzushiogakure—Benimaru Uzumaki.
As a kunoichi of Konoha, she knew very well that relations between Konoha and Uzushiogakure were far from good. So instead of feeling grateful for being saved by Benimaru, she became even more vigilant than she had been while fleeing from the Kumogakure ninjas. If she had even a thirty percent chance of escaping from those pursuers, she now had almost no chance at all against someone like Benimaru. This man is far more dangerous.
After sheathing his sword, Benimaru began walking toward her. She immediately raised a kunai, stepping back cautiously, her grip tight as she demanded, "What do you want?"
Seeing the fear in her eyes, Benimaru stopped. He raised one hand slightly, signalling calm.
"No need to worry," he said. "I'm not going to kill you. If I wanted to, I would've done it before you even had time to react."
She didn't relax in the slightest. Ignoring his words, she asked again, sharper this time, "Then why did you save me? What is it that you want?"
Benimaru studied her for a moment before speaking.
"For now—just for starters—how about you tell me your name?" he said. "You're quite beautiful."
Hearing that, her thoughts raced. Is this man's weakness lust? Is he after my body? Even so, she answered, keeping her guard up.
"My name is Kuhi."
Benimaru chuckled softly.
"You're lying," he said. "Don't lie to me. At the very least, you can tell your real name to your saviour."
The kunoichi who had called herself Kuhi didn't reveal anything further. Instead, she repeated her question, her voice cold and suspicious.
"Why did you save me? Is it that you're after my body?"
Benimaru looked at the kunoichi and said, "Don't talk as if I'm some vulgar person. It's nothing like that. I wasn't planning on saving anyone. Honestly, it would've been in my best interest if ninjas from both Konoha and Kumogakure had killed each other. I've already fought enough, and after so many days of battle, I'm quite bored."
He paused briefly, then continued, his tone oddly straightforward.
"But then I saw your face. You're very beautiful. I just thought it would be good to know you—and even better if I could make you my girlfriend."
The moment those shameless words reached her ears, the kunoichi froze. Her face flushed instantly, heat rushing to her cheeks before she could stop it. Embarrassment flickered across her expression, but she quickly forced herself to regain her composure.
"So," she said sharply, "one of the best ninjas of the Uzumaki clan is a womanizer?"
Benimaru blinked, then shook his head.
"It's not like that," he replied. "I mean… you're the first girl I've ever liked. And yes, you're younger than me, but the age difference isn't that big. Only four or five years."
The kunoichi looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.
The instant she heard that, she stopped listening altogether. Without another word, she turned and bolted away. Benimaru didn't try to stop her. He simply watched her retreating figure and called out after her,
"At least tell me your real name. I deserve that much for saving you, right?"
After running ten or twenty meters, the kunoichi suddenly turned around and called out, "Kurenai Yuhi." Without waiting for a response, she turned again and disappeared into the distance.
Hearing her name, a faint smile formed on Benimaru's face.
"Kurenai Yuhi," he murmured to himself. "What a beautiful name."
He shook his head lightly and returned to the cave.
About half an hour later, Todoroki came back with the bounty money from the Kumogakure Jonin and the special Jonin. The total came to around fifteen million. Entering the cave, he looked toward Benimaru and said, "I got the money. Now let's head back to the village. It's been months since we last returned."
Benimaru stood up slowly and met Todoroki's gaze.
"No," he said. "You go ahead. I'm staying here in the Land of Rain. I have a few things to take care of."
Todoroki frowned in confusion.
"But weren't you annoyed staying here earlier?" he asked. "How did you suddenly find work here?"
Benimaru shot him an irritated look.
"What? Do you have a problem?" he said. "I've suddenly started to like this rain more and more. I'm staying here in the Land of Rain. You return to the village and report to Onii-san that I'll be remaining here."
Todoroki studied Benimaru's eyes for a moment, then nodded knowingly.
"Yeah, yeah. I understand what's going on."
Benimaru immediately snapped back, "What do you mean?"
Todoroki simply shrugged.
"Nothing."
With that, he left the cave. A few minutes later, Benimaru stepped out as well, the sound of rain greeting him once again.
…
A few days later, Todoroki returned to Uzushiogakure and went straight to meet Shanks. Shanks looked up at him and asked, "What happened, Todoroki? Why did you come back alone? Where is Benimaru?"
Todoroki sighed and looked at Shanks.
"Onii-san," he said, "he had the same look you had when you fell in love with Sister-in-law. He fell in love."
The moment Todoroki finished speaking, Shanks—who had been sitting in the main seat of his study—vanished and instantly appeared in front of him. He locked Todoroki in a headlock and said, "What? Have your wings grown stiff now that you've become stronger? You think you can tease your Onii-san?"
"Ow, ow, ow!" Todoroki protested. "Sorry, Onii-san, I was just joking. But I'm telling the truth. He must've stayed there for some girl."
Just then, a female voice cut in. Mikoto entered Shanks's study and looked at him calmly.
"What?" she said. "Is he wrong? Todoroki is absolutely correct. Let him go."
----
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