"Shimao, you're a bit later than usual today."
At the flower shop where she had appeared before, the shop owner—a woman who used to be a young girl but now carried slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes—spoke to the deliveryman approaching her store.
But this was merely small talk, not a complaint or a scolding for being "late."
"Sorry, sis," Shimao replied. "Today I came alone."
Apologizing, he efficiently helped carry the half-load of flowers and buds still covered in dirt from the cart behind him into the flower shop.
The female shop owner also rolled up her sleeves and joined in the carrying.
"You aren't supposed to have a horse? Why are you pulling the cart yourself this time?"
Seeming quite familiar with each other, the shop owner chatted casually with Shimao.
"Well, my horse just gave birth to a foal, and my daughter really likes the little one. She said it's too soon to separate the mother and baby, so I've left the mare at home for now... I'll wait a few more days," Shimao smiled.
His expression was clean and simple, perfectly complementing his handsome features, making him naturally likable. You could even say he was the very picture of happiness.
"You spoil your daughter too much." The shop owner shook her head.
After all, common folk usually cherish their animals dearly, yet the reason behind "Shimao pulling the cart while the horse rests" seemed unrelated to such concern.
"I can't help it. That child is just too adorable."
Shimao truly cherished his daughter.
"If you say so... she really *is* cute, I guess."
Hearing this, the shop owner also smiled.
"Oh right, Shimao—are you supplying to those other three shops now too?"
"Yeah, sis. Just like I told you before... So I guess you don't mind much, huh?"
"No, no—that's not what I meant at all. It's actually good news. I'm really happy for both of you. This way, life at your place will get easier... It'd be best if all the flower shops in the village bought from you. Just remember to keep your prices low for my shop while charging the others sky-high."
"That goes without saying, sis. But I can't charge others too much either, or I'll get beaten up," Shimao joked.
Of course, their conversation was nothing more than friendly banter.
Soon enough, they finished carrying everything from the cart into the store.
"Do you want to take a break, Shimao?"
"No thanks. I was told to return home quickly. I heard something happened recently in the village, although I don't know exactly what—but I did notice things feeling a bit tense lately... I can't stay out too long. You should also be careful, sis." Kashima's face turned slightly serious, with noticeable worry in his eyes.
"Yeah, things have been weird recently. Probably has something to do with the Ninja... Let's hope it's nothing big."
Even ordinary civilians could clearly sense the rising tension in Konoha.
After delivering the goods, Shimao first cleaned the mud off the cart, then helped the female shop owner tidy up the entrance, and finally left after greeting her.
The female shopkeeper waved at the retreating Shimao and, looking at his back, couldn't help muttering, "He's really a lucky guy."
After saying that, she turned around and returned to the store, carefully recording the types and quantities of today's inventory in the ledger.
Haseo is merely an ordinary flower farmer, and the female shop owner is just a florist. Yet it is precisely these ordinary people and the small events they experience that constitute the true face of life—marked by minor setbacks and moments of subtle happiness.
At this time, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten.
...
The assassination attempt that Haseo encountered was indeed somewhat farcical; ordinary ninja could never pose a real threat to him. So far, the only one who truly posed a threat to Haseo was the former Mizukage, Aruo. Yet compared to the current Mizukage, Aruo is simply incomparable.
No matter how absurd the process may be, the nature of this incident itself is extremely serious.
After learning that some remnants of the Senju clan were beginning to stir, the Third Hokage immediately became vigilant, as this directly affected the stability within the village.
Therefore, during this period, the defenses of Konoha were extremely tight.
Haseo's killing of the assassin was completely justified self-defense with no controversy, a counter-terrorism operation aimed at protecting the lives and property of the Leaf Village villagers.
Ordinary ninjas and civilians would likely regard it as an isolated incident, and rumors such as "an overambitious assassin attempting to kill Lord Haseo" would become topics of casual conversation.
As for those who know the truth... they may just want it to end here.
When Tsunade heard the news, she was naturally shocked. Initially, she had personally chosen Aruo to take care of Nawaki because she believed Aruo was gentle and trustworthy in character. This was because, during the war, she was fighting at the front lines and could not personally care for her younger brother.
But what is happening now indicates that Aruo's identity is not as simple as it seems... There is a clear discrepancy between Yu's perception of her, Tsunade's understanding, and her actual situation, and the information is too fragmented and vague.
Later, Tsunade personally explained to Nawaki everything that had happened to Aruo. With all the causes and effects clearly explained, Nawaki could only remain silent... Recently he had been under close surveillance, and seemed to have suddenly become more sensible, showing no excessive emotional reaction to Aruo's death, except visiting her grave once every day.
Being properly buried is already the best possible outcome for an assassin. Moreover, there was no way she could be buried in the same cemetery as the ninja who had sacrificed their lives for the village.
Anbu was unable to obtain any valuable information from Aruo, as her memories had been severely altered and erased.
After the Senju clan retired, the village had long ceased to keep their identity records. For political reasons, the Third Hokage at the time could only accept this approach of "withdrawing completely."
Therefore, the Senju had been fully integrated into Konoha. If they didn't surface, it would be extremely difficult to identify them one by one… This kind of investigation takes a lot of time.
Even if someone was confirmed to have once been a member of the Senju clan, how could one determine whether that person is simply living peacefully or secretly plotting something? Would forcibly reading their memories at this critical moment do anything other than push all the Senju toward radicalization?
So for now, Konoha could only stay on high alert—a situation somewhat like how they handled the Uchiha during their rebellion. Still, the two cases weren't quite the same.
Nawaki paid his usual visit to Aruo's grave one day. At the very same time, however, Nawaki also knocked on the door of that underground laboratory deep below ground.
It wasn't a Shadow Clone or Genjutsu—those tricks wouldn't fool the Anbu. The truth was, there were now two people named Nawaki in Konoha.
No one could explain how this happened—not even Tsunade could tell the difference between her two brothers.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at Nawaki's arrival. He knew the other would come eventually, but he hadn't expected him to arrive like this.
"Not bad indeed, Senju. Seems you still have some completely unknown tricks left."
However…
Was this truly a ploy from the Senju?
Before we wrap up, here's a novel you might want to check out:
"[Hollywood Memories]" by author "Xing Kui Meo Qu," link provided below.
1. It's a fairly traditional entertainment-themed novel that somehow ended up in the light novel section.
2. It seems to be riding on the hype of a related movie—one that, thankfully, never got a domestic release.
3. Everyone who has read it seems to say it's good, though it lacks exposure.
4. It posts long chapters regularly, but daily updates still feel skimpy—no one would know each update is over 8,000 words unless you actually open it.
5. There are plenty of strange decisions. It's weird enough when a fanfic writer promotes a non-fanfic entertainment novel, but readers can definitely give it a try—it should suit some people's tastes.
(End of chapter)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>