Ryusei had long since settled into his assigned sector.
His real body remained deep in cover, monitoring everything with his sensory field, while one of his stealth shadow clones moved independently through the forests, silent as a shadow.
That faintly pinned-down chakra he had been pinging earlier finally sharpened.
When Kiyomi's squad vacated the hideout, the clone slipped inside.
There it was. A single figure waiting motionless in the gloom.
Crude in some ways, but clever.
Only Kiyomi could have done this.
The stealth clone stopped before it, head tilting slightly.
A faint grin pulled across its lips.
"Good work, Kiyomi. Now we can finally talk properly."
The hideout was quiet, dim with only the faint light filtering through cracks in the wood.
Ryusei leaned casually against the wall, his slit-eyed grin in place as Kiyomi finally turned to face him.
"You really went this far just to see me," he said, voice low and teasing. "I should almost feel honored."
Kiyomi's face turned sharp immediately, though her ears burned faintly red.
"Don't flatter yourself. I only left this behind for practical reasons. Sharing information. Strategy."
Ryusei's grin widened a fraction.
"Strategy, hm? Interesting strategy, blushing while you explain it."
Her eyes narrowed, three tomoe spinning once before settling.
"You've disappeared for half a year, Ryusei. You show up on reports, making noise across the front, and only now bother to reach out? And you still dare to tease me?"
He tilted his head. "If I didn't, you'd think I'd been replaced by someone else."
For a moment, silence stretched.
Kiyomi's hands clenched at her sides, but her expression wavered just enough to betray her pulse quickening.
"I heard everything. How you turned the tide against Kumo here in Hot Water. How, even Orochimaru used you. Everyone speaks of it like some miracle."
Ryusei gave a light shrug.
"Miracle is just another name for hard work wrapped in good timing."
Her lips pressed thin. "Always downplaying. And yet…" She broke eye contact briefly, voice dropping lower. "You left me to wonder if you were alive or not."
Ryusei's grin softened into something quieter.
"I didn't forget you, Kiyomi. I just had… other things to deal with first."
She snapped her gaze back to him, Sharingan glinting.
"You should have told me. You could have—"
"I couldn't," he cut in smoothly. "You know why."
Her fists tightened, nails biting into her palms.
She wanted to argue, but she knew it was true.
Ryusei leaned off the wall, closing the distance by a step.
"Still, you went this far to be able to talk to me like now. That says more than anything."
Color touched her cheeks again, but she tilted her chin up, refusing to yield.
"I told you already, it's a strategy to coordinate our operations here against Kirigakure better. Nothing more."
He chuckled, low and quiet. "Then let's call it that. Strategy."
Ryusei's narrow eyes flicked over her Sharingan.
"Three tomoe already? Showing off again, are you?"
His tone was light, teasing, but his thoughts were quieter. 'It must've been when they told her to forget about me. Stress pushed her through… this silly girl.'
Kiyomi's cheeks flushed faintly. She tilted her chin up.
"Don't get too complacent. At this rate, I'll surpass you soon enough."
Ryusei smirked, unbothered. He didn't take the words seriously.
Unless she awakened the Mangekyō itself, there was no chance of her overtaking him.
With the Slug contract at his back with its abilities, and the chakra batteries she left behind there, alongside it, he felt confident even against a Low Kage. Holding his ground was no longer a fantasy.
But Kiyomi's gaze lingered on him, the three tomoe spinning faintly.
Outwardly, she looked proud, defiant.
Internally, though, she was shaken.
He had not only survived but grown this much under the eyes of the village leadership.
She could imagine what it took to achieve that.
And the more she thought, the more she realized she still underestimated him.
He was even more incredible than she had believed.
Suddenly her expression shifted, lips curving with a trace of mischief.
"I already know your true identity, Ryusei Senju. Why you always hid yourself before. Why you were so lowkey. I understand now. And…" she hesitated, embarrassed, "…I apologize. For being so difficult. For provoking you all the time without understanding what you were carrying."
Ryusei grinned. "So you're telling me that the entire time, it was just you being interested, but not knowing how to express it properly like a normal girl? Childish behavior, really."
Her face went crimson. "Don't twist it!" she snapped. "That's not it at all!"
He chuckled under his breath, enjoying every second.
Kiyomi crossed her arms, forcing composure, though her eyes still burned.
"If anyone was playing games, it was you, Ryusei. Teasing me with those sly comments, always acting like you didn't care, but every word was 'bait'. You liked me from the start, right? You finally 'figured it out' that day we met in front of the Hokage Building a few months after graduation?"
Ryusei's brows rose slightly. "Oh?" Inwardly, he was amused at her self-explanation, but didn't deny anything.
She leaned closer, smug now, her Sharingan gleaming.
"And aren't you embarrassed? You, a Senju hardliner heir, sneaking around liking someone like me? An Uchiha?"
Her arms folded tighter, lips curving in triumph, eyes daring him to deny it.
The look on her face said it all—"See? I've learned your tricks. Now I know how to tease you, too."
Ryusei let out a soft laugh, slit eyes narrowing with amusement.
"Not bad. You've improved. But don't forget, Kiyomi… I'm still the better player at this game."
Before she could retort, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "See?" he murmured, lips curving.
Kiyomi froze, her breath catching.
Her face turned bright red, heat flooding her cheeks.
She pressed her small hands against him, pushing weakly, but it was useless against his strength.
"L-let go!" she hissed, her voice muffled against his chest.
He only chuckled, holding her a little tighter.
The faint scent of steel and forest dust clung to him, steady and grounding.
"Don't worry. Judging by how much stronger I'm getting, we'll be able to be together openly soon. Just like you want."
Her face burned even hotter.
"Y-you—! Don't say it like that!"
Still, a tiny part of her was grateful for the dark blue cloak she wore.
Beneath it, only a sleeveless battle dress and mesh covered her frame, nothing that would hide her fluster now.
Ryusei finally released her, stepping back with that same infuriating grin.
Kiyomi spun away, trying to regain composure, her arms crossing tightly over her chest.
Her voice came out sharper than intended.
"Idiot…! Always saying whatever you want…"
But even as she glared, her pulse thundered, and she couldn't quite keep the corner of her lips from trembling upward.
Ryusei finally let the playful grin fade, his tone shifting.
"Alright. Enough flirting. I'm going to use my sensory ability to map every enemy squad moving through this sector soon. Over time, we'll build an ultra-precise picture of where every Kirigakure pocket is hiding. With that, we can plan strikes and wipe them out one by one instead of reacting blindly."
Kiyomi's Sharingan flickered once as she listened. She considered it, then gave a small nod.
"That could work. If your sensing is as good as they say, we'd have an advantage no one else has here."
Ryusei's eyes narrowed slightly. "We'll stay in contact this way. Watch for my signals again, and when the chance comes, meet me under the same circumstances. No risks to your squad, no leaks."
She inclined her head once more. "Understood."
He turned as if to leave, then paused.
"By the way…" His tone changed again, deceptively casual. "Who was that guy who visited you just before I came here?"
Kiyomi's face, which had been unconsciously smiling throughout their talk, stiffened.
A faint pang went through her chest.
"Reiji Uchiha," she said after a moment. "Another so-called genius. Sixteen. Two tomoe already. High jōnin. Why do you want to know?"
She waved a hand dismissively, but the movement was a touch too sharp.
"He's nothing. Just a fly, the clan sticks around me. Trash, really. Don't misunderstand."
Her words started tumbling out faster.
Ryusei's eyes narrowed fractionally.
Internally, he already pieced it together.
'So that's how it is. They're trying to plant him on her.'
His thoughts turned cold. 'His Sharingan potential is barely satisfying, I guess…'
Outwardly, his expression hardened, his voice dipping lower. "That's all?"
Kiyomi's face whitened a little at his tone, her heart skipping.
She stammered again, this time more desperately.
"The elders... They want to match us up, maybe. But don't misunderstand, I would rather die than let that loser touch me or come closer in any way."
Ryusei caught the edge in her voice and decided he'd pushed enough. His smile returned, softer now.
"Relax. I was just teasing. I believe you." His grin tilted. "After all, I know exactly how much you like me."
Kiyomi's blush flared again. She snorted sharply, turning her head aside.
"Idiot. Don't flatter yourself."
But her lips betrayed her, curving upward again despite her best effort to keep them flat.
They flirted some more, and before leaving, Ryusei's gaze lingered on her once more.
"There's another strong Uchiha I sensed elsewhere in this section, not in your squad, similar to that one and stronger than most. Who is he?"
Kiyomi blinked at the sudden shift. "You mean Shirou Uchiha. Reiji's older brother. He's… one of the clan's elite. Three tomoe, elite jōnin."
Ryusei's eyes narrowed faintly, but he did not comment.
Outwardly, his face stayed calm. Inwardly, though, his thoughts coiled.
'Older brother… Two brothers with such barely decent Sharingan…'
Already, he was planning.
The images played in his head: ripping their eyes out, using them as bargaining chips with Orochimaru.
And not just cleanly, he would take his time, break them down first, in various ways, push their eyes to 'bloom' more before they died if possible.
'But do they even have that potential for that? We'll see. Orochimaru, I can only assist you so far. The chance will come during the big raid against Kiri.'
He gave nothing away, though.
He couldn't be sure yet how much of her loyalty still lay with the clan, or how far she'd go for him.
At last, their time ran out.
Their doubles soon dissolved into smoke, leaving the hideout silent again.
Ryusei's lips were curved in a grin as his clone faded, amused and calculating.
Kiyomi's softened expression faded as her form dissolved, a touch of melancholy lingering at the separation, quickly hidden beneath the mask of indifference she always forced back on.