Chapter 115: The Oscar Winner Starts Again
With the Fourth Hokage's sweeping reforms taking root across Konoha, the village's morning culinary landscape had blossomed into a vibrant array of choices. Among these new additions, a particular steamed bun shop boasted overwhelmingly excellent business. At this early hour, a massive crowd of hungry patrons had already formed a winding queue that stretched far down the street.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kou found themselves stuck at the very tail end of the line. As the minutes ticked by, patience began to wear dangerously thin.
"Ah, seriously! Why are there so many people?"
"This wait is absolute torture."
Jiraiya and Tsunade stood shoulder-to-shoulder, groaning and complaining to anyone who would listen.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had leisurely bypassed the crowd, purchasing a fresh serving of tamagoyaki from a quieter stall down the road. He casually popped a piece into his mouth before offering the remaining three portions to his teammates.
"A ninja is one who endures," Orochimaru drawled, his golden eyes glinting with mild amusement. "It's just a simple queue. Clearly, your mental training is still insufficient."
Tsunade and Jiraiya turned in perfect unison, shooting Orochimaru a synchronized, withering glare.
"If your philosophy sounds so high and mighty, why aren't you standing in line with us?" Tsunade snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
Orochimaru looked at them as if they had just asked why water was wet. "Kou already volunteered to help me buy my share. Why would I waste my own precious time standing around?"
"You smug little brat!" Jiraiya exploded, hopping from foot to foot with his fists raised, fully prepared to initiate a 'friendly' morning brawl right there in the street. Tsunade didn't bother stopping him; instead, she smirked and actively egged him on, demanding he knock some sense into their pale teammate.
Before the situation could devolve into a public spectacle, Kou quickly wedged herself between the two boys, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "How about you all go find a nice spot to rest on that bench over there? I really don't mind waiting. I'll buy the buns for everyone."
Tsunade's expression softened instantly. She reached out, planting a warm hand on top of Kou's head and giving her dark hair an affectionate, vigorous ruffle.
"Don't be silly. How could we just abandon you to wait out here all by yourself?" Tsunade declared proudly. "We're a team, Kou. That means we suffer through the boring stuff together."
"Yeah, exactly! We're a unified front. We do everything as a unit," Jiraiya chimed in, puffing out his chest before shooting a sideways scowl at Orochimaru. "Unlike some people who are completely unsociable. Hmph."
Deciding this conversation had degraded to a level of childishness he refused to engage with, Orochimaru simply turned on his heel. He strolled over to a nearby wooden bench, sat down in the dappled morning shade, and pulled a thick scroll from his pouch to read in peace. Comforting people wasn't his forte anyway; he'd gladly leave that tedious task to an idiot like Jiraiya.
Back in the queue, the remaining trio resumed their lively chatter. However, their bright, carrying voices soon drew the attention of the civilians standing ahead of them. As the villagers turned around and their eyes landed on Kou, the casual morning atmosphere shattered. Friendly smiles morphed into rigid masks of apprehension.
"Hey... isn't that the young ninja from yesterday?" a woman whispered, her voice trembling.
"Yes, it's her. Oh my god, keep your voice down. It's terrifying. She actually murdered a fellow villager right in the street."
"Shh! Didn't you read the bulletin board? The official notice said that man was an enemy spy."
"Even so, they didn't announce he was a spy until after the fact! She was the one who drew her blade and struck first without warning. I don't care what the notice says, I'm staying far away from her."
The hushed, fearful murmurs drifted through the crisp morning air, landing perfectly in Kou's ears. The gentle smile on her lips vanished instantly. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her looking as fragile as spun glass.
Gazes pressed in on her from all directions. They were heavy, suffocating stares loaded with malicious suspicion and the darkest of human speculations.
'How could this be?'Kou's inner monologue cried out, her eyes darting nervously.'Didn't Kagami-sama already announce the official truth? Why are they still looking at me like I'm a monster?'
The weight of their judgment struck her like a physical blow. Unable to endure the suffocating tension a second longer, she took a sudden step back, her shoulders hunching defensively.
"I... I just remembered I have some chores to do. I'm going home first," she stammered, spinning on her heel and breaking into a brisk run.
"Hey, wait up! We'll walk you back!" Jiraiya called out. The three of them immediately abandoned the queue, rushing to catch up with their fleeing teammate.
As they handled the bustling streets, the situation only worsened. More and more passersby recognized Kou's face. Those who were initially oblivious were quickly yanked aside by their neighbors, subjected to frantic, whispered retellings of the previous day's bloody events.
"So that's the girl. She looks so sweet and kind..."
"I know the Hokage's announcement said the spy intentionally framed her, but I still feel a knot in my stomach. What if she just snapped?"
"Exactly. I keep trying to tell myself it was a setup, but then I picture how she slaughtered a villager without a second of hesitation. It makes my blood run cold."
"Who knows what the real truth is? How are we normal civilians supposed to understand the dark affairs of the ninja world? Better safe than sorry—just keep your distance."
The pointing fingers and hushed accusations multiplied with every block. Kou lowered her head, her pace quickening into a near-sprint.
Thankfully, her residence was located in a quieter, more remote district of Konoha. As the dense crowds thinned out and the noise faded, Kou finally allowed a shaky breath to escape her lungs.
Summoning what looked like the last dregs of her courage, she slowed her steps, turning her pale face toward Orochimaru. "Actually, regarding what happened yesterday... I need to explain—"
"Kou!" Orochimaru cut her off sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You should just go inside and get some proper rest. Sleep on it. Don't waste your energy dwelling on these pointless things."
Kou froze, her eyes widening in a flawless display of suppressed hurt. 'Did even Orochimaru refuse to hear her out? Did they not want her to speak of it?''Black Zetsu-sama was right,' she thought, her internal voice dripping with manufactured despair.'They really have put their guards up against me.'
"I'm already right by my house. I can go the rest of the way alone," Kou said, her voice tight. Just then, the sharp cry of a hawk echoed above. She glanced at the sky. "A Ninja Hawk just circled. That's Hiruzen-sama's signal. You guys must have an urgent mission. Go on, I'll be perfectly fine by myself."
She forced a painfully brittle smile onto her face.
"Getting called for a mission at a time like this... honestly, what terrible timing," Jiraiya grumbled, scratching the back of his head with clear reluctance. He looked at Kou, his expression softening into an encouraging grin. "Listen, Kou, we're heading to the Capital of the Land of Fire this time. I promise I'll bring you back an awesome souvenir! Just wait for it, it'll totally surprise you!"
"I'll look forward to it," she replied softly.
With a final wave, the three genin turned and bounded off toward the Hokage Tower. As they leaped across the rooftops, Tsunade recalled the sickly pallor of Kou's face and frowned, turning to Jiraiya.
"Are you absolutely sure your rotten idea is going to work?" Tsunade asked, her voice laced with worry. "I feel like ever since we refused to listen to her explanation, her expression has been completely off."
Jiraiya crossed his arms, his face unusually serious. "It's definitely the right move. We just need to show her that we firmly believe in her. Kou doesn't need to explain anything to us, because we already trust her implicitly."
This was the brilliant psychological strategy Jiraiya had concocted. He knew Kou was terrified of being doubted. If they forced her to explain herself, it would imply that they needed convincing—that they harbored doubts. By interrupting her and acting as if the incident didn't matter at all, they were demonstrating the ultimate form of unconditional trust.
He mentally reviewed their interactions from the morning. "Look, Kou was just spooked by the villagers' stupid gossip. Once the Hokage catches wind of it, he'll definitely intervene and shut those rumors down. It's not a big deal, as long as we stand by her."
Tsunade sighed, relenting. "Fine. You're the closest to Kou out of all of us, so I'll trust your judgment on this."
...Meanwhile, back on the quiet street, Kou kept her hand raised in a wave until her teammates were completely out of sight. The moment she stepped into the shadowed alley leading to her home, the fragile smile vanished from her lips, replaced by a chilling blankness.
A few local neighbors happened to be walking past. Slipping back into character, Kou subconsciously offered a polite bow.
"Auntie Reiko, Sister Yuki, Lina... good morning."
The three women, who normally greeted Kou with warm smiles and idle chatter, instantly froze. Looks of absolute terror warped their features the second she spoke their names.
They stammered out a barely coherent greeting before scrambling down the alley as if a rabid dog had been set loose behind them, disappearing around the corner in a frantic blur.
Kou stood frozen in place, her posture screaming of utter bewilderment and heartbreak. It was one thing for random strangers in the market to fear her, but why were the neighbors she saw every single day treating her like a monster?
"I clearly didn't do anything wrong," she whispered to the empty air, her voice trembling. "So why won't anyone believe me?"
A dark, insidious voice slithered into her mind.
[Do you see? No one will ever believe you, because you were different from them from the very beginning.]
[You don't belong in this village. You will eventually be abandoned by everyone.]
'No... that's not how it is.'
She shook her head frantically, trying to physically dislodge the voice. Stumbling the rest of the way to her house, she threw the front door open and slammed it shut behind her, as if the heavy wood could block out the terrifying gazes of the world.
In the dim light of her hallway, her pitch-black irises bled into a vibrant, glowing crimson. Three tomoe materialized, spinning furiously within her eye sockets. The ink-like commas blurred together, gradually forming a complex, specialized pattern in the center of her pupil. The Mangekyo design looked almost complete—only to abruptly shatter and dissipate at the very last second.
Hiding smoothly within the shadows of the room, Black Zetsu watched with bated breath as a brand new pair of Mangekyo Sharingan attempted to form. But before he could even register the thrill of victory, the potent chakra receded.
His soaring excitement lasted less than two seconds before crashing violently back to square one.
The emotional whiplash left Black Zetsu's mood in a chaotic state of flux, his mental state flipping faster than a turning page.
One second: 'Wow, am I really about to secure another pair of Mangekyo?'The next second:'Oh well, she failed to awaken it.'
He mentally flipped a table in frustration.
It didn't matter. The Mangekyo Sharingan was a legendary ocular jutsu; it was never something that could be awakened so easily on the first try.
Having spent centuries being endlessly tormented by the elusive nature of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Black Zetsu's mindset was incredibly resilient this time around.
'Uchiha Kou cares most about Jiraiya, right?'he mused darkly.'A mere brat with the combat strength of a Chunin. I couldn't lay a finger on Mutzuki Ida, but surely I can manipulate the death of a naive brat.'
Soon, he would orchestrate the perfect tragedy, and he would harvest a brand new Mangekyo Sharingan wielder.
It was no wonder those mysterious entities from the other world had tried to contact her; she had turned out to be an Uchiha with truly infinite potential.
And now, this Uchiha with infinite potential belonged entirely to him.
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