Mount Kikyo, halfway up the mountain, lay a hunter's village.
The wooden cabin was simple.
The lighting was dim.
In no time, over a dozen people had filled the hall. Beside the round table lay an injured person, wrapped like a "mummy."
"Hahaha, Captain Kuroki, have a seat! It's been five years since you rescued us. Time sure flies!"
Jaeger, grinning excitedly, held a teapot, pouring tea into cups for the Uchiha seated at the table and offered Kuroki the main seat.
Kuroki sat down, with Mikoto at his side, giving him a peculiar look.
Mikoto assessed Kuroki in her mind.
Back in the forest, the Uchiha squad could have taken down those five rogue ninjas, but Kuroki, recognizing them, had held back.
Exposing their whereabouts during an escape was essentially inviting trouble.
The best solution would have been to kill them, dispose of the bodies, and leave quietly.
"He's still a man with principles."
When Mikoto noticed Kuroki suddenly turning his gaze toward her, she calmly looked away, maintaining her poised and dignified demeanor as she picked up her teacup.
"Ouch... hot!"
Her delicate fingers touched the teacup, quickly withdrawing, and in Kuroki's eyes, her air of refinement faded significantly.
Ever since being force-fed by Kuroki, the last bit of her dignity had been trampled.
Mikoto felt like she was back in that youthful period after graduating from the Ninja Academy, unsure of how to interact with a man who disregarded her pride, even surpassing her coldness.
Even though he was younger than her.
Amid the other Uchiha's misunderstandings and odd attitudes, Mikoto couldn't help but focus on this man.
Even though Fugaku had just died.
Her willow-like eyebrows lowered, a somber expression on her face. Her slender hands tugged at the hem of her skirt, once again lost in thought.
As Kuroki withdrew his gaze, he realized that the other Uchiha were all staring at him.
The Uchihas quickly averted their eyes, curious about the story behind Captain Kuroki, the clan leader's wife, and the Mist rogue ninjas.
"Hehehe!"
Jaeger chuckled foolishly.
Kuroki's calm gaze shifted toward Jaeger.
Memories surfaced.
The so-called "rogue ninjas" were actually ordinary refugees who had fled from the Land of Frost during the Third Ninja War.
Their homeland was ravaged by the war waged by the Five Great Nations, and their food was forcibly requisitioned by Konoha ninja forces invading the Land of Frost.
Their farmlands were trampled repeatedly by the ninja squads of various villages, leaving no harvest in the fall. Out of Jaeger's family of five, only he survived.
Five winters ago, he wandered to the borders of the Land of Fire.
He gathered over a dozen people.
Under Jaeger's leadership, they couldn't survive due to the chaos of war, so they banded together to rob other refugees.
That year, rogue ninjas were rampant along the borders of the Land of Fire, even forcing the head of the police force to be dispatched by the Konoha high command for the task of eliminating rogue ninjas.
As luck would have it, that was also Jaeger's first time leading the group, disguised as rogue ninjas, to commit a crime, only to encounter Kuroki, the head of the police force, in plain clothes.
Kuroki didn't kill them but patiently listened to their stories.
Take Jaeger, for example.
When he initially fled, he had some money, but his neighbor tricked him into investing in financial products issued by the Mist Village Bank, hoping to profit from the war. It turned out to be a ninja world financial scam.
The neighbor ran off with the money.
Jaeger became a complete refugee, initially harboring hatred for the rich, and even considered robbing wealthy merchants to become a bandit.
But when he actually stormed into a store with a knife, he saw a dirty, frail mother nursing an infant the size of a monkey.
Clenching his teeth, Jaeger took his knife, caught a rat, and made a pot of rat soup for the mother and child before leaving in sorrow.
After that, Jaeger fled to the borders of the Land of Fire, thinking that as long as he robbed people from other countries, he wouldn't feel guilty. Just as he was about to expand his operations, he encountered Kuroki and his group.
"Are you still the same as before?" Kuroki broke the silence after a long pause.
Jaeger placed the Mist rogue ninja forehead protector on the table, laughing heartily:
"No way, Captain Kuroki! Ever since you changed us, we've been doing as you said, settling here on this mountain and becoming hunters. We survive by hunting every day. This place is rich in wildlife, and we're living quite comfortably now, thanks to you. You saved us!"
"Wait, Mr. Jaeger, you should start from the beginning. We can't follow your conversation!" Izumi hesitantly interrupted.
The other Uchihas nodded in agreement.
Mist rogue ninja forehead protectors and mountain hunters—it was all too convoluted.
Izumi didn't dare question Kuroki, but she knew he wouldn't mind her asking Jaeger.
"Alright, I'll start from the beginning!"
Jaeger eagerly began recounting the story, taking a moment to organize his thoughts before narrating it to the group.
During his tale, Kuroki instructed Naruki to take two team members to sneak into Kikyo City, 'invite' a doctor over before nightfall, and purchase some medicine, non-perishable food, essential supplies for the journey, and a map of the mountain range along the borders of the Land of Fire.
Naruki wanted to stay and listen to the story but had to leave reluctantly with the others.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Jaeger had finished his story, feeling quite pleased with himself, thinking he could be a director or scriptwriter.
Only then did the Uchiha understand Jaeger's life—poverty-stricken, struggling to make a living, walking on thin ice, and full of unfortunate events.
Mikoto glanced at Kuroki from the corner of her eye, adding one more trait to her evaluation of him:
"Kindness?"
The other Uchiha also thought Jaeger was really lucky to have met Captain Kuroki.
If it were them or other Konoha ninja, they wouldn't have cared about Jaeger's past. They would've killed him as a rogue ninja long ago.
Complete the mission, get the reward.
So.
Captain Kuroki was truly kind and gentle.
"Wait, are you telling me your Mist Village headbands were just picked up off the battlefield?
Seriously, after all the bad luck you've had, why are you still so proud?"
Izumi raised an eyebrow, thinking this guy was just as bad as she was at making the wrong choices!
Always seemed to make the worst decisions at the crucial moment.
At least until he met Captain Kuroki.
"Captain Kuroki, are you leaving right away?" Jaeger looked at Kuroki, his expression turning sincere. "It's so late, why not stay here for the night? I'll cook you all dinner, and you can set out again in the morning!"
Kuroki glanced at everyone around the table.
The Uchihas were exhausted, having been on the run for nearly three days without sleep. Weariness was clear in their eyes, and it seemed they longed to rest here for the night.
"Thanks, but we have to leave immediately."
Kuroki looked at Jaeger, his voice calm.
The hope in the Uchiha's eyes quickly faded, but no one said anything.
They were on the run.
Not on a field trip.
Staying here would bring trouble and endanger the refugees and hunters in this area.
Besides, Jaeger had already been through so much bad luck!
Kuroki didn't like dragging others into trouble either. He'd originally planned to part ways with Jaeger back in the forest.
But Jaeger's hospitality was hard to refuse.
Plus, they did need a place to rest for a bit.
"Get some rest. Once Naruki and the others return, we'll head out again!"
Kuroki said calmly.
"Alright, I'll prepare some food for everyone."
Jaeger smiled, feeling relieved, and headed toward the kitchen at the back of the cabin.
Suddenly, Izumi asked:
"Mr. Jaeger, when you go hunting, why do you wear a rogue Mist ninja headband?"
At that moment, a weak voice from the ground spoke up, "Why else? To scare off enemies, of course!"
Everyone turned their heads to look at Tamao, who was still lying on the ground, forgotten by the group until now.
Jaeger laughed, "This man is right. There are still a lot of violent war refugees around. If we don't disguise ourselves as rogue ninjas, we'd have no way to scare them off."
After saying that, Jaeger went into the back room.
"Waaaah—"
Suddenly, a loud baby's cry pierced the night, echoing through the cabin.
The Uchihas were startled.
When Mikoto heard the baby's cry, it triggered a memory in her. She snapped her head toward the bedroom, her expression becoming even sadder as she thought of Sasuke.
Izumi frowned.
Kuroki remained as calm as ever, quietly sipping his tea. From the moment he entered the house, he had already figured out that a family of three lived here, based on the shoes, furniture, and the baby's cushions.
"Sorry, sorry."
Afraid of scaring his guests, Jaeger immediately entered the room, holding the hand of a woman as they came into the living room.
The woman had a delicate face, wearing a red scarf. Her long black hair flowed down to her waist, covering her clean face as she anxiously tried to calm the baby in her arms.
"Captain Kuroki, this is my wife, Sanli. We got married last year. Our baby boy doesn't have a name yet!"
Jaeger introduced his family, a look of happiness on his face.
Kuroki smiled at the family.
"Hah… Even with all your bad luck, you still managed to marry and have a kid.
Meanwhile, I proposed to a nurse from the Hyuga family at the Konoha hospital, and she didn't even look at me, just told me to get lost.
Is it just because I'm crazy?
Who does she think she's looking down on!"
Uchiha Tamao grumbled.
(End of Chapter)