Seeing the little girl staring at him with wide eyes, Yuto couldn't help but find it amusing. He gently set her down and smiled,
"Little one, you've got to be more careful when you walk."
"Hmph, I'm not 'little one.' My name's Haruna!"
Haruna let out a soft huff, speaking in a tone that mimicked an adult.
As she spoke, the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl from earlier ran up to them. Seeing Haruna unharmed, she visibly relaxed.
"Haruna, no more running off!" The girl scolded Haruna sternly.
Haruna pouted, her small face showing dissatisfaction, but she didn't argue back.
"Thank you so much for your help."
The girl bowed deeply to Yuto, her voice filled with gratitude.
"No big deal, just a small matter." Yuto waved his hand casually, brushing it off.
"Ah! Big Sis! Big Sis! I want to eat the fish balls Big Brother's holding!" Haruna's eyes sparkled as she pointed at the skewers of fish balls in Yuto's hand, shouting excitedly.
The girl froze, not yet responding, when Yuto handed a skewer to Haruna, who immediately began munching happily.
The girl's face flushed, and she quickly bowed again.
"I'm so sorry! Haruna's young and doesn't know better."
"It's fine. I bought plenty of fish balls anyway. If you two aren't busy, would you mind showing me around? I'll treat you both to some fish balls."
Yuto chuckled lightly, reaching out to pat Haruna's head.
At his words, Haruna's eyes lit up, and she eagerly looked at her sister.
Compared to Haruna's excitement, the girl's eyes flickered with caution. From the start, she'd felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this young man, yet she was certain she'd never seen him in the village.
Hearing his request to "show him around," she deduced he wasn't from the Mist Village. As for the familiarity, perhaps she'd seen someone with a similar appearance somewhere before.
What truly concerned her was the faint, almost imperceptible aura of danger emanating from him.
"If you're worried about anything, don't be. I'm not a bad person."
Seeing the girl's silence, Yuto assumed she was wary and spoke with a light chuckle.
"Don't let my sister's demeanor fool you! She's a genius and a really strong ninja!"
Haruna pouted at Yuto's words, her tone filled with admiration for her sister.
"My name is Ringo Ameyuri. I'm fairly familiar with this area. If you don't mind, I can be your guide."
Ringo Ameyuri stepped forward, pulling Haruna behind her, and spoke softly.
Seeing her actions, Yuto raised an eyebrow, a helpless expression crossing his face. It seemed he'd been mistaken for someone suspicious.
However, the name Ringo Ameyuri stirred a sense of familiarity in him, though he couldn't quite place it.
Whether his guide was a ninja didn't matter to Yuto. He wasn't after sensitive information—just curious about the current state of the Mist Village's civilians.
Having a guide was far better than wandering aimlessly. Though Ringo Ameyuri was cautious of him, Haruna's presence kept the atmosphere lively.
The only headache for Yuto was that Haruna seemed determined to eat him out of house and home.
In a dimly lit underground chamber, Orochimaru's face carried a rare excitement as he glanced casually at the scroll Terumi Mei had given him in exchange.
If this were some time ago, he might have eagerly studied its contents.
But now, something far more intriguing demanded his attention.
Hiss~ Hiss~
A small snake, about the thickness of a thumb, slithered out from Orochimaru's sleeve along his arm.
Reaching his palm, it opened its mouth and spat out a small piece of flesh.
Looking at the flesh, Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice tinged with fervor.
"The secret to the First Mizukage's immortality… I can't wait to uncover it!"
Orochimaru hadn't revived Yuto unprepared. Before it all began, he'd positioned this small snake beneath Yuto's revival spot.
The moment Hashirama Senju's seal was undone, Orochimaru had the snake burrow up from the ground and bite off a piece of Yuto's flesh.
The act was so discreet, and with Terumi Mei and Ao's attention focused on Yuto, a snake with no chakra signature was easily overlooked.
As for Yuto, the bite was taken before his revival. After reviving, he wouldn't notice anything amiss with his body.
Knock! Knock!
A soft knock sounded at the door.
"Come in!" Orochimaru didn't turn, speaking coldly.
The Sound Four entered slowly, their faces tinged with faint fear.
"You're awake. How does it feel to lose the Curse Seal?"
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile as he turned to study the four.
At his words, the Sound Four dropped to one knee, saying in unison,
"Please, Lord Orochimaru, grant us the Curse Seal's power again!"
In the Sound Village, strength was everything. Even knowing the Curse Seal mode's severe side effects, the Sound Four couldn't abandon its power.
The next moment, screams echoed through the underground chamber.
"Tell Kimimaro to come see me later. He'll likely need to leave for a while soon." Orochimaru's low, sinister voice reverberated in the chamber.
—