Because a large military force was trailing them, Megumai's group avoided passing through towns and stuck to the countryside to prevent disturbing the populace.
The days were uneventful, the sky was clear, and the carriage was peaceful.
Seiya was glued to the window, enjoying the roadside scenery.
Matsudaira Tachibana sat beside him, holding his waist to prevent him from being thrown by the carriage's bumps.
Megumai and Matsudaira Nai sat opposite, watching the children by the window.
"Megumai, did you leave Kumogakure because of a vendetta?"
In their previous conversations, Matsudaira Nai had learned that Megumai had been a shop owner in Kumogakure.
Running a supermarket in a busy city was a stable and comfortable life. Matsudaira Nai was curious why Megumai would travel thousands of li, enduring hardship to move her son.
"Not because of a vendetta," Megumai replied. "The Tetsu no Kuni has become rather chaotic lately. I need to take my son to a place with more stable order."
Matsudaira Nai understood upon hearing this.
Megumai was not an isolated case. The Tetsu no Kuni had recently seen a large number of citizens moving to other nations, resulting in a noticeable population drop.
However, it was not a major problem.
The people lost during peacetime would return during wartime, perhaps even in greater numbers.
Long-lasting peace was a luxury in the shinobi world.
The Tetsu no Kuni was ultimately developing in an upward spiral, growing ever stronger. This was merely a temporary pain point.
"Megumai, if you don't mind telling me, which nation or hidden village are you planning to move to? I can write a letter of introduction," Matsudaira Nai offered proactively.
With the Shinobi World War having just concluded, immigrating elsewhere was easy to say but quite difficult to execute.
First, there were numerous vagrant bandits and rogue Shinobis, and highway robbery was common.
Of course, while this was a roadblock for ordinary people, it wouldn't affect Megumai.
However, the second point might slow Megumai down somewhat.
Every region would thoroughly question, investigate, and vet potential immigrants to prevent espionage.
Especially for a powerful Shinobi like Megumai, all regions would proactively raise the screening standards, strictly checking her past, history, and moral character.
In this situation, Matsudaira Nai's personal letter of introduction would be a game-changer.
As the daughter of the Daimyo of a neutral nation, her endorsement carried significant weight and would essentially grant Megumai the green light from various nations and hidden villages.
Matsudaira Nai's offer of help was also a small gesture of gratitude toward Megumai.
As for whether Megumai might cause trouble after immigrating to Kumogakure, Matsudaira Nai did not care.
Even if Megumai created problems, Kumogakure would, at most, only complain to her, the referrer.
After all, the infiltration of the Tetsu no Kuni by shinobis from various villages was an open secret in the shinobi world.
How could Kumogakure have the audacity to hold the Daimyo's daughter of the Tetsu no Kuni accountable for an immigrant?
Regarding her immigration to Kumogakure, Megumai accepted Matsudaira Nai's help and took the letter of introduction.
Their relationship grew warmer.
By the window, Matsudaira Tachibana held Seiya on her lap, singing lullabies to amuse him.
The two mothers watched the children; their eyes filled with smiles.
Time flew by happily.
That evening, by the carriage, a bonfire was lit, dry wood crackled, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
The four sat on the ground, sharing the meal.
Megumai meticulously tore the rabbit meat into small pieces, feeding them to her son in her arms.
The little boy ate happily.
The moonlight was like water, and the evening breeze was cool.
Matsudaira Nai and Matsudaira Tachibana sat side by side, gazing at the vast starry sky, calmly experiencing a commoner's outdoor meal.
Unnoticed, three figures had appeared in the trees surrounding them.
Matsudaira Nai and Matsudaira Tachibana immediately grew tense and called out to Megumai, who was feeding her son.
The newcomers wore Kirigakure forehead protectors, carried Shinobi swords, and had robust physiques.
Seeing they were not rogue Shinobis, Matsudaira Nai relaxed. Within the bounds of legitimate activity, she felt quite confident.
"I am the daughter of the Tetsu no Kuni's Daimyo. Is it not somewhat discourteous for you Kirigakure guests to approach without announcement?"
From the tree, the most robust Shinobi spoke loudly, "We are three of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist. We have come to find Konoha's Uchiha Megumi to settle a grievance between our villages. We had not anticipated that the Daimyo's daughter would be here. We sincerely apologize for startling Your Highness! We ask for your understanding!"
Uchiha Megumi?
Matsudaira Nai looked at Megumai in confusion. She had never expected her to be an Uchiha descendant.
She had heard the Uchiha were notoriously aggressive, but Megumai did not seem that way.
"I am indeed Uchiha Megumi."
Megumai nodded slightly toward Matsudaira Nai, her eyes turning into the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
She then looked up at the three vague figures in the trees and said lightly, "Lady Matsudaira, this is the danger I mentioned earlier."
At the same time, Suikazan Fuguki said aloud, "Daimyo's daughter, please remove yourself from this location. Swords have no eyes, and we do not wish to harm you or the Princess."
Matsudaira Nai looked at Megumai with worry.
The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist were powerful and famous.
Matsudaira Nai was concerned that Megumai would not be able to handle three opponents alone.
"Don't worry," Megumai smiled faintly. "Lady, please get in the carriage and wait for me about three li away with the Princess."
"Are you certain everything will be alright?" Matsudaira Nai asked softly for confirmation.
Megumai said calmly, "Petty thieves are nothing to fear."
"Shouldn't I take Seiya-kun with me, too, so you aren't held back?" Matsudaira Nai suggested in a low voice.
Megumai shook her head. "If you want to pull weeds, you must dig up the roots. The Kirigakure Shinobi won't let you leave with my son. Lady, please go first. We will meet again shortly."
"Alright."
Convinced that Megumai was completely confident, Matsudaira Nai no longer hesitated and left with her daughter.
The carriage rumbled away, and only the sound of the crackling bonfire remained in the forest.
Seiya opened his eyes wide, curiously looking at the three figures in the trees.
A pure white Shinobi sword flashed in Megumai's hand.
She said slowly, "I recall that in the recently concluded Shinobi World War, Senior Might Duy single-handedly reduced the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist to the Three Swordsmen. You, who were lucky enough to survive a few extra years, are you in such a hurry to die?"
Hearing the humiliating, unmentionable combat record, the faces of Suikazan Fuguki and the others turned exceedingly grim.
Hozuki Juzo snorted coldly, pointing his sword directly at Megumai.
He said in a cold voice, "Speaking of luck, you, Uchiha Megumi, have better luck! Hiding your name after the war—were you scared witless in the Valley of Final Judgement!"
Before his words finished, startlingly hot lava orbs fell from the sky like rain. They came suddenly and incredibly fast.
In an instant, the temperature of the air rose.
The blazing red lava orbs descended everywhere, smashing down on Megumai and Seiya on the ground.
The scorching stream of magma obscured the view.
A fourth figure appeared in the trees, standing beside the three Swordsmen.
He wore an Iwa-Gakure forehead protector, had his red hair tied into a small ponytail, sported a thick beard, and wore a purple breastplate.
This was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki—Roshi!
Hozuki Juzo looked with a sneer at the motionless ground, chuckling.
"It appears Uchiha Megumi merely got lucky to survive the Valley of Final Judgement. Having the three of us, plus your village's two Jinchuriki, gather to deal with her is truly a waste."
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