Naruto: If I ask you to kill Sasuke, you will become a succubus?

I looked at Zabuza and asked seriously, "Do I look stupid?"

Zabuza asked back: "Then think about it yourself, is there any faster way than this to make you famous in the ninja world and become an S-rank rebel ninja?"

I:"……"

I looked back at Gaara and Neji. They didn't sit down in the living room. One of them was standing by a window, looking at the sea outside.

Perhaps they noticed my gaze, they all turned to look at me and leaned towards me, as if they would be ready to fight as soon as I said there was something unusual.

I smiled at them, indicating that there was no problem, and then turned back to Zabuza and said, "Gaara and Neji... are my companions, not my tools. I cannot use their lives as bargaining chips."

Zabuza frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about? They are not children who need you to protect them like an old mother. We are ninjas - it is normal for us to accept missions that put our lives at stake. Especially after becoming a renegade ninja... the missions that can find us are all dark and shady. Do you think the life of a renegade ninja is just playing house and you get to choose?"

I dropped my eyes, "But Gaara and Neji…left behind all their ties and followed me. I want them to have the best life possible. No matter what, I want to cherish them."

Zabuza looked at me strangely, "Cherish...? Oh, whatever you say!"

I failed to reach an agreement with Zabuza, and returned to the living room and sat down in silence. Gaara and Neji came back from the window and sat next to me.

Gaara asked, "Why does Asaka want to become an S-rank wanted criminal?"

I was stunned: "Did you hear it?"

Neji sighed, "Although your voice is not loud, the space here is so small..."

"Eh? How much did you hear?"

Gaara and Neji looked at each other, and Neji said, "I won't tell you everything...but you've heard most of it. We are companions, not tools or anything like that. You should cherish us or something."

"Because - I can't let you follow me and live a life that's much worse than what you had in the village before! If nothing else, at least you won't lack money when you grow up. If I take you out to sleep in the open and risk your life every day, I'd be too sorry for you."

Neji said: "Becoming a rebel ninja... of course it is impossible to live as peacefully as before. Don't you think we don't even have this awareness?"

I propped my cheeks with my hands, rested my elbows on the table, and stared blankly at the opposite side: "It's your business if you are prepared to suffer, but it's my business if I don't want you to suffer."

Neji was slightly startled.

Gaara said, "Asaro, maybe assassinating the Mizukage isn't as dangerous as you think."

"Ok?"

"As long as you take me into the Hidden Mist Village, and then I will release Shukaku..."

Gaara wanted to help me, I could clearly feel that.

I laughed and said, "It's not just about assassinating the Mizukage."

If I could become an S-rank wanted criminal, maybe I could join Akatsuki and get in touch with Itachi. If I were alone, I would definitely take this path.

But now I have Neji and Gaara by my side, and it would be too risky to bring Gaara into contact with Akatsuki.

An organization is bound to have peripheral members, and these members cannot all be S-level wanted criminals. As long as Itachi and I can contact them individually, maybe it will work.

But Itachi's image to the outside world is that of a cold-blooded and cruel man who killed his entire clan with his own hands. If he took me in, or if I followed him, Neji would definitely have doubts.

He is so smart that he must have suspected whether there was some hidden reason behind Itachi's defection.

If Itachi's disguise was broken and he could no longer hide in Akatsuki, that would be terrible...

And Sasuke...

And if Neji follows Itachi, the Hyuga clan will have ominous associations if they know about it...

For example, I think Neji also hopes to kill his entire clan one day.

But that's not something I can control.

I'm just thinking...is it really okay to just put all the pressure on Uchiha Itachi?

I used to not have much feeling towards him, but the more I interacted with Sasuke and felt what "family" felt like, the more I felt that he was carrying too much heavy burden.

Wouldn’t it be very hard for him?

Can't I move on my own?

But... because I didn't do what the scroll said 100%, now I have to leave Konoha. The scroll has told me that if I leave Konoha, I should go find Uchiha Itachi. If I still insist on doing it, is that right or wrong?

Shikamaru is no longer by my side. From now on, I have to think for answers to all my questions on my own.

I kept thinking about what to do next, until Haku and Zabuza brought dinner, I temporarily cheered up.

The fish was cooked by Zabuza himself, so I have to try it to see how it tastes.

I didn't expect that as soon as I took a bite, the unexpectedly delicious taste made my eyes widen: "Huh... Zabuza, are your cooking skills so good?!"

"What a disrespectful fellow," Zabuza glared at me, "I'm almost the same age as Kakashi!"

"So what? Doesn't Sasuke always call Kakashi-sensei by his first name?"

"Konoha is just too peaceful and too indulgent to you, you rude brats."

I made a face at Zabuza: "Lululu. Got it, got it, Mr. Zabuza."

I called him by his name before because I had a bad impression of him, and I thought he didn't care about this kind of thing. Since he cares so much, this time I'll just treat it as... for the sake of the delicious fish, give him the courtesy he deserves.

Bai looked at us and smiled.

"It feels a lot more lively now that the morning dew has arrived."

"I hope you don't mind our presence being a nuisance."

"How come?" Bai shook his head. "I'm very happy to have dinner with Chaolu and her friends."

After finishing the meal, Bai cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them. Zabuza sat at the table and looked at me, Gaara, and Neji and said, "Have a good rest tonight. Tomorrow, I'll let Bai take you to the black market to take on some bounty missions so that you can get familiar with the life of a rebel ninja."

"Is it different from the missions we took in the village?"

"That's a lot." Zabuza showed a nasty smile, "Not only are the missions disgusting, but most of the clients who cannot entrust regular ninjas and have to deal with rebel ninjas are scumbags among scumbags. A bastard like Cardo can be considered a gentleman among them."

Thinking of Cardo, I was a little skeptical: "...Will the clients I meet in the future be more outrageous than Cardo?"

"That's right. Since you call me 'Mr. Zabuza', I will teach you your first lesson as a rebel ninja today - that is to act like someone you can't mess with. The more difficult the better."

I looked at Zabuza's face and tried hard to imitate his expression, but after several attempts, he was not satisfied: "You look like you are at odds with someone. Don't you have anything you hate? Imagine that the person in front of you is your most disgusting enemy, the thing you hate the most, or simply a piece of shit."

I:"……"

I tried very hard to imagine Zabuza as Orochimaru.

"No way at all!" Zabuza frowned and said, "The way you stare at me is just like a little kid who gets angry because his parents don't buy you candy. Girls like you, if you don't act tough and ruthless, it's easy for others to take advantage of you."

Gaara and Neji both frowned.

"What does it mean to be a girl like me?" I asked, "What should I do to be considered tough and cruel?"

"You look okay, so it's easy to attract the attention of some bored guys. Secondly, you look harmless and someone will come to ask for directions if you stand on the road. In the world of rebel ninja, once people find out that you are easy to mess with, you're doomed. This is the lowest level of the world where the weak are the weak and the strong survive. So if someone bumps into you, whether he is careful or not, you should just crush his bones or chop off his hands."

Zabuza raised his chin towards Gaara and said, "Learn from the guy next to you. He looks very fierce. Or this guy would be fine too."

He nodded at Neji again, "But he's too delicate. Although his arrogance can intimidate some scumbags, it can also easily attract some perverted and stubborn people. Plus those Byakugan eyes, be careful that Konoha's pursuit troops will lock on him in an instant."

I tried to digest the logic of dealing with things in this new environment, where being touched by someone would cause serious injuries: "Gaara is also very cute."

"Yeah, but this guy has no eyebrows, which makes him look weird at first glance, so his expression and strong murderous aura can make people temporarily ignore his appearance. But it's hard to ignore your appearance with this white-eyed kid. If you really can't show a strong expression, I suggest you cover your face."

"So when you appeared earlier, you had a bandage on your face?"

"I'm teaching you. Don't ask me back." Zabuza said, "I suggest you refer to Kakashi and wear a mask."

“…A mask…”

Once upon a time, I did try to wear a mask like Kakashi Sensei, but at that time I thought that imitating Kakashi Sensei would allow me to get closer to him.

"Thank you, I'll buy it tomorrow."

"Yes. I mean, when you defected, did you transfer the money?" Zabuza said, "If the money is not enough, I can lend you some. When you complete the mission and get the reward, you can pay me back."

As he spoke, he stood up and went into the room. After a while, he came out with a stack of banknotes in his hand and placed it in front of me.

Zabuza said awkwardly: "I don't know if these are enough for girls to spend. If not, just tell me."

"Then I'm welcome." I took the stack of banknotes with some curiosity and said with a smile: "...It feels like giving me pocket money."

Bai had also finished cleaning the kitchen by then and came out to sit opposite me. He looked at Zabuza, then at us, and suddenly smiled: "Mr. Zabuza is like the leader of Asaro and the others."

Zabuza snorted without commenting: "Take them to accept the mission tomorrow and try it out."

Bai nodded: "Okay."

We finished our showers one by one, and Bai had already made the beds for us. This water house was more than enough for two people, but now with five people, it suddenly became crowded.

When we were living in Mr. Dazna's house before, we slept on the floor in the living room as guests. Bai wanted to give me his bed, but I firmly refused. He had no choice but to help us spread the bedding in the living room.

I slept between Neji and Gaara, staring at the ceiling, and murmured unconsciously: "Tomorrow... what will happen in the future? I don't know if I can successfully receive the mission, and whether I can successfully complete it..."

"There is always a way." Neji's voice was very calm in the night, "As long as the bird flies in the sky, it will always find the right path, right?"

Gaara's hand reached under my blanket and held mine.

"The man named Bai said that it doesn't matter where you are, what matters is who you are with. As long as we are together, we don't have to worry about anything, Chaolu."

"thank you all."

Obviously, they should be more confused than me, but I was the one who was guided by the scroll and was comforted by them time and time again.

Uchiha Itachi...

What should I do?

Gaara held my hand, and I felt that Neji also had to be treated fairly, otherwise it would seem like we were isolating him.

So I reached my other hand into his quilt and held his hand.

Neji seemed to be stunned for a moment in the darkness, but he did not break away from me and silently let me hold his fingers.

"Good night."

Gaara said softly, "Good night."

After a while, Ningji said, "Sweet dreams."

I fell asleep quickly, but I didn't have a good dream.

I dreamed that Sasuke was going to kill Itachi. On the battlefield where they were fighting, I stood aside for some reason, feeling extremely anxious.

Seeing that Uchiha Itachi was about to die at the hands of Sasuke, I couldn't help but rush forward and stand in front of Itachi.

Sasuke's expression of disbelief in the dream was so real that even after I woke up, I still felt palpitations.

He questioned me in his dream: "Why?! Chaolu!? Why!?"

I didn’t know how to explain the dream, so I could only repeat stubbornly: “You can’t kill him. You will regret it… You can’t kill him.”

Sasuke looked at me, his eyes full of grief and anger made me feel like my heart was being cut into pieces.

But I was a little confused. The reason why I was in so much pain was because I was heartbroken, or because I felt Sasuke's pain, which must be worse than mine.

Uchiha Itachi said softly: "Asaka, let's go."

But Sasuke grabbed me and said, "Asaro!"

I was silent for a moment, broke away from him, and turned to walk towards Itachi.

Sasuke fell to his knees exhausted, looking extremely weak. He didn't have the strength to stand up and catch up with Itachi and I. He could only look at me longingly and pleadingly: "Don't... leave me..."

There was darkness all around, and Sasuke, lying on the ground, really turned into a young child, crying in despair and sorrow.

In a blink of an eye, the young Sasuke grew up again. There was a void in his eyes, empty like two tunnels. He stood high in the huge Susanoo, looking down at the world as if he was looking down on an ant.

I saw Naruto's body lying at his feet, Shikamaru-sama, Orochimaru, Kabuto-sama, Ino-sama, Kakashi-sensei, Kankuro-sama, Tenzo-sama, Sakura-sama...

Everyone fell to the ground.

Not only that, I also saw Shikamaru, Shino, Ino, Gaara, Ningji, Sakura, Rock Lee, Haku, Choji, Hinata, Kiba, Kakashi-sensei, Zabuza... everyone...

Everyone had an attitude of fighting to the death and refusing to give in.

I must have been unable to endure the dream any longer, so I suddenly opened my eyes.

"Morning dew?" In order to control Shukaku, Gaara didn't sleep much, and even when he closed his eyes for a nap, it was only a shallow rest.

As soon as I sat up, he opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"

I buried my face in my palms and took deep breaths, but I couldn't stop shaking.

Ningji was also awakened by me. He sat up and observed me for a moment before confirming, "Did you have a nightmare?"

I couldn't calm my breathing or stop myself from shaking. I wanted to answer their questions, but my jaw was out of control and my teeth kept chattering.

Gaara hugged me, his palms against my cheeks, and for some reason, the soothing physical contact finally calmed my panic a little.

"Mom is my sand..." He whispered, "Chaolu, I am your sand. Imagine that you are surrounded by sand. The sand will protect you... As long as the sand is there, nothing can hurt you."

The next second, I felt Neji's palm placed on my back with some hesitation, yet very gently, like smoothing the fur of a cat or a puppy, or like comforting a baby, gently helping me to calm down.

Gaara hugged me from the left side, and Neji slowly leaned against my right side. The warmth of the human body surrounded me tightly. I finally calmed down slowly, feeling extremely tired. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep again.