The Second Girls journey in Naruto

The name "Gato" sounded somewhat familiar to Sakiya.

She vaguely recalled it from the plot—this merchant had some connection to Gato.

"Gato?"

Chihiro frowned. "Never heard of him."

Tokumoto Kyoumin looked a little embarrassed.

"Of course, esteemed ninja, I wouldn't know any major businessmen."

Then, Kyoumin's expression grew serious as he continued.

"Gato took an interest in the herbs we carried and paid us generously. He wanted to know where they came from."

"At that time, my friend and I had already learned a thing or two from our struggles. We could tell what kind of man Gato was right away."

"So, we lied. We pointed him toward some random wilderness and sent him on a wild goose chase. And from there, we saw an opportunity for ourselves."

Tokumoto Kyoumin glanced around at the people listening to him and smiled.

"Yes, herbs! Luoying Town has a unique terrain, making it rich in medicinal plants. Not just in quantity but in variety as well."

"We started trading these herbs, taking them outside to sell. As time passed, we built a team, and our name became well-known in the business world."

His expression turned somber.

"But then, Gato found us again. He recognized us and must have thought we were hiding something valuable.

To uncover our 'secret,' Gato teamed up with powerful merchants, infiltrating our ranks. Eventually, they discovered our town.

Once they learned it was a remote settlement, they launched an attack without hesitation.

My old friend, Yoshiki Hiraki, was killed in that attack."

Kyoumin sighed deeply.

"Since that day, our once-thriving caravan was left in shambles. Only a few of us remained."

He turned to the young man lying on the ground.

"And that's why he believes I killed his father.The boy had fled the town years ago. Fueled by vengeance, he formed a so-called defense regiment that had been targeting our caravan ever since. Now, knowing I was headed to Konoha, he must have grown impatient and decided to kill me himself."

"You're lying!"

The young man's eyes snapped open, blazing with fury.

"You bastard! My father was the leader of the caravan! It was you! You murdered him!"

Tokumoto Kyoumin frowned.

[He woke up faster than I expected.]

Though his expression remained calm, his heart tightened for a moment before he returned to his sorrowful demeanor.

"You were manipulated by Gato, weren't you?"

The young man's face stiffened, then twisted in rage.

"So what?!"

Kyoumin looked at him with disappointment.

"Gato fed you lies—stories designed to turn us against each other.

For years, he's been funding your so-called defense regiment, but in reality, it's nothing more than a bandit group! How do you not see that?

Your father's legacy is in ruins because of you. Do you even realize what you've become?"

The young man clenched his fists, his face burning red with shame.

"I... You... Kill—"

Kyoumin cut him off with a sharp voice.

"Hmph! Out of respect for your father, I'm letting you go this time. Leave!"

The young man trembled with rage.

"You—!"

"Go!" Kyoumin's tone turned cold.

The young man looked around at Chihiro's team, his body tense. Then, with gritted teeth, he turned and ran without hesitation.

Chihiro crossed her arms, watching the boy's retreating figure with an amused smile.

"Hmm~ Just letting him go like that? Mr. Tokumoto Kyoumin~"

Kyoumin turned to her with a composed smile.

"Hehe~ Miss Chihiro, you jest. He is my old friend's son, after all. I couldn't bring myself to kill him."

Chihiro's gaze sharpened slightly.

"You're quite kind, Mr. Tokumoto Kyoumin~"

Kyoumin shook his head.

"Miss Chihiro, you overestimate me. I've never been a kind man."

"Hmm~ Who knows?"

The bandit incident passed, and things returned to normal.

----------------------------------------

They continued their journey, training as they went.

"Earth Release! Earth-Style Wall!"

Boom!

A small wall sprouted from the ground like a bamboo shoot.

Tsuchiya Tsukigami scratched his head, looking at it in embarrassment.

Chihiro chuckled.

"Not bad. Keep practicing, and you'll master it eventually."

Just then, Sakiya suddenly leapt forward, pressing her hand to the ground.

"Open!"

A formation appeared beneath her feet.

Sakiya muttered under her breath.

"Earth Release! Earth-Style Wall!"

Boom!

A massive stone wall, towering over two meters like a fortress, erupted from the ground.

At its center was a giant, carved eye embedded within a complex seal formation.

It radiated an imposing presence.

Tsuchiya's eyes widened in shock. His mouth fell open.

Then, he sank into silent despair.

Sakuragi, standing nearby, calmly leveled the ground beneath his feet, pretending he had seen nothing.

Sakiya circled her creation, examining the carved magic eye with satisfaction.

"Hmm~ With the Eye of Death's enhancement, my ninjutsu has improved significantly."

Chihiro watched with an exasperated sigh.

Where's the balance in that?

It wasn't just that this earthen wall was larger than usual—anyone could achieve that by adding more chakra.

But what was the point of this flashy pattern?

Not only did it take extra effort to carve, but the chakra cost alone was enough to cast the Earth Wall technique twice.

Chihiro walked over and gently placed her hand on Sakiya's head.

"Sakiya, don't you think this pattern is a little... unnecessary?"

Sakiya shook her head seriously.

"No, it's a symbol of ninjutsu enhanced by the Eye of Death!"

Chihiro sighed. She knew there was no convincing her.

With practiced ease, she pulled out a piece of candy and popped it into Sakiya's hand.

"By the way, Sakiya, do you have a lot of chakra?"

Sakiya happily stuffed the candy into her mouth and mumbled through it.

"Not really~"

"Then how many Earth Walls can you make?"

Sakiya tilted her head, gazing up at the sky as she thought for a moment.

"Not sure."

Chihiro blinked. "Huh? How do you not know?"

"I've never really run out of chakra making them, so I don't know my limit~"

Sakiya giggled, pulled out the candy for a second, then popped it back in, completely ignoring Chihiro—who stood frozen in shock—before running off to play.

Three seconds later, Chihiro snapped out of it and patted her own face.

"Heh...hehe... I'm so stupid… Why was I even worried about her running out of chakra?!"

Thinking about how little chakra she had in comparison, Chihiro sighed.

"If I had that much chakra, I'd be an incredible ninjutsu user."

Instead of… hacking people with a sword.

What kind of ninja just specializes in sword fighting?!

(Hatake Sakumo: I feel personally attacked…)

The group finally emerged from the dense forest, and in the distance, a village came into view.

Chihiro pulled out a map, checking the landmarks before nodding.

"Alright, this should be the Land of Waves. We've been traveling for a while—let's take a break here."

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