---Ryouma's POV---
I wandered around the camp, deep in thought. I still felt that I should go to the Land of Water and thoroughly deal with Kiri before heading to the Land of Hot Water to take on Kumo.
At that moment, a figure appeared before me, it was Shiori. She was leaning against a wall, pressing her fingers against her temples.
I had nothing in particular to do right now, so I strolled over and asked, "Yo, if it isn't Shiori. Haven't seen you in a few days, and now you've got a headache?"
She didn't look at me. She continued massaging her temples and said, "I felt a bit dizzy this morning, but it's probably nothing serious. The one we should talk about is you."
"What about me?" I asked, pointing at myself, feigning innocence.
"You look unusually cheerful. Did you go out and take down another well-known Kiri ninja squad today?" Her eyes finally met mine, sharp and perceptive despite her apparent discomfort.
As expected of an old teammate, she guessed right away why I was in a good mood. Her sensory abilities were getting sharper.
"Heh heh heh... the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," I grinned mischievously. The smirk probably didn't suit my face, though. I'd never quite mastered the art of looking smugly superior, it always came out slightly awkward.
Shiori looked at the expression on my face, which probably resembled a twisted mask, and couldn't help but let out a laugh. "That expression... you look like a child who snuck an extra dessert." Truly, sometimes extreme speechlessness could make someone laugh.
But she quickly realized something, her eyes widening slightly. "You went to kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and didn't call me?"
"Huh?"
I suddenly remembered, there was a time when Shisui, Shiori, and I were on a high-difficulty mission and had talked about this very thing.
I completely forgot our promise. No wonder she was upset.
---
We had been gathered beside a fire near the coastline...
Crackle, crackle~
The flames danced on slightly damp branches. The night sky over the Land of Water stretched like an endless ocean, unmarred by the clouds that typically shrouded the island nation. Stars reflected in the dark waters of the bay, creating the illusion of a universe above and below.
Shisui sat cross-legged, his back straight with the ingrained posture of Uchiha discipline. Shiori lounged against a smooth boulder, one knee drawn up, her usual alertness softened by the firelight. Shukaku had sprawled on a flat rock slightly apart from us, simultaneously part of the group and maintaining his dignified tanuki independence. And I moved between them all, playing the unexpected role of camp cook.
Shisui gently placed down the firewood he had gone out to collect for the second time. "Won't lighting a fire here attract enemies?"
I waved my hand. "Relax, I already scanned the area, no enemies nearby."
Hearing that reassurance, he relaxed. After spending time together recently, he had come to trust my sensory abilities completely.
"But… don't you think we're being a little too laid-back?" He looked at the burning fire, while I was rapidly preparing some sea fish, each as big as a forearm.
Why "rapidly"? Because I wasn't using a traditional knife. Instead, I released a dark purple fire at my fingertips, which I then used to pierce through the fish's belly.
"You're using a highlevel combat technique... to prepare dinner?"
With the precise control of my Rikugan, the high temperature instantly incinerated the fish's internal organs without damaging the meat in the slightest.
"Combat techniques aren't just for killing. Once you master them, you can apply them to anything," I explained, focusing on maintaining consistent temperature while adjusting penetration depth for different tissue densities.
In fact, I could have just roasted the fish with the flames directly, but where's the fun in that?
I casually handed a processed fish to Shiori, who had just finished sharpening a stick with her kunai. She took the fish, skewered it neatly from tail to head, and planted it beside the fire.
In response to Shisui's first comment, I sighed, somewhat exasperated. "None of us were born into this world just to suffer."
"But... shouldn't we wait until after the war to enjoy life?" he countered, his expression earnest and conflicted.
"He's right, Shisui," Shiori interrupted, "Going through hardship now doesn't guarantee peace after the war. But if we enjoy ourselves now, then that's real enjoyment."
"What if peace never comes in our lifetime? What if you die tomorrow? Would you regret not tasting well-seasoned fish tonight?"
To Shiori, war and peace had no meaning. As long as she could keep getting stronger, that was all that mattered. And if she could make the journey toward strength a little more pleasant, she certainly wouldn't say no. But I could be wrong about her.
Women were complex.
"This next one's yours." As we chatted, I had already finished preparing another fish.
I fully agreed with Shiori's perspective, at least on this point.
Shukaku was lying on a rock with one leg crossed over the other, gazing up at the brilliant stars in the night sky. He shifted slightly, then turned to face our group and said, "Shisui, you should just quietly enjoy the life you have now. Back in the day, even dreaming of a life like this was impossible for someone like me. Careful or you'll find you won't even have a chance to enjoy life later."
Shukaku's final jab broke through Shisui's mental defenses.
"Ah, this face."
"It's not about right or wrong, Shisui. Just different approaches to life," I offered gently.
Shisui didn't get it. This had to be completely different from the PUA-style ninja indoctrination he had received since childhood: "A ninja must endure all hardships."
"Nice one, Shukaku. Surprisingly profound."
Shukaku and I exchanged a glance, then simultaneously gave each other a big thumbs up.
"You two are ridiculous," Shiori rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
Before long, the delicious aroma of grilled fish began to waft through the coastal air. The scent of charring skin and cooking flesh mingled with the sea breeze, creating a mouthwatering contrast to the usual bland field rations.
As soon as Shukaku smelled it, he leapt off the rock like a starving beast lunging for food. He grabbed a grilled fish and was just about to dig in, but in the next second, I snatched it away.
"Oi—!"
I karate-chopped Shukaku's head with a crisp "smack" and scolded him, "You forgot the seasoning."
"What difference does it make? Food is food!" He rubbed his head, looking offended.
"That's exactly the kind of thinking that leads to bland, joyless meals. Seasoning isn't optional, it's essential." As I spoke, I pulled a bottle from nearby and evenly sprinkled the custom blend of spices over the grilled fish. The aromatic mixture contained dried seaweed flakes, ground pepper, citrus zest and just a hint of rare mountain herbs. Then, under Shukaku's eager gaze, I handed it back.
With one bite, he started spinning in place from sheer joy.
"This... this is... the Great Lord Tanuki approves!" His eyes closed in bliss.
I seasoned the rest of the grilled fish and passed them to Shiori and Shisui.
Shiori took hers, brought it close for a sniff, and remarked in surprise, "You actually bring spices with you on missions?"
"Oh, that? I picked them up earlier today at that market in the town we passed."
"When? We were together the whole time," Shiori questioned skeptically.
"Remember when I said I needed to 'check something' and disappeared for five minutes?"
It was a signature spice blend from the coastal region. As soon as I had smelled it, I'd bought a generous amount without hesitation.
Shisui suddenly realized, "Ohh, that time! I remember, it was your idea to go to that town to gather intel on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen… but you were actually going for the market?"
My face turned red. I tried to defend myself, "What do you mean 'going to the market'? Ninjas gathering intel, how is that just 'shopping'? I was seriously trying to find info on the Seven Swordsmen."
Shisui chuckled. "Alright, alright. But you're really invested in the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, huh? If I ever get any intel on them, I'll let you know right away."
My face lit up. "Deal!"
After all, Shisui had the whole Uchiha clan behind him and had been stationed on the Kiri front for quite some time, his intel-gathering capabilities here were definitely stronger than mine.
As Shiori listened to the two of us making plans together, she suddenly wore a weird face.
She chewed and swallowed a tender, perfectly charred piece of fish. Her usual cold expression softened a little under the influence of good food, and she looked toward me and said quietly, "When you do get information on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, make sure you bring me along too."
"You want to face them?" I asked, surprised by her request.
"They have techniques I want to study. And..." she hesitated briefly, "...we work well together."
Not to be outdone, Shukaku shouted, "Me too! I'm going! I shall grace your mission with my magnificent presence!"
He puffed out his chest.
Never one to kill the vibe, I cheerfully agreed, "Of course, of course!"
"When the time comes, we'll take them on together. The four of us against the Seven Swordsmen," I declared, raising my fish on a stick like a toast.
Shisui looked at our joyful little gathering and seemed to finally understand where the rest of us were coming from. "You know... I think I understand now," he said thoughtfully.
"Understand what?" I asked curiously.
"Why this matters. These moments." He gazed around at all of us. "If you have the chance for a life like this, full of warmth and laughter, why shouldn't you enjoy it while you can?"