Seeing Samui's furrowed brows, Omoi asked, "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." Samui forced a smile and turned to look out the window. A few cats were lazily lying under the shade of a tree, basking in the fading warmth of the summer sunset. The scene felt peaceful and natural.
The sense of unease vanished. Samui scratched the back of her head, unsure why she'd just felt so uneasy. Everything seemed completely normal.
"We barely saw any animals on the way here. I wonder what these cats usually eat." Samui let out a sigh.
As the sun slowly set, the sky dimmed and the three of them began to feel drowsy. Being the only man in the team, Omoi decided to head back to his room and rest. But as he opened the door, a strange sensation hit him—like déjà vu. This action felt incredibly familiar, as if he had done it countless times before.
After Omoi left, Samui frowned and asked Karui, "What are we supposed to do tomorrow?"
For someone as clear-headed and rational as Samui, this kind of uncertain and confused tone was highly unusual. It was like someone who had always known their path had suddenly lost their way.
Karui rested her chin on her hand.
"Take on a new mission to earn some money, I guess. I mean… we're just wanderer-nin. It never hurts to save up."
"Wanderer-nin, huh?" Samui touched the forehead protector on her head, then glanced outside again. A few plump cats were perched contentedly on a tree covered in yellowing leaves.
Samui let herself relax a little. "Alright, let's get some rest."
The lights went out. Even though they hadn't eaten dinner, neither of them felt hungry, and they quickly drifted into sleep.
Whooooo~
Cold wind howled through the night, the windows rattling gently from the gusts. Chill air seeped in through the cracks.
Samui shivered and awoke from her deep sleep, freezing. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window.
"Oh, it's snowing." She pulled the blanket tightly around herself, and slowly her body began to warm again.
It was just a small inn, but the feeling of the blanket on her skin was strangely comfortable—almost like it belonged to her. She shifted slightly into a more comfortable position, and her consciousness began to fade...
"Meow~"
Breathing suddenly became difficult. The sensation of suffocation grew stronger. Samui's eyes snapped open.
A large, fat orange tabby was sitting on her chest, kneading vigorously with its paws. No wonder she felt like she couldn't breathe.
The cat's meowing woke the other person in the room. Karui turned on the light and instantly spotted the orange tabby making itself comfortable. Strangely, when she looked into the cat's eyes, she felt something—like a warning, a signal to leave.
Samui grabbed the tabby by the scruff of the neck and stared into its strangely human-like eyes. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of wrongness surged in her chest.
She didn't know why, but Samui trusted her instincts. She stood and said to Karui,
"We're leaving. Now."
She quickly got dressed and packed her things. Karui, however, was reluctant.
"It's the middle of the night. It's freezing out. It's snowing! Why are we leaving now?"
Samui didn't respond. She couldn't explain it. The subconscious sense of danger prickled at her spine, screaming at her to escape.
Despite her complaints, Karui obeyed Samui's orders. The two of them dragged Omoi out of his room, and all three of them jumped out the window without hesitation.
The moment they landed outside, Karui and Omoi shivered and exclaimed nearly in unison,
"It's freezing!"
They looked at each other in confusion. It was winter—so why were they dressed so lightly?
And their clothes… weren't they a bit too dirty and tattered? Like they hadn't changed in a year?
The thought flickered through their minds but left no ripple.
Samui, however, had already realized something was deeply wrong with the Hidden Hot Water Village. Why had they come here in the first place?
Passing through on a mission?
No.
There had been a shorter route.
The Land of Hot Water, and the entire Hidden Hot Water Village… something was off. They should have noticed it earlier, but somehow kept forgetting, over and over. Only that out-of-place fat tabby had triggered the slightest trace of alarm.
The three of them raced through the forest at top speed. Karui and Omoi kept asking questions, but Samui remained silent, urging them to keep moving faster.
From dawn till afternoon, they didn't stop running. By evening, they had finally put considerable distance between themselves and that strange village. Samui's nerves finally began to ease.
Noticing Samui slowing down, Omoi pressed, "Seriously, what the hell happened back there?"
Samui forced herself to organize the chaotic thoughts in her head and countered,
"Do you guys remember what season it was when we left for the mission?"
"Winter," both Karui and Omoi replied at once.
Samui frowned deeply and took a deep breath.
"Then why are we wearing spring clothes? I know we're broke, but come on—even wanderer-nin can afford clothes."
"Samui, just say it straight," Omoi said. "Are you saying… our memories have been tampered with?"
"You noticed too?" Samui's eyes lit up with relief.
Omoi shook his head. "Nope. I didn't notice anything strange."
Karui added, "Same here. Nothing felt off."
The two of them exchanged a glance and then turned toward Samui, their gazes clearly saying:
Looks like you're the weird one.
Samui froze. She nearly cursed out loud but held back.
"...Whatever. We're almost at the Land of Hot Water. That place is relatively peaceful. We'll rest there and do a thorough check for genjutsu."
Omoi and Karui nodded, agreeing with Samui's proposal.
After traveling all night, Samui's stomach was completely empty. She reached into her pouch for a small glass vial of soldier pills—only to find it empty.
She blinked. "When was the last time I took one of these?"
She hesitated for a moment—and then the outline of the Hidden Hot Water Village reappeared on the horizon.
...
Once again, they entered the village. The streets were deserted.
Karui frowned. "Wasn't this place famous for its hot springs? Why is it so empty?"
"Looks like that inn over there is still open." Samui pointed to a building in the distance.
"Meow~" A few cats appeared from who knows where and stopped by the roadside, staring at the three of them.
The innkeeper welcomed them warmly...
...
Kumogakure.
"There's still no word from Samui's team?" The Fourth Raikage asked in a low voice. He had asked this same question every few days.
His beautiful assistant, Mabui, shook her head.
The Raikage sighed heavily. Samui had the brains, the skills, and the looks. Losing a subordinate like her—his heart ached.
Both of Killer Bee's disciples had vanished too. They'd been gone for over six months with no contact. At this point, it was safe to assume they were dead.
And yet, the Raikage refused to give up. He kept dispatching teams to search for them.
Unfortunately, bizarre incidents were happening across the shinobi world. Both Konoha and Kirigakure had fallen. Even Kumogakure wasn't immune to the spreading chaos. They simply didn't have the manpower to keep looking.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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