With that, she silently retreated from the tree hollow.
Hearing that there was no more sound.
Yukio quickly raised his head, clumsily wiping away his tears.
But Amamiya Ayane had already gone far away by then.
In the tree hollow, he was the only one left.
The boy could only stare blankly at the few bills on the ground.
Then, as if waking from a dream, he carefully tucked the bills away close to his body, just as he firmly etched that demon mask into his heart.
—————— Saving the child Yukio.
For Amamiya Ayane, it was just a small interlude.
Although this practice of simply finding a town and leaving Yukio there seemed somewhat like leaving him to fend for himself.
But Amamiya Ayane believed she had already done everything she could.
As for whether Yukio could survive in the future, it would depend on his own luck.
The injured Woodpecker couldn’t walk fast.
But fortunately, this place was already very, very close to the front lines of the battlefield.
The two of them crossed several small hills.
Taking about half a day, the two finally arrived at their destination—the Konoha battlefield at the forefront of the Land of Rain.
The border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire was a large, constantly flowing river named the Anyue River.
Amamiya Ayane and Woodpecker stood at the top of a mountain, overlooking the battlefield below.
At the foot of the mountain were tents pitched by Amegakure Shinobi, faintly moving through the wilderness like a long dragon in formation.
On the other side of the river were layer upon layer of dense forests.
Looking as far as the eye could see, one could vaguely glimpse the black earth and plains in the distance.
Amamiya Ayane’s gaze couldn’t help but be drawn over there.
There was a sunset that she wouldn’t see even a few times a year in the Land of Rain.
The bright red setting sun hung on the horizon, emitting a hazy halo that dyed the distant world.
The mountains and rivers became one color, and heaven and earth became one light.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Woodpecker’s voice brought her back to her senses.
“I was also shocked the first time I saw it.” Woodpecker looked at the setting sun and chuckled, “Being able to live under the brilliant sunshine every day, I really don’t know how happy the Konoha Ninjas must be.” Because they had escaped together.
The two had become much closer.
Hearing this, Amamiya Ayane couldn’t help but tease, “In that case, why don’t you envy the guys from Sunagakure?” When it comes to bathing in the sun, those Sunagakure folks are the experts!
Woodpecker shook his head, “I never said I envied the Konoha Ninjas.” The girl raised an eyebrow, “Hmm?” She thought to herself, *You’re quite stubborn.* To her surprise, Woodpecker said very seriously, “Because that is not my home.” After saying that, he gave her a deep, complex look, “My home is both behind me and beneath my feet.” Amamiya Ayane was speechless for a moment.
She felt that his words seemed to have a deeper meaning.
“Let’s go.
I’ll take you to meet the new squad leader first.” Woodpecker’s emotions were quickly reined in, “The new captain’s code name is Night Crow.
You can also call him Captain Crow.” The Owl Squad had previously suffered heavy casualties on the Sunagakure battlefield.
Even the previous leader, Owl, had died in the deserts of the Land of Wind, and his remains were never recovered.
During this period of reorganization.
The high-ranking Anbu officials of Amegakure did not choose to promote the remaining veterans of the squad, but instead parachuted in a captain from above.
It was the son of the financial Advisor that Ichii Kei had mentioned.
But because the current personnel roster had not yet been filled.
The squad’s name hadn’t been changed yet, and everyone was still accustomed to calling it by the old name, ‘Owl’.
Amamiya Ayane nodded, the corners of her mouth curling slightly behind her mask as she quietly made a pun in her head.
What?
Nicknamed Captain Duck?
This fits my perception of someone with connections perfectly!
Unfortunately, even if she said it out loud, probably no one would understand her dry humor.
Along the Anyue River beneath their feet, Woodpecker led Amamiya Ayane upstream.
Before a dense forest about ten miles upstream, he lit a signal flare.
Before long, an Anbu Ninja in similar attire emerged from the forest to meet them.
“Password?” Woodpecker said with great momentum, “Offer your heart to Lord Hanzou!” “Slogan passed!” Amamiya Ayane, who was beside him: “…” The graduation exam was clearly only a few days ago.
Why did this slogan spread so quickly?
Naturally, she didn’t know that carrier pigeons carrying the new slogan had been sent out from the Village several days ago.
By the time Ichii Kei was talking to her in the principal’s office, this slogan was already being used on the front lines…
The slogan was verified correctly.
The atmosphere in the forest instantly relaxed.
The Anbu Ninja wearing an eagle mask glanced at Amamiya Ayane and said with a grin, “Woodpecker, is this the newcomer?” Her voice was crisp with a hint of youthfulness.
If she hadn’t intentionally disguised it, she should be a female Ninja, and not very old.