In Iwagakure, the long-legged Kurotsuchi was sitting by the window of the Tsuchikage's Office. Her long legs dangled carelessly as she gazed up at the sky.
The sky in the Land of Earth was too small, and everywhere is just a mixture of yellow and black. And these boundless land stones are too cold, and they look cold in this vast mountain territory.
From the moment she was born, the name Kurotsuchi had been destined to follow her for life. This name was given by her grandfather, the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki, which means peace and prosperity for all the years to come with the land under her feet. (T/N: Kurotsuchi literally means Black Earth.)
Unlike her peers, Kurotsuchi had always known she was different. She couldn't play freely with other children, as she would be the one to inherit the Will of Stone in the future.
Her father always seemed to be taciturn, and her grandfather had once publicly said that her father was not suitable to be the Kage of the village. Her father never seemed to mind this.
Then again, he never cared about such things.
In fact, deep down, Kurotsuchi understood her fate. Ever since childhood, her grandfather's favoritism had made it clear. She would inherit her grandfather, Onoki's position and become the village's Tsuchikage.
She didn't fully understand the responsibilities of such position, but she knew it was a heavy burden. She might have to stay in the village for the rest of her life, with few opportunities to go out.
To outsiders, she seemed to accept this fate and was proud of it. But only Kurotsuchi herself knew that she had always had a desire to escape in her heart.
This awareness had sprouted in her childhood, when she gazed up at the blue sky and wondered how people lived under the same sky elsewhere.
Did they mine ores? Or did they chase butterflies in forests? what did forests even look like? And rivers? The sea could carry ships, and its waves could tower dozens of meters high.
Logically speaking, her current life was already perfect. She had the Tsuchikage as her grandfather, a father who is also a powerful Shinobi, and she comes from a famous family with formidable strength.
As a Shinobi, she had been born ahead of the starting line. Now, she had wealth, influence, and strength that surpassed all the young elites of Iwagakure.
So… what more could she ask for?
But she had seen the outside world. She knew that beyond the Land of Earth, there were snow-covered nations where it snowed all year round, and Samurai country without a single Shinobi.
The mountains and rivers along the way were breathtaking, like a maiden in a verdant dress, exuding endless shy charm.
Logically, having seen it once should have lessened her desire to leave. But the opposite is also true. Often, the more you saw, the more restless your heart became.
The idea of escaping had taken root in her heart, surfacing whenever she lost herself staring at the sky. Sometimes, the thought alone made her pulse race, her heart burning fiercely.
She also realized that if she wanted to leave, she had to do it while the old man was still healthy. Once the position of Tsuchikage was passed on to her, she would never be able to leave again.
She had to seize her youth, otherwise, once she took that seat, her heart would belong solely to the village, and her hands and feet would forever be bound to this piece of land.
"I still have to go out and see the world. Even if the world outside is not as beautiful at least I won't regret it when I return to the village in the future." She murmured to herself as she looked at the rocks in the distance.
Just… step out. That was all.
…
As night fell, Naruto had already opened the Gate of the Underworld elsewhere.
After some deliberation, Naruto decided to quietly relocate with the two girls to the Land of Hot Water, using this opportunity for a special team-building session.
And he also wanted to take this opportunity to provide them with psychological counseling to correct their extreme mental states.
Surrounded by dense forests, they can faintly hear the sound of flowing water, humming like distant thunder.
"Where is this?" Ajisai asked curiously, "By the way, what was that gate just now? Weren't we in the Land of Earth?"
"Does the Land of Earth even have forests? And there's water here?"
"Why are you asking so much? Are you a curious baby?" Naruto said impatiently, "This is a team-building trip. Psychological counseling, got it?"
"What kind of counseling?" Ajisai was stunned, "Is this some new type of shame roleplay?"
"Probably the… teacher-student kind?" Yakumo tilted her head and suddenly added, "Master seems to like this kind of thing very much."
Naruto: "..."
The night was silent as still water. As they approached the waterfall, the thunderous roar of the water made Naruto's heart race and he quickened his pace to hurry to the place not far away.
"Come on, hurry up!" He turned and waved at them.
"I know, I know!" Ajisai replied listlessly, "What? It's just wild fishing late at night. How boring."
"What did you just say?" Naruto stopped in his tracks.
"I mean… I love fishing. It's really fun!" Ajisai's body tensed up, and a forced smile appeared on her face, "Hahaha…"
The river was getting closer and closer. Naruto took the lead and pushed aside the bushes. Finally, he saw the river surging downstream from the waterfall under the silver moonlight.
"We're here!"
He let out a long sigh, not knowing whether he was speaking to Ajisai and Yakumo, or to himself. He took out a series of equipment from the sealed space and handed it to the two girls.
"Come on, come on! One fishing rod each. Just sit tight."
After that, he also gave them small folding stools and mosquito-proof tents. He wasn't good at psychological counseling, so he simply led them to do what he was most familiar with.
Sharpening the axe won't delay the cutting of firewood… Let them slow down, even if just briefly, and step away from their lives of slaughter. Let them experience the simple joys of ordinary people, however fleeting.
"Alright, let's begin. I'll sit over there." Ajisai took the initiative to find a fishing spot. She casually fiddled with the bamboo rod, baited it with a small earthworm, and cast it into the river.
The more composed Yakumo did not rush to throw the bait. Instead, she carefully observed the terrain, found a suitable fishing spot, and then methodically prepared her bait.
She was different from Ajisai, who probably just treated fishing as a task and was a bit perfunctory. After all, Ajisai still had some complaints about Naruto, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
But Yakumo roughly understood Naruto's intentions and knew his true colors. The shadow of him beating Ido was still lingering in her heart, so she was very cooperative.
Perhaps beginners' luck was real, but from the moment she sat down, Yakumo started catching fish intermittently.
At first, Ajisai didn't pay much attention when she glanced over. She also benefited from the Fishing God's favor for novices and managed to hook a fish.
But the more she looked, the more she felt that something was off.
"Yakumo! How are you catching so many?"
"Many? I'm just sitting here. Maybe…" Yakumo tilted her head and smiled faintly. "Maybe it's because Master is here, so my luck is better."
Ajisai: "..."
'Damn it, stop speaking like that all of a sudden! Why are you sucking up to him? Aren't we comrades who suffered together? What about the vows we made in that Jashin's altar?'
'Since when did this become a competition?! Ugh! Too fake! How can you even say that with a straight face!'
Ajisai complained madly in her heart, and didn't continue to ask Yakumo, as the sheer cringe was too much. Her expression twisted before she managed to suppress the urge to gag.
Fortunately, her harvest was good in the end, so Ajisai's mood improved. The slow, rhythmic process of fishing gradually calmed her mind, allowing her to find a sliver of enjoyment.
In fact, it's not that fun. She would never admit that fishing is interesting.
Just as she showed a smile at the sight of her full basket of fish, she suddenly realized a problem, 'It's the middle of the night. How are we supposed to transport all these fish back?'
"How do we take these back?" She asked.
"Hmm?" Naruto looked puzzled.
"Just store them in the sealed space. Keeps them fresh. After all, as a certain fish-selling Gao once said, fresh fish sell for more."
After hearing this, Ajisai thought for a while. She looked at her basket of fish at her feet, then looked at Naruto, and her mind suddenly became active.
"Uh… M-Master." Ajisai still felt a little awkward to call Naruto with that title, "Can we sell these fish? There must be a town nearby, right?"
"We can sell the fish we caught?" Yakumo was a little surprised.
"Of course, I've asked around, and blackfish are rare on the market." Naruto said. He never did anything without a purpose. Having been to the Land of Hot Water before, he knew these fish could be sold.
This was also what he wanted, which is to guide them through this little 'game', letting them transition from the brutal life of the Jashin's altar back into the real world.
He put the fish caught by Ajisai and the fish caught by Yakumo into one basket, placing it by the shore where the flowing water could keep them fresh. The stream murmured softly under the clear moonlight.
"Scarcity drives value. They'll definitely fetch a good price."