"Ah... it's the Manipulated Cutting Blades."
But before the iron staff touched Chiyo, Hii Kōri stopped.
Because several kunai had already pressed against him.
His shoulders slumped. He exhaled long and slow, then slouched down on the ground. "Right. You're a puppeteer who's achieved the Ten-Finger Technique, old hag. Having that kind of spare capacity makes sense."
Able to operate one puppet with each finger, Chiyo could've easily severed those chakra threads and reconnected them. Even controlling four puppets with two fingers each, her thumbs remained idle.
Her reaction just now? She'd held back considerably.
"Young people need patience. You know how many ninja let their guard down at the 'final moment' and died."
Withdrawing the puppets—now punctured with ten thousand transparent holes—Chiyo stood over her foster son, hands on hips, a look that hates iron but cannot be made into steel. "What's with you, brat? Got too impatient at the end?"
She emphasized "final moment," sighing and shaking her head.
"Eh. You know about maintaining calm, right? Calm?"
"...Have you lost your mind?"
Still in pajamas, Hii Kōri sincerely questioned his foster mother. "We only ran out together to avoid doing dishes. How did it escalate to this?"
"I just wanted to test some new mechanisms I've been working on, then head back after Dad finishes the dishes."
"Why so impatient? I'm cold!"
Emphasizing his point, he grabbed his pajama collar and shook it, looking at his perpetually unreliable foster mother—the one who never disappointed when it counted.
"Worried about my state? You're the one scheming something, aren't you?"
"Ah... that obvious?"
Chiyo's parenting class failed spectacularly. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"Matazaburō brought back news that might relate to your biological parents' deaths. I was worried you'd react strongly..."
"So you decided to knock me around first—remind me of my place."
Hii Kōri rolled his eyes and stood, expression utterly calm. But his chest heaved with fierce breaths.
Proof of the Binding Vow formed with the original child's reverberation upon arriving in this world.
His heart didn't ache—only a touch of sadness remained. Not urgency, just indelible traces.
"Do I seem like the type to act on emotion? It's fine. Spit it out."
Hii Kōri exhaled.
"...Likely Kumogakure."
After hesitation, Chiyo revealed everything.
"Matazabur investigated—the Land of Frost, Waterfalls, Grass, Birds, Bamboo. Based on timing and sequence of similar incidents, those operatives definitely originated from the Land of Lightning."
"Objective probably: destroy outlying intelligence networks and contacts, facilitate infiltration into other nations, prepare for further invasion."
"Your parents likely undertook Sunagakure commissions, so they were deemed contacts of another village."
Hii Kōri nodded silently.
Kumogakure... not unexpected.
As the nation is most interested in expansion, this behavior makes perfect sense.
Based on memory, Kumogakure even had plans to kidnap kekkei genkai ninja for breeding, strengthening the village overall. Though Hii Kōri might face similar in Sunagakure, treatment clearly differed.
Hard to say if his family suffered undeserved misfortune for their red hair. Rivers Country bordered Wind and Fire. His parents' seclusion plan was meticulous—but couldn't stop those bastards from opportunistically stabbing, just to see what the redheads were about.
If so, his parents might have deliberately avoided self-healing to conceal their Uzumaki identity—bleeding out.
Chiyo withholding this now was also sparing his feelings.
"They were your blood relatives' hatred. No one can guarantee your emotions."
At some point, Matazaburō had also entered the courtyard. Interpreting his silence as inner torment, the tall man knelt, draping a coat over him, gently comforting. "So don't blame Chiyo for not telling you immediately, okay?"
"They're dead. I cremated them myself."
The red-haired boy inhaled deeply, responding softly. "Letting the living worry over the dead's revenge—that would be putting the cart before the horse."
"Before age four, I barely remember them. By my memories, you've been with me longer."
His gaze swept across Matazaburō, Mataza, finally resting on Chiyo.
"It started as a transaction, but you've helped me since our first meeting, haven't you? Why would I blame you for this? Right, old hag?"
"Brat... at least call me 'Mom' sometimes..."
Chiyo bit her lip, eyes glistening, looking away.
"Heh. Let's talk utilitarian then. With my personality, I wouldn't abandon research for 'revenge.'"
"That's not very convincing."
Lightening the mood, Mataza slapped his adopted brother's shoulder, teasing. "Every break since school started, you've been hanging with two cute girls. Truth is, you're pretty smitten too, aren't you?"
"Ha. If they were ordinary girls—no matter how cute, how clingy—you think I'd waste energy on them?"
Shooting his brother a sidelong glance, Hii Kōri sniffed disdainfully.
"Karura and Pakura are talented. Their existence alone has high value—plus family and village investments. Befriending them? Never lose money."
"Moreover, they have more free time than formal ninja, and they're happy to follow my lead."
"At this age, their plasticity and learning ability peak. I can teach them some of my hypotheses needing verification. Of course—personally tested, completely harmless."
"I help them quickly realize their talents, they feedback experimental results. Win-win. Plus, learning secret techniques through them means not owing favors to other jōnin."
Ignoring Mataza's increasingly horrified—like he was looking at scum—expression, Hii Kōri explained.
"Finally—they're cute girls. Of course I like them."
"Since the day old hag saved me, I decided: I'll live for myself. Love and hate are unavoidable topics, but beyond them, I have purer pursuits. Right?"
"So don't worry about me. Dad. Mom. Big Brother."
***
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