Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 113: Farewell and Departure, Code Name 'Asura'!

"Glug, glug."

"Cough, cough—pfft!"

Uchiha Ci coughed up several mouthfuls of water before finally poking his head out from beneath the surface.

Unknowingly, the water level created by the Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave had continued to drop. The surface of this small "ocean" had receded to the height of the second floor.

In the distance, the civilians of the Land of Hot Water, amidst the aftermath of the disaster, had begun various rescue efforts.

Young men carried ladders and paddled small boats, helping women and children down from rooftops.

Elsewhere, people pried open drainage channels, veins bulging on their foreheads as they shouted commands.

The Hot Springs ninjas, leaping across the water, served as messengers, reporting the disaster situation layer by layer.

Meanwhile, bloated and disheveled nobles barked orders at the ninjas, demanding their mansions be rescued first.

It was a scene of destruction and rebirth, hope intertwined with despair.

Watching all this, Uchiha Ci fell silent, finally calming down completely.

The reckless thought of using Zero-Tails' power to seek justice for the civilians of Yanyan City was suppressed.

Zero-Tails was not a symbol of justice fighting against evil; it was the embodiment of malevolence and darkness. Drawing dark chakra would harm these people, and to absorb the extreme emotions of an entire city, Uchiha Ci would need to keep moving closer to collect it, spreading the battle's aftermath in the process.

In doing so, he would become a true executioner, no different from the pursuers or the Third Mizukage, who treated human life with disdain.

At that moment—

"Are you okay?"

Mei Terumi squatted by the water's edge, picked up a stick, and poked Uchiha Ci's cheek with it.

"Hah." Uchiha Ci exhaled and gave a helpless smile. He looked up at her and said, "This time, it's really goodbye."

Behind Mei Terumi were the esteemed elders of the Hidden Mist and the bloodline clan forces.

Beside her, Hozuki Mangetsu stood supported by his clan's ninja.

As battle approached, Yagura would surely take them both away, and Mei Terumi's actions had always been for the future of the Hidden Mist.

After a moment of silence, Uchiha Ci reached into his pocket and pulled out an object wrapped in oiled paper.

It was a sakura mochi Mei Terumi had bought him.

After the intense battle, even the oiled paper couldn't keep it from getting soaked. Only one piece remained.

"Here, it's a bit cold now, but do you still want it?" Uchiha Ci scratched his head, embarrassed as he unfolded the oiled paper.

Mei Terumi's gaze fell on the blood-soaked, misshapen sakura mochi, her green eyes flickering with complexity.

Afterward, Uchiha Ci would return to Konoha, and she to the Hidden Mist.

Both would continue walking their respective paths as ninjas. This sakura mochi might represent their last crossing.

"Hah."

Looking at the awkward boy in front of her, Mei suddenly smiled—a smile as vibrant as hibiscus blossoms swaying in a spring breeze.

"I'll eat it!"

She carefully picked up the bloodstained sakura mochi, treating it with the reverence of accepting a wedding ring.

Then, standing up, she gave Uchiha Ci one last look.

She wanted to say more, to promise something, to make an agreement.

But she couldn't.

For a girl who would one day miss her chance at marriage to rebuild the Hidden Mist, being a ninja meant enduring such emotions, swallowing that bitterness, and pressing forward with unwavering determination.

With a sigh, she looked at Uchiha Ci with a complicated expression.

"Next time, I won't hold back."

"In the future, let's meet on the battlefield."

Uchiha Ci hesitated for a moment, then nodded silently.

"Alright."

There was no further conversation.

Hozuki Mangetsu shot Uchiha Ci one last venomous glare, only to look away with a pout when Ci stared back, leaving him baffled.

Soon, under Yagura's lead, the Hidden Mist team swiftly departed the devastated battlefield.

At this moment—

The ever-silent Aburame Ryoma, who had been standing beside Uchiha Ci as if invisible, glanced at him and said, "You have other things to do."

"You've got thirty minutes. I'll wait outside the city."

"This concerns your reassignment, your new mission, and—"

"Your new identity in the Root."

Uchiha Ci frowned slightly but nodded.

Without another word, Aburame Ryoma and the Root ninjas vanished. He, too, needed time to process the information and report everything to Danzo.

Especially Uchiha Ci.

His combat ability, and the unique traits exposed during the battle, were a far cry from the intelligence Root had on him.

Ryoma glanced down at the devastated battlefield below—collapsed buildings and deep trenches as if a hurricane had swept through.

He decided that the Root ninjas responsible for gathering intel on the Uchiha would pay for this.

Weak? A lucky kid? Just a failure wallowing in mediocrity?

Ryoma's head hurt just thinking about the chaos Danzo would unleash upon hearing this.

Surely, the old man would blame it all on "an Uchiha conspiracy" and target this kid.

---

After saying goodbye to Seijiro—busy rebuilding Yanyan City's underground market and tallying losses to send a bill to Fugaku—Uchiha Ci was dismissed with:

"Scram! You're an eyesore. Just don't die."

"And if you see Shisui at Orochimaru's place, say hi for me."

Ignoring Seijiro's disdain, Ci couldn't help but wonder how he knew about his trip to the Land of Rain. Realizing Seijiro's role in managing the black market, he let it go.

With everything settled, Uchiha Ci left, carrying complicated thoughts about his influence on the Third Shinobi World War.

---

Outside the city, at a hot spring lodge, Aburame Ryoma awaited, standing in the golden hues of sunset mist.

"You're here?" Ryoma asked coldly, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Yes, I'm here."

Ryoma tossed a token at Ci and declared:

"From today, you're a ninja of the Root. No name, no feelings, no past, no future."

"You are the 'Root' that supports Konoha."

"Your code name is—Asura!"

Uchiha Ci's face twitched. Was this guy preparing for a poetry exam?

As Ryoma walked into the lodge, he commanded without looking back:

"Asura, follow me! Your first mission is—"

"To give your superior a back rub!"