Chapter 169: The Aura That Felt Familiar to Mito Uzumaki

In a canyon to the southeast, a group had set up camp. From the tent guarded in the very center, a burst of intense arguing could be heard.

"Mito Uzumaki, why have the people you brought been dragging their feet? Don't think that just because you are my big brother's fiancée, you can do whatever you want!"

An angry white-haired man slammed his fist hard onto the table, causing the simple furniture to let out a pained groan.

Tobirama Senju, his face having shed its childishness, gritted his teeth. His red eyes were filled with dissatisfaction toward the woman before him, who was clearly distracted.

The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing her vibrant red hair in a bun, with her forehead combed high to reveal a smooth, flawless brow, and a few strands of hair left hanging before her face.

Her skin was fair, her large, clear, bright eyes seemed to reveal intelligence and cunning, and her lips were red and full, slightly upturned as if always prepared for a laugh or a mocking expression.

"Huh?"

The figure sitting in the chair, lost in thought, heard Tobirama Senju's accusation. She furrowed her delicate brows, her black eyes filled with disdain. She tugged at the corner of her mouth imperceptibly and said in a calm tone,

"First of all, our Uzumaki clan has not been dragging our feet. We already helped you find the Hagi clan; are you blaming us because you let them escape?"

As she spoke, her aura shifted. A powerful pressure of chakra descended upon the insolent Tobirama Senju, and her slightly narrowed, beautiful eyes were filled with threats.

"Secondly, I personally never agreed to this marriage; it is entirely your Senju clan's wishful thinking."

"Ugh~~~"

The white-haired youth in his growth phase was clearly no match for the red-haired woman before him, and he was left breathless by the tsunami-like surge of her chakra.

His red eyes were filled with shock, but Tobirama Senju was not one to sit and wait for death. He reached a hand behind his back, secretly beginning to form hand seals, and a faint, azure chakra rose from his body to contend with hers.

"Report!!!"

Just as the two were at daggers drawn, a hurried voice rang out. Both stopped in tacit agreement, looking at each other in silence, their eyes filled with nothing but disgust.

Tsk! A stinking woman who smells like fish!

Tsk! A gloomy, idiotic white-haired jerk!

"Come in!"

Mito Uzumaki withdrew her chakra pressure. A trace of unnatural flush flashed across the face of Tobirama Senju, who had caught his breath.

It was evident that he had not come away unscathed from resisting the pressure just now. Forcing down the surging blood in his chest, he spoke coldly.

"Report to the Princess and Young Clan Leader Tobirama, we have discovered the trail of the remnants of the Hagi clan."

The person who entered was from the Uzumaki clan, who had been assisting Koji Senju in the search. He bowed respectfully to Mito Uzumaki, gave a simple cupped-hand salute to Tobirama Senju, and said,

"Is it a group consisting entirely of old men?"

Ignoring the differential treatment from the Uzumaki clansman, Tobirama Senju was currently more concerned with the movements of the Hagi clan.

"Not this time. I can sense several powerful chakra signatures, as well as the presence of women and children."

The Uzumaki clansman explained.

During this period, the remnants of the Hagi clan had broken into smaller groups. Most of the teams they had tracked consisted of elderly people who would resort to forbidden jutsu for a mutual destruction the moment they were encountered, causing heavy losses to the Senju clan's cleanup squads.

"It seems that's them!"

Tobirama Senju stood up excitedly. After chasing for so long, he had finally caught up to the core figures of the Hagi clan. As long as these guys were wiped out, his father's great vengeance would be avenged.

"Who is leading your team?"

The white-haired youth asked impatiently.

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, it is Captain Koji Senju."

"Koji, huh! Then I can rest easy."

Hearing that Koji Senju was the one leading the pursuit, Tobirama Senju felt settled.

A few years ago, Koji Senju had encountered an ambush by the Uchiha clan and triggered great potential between life and death. After surviving, his strength increased significantly, and he leaped to become the leader among the elite captains.

"Since they have been found, our agreement is considered fulfilled. Notify everyone to prepare to leave."

Mito Uzumaki could not stand being with this white-haired brat for even a minute. Hearing that the target had been found, she immediately indicated that she would take her Uzumaki clansmen and leave.

"Hmph! Don't be in such a hurry to leave. We still need someone to lead the way."

Tobirama Senju also wished for Mito Uzumaki to leave quickly, but he did not know the specific location of the Hagi clan, so he proposed with an unhappy expression that someone must lead the way.

"Princess, let me go instead."

The Uzumaki clansman who had come to report volunteered.

"Forget it, I'll go take a look. I haven't stretched my limbs since I got here. You are responsible for contacting the other clansmen and have everything packed up before I return."

Mito Uzumaki did not want to waste too much time and immediately stated that she would go personally, telling the clansman who had come to report to hurry and notify the clansmen outside to gather.

"You are going?"

Tobirama Senju frowned, feeling that this person was not being so kind-hearted.

"I just want to finish the mission quickly and go home. The Uzumaki clan gathering is coming up soon, and clansmen wandering outside will all be rushing back these next few days."

Mito Uzumaki arched her beautiful brows and said to Tobirama Senju, who was showing a suspicious look,

"Afraid I'll harm you?"

"Nonsense, then let's set off quickly!"

Tobirama Senju recalled that the date of the Uzumaki clan's annual gathering was indeed approaching, so he did not continue to press the matter and was the first to lift the curtain and walk out.

Before long, Tobirama Senju, who had assembled a team of Senju elites, stood with his arms crossed. His indigo armor emitted waves of cold air.

His scarlet eyes were half-closed, and his fingers tapping frequently on his gauntlets revealed his irrepressible anger.

"Damnable woman, why isn't she out yet?"

"What's the rush? Don't I have to ask which direction it is?"

The late-arriving Mito Uzumaki rolled her eyes and retorted with a very unpleasant tone.

"Let's go, follow closely and don't fall behind."

Without further ado, Mito Uzumaki, having learned the general direction, kicked off the ground and flew off in pursuit of the direction the Hagi clan had moved.

"Move out!"

Tobirama Senju waved his hand, leading the Senju elites to quickly follow the receding red silhouette.

On the other side

"Gin, who exactly were you thinking of just now?"

The young girl beside Uchiha Gin gritted her teeth and asked. She had never seen that expression on Gin's face before; he must have been thinking of some seductive vixen.

"Oh, I told you, I was just thinking about the grilled meat at Dalang's place. Once the mission is over, I'll treat everyone to a meal when we get back."

Uchiha Gin explained stubbornly. In any case, Hikaru Uchiha did not know Mito Uzumaki, and the two women probably wouldn't meet for another dozen years or so.

"Impossible! Were you thinking of that big-chested woman who makes shaved ice?"

(°°)？ Misao Uchiha, who was eating melon on the side.

Seeing Uchiha Gin trying to change the subject, the girl began to investigate one by one, activating her Sharingan to stare fixedly at him, intending to monitor his micro-expressions to see if his answers were lies.

"How could that be? My relationship with Lady Eimi is purely professional. Don't you dare spout nonsense and tarnish her innocence out of thin air."

Uchiha Gin said righteously, his whole body radiating a light of justice that forced the girl to close her eyes.

At the same time, she missed the opportunity to monitor his micro-expressions. By the time the light faded, Uchiha Gin's expression was back to normal, showing no signs of anything amiss.

"Then it must be that detestable brat at home!"

Hikaru Uchiha gnashed her teeth. She hadn't expected that even after coming out, he would still be thinking about that little BZ back home. It wasn't enough that she was by his side; he still had to look at the pot while eating from the bowl.

"Huh???"

Young lady, can you be any more outrageous? I, Uchiha Gin, am a straight man through and through, from head to toe; how could I be bewitched by a little brat?

"Tsk! It seems it's neither. Tell me quickly, are you hiding someone else you haven't told me about!"

Hikaru Uchiha reached out and grabbed Uchiha Gin's arm, pressing it against herself, looking at him with a wronged expression, trying to evoke his pity.

"I swear on the lower-body happiness of the Uchiha ancestor! If I am thinking of another woman, may I be struck by something falling from the sky—"

Uchiha Gin immediately raised a hand, his face showing an honest expression, sweeping away his usual lazy temperament, and began to swear solemnly.

Yet he did not notice that on the back of the hand he had raised, a long-lost pattern flashed.

The next second.

A delicate fist descended from the sky, landing squarely on the top of Uchiha Gin's head as he was swearing a poisonous oath on his own great cousin.

Half an hour ago

"Are you leading us in circles?"

Tobirama Senju, who had been following Mito Uzumaki for a long time, was becoming restless. At seventeen, he was not yet as composed as he would be in the future.

Realizing that his group seemed to have been led in circles, he could no longer suppress the questions in his heart and began to interrogate the red-haired woman leading the way.

"Are you questioning my sensory abilities?"

Mito Uzumaki stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, looking at Tobirama Senju behind her with a cold expression.

Damn it! This white-haired brat actually noticed.

"But, I made this mark ten minutes ago. How did we end up back here?"

Tobirama Senju pointed to an obscure mark on a large tree and said angrily.

"Nagging! You're making so much noise that I can't sense clearly."

Seeing that the matter was exposed, Mito Uzumaki began to act unreasonably.

"Don't you know that sensing is a very delicate operation? You keep yapping away beside me, and I can't concentrate!"

She spoke with such conviction, worthy of a version T0 character.

"Sigh~~ Please be serious. Our time is tight and the mission is heavy. Besides, you wouldn't want your big brother to stay on the front lines forever, would you?"

Having no other choice, the devious Tobirama Senju had to resort to a classic threat.

"Tsk!"

Thinking of her battle-crazed big brother, Mito Uzumaki secretly clicked her tongue in her heart. That guy, Huadao Uzumaki, really doesn't let anyone worry.

"Follow closely."

No longer beating around the bush, Mito Uzumaki leaped onto a high branch and chased in the direction of Uchiha Gin and the others.

In no time at all, the group arrived at the location where Uchiha Gin had intercepted Koji Senju.

"Wait! There is a very dense chakra residue ahead."

Sensing the traces left behind on the battlefield with keen perception, Mito Uzumaki waved her hand to stop the group, knitted her delicate brows, and said in a low voice,

"Is it Koji and the others? Let's go quickly!"

Since there were signs of battle, it must mean Koji Senju had caught up to the Hagoromo clan, and they should hurry to provide support.

"Something is wrong; I don't sense any signs of life."

Sensing the strange situation, Mito Uzumaki chose not to proceed, turned her head, and told Tobirama Senju the situation truthfully with a grave expression.

"Then what are we waiting for! The enemy must be fighting while retreating, and Koji and the others are still in pursuit. Let's go!"

Ignoring the worried Mito Uzumaki, the anxious Tobirama Senju led the men to rush toward the place where Uchiha Gin had slaughtered the Senju squad; as they arrived, the scene before their eyes made their eyes split with rage.

Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki stood in place, murmuring to herself, because from that chakra, she had distinguished a long-lost aura—the aura she had thought of day and night, the one that kept her tossing and turning in her sleep.

"No way, no way? How could that human trafficker be here?"

(End of chapter)