The room's decor was simple yet elegant, surrounded by transparent glass that allowed soft natural light to pour in.
In the center, a spacious bed awaited, while in a corner of the room, an array of herbs piled up like a mountain, with a few scattered leaves inadvertently lying on the floor; the air was filled with a bitter yet fresh aroma.
"You can sit wherever you like for now; I still need to grind medicine for Zabuza."
After speaking, he knelt on the ground, fully engrossed in selecting and grinding the herbs.
Looking around the sparsely furnished room, there was truly nowhere else to sit, so she simply sat cross-legged beside him, quietly observing his meticulous process of preparing medicine.
Bai inadvertently glanced sideways, his gaze gently sweeping over the girl beside him, and softly broke the silence:
"Is the team protecting Tazuna someone you know?"
Picking up a herb leaf from the table, Chizhao answered without hesitation: "Yes, they are all very important people to me."
"Very important people..."
Bai murmured, repeating her words, his movements unconsciously pausing for a moment.
Noticing the change in Bai's expression, Chizhao casually asked:
"To Bai, Zabuza is an important person, isn't he?"
Gazing at the girl's face, Bai took the herb leaf from her fingertips and placed it into the vessel before him:
"Yes, he is the person I would risk my life to protect."
"Well, since we both have people we want to protect, why don't you help me persuade Zabuza to accept my proposal?"
Chizhao seized the opportunity to make her request, while also handing Bai another herb, a harmless smile gracing her lips.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow upon her.
This girl, who was like a completely different person when around Gato.
That calmness and composure had now transformed into a tenderness and closeness, as if it could easily melt the ice in people's hearts.
Bai took the herb, his fingertips tentatively brushing her hand.
Seeing no reaction from her, he felt a mix of helplessness and surprise at her lack of guard, then smiled slightly and said, "I cannot control Zabuza's decisions."
After a moment of silence, Bai stopped his medicine-pounding movements, his thoughts drifting back to that cold winter when he met Zabuza:
"From the moment Zabuza took me in, I swore to become his most useful tool, to help him achieve his dream; this is also my motivation for living."
"So, his decision is my decision...."
The strong medicinal scent filling the room seemed to become even richer at this moment, much like his feelings for Zabuza, bitter but containing purity and steadfastness.
This intense emotion, in its silent outpouring, could only be confined within this corner of the room, transforming into an ordinary ointment and then returning to peace.
Although the feelings between Bai and Zabuza were not openly declared, even for Chizhao, who had zero romantic experience, she could more or less sense that their relationship had long surpassed the definition of master and servant.
But if Bai always saw himself as a tool, wouldn't their relationship become unequal?
Chizhao looked at him, a strange emotion welling up in her heart. She reached out a hand and gently placed it on Bai's arm, her tone tinged with urgency:
"Bai, can't you try to face your own feelings, instead of just seeing yourself as a tool?"
Bai heard her, stopped his movements, and turned to look at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, Bai is not a tool, but a person with rich emotions. Everything you do for Zabuza has long surpassed the scope of a tool, and you know that in your heart, don't you? It's just that you don't dare to cross the red line between you, you're afraid it will disrupt your way of getting along, afraid it will change his perception of you, so you've been using the word 'tool' to numb your feelings, right?"
Chizhao poured out all her inner thoughts in one breath, and as her voice faded, the room fell silent once more.
Bai stared at her, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.
He had never imagined his feelings would be perceived so acutely.
And by a stranger he had only known for a day.
He suddenly remembered that he had hidden his true gender from her, and his heart suddenly felt much lighter.
Was it because the other person was looking at him from a female perspective that his actions and words made her think that way?
It was no wonder she would say such things.
If she knew his true gender, he wondered what kind of expression she would have.
"Perhaps what you said is right...."
This ambiguous statement annoyed Chizhao a little; she had rattled on for so long, and it turned out he hadn't really listened at all.
Angrily, she withdrew her hand from his arm. Seeing him continue to grind medicine, Chizhao lost all interest in chatting.
She stood up and walked towards the seemingly soft bed, wanting to just throw herself onto it and bury herself in the softness to clear her drowsy mind.
But then she thought, this was someone else's room after all, so she braked suddenly and stopped steadily by the bed.
"If you want to sleep, then sleep," Bai's gentle voice came from behind.
"Then where will you sleep tonight?"
Bai looked up, a soft smile on his face, tinged with shyness.
"Since we are both girls, it should be fine to sleep together, right?"
What??!!
He... did he really think of himself as a girl?
.......
In the dim night, moonlight was like water, gently falling on the eaves of the cabin in the woods.
Yamato, Sai, and Fu Yamanaka sat upright in the room, patiently waiting for Chizhao and Torune to return.
Suddenly, the door was violently pushed open, and in the dim light, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows before them.
"Torune? What happened to you? What happened? Where's Chizhao?"
Yamato eagerly stepped forward to ask, but Fu Yamanaka stopped him in time: "Wait, Captain, Torune's skin is exposed now."
Reminded by Fu Yamanaka, Yamato withdrew his hand, his brows furrowed with worry.
"What exactly is going on?"
Torune sat a little further away from them and took a slight breath: "Today, Chizhao and I entered Gato's base. Some things happened in between, and in the end, I escaped, while Chizhao went undercover with Gato, alone, looking for an opportunity to complete the mission."
Realizing that Chizhao was alone in a den of danger, Sai frowned and suggested to Yamato: "Captain, let me sneak in. Perhaps it could speed up the mission progress."
Yamato, with a serious expression, was silent for a while. The hardships of undercover work at the shipyard had etched a trace of weariness onto his resolute face. Finally, he decisively rejected Sai's proposal:
"No, sneaking in now would increase Chizhao's risk of exposure. For now, we should not tip them off. We should maintain our respective plan progress. If we get a chance to approach Gato, we will naturally be able to meet Chizhao."
Fu Yamanaka took out bandages and threw them to Torune, then turned to look at Yamato, his tone gentle yet firm:
"Currently, Sai and I have collected a lot of seafood with the old man. Most of it was taken by Gato's subordinates, and some of it needs to be sent to Gato's base as requested. In about three days, Sai and I will be able to follow the team to transport seafood to Gato."
"Okay, then if you successfully contact Chizhao, understand the situation, and then plan the next step of action." After saying that, Yamato looked at Torune, who was bandaging himself:
"Torune, you will monitor the shipyard's transportation with me recently. I suspect that when they are handing over ships, they are secretly placing drugs inside the hull. These things cannot be transported out of here anymore."
Torune nodded solemnly: "I understand."
After making the arrangements, Yamato felt the heavy atmosphere pervading the room. He forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood:
"Well~ don't you guys worry. Chizhao is a very strong Ninja, you know. Given her personality, she's probably comfortably sleeping somewhere right now, hahaha...."