Returning to the classroom, Chizhao happened to run into Sai, who was walking towards her.
Chizhao naturally raised her hand, offering a friendly greeting with a slight smile.
However, Sai's eyes, as deep as night, seemed to freeze, staring blankly at her, yet not a single gaze truly focused on her face.
More accurately, it was a subtle and unpleasant feeling, like being separated by an invisible wall, ignored with indifference.
Uh...
She was completely treated as air.
Awkwardly lowering her hand, as she watched Sai turn and enter the room, an item quietly slipped from his pocket, but he remained oblivious, continuing forward.
Chizhao quickly stepped forward and picked up the forgotten notebook.
Hmm? Isn't this Sai's picture book?
Out of curiosity, she flipped through the blank cover back and forth, then looked at some of the contents inside, but it was completely empty, without a single drop of ink.
According to her memory, the picture book should have depicted Sai and his brother.
Could it be that they separated too early, so the picture book hadn't even started to be drawn yet?
Just as Chizhao was deep in thought, a force suddenly snatched the picture book back.
Chizhao looked at her empty hands, then up at Sai, whose pale face showed a rare hint of displeasure.
"If you find something, you should return it. Don't you understand that?"
His tone was calm, but it subtly conveyed reproach.
Caught in the act, Chizhao stammered, "Sorry..."
However, Sai didn't pay attention to her apology. He stuffed the notebook back into his backpack and returned to his seat.
It seems Sai is not easy to get along with at this time either.
Chizhao withdrew her gaze and slowly walked towards her seat.
Ahead, Aburame Torune and Fu Yamanaka were leaning on the edge of a desk, seemingly whispering about something.
Judging by the dust on their clothes, they must have been sparring with Ninjutsu during their break.
"Ah, she's here."
Seeing Chizhao approach, Fu Yamanaka's gaze immediately focused on her face. As if he had discovered a new continent, he walked directly towards her.
"Hey... Fu!"
Aburame Torune seemed embarrassed and tried to stop him, but Fu Yamanaka ignored him.
"Chizhao? May I call you that?"
Fu Yamanaka smiled gently. His medium-length orange-yellow hair was tied in a high ponytail, standing out in the dim environment.
Under the incandescent light, a faint melancholy seemed to hide in his yellow eyes. Due to the height difference, Fu Yamanaka slightly lowered his head, casting a gentle shadow over Chizhao.
"Of course."
"That's good. Actually, my partner, after knowing you graduated from the Ninja Academy, has always wanted to ask you about his brother, but he's too shy, so..."
So that's it.
Chizhao turned her gaze to the slightly awkward Aburame Torune, who was standing behind her with his arms crossed.
She slowly walked closer to him, looking at him with soft eyes, and said softly, "Your brother must be Shino Aburame. He's doing very well at the Academy and has graduated successfully. He's not alone anymore, so you can rest assured."
"You... why..."
As if his thoughts had been seen through, Aburame Torune opened his mouth but said no more.
Having never spoken to a girl before, he suddenly became very reserved.
Remembering the Phosphorus Destruction Bugs on his body, he subtly pulled his feet in, averted his gaze to the ground, and said in a low voice, "I know... You'd better not get too close to me... You'll die."
Chizhao paused instantly. She looked steadily at the boy in front of her, a complex feeling passing through her heart.
Thinking about it, Aburame Torune, in some ways, was like her.
Bound by strange abilities and forced to retreat into the darkness.
Actually, he must also long for a normal life, an ordinary day of going to school and making friends.
"I know, I won't get too close to you..."
Torune felt a slight pang of discomfort, and his arms, crossed over his chest, tightened a bit.
"But, you can get close to me!"
His eyes, hidden behind his mask, widened for a moment. He slowly raised his head, gazing intently at the girl in front of him, and suddenly found her clean face to be a beauty he had never seen before.
There was no fresh blood, no desperate eyes.
It was like a beam of light suddenly breaking into the darkness.
A clear and gentle voice telling him—come closer to me, I am right in front of you.
His heart was like a great bell that had been struck.
The melodious and crisp sound echoed in his heart for a long time.
Just then, Yamato walked in, his steady voice breaking the silence in the room.
"Ahem, everyone, please return to your seats. We're about to continue with the next lesson."
The few of them ended their conversation and returned to their respective seats.
When Chizhao looked up at Yamato, that bizarre smile sent shivers down her spine.
It was clear that Yamato was trying very hard to be "friendly," but his expression was even more terrifying than before.
His emotionless eyes and mechanically upturned lips were scarier than a horror movie!!
"Fu..."
Chizhao poked Fu Yamanaka beside her, calling out softly.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Don't you think the captain's expression is really scary?"
Fu Yamanaka looked up. Yamato's eerie smile appeared even more chilling under the light.
"No, I think it's quite normal."
What?!
Chizhao was greatly shocked.
Could it be that after staying in the Root Organization for too long, even fear was discarded?
Disbelieving, she leaned over to look at the expressions of the other two.
They both had cold and impassive looks, which made her feel out of place among them.
Even her facial features were contorted in distress.
"Chizhao? Do you have a problem?"
She gasped, stiffly turning her gaze to Yamato.
But his wide-eyed smile was already making her sweat.
"No... nothing..."
Wuwuwu, it's even scarier than before!
Under Yamato's "kind" expression, Chizhao endured several difficult theoretical lessons.
Special Intelligence Squad Six finally received its first mission.
This mission was a request from the Land of Grass, a village whose military strength had become exhausted due to prolonged warfare, and thus sought help from great Ninja nations like Konoha.
"The content of this mission is to—steal the secret scroll of Kusagakure and safely bring it back. The mission rank is B. Given that this is our squad's first mission, I hope everyone can cooperate well and complete it successfully."
The four members of Squad Six stood in the Anbu training ground, listening intently to Yamato's detailed mission briefing.
The first mission is B-rank.
Should I say, it's truly the Anbu?
After putting on their white fox masks, with Yamato's command, the five instantly vanished from their original positions.
The Land of Grass, a country situated at the border of the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, was once the scene of intense clashes during the Third Great Ninja War.
After that war, the Land of Grass was severely weakened, its economy plummeted, and the country itself split into two major factions:
One was the "Grass Seed," eager to restore national prestige, and the other was the "Grass Flower," longing for peace.
However, for Chizhao and the others, they were unaware of which faction the request they received originated from.
After all, those who could secretly hire Anbu Ninja were often those who did not wish to easily expose their own existence.