Hatsune once again put on that rough hemp robe, getting up promptly at five o'clock every morning to begin training according to the pre-assessment program.
One evening, a new face arrived in Falling Dragon Mountain.
The Falling Dragon Waterfall thundered into the water pool with a "rumbling" sound. Skipping down the rugged mountain path came a girl dressed in a pink feather robe.
The girl had a sweet smile and a full figure. As she bounced along, her ample boobs bounced too.
Walking down the mountain path, the girl immediately spotted the neatly folded rough hemp robes on the shore, where a pitch-black crow was sprawled out resting on top.
The girl smiled, cautiously approached the shore, and reached out to play with the crow's little toes.
The crow, annoyed, kicked a few times. Tilting its head, it slowly opened its large eyes. Upon seeing the newcomer clearly, it promptly sat up from the robe, croaking happily, "Big Bosom Sister, it's you! Did you come specially to see me? Are you missing me?"
The person was none other than Kanroji Nae.
Upon hearing the crow call her "Big Bosom Sister," Nae blushed instantly, grabbing the crow's wings with both hands and lifting it off the robe, saying angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to call me that? And you still call me?"
"I just did."
The crow on Nae's shoulder chimed in, flying over to Hatsune's crow and flapping its wings vigorously.
"You have such a mouth on you. Watch me not discount it."
"Ow." Hatsune's crow let out a miserable cry, turning back to the water pool behind it and shouting for help.
"Hatsune, someone is playing with your bird, no... no, someone is hitting your bird. Aren't you going to do something?"
"You're still calling me? Call again and I'll pluck all your feathers and stew you in a pot."
"Hatsune, someone wants to pluck your bird's feathers. Sob, hurry and come save me."
"Where is he? Tell me where he is, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll dunk you in the water there and give you a cold bath."
"Hmph, your tricks won't work on me. I'm ironclad brothers with Hatsune."
The crow turned its head away, seeming loyal, but tough for not even a second, leaking air, "I won't tell you where the person is underwater."
Nae couldn't help but laugh out loud, releasing the crow.
The crow flew halfway into the air but still shouted towards the water pool, "Hatsune, this rude woman is yours to deal with. Brother, I'll go back up the mountain to wait for you to eat, gaga."
"What a coward." Nae's crow muttered casually, jumping onto Nae's shoulder.
Nae fondly stroked its head.
Nae was soft-hearted, but her crow was strong-willed. Hatsune was sparing with his words, but the crow was talkative; this combination was simply incredible.
Nae sat quietly by the shore, waiting. It had been almost two months since she last saw Hatsune.
She had worried for a long time. Every few days, she asked her sister to inquire about Hatsune's news until she finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that he had awakened.
Half a month ago, with her sister's permission, she went to the Butterfly Mansion to visit Hatsune but was told he had already left. From the butterfly ninja, she learned that Hatsune was practicing here.
After two weeks of pleading, she finally persuaded her sister and successfully joined under Master Seigen, accepting Master Seigen's guidance and practicing with Hatsune in Falling Dragon Mountain.
White bubbles emerged from the water, and shortly after, Hatsune emerged from the water with wet shorts, bare arms, and holding a sword. He had a large iron ball tied to each ankle, making his walk look particularly heavy.
Seeing Hatsune's fair and clean chest, Nae lowered her head apologetically.
Hatsune came to the shore, sat on a smooth stone platform, and began to untie the large iron balls from his ankles.
Nae had noticed him as soon as she came to the shore, but the incident on Mount Fujikasane had left her worried about this girl and reluctant to meet her, so she intentionally delayed for half an hour before emerging from the water.
"Turn around. I need to change clothes."
Nae clasped her fingers and obediently turned around.
After changing clothes, Hatsune didn't even say hello and walked towards the mountaintop with his sword, leaving Nae to hurriedly follow.
"How's your body?"
"It's almost recovered."
Nae nodded, trying to find a topic or something Hatsune was interested in. "I went to the Butterfly Mansion to find you. Shinobu Kocho said you were practicing here."
Sure enough, it was that woman again. He had left a note specifically instructing her not to tell anyone his location, but she didn't hesitate to sell him out.
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing... I just wanted to see how you were doing."
Hatsune's indifferent tone made Nae feel a bit strange. She felt that Hatsune was the same as before, yet different.
"I've heard about what happened on Mount Fujikasane. Thank you for saving me."
Hatsune's willingness to speak first made Nae feel a little happy.
"No... you saved us, and I didn't do anything. It was Akino who saved you."
Nae recalled the incident of suffocation, her full lips seemed to still retain the cold touch and the sweet scent of blood, her cheeks naturally felt hot, her head lowered, and she wished she could bury her face in her chest.
"Do you know that Akino and Yuka joined the Hidden Department?" Yuka wrote to ask me to tell you. They are very grateful to you. They hope you won't worry about Akino's abandonment. Akino's resignation is not only for you but also for Yuka."
Hatsune knew the relationship between the two and knew that Akino's resignation was not entirely for himself, but he still found it hard to let go.
"It's late. Why don't you go home? What are you doing following me?"
"You don't know yet. I've already joined Master Seigen. From now on, I will practice with you on Falling Dragon Mountain."
"What?!"
Hatsune was shocked, fearing that something would come, stopping his steps and looking back at Nae under the steps.
Nae was embarrassed to look at her feet.
"Why... why did you join the old man? Isn't your sister a "Love Hashira" with a strong strength? You should let your sister teach you. Let me tell you, Mr. Seigen is a bad-tempered old man, who is often beaten and scolded, and sometimes even does not give food to eat."
To prevent Nae from staying on the mountain, Hatsune changed his usual style and started to deceive him.
Really, it's difficult for him to speak more than a word at ordinary times, but now his mouth is like a machine gun, with continuous rolling and deceit. Considering Nae's unique preference for eating, he also added a sentence "no food to eat" at the end, describing Seigen Ryoubei as a new era of weekly scraping skin.
"No, Mr. Seigen's temperament is good. I told him that I can help with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and then he pulled my hand, asked me to stay, and said from now on, I am his official disciple."
What?! Is this old man planning to be the king of the mountain?
"Hatsune, don't you want me to stay?"
Really, you can see it!
Hatsune walked towards the top of the mountain with a dejected look, and there was a feeling of nowhere to go. He cursed the ancestors of Seigen Ryoubei repeatedly in his heart.