Chapter 33: Kaleidoscope
After a moment of silence, Hajime seemed to understand what the other person was really asking.
"We've been hiding in the deep forest for a while, so we haven't kept track of the exact date," he said. "But if you're wondering how long it's been since you were first hunted down, I can tell you this: it was autumn then, and now winter has set in."
That method of tracking time sounded almost primitive.
Still, the Uchiha ninja visibly relaxed upon hearing that vague answer.
"Thank you for saving me. My name is Uchiha Nanami. May I ask yours?"
Uchiha Nanami struggled to sit up, propping herself against a tree that supported one side of the tent. She leaned slightly, first glancing at Hajime beside her, then turning her gaze to the campfire outside.
"Hajime . I come from nowhere of note—just a wandering ninja," he replied, feeling his self-introduction sounded a bit bland.
"You're all… wandering ninjas?" she asked.
"Yes. We all once belonged to small, lesser-known clans. But things happened… and now we're wanderers."
When Hajime had chosen to conceal his true identity as Yagami Genshin, this was exactly the kind of story he'd prepared to fall back on.
Nanami nodded thoughtfully. "That's a rare situation. You must've gone through a lot."
In the shinobi world, a ninja without the protection of a clan rarely survived long. Small groups of wandering shinobi usually formed from the scattered remnants of fallen clans. It was unusual—nearly unheard of—for a group of drifters from different backgrounds to stick together like this.
Of course, this "rarity" was based on Hajime 's fabricated background. In truth, they weren't much different from any other ragtag band of strays.
"By the way, I owe you all an apology… I'm sorry for dragging trouble to your doorstep. That Senju brat didn't cause you too much trouble, did he?"
"At first, things nearly escalated, but we managed to… 'convince' him."
Tobirama Senju had stumbled into Hajime 's camp while chasing Nanami. In other words, it was Nanami who'd unintentionally—or perhaps deliberately—led Tobirama there.
Handled poorly, this could have spelled doom for a small group of vagabond ninjas. A casual apology hardly felt sufficient.
Hajime wasn't sure if Nanami had truly made a mistake or if she'd deliberately lured danger away from herself. Either way, they were lucky Tobirama had been in a weakened state—easier to manage.
"I really didn't mean to bring him there," Nanami said. "I was running blindly and trying to activate a particular jutsu that helps me escape and hide. It's… finicky. It doesn't always work. I was attempting it repeatedly during my escape and only managed to activate it near your camp. Once it triggered, I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to."
Finicky? As in the jutsu fails to activate half the time? That did sound like a plausible explanation.
In other words, she couldn't reliably control her Mangekyō Sharingan?
Her remorse seemed genuine. Compared to Hajime and his companions saving her, it did almost feel like returning kindness for previous trouble.
"It's fine. That guy didn't do any lasting damage."
Hajime didn't say whether he believed her story or not. Since she clearly felt guilty, it was only fair she offer something as compensation.
Nanami's expression grew a little awkward—she could sense the wariness in Hajime 's tone.
"Still, I'm surprised that stubborn Senju kid could even be reasoned with. I told him I wasn't looking for a fight, and he just kept coming after me like a mad dog."
Hajime thought, Well, reasoning with fists is still reasoning.
"Regardless, I appreciate your forgiveness," Nanami added sincerely.
Hajime hesitated, then decided to be a little more honest.
"We didn't save you out of kindness. We had no choice… We can't afford to offend the Uchiha clan."
Under normal circumstances, the Uchiha could wipe them out with a single elite jonin.
Nanami looked puzzled. In today's war-torn shinobi world, everyone was dying—what did it matter if one Uchiha ninja died? Even major clans sometimes treated their own as expendable. And besides, they hadn't killed her, just… nearly left her to die.
Seeing her confusion, Hajime decided to be blunt.
"I saw your Sharingan. That wasn't an ordinary pattern. I've heard of a special kind of Sharingan—rare even among the Uchiha—that grants power far beyond the standard."
One Uchiha's life, one pair of normal Sharingan—neither meant much. But if it was a Mangekyō Sharingan?
Just like when Hajime had called out Tobirama's identity as Hashirama's younger brother, he now pointed out the significance of Nanami's eyes. Whether she liked it or not, she had to be a core member of the Uchiha clan.
Nanami's expression turned even more awkward.
She wasn't like most arrogant Uchiha, nor did she look down on others. But the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't something a wandering ninja should've known about.
And yet Hajime clearly knew—and she had tried to hide it.
After all, would Tobirama really have pursued her so relentlessly if it hadn't been for those eyes?
"That eye is called the Mangekyō Sharingan," she admitted at last. "It does offer greater abilities than a normal Sharingan. But honestly, mine isn't that useful. I can't use it properly. At best, it lets me run away—when it works."
Not that useful? Hajime didn't buy that for a second.
At the very least, Nanami could use it for space-time ninjutsu. That put her among the most elite even within Mangekyō users.
Which raised a troubling question: why didn't a kunoichi with such rare abilities exist in any known records?
Then the answer came to Hajime .
If not for the coincidence of their camp appearing deep in the mountains, Uchiha Nanami would've already been taken out by that notorious Tobirama.
Seriously, how is Tobirama everywhere?
Hajime was about to say something else when he noticed Nanami had closed her eyes. Her hands were folded peacefully over her stomach. Her breathing was calm and steady...
She looked serene—like someone who had just passed on.
Honestly, she really did look dead.