A small border town lay at the junction of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
The town belonged to the Land of Hot Water, and to the east stretched the endless sea bordering the Land of Water. If one traveled further northeast, they would enter the territory of the Land of Lightning. This place was still some distance from Yunjie Mountain.
The Uchiha Guard had chosen this town for a brief respite.
Bai Ye, who had arrived later than the others, also decided to stop here, strolling through the town accompanied by a group of women. However, something was different from before.
A pure white rabbit nestled in Bai Ye's arms.
This rabbit was as peculiar as ever.
Ever since Bai Ye had forcibly checked its gender, its gaze toward him had become increasingly complicated. More than that, it refused to allow anyone but Bai Ye to hold it, much to the envy of Tsunade and the others. However, Kaguya remained indifferent.
"Do these weak mortals truly believe they are worthy of touching the noble body of the ancestor of Chakra?" she thought disdainfully.
With the addition of a new pet, Bai Ye no longer entertained thoughts of eating rabbit meat. This rabbit was unlike any he had encountered before—it lacked the typical animal scent and instead exuded a faint, mysterious fragrance.
Life was good—feeding the rabbit while walking the dog.
"Captain, the people of the Land of Hot Water seem wary of us," Uchiha Izumi reported cautiously.
Bai Ye merely nodded. "That's to be expected."
After all, this was the first time the entire Uchiha Guard had mobilized. Those who had long sought to understand their true power, or gather intelligence on them, would undoubtedly take this opportunity to get close.
Even if no one intended to investigate them, the presence of so many wandering shinobi was bound to attract attention.
"But are you sure you don't want to look around?" Bai Ye asked, turning to Uchiha Izumi with curiosity. "The Land of Hot Water has some beautiful sights. The hot springs here may not compare to Yunjie Mountain's, but they're still worth experiencing."
Izumi hesitated but remained firm. "The captain's safety is the priority."
Despite knowing Bai Ye's strength, protecting him was an entirely different matter. Having a team member nearby meant they could respond to any order immediately—it was a matter of duty.
Bai Ye chuckled. He had seen how Izumi had almost been persuaded by her best friend to go enjoy herself.
With a gentle smile, he placed a hand on her head. "Forget about work for this month. Go enjoy yourself."
Izumi's cheeks turned slightly red. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded shyly and left.
"Tch. Pathetic," Kaguya scoffed in Bai Ye's arms.
She couldn't understand it. Why did this powerful man allow such weak girls to stand beside him in the name of protection? And why was Uchiha Bai Ye, someone as strong as him, so gentle toward those weaker than him?
A thousand years ago, she had been the revered Rabbit Goddess. Even her attendants had not dared to look her in the eyes. To her, this was the pride of the strong.
Yet Bai Ye willingly lowered himself, spending his days with mere mortals.
And then there was the matter of…
Kaguya's small rabbit face flushed as she recalled the previous night.
She didn't understand why this man was so obsessed with physical intimacy. Couldn't he simply create offspring by mixing the world's will with Chakra? That was how her own two unfilial sons had come into existence.
She had never considered anyone worthy of her. More importantly, she believed that reaching her level—or even Bai Ye's—meant that producing offspring was no simple matter.
Those weak women weren't qualified to conceive his child. If anyone had a chance, it would have been her at her peak.
But…
What a joke. Why would she bear his offspring?
Kaguya narrowed her eyes at Bai Ye coldly.
"This rabbit is staring at you. What did you do to provoke it?" Kurenai Yuhi asked, blinking in confusion.
Bai Ye's mouth twitched. "I didn't do anything."
Although he couldn't decipher Kaguya's thoughts, his other companions had clearly fallen for Xiaobai's charm.
Yes.
After the rabbit had begun following him everywhere, seemingly intent on staying, Bai Ye had officially accepted it as a pet.
And, without much thought, he had given it a simple name—Xiaobai.
Glancing at Xiaobai's prominent buck teeth, Bai Ye smirked.
After checking its gender, the rabbit had been furious and had even tried to bite him. Unfortunately for Xiaobai, Bai Ye's body was far too durable—even a tailed beast's fangs wouldn't have left a scratch.
In the end, the only one who suffered was the rabbit, who ended up with a toothache.
Still, its aggrieved expression had been undeniably amusing.
It was just a rabbit. Something to pass the time.
Traveling meant doing whatever one wanted.
If one journeyed with a set destination, then the journey itself lost its meaning.
For Bai Ye, travel was about going wherever he felt like. As long as he reached his intended destination eventually, his plans remained flexible.
Over the past month, he had lived a fulfilling life—playing in the snow in the Land of Snow, admiring the mountain peaks in the Land of Lightning, marveling at the towering stone formations in the Land of Earth, and experiencing the vast deserts of the Land of Wind.
And now—
He and his women had arrived at their second stop.
The eastern coast of the Land of Hot Water!
The beach. The ocean.
Tsunade and Samui, clad in swimsuits, eyed each other with thinly veiled competitiveness.
Mikoto and Kushina played together, sculpting sandcastles along the shore.
Uzuki Yugao and Kurenai Yuhi, having grown closer during their travels, playfully kicked water at each other.
Only Yugito Nii kept her wary gaze fixed on Bai Ye.
Of course, she wasn't guarding against Bai Ye himself.
Bai Ye lay comfortably on a reclining chair beneath a parasol, sunglasses shielding his eyes.
Next to him was an adorably small lounge chair and a matching umbrella.
He was generous to both his people and his pets.
To assert his dominance over Xiaobai, Bai Ye had specially prepared a miniature reclining chair and umbrella. However, the rabbit sat upon it with dignity, sipping its carrot juice before delicately dabbing its mouth with a tissue.
What a luxurious rabbit.
Yet from time to time, it cast sidelong glances at Bai Ye, deep in contemplation.
Kaguya couldn't comprehend it.
As a powerful being, why wasn't Bai Ye conquering the world? Why did he bring weak women to the beach instead?
And why did he look so content with this life?
She couldn't understand.
She would never understand.
But Bai Ye didn't care.
The warm sea breeze brushed against him.
The gentle sun embraced him.
He stood and stretched his arms wide, as if embracing the entire world.
Another new year.
Spring had come.
Bai Ye smiled.
He had beautiful women, loyal comrades, powerful subordinates, and close friends.
Facing the ocean, with spring blossoming around him—
This was the life of Uchiha Bai Ye.
A happiness others could never comprehend.
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