"Mother, I dreamed about those evil spirits again."
As this tender, sobbing childish voice rang out, everyone's gazes couldn't help but focus on the door inside. As their lines of sight shifted, a cute, snow - white little girl appeared in their view.
The little girl trotted towards Hiiragi Kagami, looking up with teary eyes. "Mother, can't we destroy those evil spirits yet?"
Hiiragi Kagami nodded apologetically to the gentlemen, then crouched down on one knee and hugged the little girl (Tong, the young witch girl) in her arms. She said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, Tong. You won't dream about them soon. Mother has invited some powerful ninjas. So Tong, just be patient for a little while longer. Everything will be settled soon."
Only then did Tong raise her head, sobbing. But when her gaze fell on the strange ninjas in the room, she suddenly froze. Her little hands with baby fat tightly grasped Hiiragi Kagami's clothes, and her little face with tear - stains gradually became expressionless.
Noticing that her daughter had calmed down, Hiiragi Kagami looked up at the two clearly - divided clans standing on either side in front of her. "If possible, I'd like to start the mission right away. Do the gentlemen still need time to adjust your states?"
But this time, the ninjas from the three clans all remained silent. After a long while, Senju Bai Mo couldn't help but pick his ear. "Excuse me, Witch. If I understood correctly, do you want the six of us to do the mission together?"
"Yes, because the evil spirits have a really big impact on our lineage. So I want to solve this problem as soon as possible."
Hiiragi Kagami noticed the uncomfortable expressions on their faces and bowed her head slightly. "I know the gentlemen have irreconcilable conflicts. So I want to divide you into two teams. One team will go with me to seal the evil spirits, and the other team will stay here to protect my daughter.
The Witches have been fighting against the evil spirits for generations. When the seal of the evil spirits loosens, young Witches who haven't mastered the witch - power are very likely to be affected by the evil spirits. They might even have their minds controlled by them..."
"Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Senju working on a mission together..." Hiro twitched the corner of his mouth. "If this gets out, it'll scare a lot of people."
And Senju She Lin, who always had to retort to everything the Uchiha said, also fell silent at this moment - there really wasn't much to refute in this statement.
After an awkward moment of silence, Uchiha Ryo sighed and said, "Then we'll follow the Witch's arrangement."
"As long as the Uchiha don't stab us in the back, the Senju and Uzumaki are fine with it."
"Then I'll have to trouble the gentlemen," Hiiragi Kagami showed a bit of a smile on her face and reached out to wipe the tear - stains off her daughter's face. "Tong, for the next few days, these two Uchiha ninjas will protect you. They're very powerful and will protect you well. Mother will seal the evil spirits and come back as soon as possible. So don't worry about your dreams anymore, okay?"
"
"Hmm..." Tong looked up at Uchiha Ryo and Hiro, then at the Senju and Uzumaki clan members standing aside, and then spoke in a very, very, very faint voice, "I understand."
Hiiragi Kagami stood up with a smile, took her daughter's hand, and said, "Please come with me, everyone."
"Humph, you Uchiha just hide behind us. You're really getting off easy this time."
Hiro looked up at Senju She Lin with a teasing look on his face and said, "Do you think we're having it easy thanks to whom?"
"You—"
"Alright, Hiro, stop teasing him," Ryo said with a helpless look on his face. "There aren't many Senju who are whole - hearted towards us Uchiha and always maintain the same attitude. And he's really working for free for us this time... They're really pitiful enough."
Hiro let out another sneer, "Yeah, so pitiful. He threw a tantrum because he wanted to kill us. In the end, he suffered losses instead and even has to work for us.
Our two clans have been at odds for so many years. It's really rare to see a fool like him who shows such obvious hostility but always gives benefits to his enemies—his hard - working but unrewarded look is so cute that it's really getting to me."
Senju She Lin: ...Damn it, he's going to kill Hiro today no matter what!
Uzumaki Zhi immediately reached out to hold back Senju She Lin who was about to rush forward, "Calm down! The mission takes precedence! Those Uchiha ninjas are nothing compared to the Witch's mission. Calm down!"
— Even if you're not afraid of offending the Country of Demons, at least wait until the Witch is not around if you want to start a fight!
Hiiragi Kagami noticed this and couldn't help but put her hand on her forehead and said, "It's my negligence... Hotaru, please take the Uchiha ninja lords and Tong-dono to the inner room first."
As soon as Hiiragi Kagami finished speaking, a thin figure appeared behind her. The voice was cold but respectful, "Yes, Lady Hiiragi Kagami, Tong-dono, please come this way."
But Tong didn't go as he said. She tightly held Hiiragi Kagami's fingers, looked up at her calmly. But if you observed carefully, you could find that under her calm appearance, she was so flustered that she didn't know what to do.
Hiiragi Kagami felt a bit helpless when she saw this and said, "Doesn't Tong recognize Hotaru? Or are you feeling strange about the ninja lords? Don't worry, they'll protect you."
Hearing this, Hotaru also stepped forward, crouched down, and opened his arms towards Tong, "Tong-dono, please come to me. Lady Hiiragi Kagami has to prepare for exorcism and will be very busy next."
But Tong just pursed her lips. After a moment, she turned her head to look at Ryo and Hiro again, and said in an extremely weak voice, "But, but... there's one of The Departed among them?"
As soon as Tong finished speaking, Hiiragi Kagami's face changed, and Hiro frowned tightly. Before he could say anything, Ryo stopped him. Ryo also spoke in the direction of Tong, "May I ask what The Departed that Tong-dono saw looks like?"
Tong lowered her head, and her voice became even softer. "It's a person with terrible wounds on both eyes, covered in blood and buried under the ruins..."
"Well, what you saw must be my past," Uchiha Ryo said with a soft smile, even heaving a slight sigh of relief. "I really almost died that time. You're quite accurate in what you saw."