Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      In all my time in this world, I had never been as tense as I had been in the last few days. What was the reason for my wariness? Rumours... The whispers that had spread around the world about what had happened had distorted the whole matter horribly. People have a tendency to embellish things. I knew about it, of course, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Madara and Hashirama were portrayed in the rumours. The most striking representation of the Uchiha was as a fiery demon, spitting flames in all directions. Already that was striking to me. Senju's image was equally striking. Hashirama was represented as a divine man made of wood. People's imagination had created more than that, but the worst was my image. I don't know what fantasist had worked on my image, but he clearly needed to curb his sick creativity. People started to call me the blue-haired devil, imagining me as a ten-metre tall humanoid creature with shiny skin and blue hair. To make a long story short, on the way back the girls had to stop calling me by my name, because when they heard it, all the people scattered, not wanting to have anything to do with me. On the one hand it was cool, because now I had a world-famous name, but on the other hand there would be unstable ninja who wanted to test their skills. There's no stopping a shinobi like that. And I don't think Madara's going to forgive me that easily. He's not the kind of good-looking ninja who's capable of pity and sympathy. He might not be able to send his own men after me, but he could place an order for me on the black market, which I hadn't seen yet, but for some reason I was almost a hundred per cent sure he was in this world. And my gut also told me that I would have to have a word with the dark part of this world, because otherwise they wouldn't get off my back.       The journey to Uzushio wasn't without adventure either. For starters, Yumiko threw a tantrum about my actions and rash behaviour. In her eyes, I could see the fear for my life. She was well aware of the consequences that fate would reward us with. Her heightened instincts and good intelligence made me a little uncomfortable, though I must admit that's why I liked her. She didn't have a temper, but she liked to playfully mess with me. Mito, on the other hand, was very pensive half the way through. That wasn't like her. She even obeyed my commands. It seemed as if she was a puppet controlled by a hidden puppeteer, but such thoughts were dispelled by her eyes filled with a storm of emotions. It was as if Uzumaki was struggling with conflicting feelings. Occasionally, she would cast very eloquent glances at me, however, when I turned to her in an attempt to ask a mute question with my gaze, she would only dull her gaze and then shift it to someone else. I felt that kind of stare burning into my back every so often. At one of the stops, she approached me, starting a dialogue.       - Mi-kun. - Mito called out to me in a gentle voice. It was unusual for her to do such a thing, which made me tense up immediately.       - Yes?" I turned to her questioningly, turning around to face her.       - Shall we move? - She asked me pleadingly, shifting from foot to foot. I raised one eyebrow in surprise, but nodded in agreement. After moving a hundred or two away from the camp, we stopped. Uzumaki quickly put up a soundproof barrier so no one could overhear us. Already this was making me wonder about the topic of conversation. Her behaviour and actions were throwing me off balance. The confident and proud girl was now very shy. For about two minutes we stood in silence. I just watched as Uzumaki struggled with her feelings. Her hesitation was visible to the naked eye. Mito got down on her knee, under my distorted face from shock, and began to speak.       - Michiko-san, will you become my husband? - She asked the question in an even and calm voice. I almost fell on my heels, taking a step back. I was in real shock at what was happening. I even thought I was in a genjutsu, but my mind knew that I was not. For about a minute, I was in a state of prostration from the actions of Mito, who even bowed her head so that she couldn't see my face. She was just waiting for my decision, even holding her breath. After stepping back from my surprise, I walked over to her, after which I knelt down beside her.       - What's driving you? - I asked a single question, being already within her personal space. The girl's cheeks began to flush with a blush that didn't escape my eyes. - You know I called Yumi my wife. So why are you talking about things like that? - I added, already shifting to a whisper.       - I... you..." Uzumaki started to mumble and blush even more at being so close to me, and my whispering did its job, adding to the romanticism of the moment. - You did such a stupid thing, for my clan's sake, for my father's sake. I can't just leave it at that, otherwise..." the girl blanched. At that moment, I felt tears running down her cheeks. I had to put my arm around her to comfort her. - Otherwise... (whimper)... you might... (whimper)... die... - Mito didn't finish her words, but I understood, so I held her tighter to me.       - You're very reckless and brave. Perhaps someone else would have agreed in my place, but I don't want to make you unhappy for the rest of your life by marrying out of obligation. - I spoke more seriously as Uzumaki calmed down and her gaze became more meaningful. Mito raised her eyebrows in surprise, realising my words.       - Who told you that I would be unhappy? - The red-haired girl said with a sneer in her voice, looking me straight in the eye. I immediately moved away from her like a hot kettle, getting to my feet.       - What do you mean by that? - I said, assuming the answer, but my mind didn't want to believe it.       - Oh, yes, my dear Mi-kun. You got it right. - As if reading my thoughts, Ashina's daughter sang out. A sly grin appeared on her face, showing how much trouble I was in.       - Mito-san, you're a beautiful girl, but I'm almost there. - I try to bite her teeth while looking for a way out.       - What are you talking about... - she was naively surprised, and then she grinned like a wild fox. I didn't like that. I even started to step back, but the red-haired one stepped confidently on me. - You were just joking. You don't have to make a fool of me. - She continued the verbal duel, coming closer and closer to me. It was only now that I realised I was going the wrong way. The camp was to the east, and I was heading in the opposite direction.       - Shall we cut her down and leave her here behind a bush? - I heard a voice in my subconscious. I was dumbfounded at the suggestion. I hadn't realised Morgana could be so cruel. My hesitation didn't go unnoticed. Mito tried to catch me in a grapple, but my body reacted, deftly twisting out of the grip and moving toward the camp. It wasn't far to run. We hadn't been gone long, but Yumiko was already looking for me, so I bumped into her at the entrance to the camp. Riko's daughter raised her eyebrows in surprise when I ran her down, but even without words she understood me, just seeing my pleading look. Mito caught up to me after a few seconds, but stopped when she saw me hiding behind Yuki's back. She snorted loudly, after which she started broadcasting.       - ''Yumi-chan, let me talk to Mi-kun. We still have a lot of things to discuss. - With a cute smile in a polite tone, Uzumaki asked. I shuddered, and Yumi looked at me with a look that didn't bode well.       - No, my fiancé needs to rest. - said Rico's daughter calmly. Oh, she shouldn't have mentioned our relationship. Mito blushed with anger and rage. A competitive spirit flared in her eyes.       No one could make out any more words. A simple women's fight began, in which the fingernails became the main weapon. Hair flew in different directions. The girls did not spare each other, pulling out pieces of hair. I even felt like they were going bald, but I was more worried about my own skin, so I decided to take a position away from the fight. To my surprise, Yumiko was not yielding to her older opponent in the slightest. For about an hour this scuffle went on. Some of the merchants even started to place bets, but I, gathering my thoughts, decided to stop this madness. I appeared next to the female representatives, lightly hitting them on the back of their heads to make them unconscious, after which I somehow managed to catch two whole female carcasses. I dragged them to the sleeping bag, laying them down in one place. I was already thinking about how I was going to justify myself to Yumiko tomorrow, but my arrogant thoughts were interrupted by a visitor handing me a letter from the Uzukage, after which the man left, apparently to deliver the rest of the letters. I opened the paper envelope, starting to run my eyes over the lines. With each word I read, a sly smile spread across my face more and more.       - Thank you, Ashina-san. What would I do without you. - I let out a sigh of relief. All the tension about tomorrow's conversation had subsided and I turned my attention to the two girls who, albeit unknowingly, had embraced each other in their sleep. The picture made me wince, marvelling at the sweetness of the moment, and not so long ago they had wanted to kill each other. If someone had told me half an hour ago that they would sleep in each other's arms, I would not have believed that person, calling him a real fool. Eh, it's a pity I have to go, and to be honest, I don't feel like it, but I have to.... What was in the letter? It was very simple. I'm the leader of the Yuki clan again. There was only one thing I had to do to make the Yuki Clan a true ninja clan. I had to...