Although the Songyang River is close to Kitano Castle, which is known for its severe cold, it is strange that it does not freeze all year round. As the largest river in the Land of Fire, its temper is even more elusive than that of Princess Rika. Especially in the past three months, there have been frequent accidents in which a large whirlpool in the river has inexplicably swallowed up passing ships, and the bodies of the victims are all gone.

"Songyangjiang is like a big monster ready to move." So said the inhabitants of the coast.

However, even so, there is still an endless stream of boats passing by the Songyang River every day.

When the wind picked up on the river, the crew on duty dreamed that they had married the beautiful daughter of the wealthy lord of Kitano Castle. The passengers on the ship are also immersed in sweet dreams. The wind was a bit strong, and the sails were whirring and whirring.

Rika dreams that the hibiscus of the Daimyo's Mansion blooms.

Kakashi's room was next door to hers, but it was empty at the moment. Under the cold moonlight, the silver-haired ninja lay on his back on the roof of the boat, his hands crossed behind his head, his eyes lightly closed, and his breathing was shallow and steady. The location he was in, and below it was Rika's room.

Due to the difference between men and women and the difference in status, Kakashi is not good at sharing a room with Rika. Before going to bed, Rika pulled his sleeve and frowned and said, "I don't want to stay alone in the room, you can be here." ”

Kakashi looked at her hand in embarrassment, to be honest, he didn't worry about the princess having a room alone, even though it was next door, but the boat was mixed, and it was hard for him to say that he could protect her 100% if he wasn't right under his nose. The silver-haired ninja pondered for a moment, smiled and said in a soothing tone, "Don't worry, I'm protecting you from above." He gestured to the ceiling above.

So, the moment the sudden vortex got closer and closer and engulfed the ship with lightning speed, Kakashi was one of the only two people on board who knew what was going on. The other is a captain who sleeps restlessly and is intuitively troubled.

The ship was swirled by a whirlpool and broke away from the control. The captain shouted to wake up the sleeping passenger, the impact of the whirlpool making it impossible for him to stand at all, so that he had to cling to the mast with both hands so that it would not roll endlessly like a barrel with violent shaking.

The dazed passengers were staggered by the impact, screaming and panicking. There was chaos on board.

In less than half a minute, the boat capsized.

The screams faded and faded into the churning of the river.

Rika is fine.

It's not so much that it's okay, but that it's being protected to the maximum extent by the silver-haired ninja. A ninja can walk on the water as if he had concentrated the chakra on the soles of his feet, but it was a menacing maelstrom, like an angry monster roaring, and the waves were overshadowed. Even a ninja like Kakashi couldn't stand on the water with composure, so he had to float up and down with the waves, trying his best to swim away from the center of the whirlpool.

Rika took a few sips of the river water, choking her throat and wrapping her hand around Kakashi's placket instead, and pressing her head against his chest to avoid inhaling more water. If it was in the silence, she would have heard the powerful heartbeat of the young man in her ears. Unfortunately, now, all she could hear was the sound of the waves crashing against the water.

There were many people who were swept by the whirlpool and passed by them, and their frightened and distorted faces would probably be their last expressions. Kakashi wanted to lend a helping hand to these innocent victims, but unfortunately he was powerless - in such a ferocious maelstrom, it would have taken most of his energy to protect one Rika alone.

I don't know if it was the plank or something that was rolled up by the waves and smashed down, Kakashi turned around with Rika in his arms, and the heavy plank smashed on his back like a thousand-ton boulder, and the young man couldn't help but snort. If it was smashed on Rika, she would probably be in danger of losing her life.

Rika was in chaos at this time, and there was only the roaring river in her consciousness.

I don't know how long it has been, but the sky is still dark and cloudless. The waves gradually faded, and the whirlpool disappeared into the river like a weary beast returning home. The silver-haired ninja treaded out of the water with the girl in his arms in his arms and placed her on the grass on the shore.

There were only two of them on the shore. There were dozens of people on a ship, and only two of them survived. Kakashi frowned, his heart mixed with heaviness and unbearableness.

Rika was finally able to take a big gulp of fresh air, and the feeling of the aftermath of the catastrophe was so strong that she was surprised. Even when she was abducted and trafficked to the Flower Drunk House, she never felt so close to death. Rika had palpitations, her heart was almost beating out of her chest, and she couldn't say a word.

The young man next to him gasped slightly, perhaps because the soaked mask was very uncomfortable on his face, and he raised his hand to remove the mask to his chin. The night was dark, and no one could see even the handsome face. Rika's silent reaction surprised him a little, thinking that he was really frightened, and tentatively spoke: "Princess? ”

“…… Well. Rika reluctantly answered for a long time.

Kakashi looked around, and the shore was a meadow about fifty meters wide, and the meadow used to be woods. When he went to Kitano Castle to look for Rika before, he walked this road, and he clearly remembered that this neighborhood was a wilderness, and it was only in the village hundreds of miles away that there were people.

The winter night was frighteningly cold, and both of them were wet like fish out of the water. It doesn't matter if he's always diligent in cultivation and in good health, but Rika is no better than him, and in this case, if the cold wind blows all night on the open grass without any shelter, it's hard to say whether he will have the life to return to the Daimyo's mansion.

Kakashi stood up, "Let's go, Princess." ”

Rika sat motionless on the ground. If it weren't for the messy breathing faintly heard in the silence, I would probably have thought she was asleep.

"Princess?" Kakashi leaned over and held out his hand to her.

Rika put her hand on his palm, and her legs were so weak that she couldn't stand up. Kakashira grabbed her, but she couldn't stand on her feet at all, and fell straight into the young man's arms.

The silver-haired ninja sighed and turned around with her weight, "I'll carry you." ”

Rika lay on the young man's back, and the fear of the unpredictable death still lingered for a long time.

There were many caves of various sizes in the woods, which were a bit rudimentary as a place to stay, but there was no other option at this moment. At least it can keep the wind out.

Kakashi lit a fire in the cave, and the dry branches crackled as they burned. The reddish light of the fire was reflected on Lixiang's pale face. Except for the reluctant "um" before, Rika hasn't said a word so far. - She had never been so close to death.

"Wearing wet clothes overnight will catch a cold, so you can dry your clothes before putting them on." After Kakashi finished speaking, he got up and walked out of the cave, lit another fire not far away, and sat down with his back to the hole.

But as long as he had the slightest idea of marrying the Daimyo's Mansion, he would not leave Rika alone in the cave at this time. Even in this understandable situation, the silver-haired ninja still adheres to the principle of being a lonely man and a widow, and it is better to avoid suspicion.

He didn't want to marry a princess at all. It doesn't matter if the subject is Rika or not, he just doesn't want to marry a creature like a princess. How to say it, I always feel that the identity and status related to the royal family are really more binding than glory for ninjas.

He is Kakashi Hachiki of Konoha. -- I have never forgotten this at any time.

Of course, he didn't think Rika was serious about marrying him - the princess had always been open-mouthed.

Well, at that time, Rika said that she wanted to marry him, but she did not think it through and said it casually.

Rika sneezed into the fire, her wet clothes chilling her. Tilting his head, another firelight outside the cave entrance set off the young man's figure extremely lonely. Rika felt that this back was a little familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere and impressed her.

Ahh She suddenly had a strange feeling - Kakashi, who was usually common, didn't seem to be the same person as the owner of the back figure in front of her at this moment.

Rika wrinkled her brows and couldn't think of a reason. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly remembered that it was the back that she had seen in front of the Konoha Memorial Monument that exuded an oppressive aura.

Two backs at different times and places overlapped. It's very similar.

The silver-haired ninja was concentrating on the fire, not knowing if he was thinking about anything, and he didn't look back at Rika once.

Rika walked slowly over to him and sat down to watch the branches turn to ashes inch by inch.

"It's windy outside, why did you get out?" Kakashi asked.

Rika's gaze finally turned from the branch to his face, thought about it, and said something without a beginning or an end: "You are such a strange person. ”

“…… What's weird? ”

Rika didn't answer him. Because she can't say it herself, she just has such a feeling for some reason.

In the middle of the winter night, there are still faint chirps of insects that have not slept in the woods. Everywhere except for the fire, everything else was pitch black like a pool of stagnant water.

Rika always thought that as long as someone found her, as long as she left Dew Street, she would soon return to the Daimyo's Mansion and return to the familiar world that was loved by thousands of people. However, this does not seem to be the case. She had just left Kitano City, and the unexpected catastrophe began to give her a dismount.

...... from the Daimyo's Mansion There's still a long, long way to go.

Rika pursed her lips and looked worried.

"Princess."

Kakashi's voice, though not loud, stood out in the stillness of the night, like cutting a painting with scissors. His expression was so strict that people couldn't help but prick up their ears to listen to him, and then he actually smiled like a crescent moon like in the past, which made the solemn atmosphere he had so hard to create before burn down.

"I will definitely send you back to the Daimyo's Mansion safely."

Crackle crackle.

The sound of branches burning in the fire.

Rika felt her heartbeat more pronounced than the sound of the branches.

The author has something to say: Happy Children's Day~