Chapter 28
The samurai approached them, and Nagato didn't like it. Their movements were slow; they posed no danger to them. Even this Mifune wouldn't last long against him. But the air around them made it impossible for him to relax.
They looked over the dead and captured shinobi and seemed to conclude what had happened. Then their attention went to Yahiko. Nagato was already prepared to spring into action; if they dared to move on Yahiko in any way, Nagato would kill them all.
He should have known better. In this world, there was no place for them. But Nagato would rather believe in Yahiko than in the bleak future he envisioned for them. If there were someone who could bring peace and let them live without experiencing further cruelty, it would be Yahiko.
But he wouldn't be able to do it alone. Nagato had to protect him, because even though he was strong enough, Yahiko was too kindhearted, and it would cost him in future encounters. To make sure that didn't happen, Nagato had to become even stronger and protect him.
"You three are shinobi, aren't you?" The one they addressed as Lord Mifune asked Yahiko. "I would like to hire you three."
"What do you want from us?" Yahiko was now completely calm.
Nagato wasn't the only one who noticed how distressed Yahiko was after the chaos started. It seemed like he tried to make a decision, probably for Nagato's and Konan's sake. But he understood Yahiko well; he couldn't control his heart and would always choose to help others.
Now, it seemed that his heart was lighter and he was far calmer. As Nagato expected, it was just Yahiko's nature, and going against it would only hurt him. So, he had to make sure that next time, Yahiko wouldn't need to worry about him or Konan.
"Let's discuss those matters inside." Mifune looked around at the state of their surroundings before deciding. "Chief Sakamoto, please don't mind me, and take care of your people. I will take my leave sooner than expected."
They followed the samurai to what looked to be their abode. Aside from Mifune, there were only two samurai, and even though they stayed silent, they were watching Yahiko. They didn't even try to hide their distrust and alertness.
"First, introductions are needed. I am Mifune, general of the Land of Iron."
"We are but children who learned a few ninjutsu. I am Yahiko, and they are Nagato and Konan."
"Then I will leave it at that." It didn't seem like Mifune believed Yahiko's words, but he let it slide. "As you can see, I need your assistance. You three seem to be strong enough to take care of yourselves. I want to hire you to bring me to the capital city."
"Before we can promise anything, I would like to hear more details." Yahiko was always better at talking things through than Nagato or Konan, so they left it to him. "Who were those shinobi who attacked? They were after you, weren't they?"
"That is correct." Mifune didn't disagree. "We don't have time to interrogate them to confirm it, but I believe they were from Amegakure, and Hanzo himself must have sent them after me. And I don't doubt that once he doesn't hear from his shinobi, he will send more after me. I won't be safe until we reach the capital."
And from the injuries Nagato could see, it wouldn't be an easy or fast journey. It seemed like they had no choice but to entrust their lives to them. And Yahiko earned that trust by fighting against those shinobi; if they had been part of this attack, together they would have already killed Mifune.
"Don't worry, we will pay you well."
"It isn't money that I want," Yahiko replied. "We won't be able to run fast with your injuries, and the shinobi are probably not far from here, waiting for the report. If they don't get one soon, they will send more shinobi. Isn't that what you are afraid of?"
"So, you understand my situation. What do you want in return for helping us?"
"Refuge," Yahiko replied, not breaking his eye contact with Mifune. "With your influence as general, you can give us refuge in this country, can't you? We don't ask for anything special, just a place to live and continue our training and studies without anyone interfering."
To Mifune, it might not be much for saving their lives. But to them, who had nowhere to go, it was everything they wanted. Nagato couldn't care less about the rest; as long as he could live peacefully with Konan and Yahiko, he wouldn't mind the rest of the world burning.
…
With Mifune on his back, Yahiko ran through the forest, colored completely white from the snow. Konan and Nagato followed after him. Using their chakra control, they didn't leave any imprints on the snow, as if they weren't there at all.
"Huu." But after hearing Mifune's heavy breathing, Yahiko had no choice but to stop.
"It is getting dark, and we have put some considerable distance between them and us." Yahiko looked around after stopping. "Let's build a camp here for tonight. Nagato, Konan."
"On it," both of them replied, knowing what Yahiko wanted.
They couldn't build any fires. He needed to leave as few traces as possible. Aside from the footsteps they deliberately left so any shinobi would leave that town and start chasing them, there was nothing that those shinobi could use to follow them.
Nagato quickly made a cave in the ground, and Konan covered it with her white paper. Once the snow covered the paper, nobody would be able to notice them. Putting down Mifune and his guards, Yahiko started checking on their condition and tried to heal their wounds again.
Most of it was healed. But the poison in their bodies had wrecked their insides. It would take months for them to fully heal. And that was with doctors and medicine by their side. Right now, Yahiko could only lessen the pain.
"You know this will be our first mission," Yahiko said as he changed Mifune's bandages. "It hasn't been long since we left our home. And now we are making an enemy of Hanzo the Salamader."
"Haha." Mifune seemed to be in a good mood as he rested. "I heard that a shinobi's first mission is always special. I guess there is some truth to that. Where did you come from, young man?"
"Hmm, it is probably better not to tell you that," Yahiko replied. "But you have my word that we aren't affiliated with any village. But I guess you could say we are somewhat indebted to Konoha. So, if we come to blows with them, I might hold back a bit. I just wanted you to know that."
"Fair, I guess." Mifune didn't seem to mind it. "Good thing that I don't have many enemies in Konoha. But can you tell me in more detail why you are looking for refuge in the Land of Iron?"
"War," Yahiko replied as he glanced at Nagato and Konan as they rested. "The shinobi took everything from us. And I don't think there is any place for us anywhere where there are shinobi."
"I think many places would welcome such talented children like you."
"Yeah, to kill for them." Yahiko looked at Mifune as he too leaned against the wall to rest. "That's all they will ever see in us, how talented we are at killing their enemies. What kind of life is that? Kill people I don't even know for people I don't know. There is no meaning in that. I won't be a bloodhound, nor will I let anyone make us one."
"Hahaha." Mifune let out a low laugh. "You sound like my master. But I can't disagree with that. Still, unlike you, I am a soldier. There is meaning behind every enemy I have felled. Once you have something to protect, nothing and nobody else matters. You will do everything to protect it."
Was it like that? Yahiko did wonder if he could kill without hesitation if it meant protecting Konan or Nagato. What if it was just an innocent man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Or was it just that their lives were more worthy than anyone else's? To Yahiko, of course, they were, but he still couldn't justify it. Even though they might be strangers to him, all he could think of when he was faced with them was their family, their friends, and their lives.
He wouldn't be just killing a stranger. He would be taking someone from their family and friends. And when he thought about it like this, he couldn't go through with it. So, once again, the question of what he would do if the time came when he had no choice plagued him.
"You should get more rest while you can," Yahiko told Mifune. "I don't intend to fail my first mission, and we don't know if the enemy has any sensors with them who are already tracking us. I think we should speed up tomorrow."
"Very well."
They had no other choice. As Mifune had explained before they left the town, all his communications were cut off. They had no support. They were completely alone until they reached the capital.
Though it would be possible to reach other towns and contact others from there, the shinobi hunting them knew that as well. So, they wouldn't let it happen and were probably already waiting in those towns. Yahiko also didn't want to endanger the lives of others.
Heating his body with chakra, Yahiko took the first watch for the night. Traveling through this cold landscape forced them to adapt to it. Controlling their chakra not only to keep the cold away but also to heat their bodies a bit was one of the few things they had all learned.
The cave wasn't big, so it was enough for only one of them to use this technique to somewhat warm the others as well. And it would keep his body in a ready state if anyone did manage to find them. Cold always finds its way to keep the human body stiff, after all.
…
By morning the next day, the surface was once again covered by a layer of snow. Even if they had left any traces, they were now completely covered. Though the snow did isolate their cave from the outside, they were able to sleep quite warmly.
"We aren't going to stop to rest until nightfall from now on," Yahiko said as they ran through the forest. "So, you'd better hold on. As we aren't going to slow down."
"Yahiko, what's the matter?" Nagato asked as he ran next to him.
"Our footsteps are soundless," Yahiko replied and looked at their feet, leaving no trace and making no sound. "So, there is no way animals would have been spooked by us. And yet, in the last two hours we were running, I haven't seen a single rabbit."
"The animals in this territory are sensitive; they can feel bloodlust from miles away," Mifune commented.
"And yet, neither of us is giving off any bloodlust," Yahiko said. "They are in the area. We need to leave the forest, or we might have no choice but to hide here for days before they move on. Either way, I don't think they will expect us to come this far so quickly, so we need to push ourselves a little more, and we should get out of this situation safely."
It was what he said, but running at such a speed for so long would exhaust them. And Yahiko wondered if it wasn't better to save their energy and defeat the enemy beforehand. But without knowing how many there were or how strong they were, it wasn't something he wanted to do.
"My lord, it is better to leave us behind; we are nothing but dead weight," one of the bodyguards said.
"By staying behind, we can at least buy a few minutes for you to return home," the other added.
"Out of the question," Yahiko replied before Mifune could. "Right now, the enemy only knows that we are in the forest. No, they don't even know that much; they are only speculating. If we left you two behind and they found you, they would not only know where we were, but also the direction we are going. It is too late to leave any of you behind."
But if they were caught, should he leave them behind? Yahiko didn't want to think about it, but it was a decision he might have to make. He didn't know what he would do, but it might be too late to make that decision later.
Mifune's expression was hard; he probably would leave them behind. And if anything happened to Mifune because of them, they would be devastated. It was their job to protect him, after all.
As bodyguards, their lives ended once the life of the one they guarded was in danger because of them. But leaving them to die was the same as killing them. There was no easy decision, be damned if he did and be damned if he didn't. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to this.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.