The little girl looked at Hitomi, at a loss.
"Idiot, give her candy. There are plenty of crabs in the river," Miki said when she saw this.
"Eh? But she's been staring at the crab," Hitomi asked, confused.
"That's because the crab isn't moving. She thinks it's dead," Miki said. "Eating a dead crab can cause poisoning."
Although a child her age might not know it's poisoning, the adults at home would have warned her not to eat dead crabs.
"Oh." Hitomi took back the crab, pulled out a candy, and placed it in the little girl's hand.
The little girl stared at the milky-white candy with beautiful black patterns.
She hesitated, then carefully put it in her mouth.
She gave Hitomi a big, innocent smile.
Hitomi couldn't help but reach out and rub the little girl's head, saying, "Eat up, there's plenty more."
The little girl nodded repeatedly.
White Fang watched this scene and couldn't help but scratch his head.
She can be a gentle girl, can't she?
Why does she change when she's with him?
White Fang turned around and communicated normally with the boatman.
Soon, the boat started moving, weaving across the river. The silver moonlight spilled onto the water, shimmering like silver scales, rippling and swaying with the waves.
Leaning against the side of the boat, Miki gazed at the faint, hazy city lights in the distance.
Ghost Hanzo, huh?
He must still be very young now.
Just how strong can a top-tier human prodigy without a bloodline become? She would confirm it with her own eyes.
Naruto, at seventeen, had already conquered the Ninja World. There's no way she, at sixteen, couldn't handle a Ghost Hanzo.
Then, the boat really did pull over.
More than an hour later, the small boat arrived at the port. The Amegakure Shinobi checking passes only glanced from a distance, not coming forward. The four disembarked quietly at the dock, walked through the rain, and found an inn to stay in.
Four people in one room.
The inn owner's gaze kept sweeping over White Fang, then, after a while, he showed an ambiguous smile.
White Fang forced out a similar smile in response.
That night, after settling in and eating, no one slept soundly.
Miki sat at one end of the room against the wall, leaning by the bed, looking at the night view outside the city.
From time to time, she raised her hand and released a few Summer Red Soldiers.
In the continuous drizzle, the Summer Red Soldiers flapped their wings and flew out, carrying out reconnaissance missions.
Hitomi and Chiri sat leaning on either side of Miki, their heads resting on her shoulders, eyes closed for a short rest.
Across from them, White Fang sat alone, huddled against the wall with his knees clasped, a thin blanket draped over him.
It's a bit cold…
White Fang couldn't sleep.
Climbing into bed alone seemed a bit awkward.
White Fang hugged himself tightly and said, "Have you found anything?"
Miki shook her head and said, "No findings yet."
"Is it because of the heavy rain?" White Fang asked.
"A little, but not much," Miki said. "This level of rain can't affect the flight of the Summer Red Soldier, but if it gets any heavier, they won't be able to take off."
They can fly in light rain but not heavy rain.
The wings of the Summer Red Soldier have a waterproof coating, a natural skill of the dragonfly species.
But in heavier rain, the raindrops would knock the dragonflies down, their soaked wings would become heavy, accelerating their physical exhaustion, and the low temperature would also rapidly drain their stamina, leading to death.
"Then why is that?" White Fang asked.
"Vision," Miki said. "The Summer Red Soldier is a hunter that relies on sight, possessing a wide visual range comparable to the Byakugan. However, the dim light at night affects visual ability."
"If it were searching for distinct targets like in a snowy mountain, it would be fine, but distinguishing faces in a crowd is very difficult."
"The Insects are the same; they have poor night vision. But in a battle, the Aburame Clan can often serve as auxiliary eyes for observation, not relying on the insect swarm's own visual capabilities."
"That's amazing…" White Fang said.
"Mm," Miki responded.
When only two people were left, there was nothing more to say, and the atmosphere was silent.
At such times, White Fang couldn't help but think of Hitomi's good points.
The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, the drizzle still pattered, rain hitting the window sills and eaves, crisp and clear like a song.
In the morning, the four went out, walking through the rainy streets with umbrellas.
Chiri maintained her disguise Genjutsu throughout, with a double layer of illusion and a mask. A pair of scarlet San Ba (Three Tomoe) silently rotated, maintaining the jutsu's function.
The surrounding streetscape was filled with towering spired buildings, and dense drainage pipes, chaotic yet orderly.
At noon, the four found a tavern.
After sitting down, Hitomi immediately took off her geta, removed her socks, and wrung out the rainwater.
"This rain just keeps falling, it's so annoying," Hitomi said, wiggling her little toes.
"Ah, that's better~"
White Fang's gaze fell on Hitomi's feet, then on Chiri's and Miki's feet.
"Aren't you taking yours off?" White Fang asked.
"Senior, you'll die, you know," Chiri smiled.
"I'm not that kind of person." White Fang waved his hand, calling the waiter to order.
"Women only hinder me from drawing my sword."
At this time, the izakaya was at its busiest during lunchtime. Several tables of Amegakure Shinobi were talking loudly, as if afraid others wouldn't know what they were discussing.
"In the cracks between the Great Nations, this country has no future."
"The weak Daimyo and leader will only wag their tails at the Three Great Nations."
The Shinobi spoke with agitation, his voice loud.
He attracted the attention of everyone in the tavern.
"During the cruel First Shinobi World War, the surrounding small nations were all destroyed by those Great Nations, leaving only us small nations to serve as strategic buffer zones."
"So what will happen in the coming Second Shinobi World War?"
"Our country will become a battlefield between the Great Nations!"
"At that time, everything will be destroyed by those Great Nations!"
"And that day is not far off!"
"More than ten years have passed since the First Shinobi World War. A new generation has grown up, forgetting the cruel Shinobi World War. The entire Ninja World is ready to begin the Second Shinobi World War!"
"At that time, will our country still be crying in this rift?"
"Are we prepared to face the war?"
"No! As long as the incompetent Amegakure leader is still in charge! This country will continue to cry!"
"We need a true hero to lead us against those hateful Great Nations!"
"To protect our homeland!"
"Hey!" At this moment, someone in the tavern, watching the show, opportunely asked, "Does such a hero truly exist?"
"Yes!" the Shinobi shouted. "That is our Ghost Hanzo! Lord Hanzou the Salamander!"
Another person chimed in, "I've heard that name. They say he's an extremely powerful Shinobi."
Miki and White Fang exchanged glances.
"Exactly!"
"If it's him, he can replace the weak and incompetent leader, lead us to defeat the Five Great Nations, and make the Land of Rain great again!"
So it's this kind of propaganda offensive, huh?
Miki took a sip of tea.
It's the old trope of a Shinobi Village military coup.
Utterly boring, nothing new at all.
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