"You're good people."
Yahiko looked a little embarrassed by such a straightforward assessment. "We just couldn't stand by and watch."
"You were stopped by a few people who couldn't even afford food, and you actually handed them your money pouch." Nagato finally raised his head. "Are you genuinely stupid, or are you pretending?"
"Nagato," Konan softly warned him.
"It's fine." Shin-chan did not mind Nagato's tone at all. Instead, he leaned closer curiously. "Your eyes are so unusual. They have circles inside circles."
Nagato instinctively lowered his eyelids, his red bangs covering most of his face.
He clearly wasn't used to people staring at his eyes, and his shoulders tensed slightly.
Yahiko spoke up. "Nagato doesn't like people looking at his eyes. Don't take it personally."
Shin-chan immediately looked away and turned his attention toward the clay pot bubbling over the fire.
"Konoha is a long way from here." Yahiko accepted a cup of hot water. "Why did you come all this way alone?"
"The war between Sunagakure and Kumogakure might spread into the Land of Rain." Shin-chan took a sip of hot water and stuck out his tongue after burning it.
"Drink more slowly."
Shin-chan blew on it several times before continuing. "I was sent here to check on the situation. But Grandpa Third told me not to fight anyone and to run away if I saw danger."
Konan laughed softly. "You dared to enter the Land of Rain alone. Are all Konoha ninja as interesting as you?"
"Kakashi says I'm the least normal one."
"You said Sunagakure and Kumogakure are at war?" Yahiko's brows furrowed.
"Kumogakure took advantage of the Third Kazekage's disappearance to attack Sunagakure."
Yahiko and Konan exchanged a glance. Nagato continued looking down.
Yahiko's voice became low. "During the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain was reduced to ruins. No one can even count how many people died."
"After the war ended, orphans were everywhere in the Land of Rain. We were three of them," Konan said softly. "Later, we met someone willing to take us in and teach us ninjutsu. Eventually, that person left too, leaving only the three of us."
"That person must have been really strong, right?"
"He was." Complicated emotions entered Yahiko's voice. "But now, we have to rely on ourselves. We believe that one day, we'll achieve peace through dialogue instead of violence."
Shin-chan nodded. "That's amazing."
"What's so amazing about it? We don't even have a proper base."
"But you saved me just now. Saving people is a good thing, no matter where you live."
"You..." Yahiko seemed to consider his wording. "You're different from the Konoha ninja I imagined."
"What did you imagine Konoha ninja would be like?"
"More... serious. Or more like what a ninja is supposed to be."
"Hima says that about me all the time too. She says I don't look anything like a ninja and more like a comedian."
"Who's Hima?"
"My little sister." Shin-chan held a hand out to indicate her height. "She's about this tall."
"You have a little sister?"
"Yeah. She studies at the ninja academy, Dad works at the Hokage Building, and Mom stays at home every day."
Looking at the expression on Shin-chan's face, Yahiko suddenly felt a little envious.
"What is Konoha Village like?" Konan asked, resting her chin on her hand.
"Konoha..." Shin-chan looked up at the cave ceiling. "There are shops everywhere. Shops selling meatballs, dango, ramen, sweets..."
The corners of Konan's mouth unconsciously lifted.
"If you ever come to Konoha," Shin-chan said seriously, "I'll take you to that ramen shop. I guarantee it tastes better than any ramen in the Land of Rain."
"You can't even find one decent ramen shop in the Land of Rain right now." Konan smiled helplessly.
Yahiko remained silent for a while, then stood and walked to the cave entrance.
Outside, the rain was gradually weakening.
The earlier downpour had become a light drizzle.
"One day." Yahiko turned around. "I'll change this country. Everyone will have hot food to eat, children won't have to hide in caves anymore, and the Land of Rain will no longer be a battlefield."
Konan and Nagato both looked at him, light seeming to shine in their eyes.
"Helping the people in the village live good lives." Shin-chan suddenly remembered the Third Hokage's words. "That's a Kage's duty."
Yahiko froze. "A Kage's duty?"
"That's what Grandpa Third said." Shin-chan nodded. "He said a Kage should make sure children can grow up safely and that old people can enjoy their final years in peace."
"He sounds like a good Hokage."
"Of course." Shin-chan puffed out his chest. "He also buys me chocolate sticks all the time."
Konan couldn't help laughing. "You judge whether a Kage is good based on chocolate sticks?"
"Chocolate sticks are a very important standard." Shin-chan raised one finger with a serious expression. "If a Kage isn't even willing to buy people chocolate sticks, how could he be willing to spend money on the village?"
Yahiko somehow felt that this logic made sense from a very strange angle.
Even Nagato slightly raised his eyelids, his lips twitching as though he were suppressing something.
Shin-chan took out his last few chocolate sticks and handed them over. "Your dream will definitely come true."
"How do you know?"
"You want to help the people of the Land of Rain, while Grandpa Third is helping the people of Konoha." Shin-chan raised his chocolate stick as though making a toast. "Everyone is doing the same thing, just in different ways."
Nagato held the chocolate stick and examined it for a while. Then he tore open the wrapper and took a bite.
"How does it taste?"
"Sweet."
"Oh, right." Shin-chan looked at the three of them. "Do you want to join my organisation?"
"What organisation?"
"I just thought of it, so I haven't decided on the name yet." Shin-chan stuffed the chocolate stick into his mouth. "Maybe something like the Chocolate Stick Alliance."
Nagato's eyelid twitched.
Konan cautiously asked, "What does this alliance do?"
"Eat chocolate sticks," Shin-chan said as though it were obvious. "And help people who are in trouble along the way, like how you chased away those bandits for me."
"Isn't that what we're already doing?" Yahiko couldn't help laughing.
Shin-chan clapped his hands. "Exactly. That means you're already members."
Nagato lowered his head and looked at the chocolate stick in his hand, which he had already eaten more than half of. "When did I agree?"
"When you took the first bite." Shin-chan raised one finger. "Once you eat a chocolate stick, you're one of us."
Konan burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth.
"Your organisation is far too casual."
"It isn't casual. The membership requirements are very strict," Shin-chan said seriously. "First, you have to be a good person. Second, you have to like chocolate sticks. Third... I haven't thought of the third rule yet."
"You don't even have a third rule. How is that strict?"
"The fact that there isn't a third rule is exactly why it's strict. It means the requirements are so high that I can't think of any more conditions right away."
Konan's shoulders shook with laughter. "Is everyone in Konoha Village like you?"
"Not really. Kakashi is very serious. He only secretly smiles when he's reading those strange books."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!