hotmtlnovel Chapter 4 The Reality of the World
Chapter 4 The Reality of the World
Chapter 4 The Reality of the World
After confirming that the mission target, Ando, had indeed committed a betrayal, Shiba Kiyokawa's overt investigation made a breakthrough.
That afternoon, he led Xiao Nan to track them down to a secret hideout that Ando had hidden in the nearby mountains.
This stronghold was hidden deep in the forest, in a very secluded location. A team of wandering ninjas was also stationed around it to patrol and guard the area, and the secrecy work was done in a very professional manner.
However, this was clearly no challenge for the two Akatsuki elites who had come to investigate.
After the two of them took their places, Konan quickly grabbed Shiba Kiyokazu's arm and said urgently in a deliberately low voice.
"Kiyoka, they are all wandering ninjas from the Land of Rain. Don't be impulsive. You promised me you wouldn't use such extreme methods this time!"
She didn't even worry about the enemy's threat first.
This left Shiba Kiyokazu somewhat speechless, both amused and exasperated.
He didn't know whether to thank Xiao Nan for trusting his abilities or to lament that his image had deteriorated to the point of no return.
As for why Konan could immediately tell that the wandering ninjas on the outer perimeter were all locals from the Land of Rain, it was naturally because they were extremely poor.
None of the wandering ninjas had standard ninja vests; they could only wear clothes in cool colors that matched the surrounding environment. Half of them didn't even have ninja tool bags, just carrying a sword, wearing raincoats, and with a straw in their mouths.
Carefree yet impoverished, perfectly capturing the local character...
Shiba Kiyokawa did not choose to argue with Minami over such a trivial matter.
"Okay, Sister Xiaonan, let's bypass them and sneak in to investigate."
Konan was somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting Shiba Kiyokawa to be so agreeable this time.
Shiba Kiyokawa didn't rush to explain.
Because the real highlight isn't on the periphery.
They then bypassed the amateur ninja and infiltrated the merchant Ando's secret hideout.
Then, the two were quickly shocked by the goods that filled an entire warehouse.
After the examination, Xiao Nan said incredulously, "It's mainly medicine and food, with a small amount of meat."
Good heavens! How could this person hoard so many supplies? Many people in the surrounding villages are starving because of the war.
Shiba Kiyokazu did not answer.
He was also somewhat shocked, but his surprise came from a different point than Xiao Nan's.
He just hadn't expected the quantity of goods to be so large. As for Ando's hoarding, he had already guessed it.
"We need to find Ando quickly. He clearly has so many supplies, so why has he been unwilling to help the refugees around him all this time? If he just distributed these supplies, our Akatsuki organization, Yahiko, and everyone else wouldn't have to work so hard to help the surrounding villages."
Xiao Nan said impatiently.
However, the next moment she was grabbed by Shiba Kiyokazu.
"Don't be impulsive, Sister Xiaonan, calm down! Are you really planning to just barge in and search for them without thinking about anything? What if you find them and they don't listen to you? You were just advising me not to use such extreme methods to handle the mission."
Konan finally calmed down as if waking from a dream, turned around, and looked at Shiba Kiyoka with a very complicated expression.
There was surprise, gratitude, and much admiration.
"Thank you, Qinghe. You're right, I was too impulsive. You're really amazing, always so calm, like nothing can shake you."
Because this is the "gift" I carefully prepared for you.
"Sister Xiaonan, I understand how you feel right now, but I want to say that it might be time to wake up from your naive dream."
"What do you mean, Qinghe?"
I don't know if people can understand each other, but I think you should at least see the reality of this world clearly first.
Konan was caught off guard; she never expected to hear Shiba Kiyokawa mention their ideals at this moment.
But Qingbo and Qinghe did not rush to delve deeper; they merely planted the seeds and then grabbed Xiaonan's hand.
"Come with me. With so many supplies, Ando has probably hired more than just the few people outside. We still need to be careful with every step we take."
This was the first time that Shiba Kiyokawa had held her hand, but in her daze, she completely forgot to refuse.
The two continued their stealthy advance hand in hand, soon arriving at a hidden room behind the warehouse.
Shiba Kiyokawa and Konan carefully pressed themselves against the roof, peering down through the cracks in the ceiling. Finally, they spotted their target: the hoarder, Ando.
At this time, there were several Iwagakure ninjas in the same room as Ando.
Even now, in the Land of Rain, they still openly wear their headbands on their foreheads, making no attempt to hide them, displaying the arrogance of a great ninja village.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Nan, who had just calmed down, was once again enraged!
It turns out that this person not only refused to help the war refugees around him, but also colluded with the ninjas of Iwagakure!
Fortunately, Shiba Kiyokawa still held her hand, squeezed her soft palm, and comforted her to calm down.
Inside the room, Ando was sitting in a chair, puffing out cigarette smoke, venting his anger with a face full of resentment.
"So do you understand? My mission is to eliminate that troublesome organization called Akatsuki, preferably by killing them all, or at least driving them out of the vicinity of my town so they can go elsewhere to recruit members!"
The Iwagakure ninja leading the group frowned as he listened.
Although as a ninja he shouldn't comment on the motives of his clients, this mission was so bizarre that he needed to verify it carefully.
"According to our intelligence, your town was recently saved by an organization called Akatsuki. So why are you hiring us to drive out your benefactor?"
The extent of Ando's depravity truly shocked the Iwagakure ninja, to the point that he even worried that his employer was in cahoots with Akatsuki, trying to set them up.
Unexpectedly, Ando didn't have such thoughts at all; he truly hated the Akatsuki organization.
"Who needs their help? I have my own hired ninjas, I'll be fine without them! I didn't ask them to come and rescue me."
Besides, those naive fools are busy rescuing people everywhere, and now they actually want to interfere with my price-raising! Are you kidding me?!
If I don't take advantage of the Ninja World War to raise prices and make a fortune, how will I sell these goods at a high price after the war ends?
What do I care about the lives of those lowly people? Even Hanzo the Salamander didn't care, yet they pretend to be so compassionate. Disgusting! If the Land of Rain really falls under their control, how am I ever going to make big money?!
Upon hearing Ando's confession, Konan's body trembled slightly.
Even though it was still a warm season, she felt her hands and feet were ice cold, and only the hand that Shiba Kiyokawa was holding still had some warmth.
She never imagined that there would be such people in the Land of Rain before she came.
Her gaze returned to Shiba Kiyokazu, her eyes churning with a complex mix of emotions.
Is this the reality of the world you're talking about?
(End of this chapter)