Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"Who are you, and why are you in my house?!"

Suddenly, a young man in his twenties barged in, roughly pulling Haneda away from the old woman.

"Kazue, you're back!" the old woman exclaimed excitedly.

"Mom, why are you talking about the village again to outsiders?"

The young man, named Kazue, looked at Haneda with suspicion and hostility.

"I'm a traveler and writer from the Land of Fire. I'm just traveling through the Land of Waves to study local customs and myths," Haneda introduced himself with a smile, unfazed by Kazue's rudeness.

"From the Land of Fire?"

Kazue's hostility deepened, and if his mother hadn't been nearby, he might have already acted violently.

"The Land of Waves doesn't welcome people from the Land of Fire!"

"Is it because of the Yamano family?" Haneda asked seriously.

"You know about them?"

"I think there's a misunderstanding here, sir. I'm just an ordinary civilian from the Land of Fire, like you."

When Haneda mentioned the word "civilian," Kazue's hostility eased slightly.

At that moment, the old woman interjected, trying to change the subject.

"Kazue, why have you come back this time? Didn't you say you wouldn't return home anymore?"

Kazue hesitated for a moment, glancing at both his mother and Haneda.

Suddenly, a flicker of red light crossed Kazue's eyes, and his gaze toward Haneda became more friendly and trusting.

Taking his mother's hand, Kazue said, "Mom, I'm back to help improve life for the village!"

"You don't know this yet, but I've joined the uprising army. There are already over a hundred official members, and we can easily rally a thousand more."

"I came back to the village to fulfill a task for the organization. We're raising funds to hire ninja from the Land of Water to kill Yamano Sakamoto and his family!"

"Once Sakata is dead, people near the coast can fish, trade, and transport food freely. Prices will drop, and we'll all live better lives!"

"People like Uncle Suzuki won't have to farm in the off-season and still have to work odd jobs in the city."

"And families like Uncle Takeuchi's by the northern village gate will finally be able to buy some meat during the New Year celebrations."

"Everyone in the village will have better days ahead."

Then, Kazue turned eagerly to Haneda and asked, "So, what do you say, sir? Will you contribute a little?"

"..."

Haneda was silent. Donate money to hire people to kill him?

Based on his current investigation, the biggest villain here was Sakata's faction—the very ones Haneda's Team 9 had been hired by.

In the end, Haneda did give a bit of money: 300 ryo, the price of about five bowls of Ichiraku ramen.

...

After leaving the village, Haneda stood on a hill, gazing at the village nestled in the fields below.

He watched as the ordinary young man, Kazue, went from house to house, rallying people to join the uprising and gather funds.

Suddenly, he recalled something the old woman had said earlier:

"We are like stalks of straw in the field. A gust of wind blows, and we fall—sometimes, even without wind, we fall."

"So, we must resist. We must grow wild and strong, and root ourselves deeply in the land."

A light breeze stirred Haneda's black hair as he stood in thought.

He reflected on people like Asuma and Kurenai, fresh graduates from the Ninja Academy, who just needed to overcome their fear of killing to take the lives of a dozen ordinary people.

For someone like him, with the strength of a jonin, wiping out an entire village—or even a country—was only a matter of time.

"Does this kind of resistance have any meaning?"

"Resistance doomed to fall at the first breeze..."

Haneda murmured to himself.

He tried to step outside of Konoha's perspective, beyond his role as a ninja, and look at the situation in the Land of Waves as an observer.

"Sakamoto's family controls all the transportation routes in the country, manipulates food prices, controls people's lives, even their deaths."

"They can humiliate and plunder the wealth of the people at will, monopolizing whatever is left of their hard-earned money."

"The common people struggle just to survive..."

"And the aristocracy, in order to maintain their lavish lifestyles, continue to squeeze every last bit of value from the lower classes."

"The conflict between these classes has already taken shape, and the tide of the era is surging forward."

"Under normal circumstances, the old, stagnant society would be overthrown by the will of the people..."

Haneda undid his transformation jutsu and removed his forehead protector, holding it in his palm as he gazed at it.

"But in this world, there are ninja who care only about money and allegiances."

"Sakamoto represents the interests of the Land of Fire's daimyo. Konoha, tied to the daimyo's government, cannot simply ignore Sakata."

"The uprising army will hire ninja from the Land of Water's Hidden Mist Village, and Konoha and the Hidden Mist are traditional rivals."

"From a purely strategic standpoint, I should be helping Sakamoto."

Suddenly, Haneda remembered his answer to Uncle Sakumo once and laughed to himself.

"Konoha is Konoha, and I am me."

"Allegiances can remain unchanged, but that doesn't mean the person can't."

Haneda realized the key to the situation, but the word "ninja" still echoed in his mind, refusing to leave.

...

In the afternoon, Haneda returned to Sakamoto's mansion.

This time, he no longer appreciated the elegant, southern-style gardens.

To him, each carved beam and painted pillar seemed drenched in blood.

He went to the room arranged by the steward and found a note from Sakumo, saying he had taken Asuma and Kurenai to train in the northern outskirts of the city.

So, Haneda left again.

In the northern outskirts, Asuma and Kurenai were practicing water-walking on a lake, while Sakumo was grilling food by the shore.

The fish from the lake and the edible vegetables and mushrooms from the surrounding area were all skewered and placed on the grill. Sakumo occasionally added more firewood and turned the skewers over.

"I can see confusion in your eyes. Are you having doubts about this mission?"

Noticing the sweat on Haneda's forehead, Sakumo handed him a water bottle.

"Thirsty? Have a drink first."

Taking the water bottle, Haneda drank a few gulps and wiped his mouth before responding.

"Yes and no. The mission is one thing, and that can be set aside."

"Uncle Sakumo, I just want to know what being a ninja really means."

Hearing this, Sakumo laughed.

"So, you're pondering that now? Are you questioning the purpose of a ninja because of the mission?"

Sakumo stood up, patted Haneda on the shoulder, and said,

"Broadly speaking, a ninja is someone who can endure anything."

"More specifically, a ninja is someone who possesses and controls chakra."

"I know you're not fond of the ninja's philosophy, Haneda."

"So, let me talk about chakra—the meaning of power."

"Legend has it that the Sage of Six Paths created ninshu and distributed chakra to others as a way to connect people's hearts."

"Initially, chakra was used for things like farming, bridge-building, and road construction. But over time, because of human desire, it became a tool for killing."

As he spoke, Sakumo drew his short sword from his back, smiling.

"What do you think of this blade?"

"Sharp, good for killing?"

Before Haneda could finish his answer, Sakumo used his cherished short sword to slice the grilled fish and handed Haneda a piece.

"And now?"

"Tastes pretty good, right?"

Haneda tasted the fish Sakumo had grilled. It was indeed quite delicious, and the parts Sakumo had cut away had also been carefully deboned.

"Not bad."

Haneda licked his lips, and suddenly, something dawned on him. He began to reflect deeply.

***

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