Chapter 99 Urban Legend

In the Land of the Moon, known for its fjords and significant maritime climate, a new urban legend has recently emerged.

On dim moonlit nights, far from the coast, in the misty expanse of the sea, there is said to be a breathtaking aurora, a phenomenon only produced at high altitudes.

Initially, people dismissed the claims of witnessing such a magical sight, but as more fishermen returned with similar stories, this mysterious and beautiful phenomenon began to draw the attention of curious minds.

However, despite the increasing number of thrill-seekers venturing into the near sea at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary aurora, most returned empty-handed as the rising sun dispelled their anticipation and recklessness.

Two months after the 'Urban Legend of Aurora' began spreading, there are more and more versions being passed on. Some people say that it is not an aurora at all, but a reasonable phenomenon of the refraction of moonlight through sea mist. Others insisted it wasn't an aurora at all, but a white comet rising from the sea, signaling the awakening of a God below. Some swore it was the ghostly glow of a sunken pirate ship's treasure, while others exaggerated, claiming to have seen human figures...

As the chaotic chatter increased, the truth became irrelevant, and the legend took on a life of its own, becoming part of the Land of the Moon's fjord folklore.

"Hey, uncle, do you believe in urban legends?"

"Nope."

"Those people who came recently to see the aurora caused such a ruckus. They made a mess of the coast and lit torches every night like it was daytime. They must've scared the aurora away."

"Oh."

"Uncle, let me tell you a secret. In fact, I've actually seen the aurora!"

"...Oh."

"Well, it was back when-"

"Would you just stop already?"

In a remote fishing village in the Land of the Moon, the air was very fresh, because the life is primitive and the folk customs are very simple. With little money to go around, the villagers followed a routine of working from sunrise to sunset, living in relative isolation except for the recent influx of "tourists" eager to see the aurora.

Logan had been staying here for the past two months, and aptly named this poor village that only knew fishing, 'Salted Fish Village'.

If it weren't for the need to find a secluded place to train, even Logan, who had traveled far and wide, wouldn't want to stay in this boring fishing village, where the only scent was that of fish and the sea breeze was equally fishy.

'Oh, recently, there had been some excitement with the urban legend of the 'aurora'. It is obviously aimed at me. Sigh, talented people always seem to attract attention…'

The only thing that made his days less boring was the little girl living next door.

Though she could be quite annoying at times.

The girl, named Mai, was not yet ten years old. She had delicate features and fair skin, quite unlike the rough-and-tumble children typically found in a fishing village. Of course, if Mai, who hadn't yet done much heavy labor, were to work outside for a few weeks, she might soon have a tan like the rest.

Logan, annoyed, threw his Clear Spring Sword, which was more valuable than ordinary weapons. The sharp blade was inserted straight into the soft sand, and he said to the little girl, who squeezed in to chat, " How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not an uncle. I'm only twenty-five or twenty-six at most. Call me 'big brother', got it??!"

Logan, whose psychological age was already thirty-six, stubbornly refused to acknowledge the reality of approaching his forties, thanks to his youthful appearance gained through cheating.

Mai's big, cute eyes stared seriously at Logan before she honestly shook her head, "Give it up, uncle. Reality isn't scary. You just have to face it."

"..."

Mai was telling the truth that she thought she had seen with her own eyes. Over the past two months, Logan had perfectly blended into the Salted Fish Village, wearing an old fishing jacket worn by locals, and a straw hat hanging behind his head. At this time, sitting unceremoniously on the dirty sand, with his unkempt face and disheveled appearance, he looked every bit like a poor commoner, completely devoid of the grandeur and demeanor of an elite Ninja from a Great Ninja Village or a member of a notorious international organization.

"Alright, I won't argue with you." Logan sighed in resignation and picked up the Clear Spring Sword. The pristine, white blade is now smeared with dirt. Logan didn't care and wiped it with his clothes. After wiping it, he sheathed it back into the scabbard tied to his thigh.

"Pay attention to hygiene, uncle!" Mai said with a hint of disdain, glancing at Logan as she kindly patted his clothes.

Logan's eyes were empty, and he thought to himself, 'I'd love to pay attention to hygiene, but in this dump, where the facilities are so poor, my clothes will get dirty within half a day. What's the point?'

It's not like Logan has never been in any kind of 'unclean' environment before. In modern society, two years of training in the army can cure anyone of OCD and cleanliness compulsions. Needless to say, as a Ninja. he knew when to care about cleanliness and when it didn't matter. And it wasn't time for others to worry about.

Of course, he wouldn't argue with a little girl.

After sitting quietly for a short while, Mai suddenly thought of something else and unceremoniously reached into Logan's lap.

"Hey, hey, what do you think you're doing, young lady?"

"Uncle, show me your sword."

Logan immediately guarded the scabbard, "No, this is very valuable!"

"Uncle, you are just a wanderer who envies those Samurai-sama. You couldn't afford a long sword, so you bought a short one as a substitute. Since it's not valuable, let me just touch it." Mai, with nearly half her body in Logan's lap now, reached out persistently.

Logan was almost angry to death, " Who said I'm a wanderer who envies those useless Samurai? I am a working man! Tell me, who told you that!"

At a young age, kids don't think much, but they could easily imitate what others say.

Mai clamped her mouth shut, resolutely refusing to reveal her source.

"I see, it's your brother, right? Wow, I even gave you guys a fish yesterday!"

Seeing the 'truth' was discovered and her brother seemed to be taking the blame, Mai immediately wanted to change the subject and leaned her little face closer.

"Then uncle, what is your job?"

The close proximity of her innocent face made Logan lean back slightly, and he said hesitantly: "Well, it's a kind of mysterious, travel-related work..."

"Tch." Mai curled her lips, as if even a child like her didn't believe Logan's words. Then, she stretched out her hand, "Liar, uncle. I want to see your sword."

"Kids shouldn't play with swords; it's too dangerous. Go play with the turtles by the sea." Logan said, exasperated, 'Why didn't anyone believe the truth anymore?'

'No, the important question is, how did I end up in a remote place with such a restless little girl?'

In the end, Logan kept Clear Spring Sword's innocence at the cost of buying Mai some candy.

"Anyway, I'll be leaving in a month!" When it was almost evening and Mai was going home to cook and wait for his brother to get off work, Logan shouted at the door, unwilling to be outdone. The ANBU from Konoha had already brought Hiruzen's message to Logan. Logan knew that the real plot was about to begin. Also, since his cover wasn't exposed, he had a legitimate reason to leave.

Mai simply responded with a playful grimace, hopping toward a crooked house less than fifty meters away.

Check out my new novel, the title is: In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy.

Just click my profile, and look for my uploaded novel..