Chapter 94

Chapter 94

**The next morning.**

Haneda woke up early and joined Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato as they set out. Their destination was Kawaraishi Village, located about ten kilometers away from where Yahiko and his companions lived.

Accompanying them were Yahiko's loyal follower, Jiu, and a few other weaker ninjas.

On the way, Haneda curiously asked, "Yahiko, what are you planning to do there? Are you building bridges and roads or constructing houses for the refugees?"

"Huh?" Yahiko was confused by Haneda's words. Building houses he could understand, but building bridges and roads?

However, Yahiko didn't dwell on it too much and explained, "We're just going to buy some food and give it to the women and children who beg. Sometimes, we pick herbs and make medicinal soups to help the sick."

"I see..." Haneda pondered. Yahiko's mindset at this stage was still focused on helping people with immediate needs—using the money they earned from missions to buy food and distribute it to women and children, while also trying to prevent war and promote peace.

Haneda could tell from the details, combined with what he knew from the original story, that this was where Yahiko's thoughts lay.

Jiu, noticing Haneda's lack of full support for Yahiko's ideals, was displeased and asked bluntly, "Hey, kid, who do you think you are, judging Yahiko like that? Show some respect!"

"Haneda, medical ninja," Haneda responded calmly, unfazed.

"Medical ninja? You don't look familiar. Are you from another village?" Jiu's tone softened upon hearing that Haneda was a medical ninja, but he still regarded him with suspicion, as he could be from another hidden village.

"Yes, from Konoha," Haneda nodded.

He didn't mind revealing his identity since, out of the entire group, only Nagato posed a real threat to him.

Jiu took another long look at Haneda and fell silent, already deciding to keep an eye on this outsider for Yahiko's sake.

At that moment, the usually quiet Nagato suddenly spoke up, "Haneda, what did you mean by building bridges and roads? Could that help people?"

"Well... it involves a complex understanding of economics. Let's talk about it later," Haneda replied, uncertain of the full situation in the Land of Rain. He wanted to gather more information before discussing theory.

Still, this casual comment seemed to pique Nagato's interest.

"Is that so?" Nagato glanced at Haneda and then fell silent again.

...

The Land of Rain was perpetually wet, with muddy, swamp-like ground and dense rainforests. This slowed Haneda and the others on their journey.

After about half an hour, they arrived at Kawaraishi Village. Despite being called a village, it didn't look backward. Its houses were similar to those in Kamiki Town, with a functioning drainage system, though on a much smaller scale.

Once they entered the village, Yahiko and his group headed straight to the bakery in the marketplace.

"How much for this loaf?" Yahiko pointed to a long loaf of bread.

"One hundred and forty ryō. I can slice it for you if you want," the shopkeeper responded.

"So expensive? Yesterday it was one hundred and twenty!" Yahiko protested.

"It's all imported from the Land of Fire, and the roads are blocked now, so of course, the price went up. In a few days, it'll probably go up even more."

Hearing this, Yahiko understood. Konoha was currently in a standoff with Sunagakure, blocking some trade routes. The Land of Rain, which had little arable land due to constant rain, relied heavily on imported goods like bread. With the trade routes blocked, prices naturally soared.

With a pained expression, Yahiko pulled out his frog-shaped wallet and reluctantly bought two baskets of bread. He and Nagato each carried a basket as they left the bakery.

Seeing Haneda waiting outside for them, Yahiko forced a smile and said, "Haneda, why don't you find a place to sit down and rest? Or take a walk around—just standing there must be boring."

"No need, watching you guys shop is interesting enough," Haneda replied with a smile.

"Alright... We're heading to the fish market now. If you start feeling unwell, find a place to rest."

"Okay," Haneda nodded, glancing at Jiu, who had been silently following him all along. "Aren't you going to help them carry the baskets?"

Jiu smirked, pointing at the bakery without saying a word, his mocking expression saying it all.

"Childish," Haneda muttered, ignoring Jiu and quickening his pace to catch up with Yahiko's group.

As for Konoha's decision to block trade routes, Haneda didn't see anything wrong with it. After all, it wasn't feasible to allow disguised Suna shinobi to pose as merchants and buy supplies, only to use those supplies to attack Konoha later, right? Jiu's misplaced blame was uncalled for, and Haneda was caught in the crossfire for no reason. Being from Konoha, he was used to such misplaced resentment being directed his way.

...

The fish market was much quieter than the bakery but still bustling enough. Despite the Land of Rain's abundance of lakes, fish was still more expensive than bread.

Yahiko bought a basket of fish, leaving his frog wallet completely empty. He sighed for a moment, but when he thought of the children's smiles, he quickly forgot about the money.

"Let's go. They're probably waiting for us."

"Yeah." Konan, Nagato, and even Jiu silently followed behind Yahiko, while Haneda, acting more like an observer, watched them buy food, prepare meals, and distribute it to children displaced by war or abandoned.

Haneda occasionally used medical ninjutsu to treat those who were sick, which eventually softened the attitudes of Jiu and the other Amegakure ninjas toward him.

Standing quietly in the corner of the slums, Haneda watched as the children devoured the bread and drank the fish soup. He couldn't help but think, 'What will happen to them if Yahiko and the others stop helping?'

Would they survive by stealing, just like Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato did when they were children?

But not everyone had the secret support of White Zetsu like Yahiko and his friends did. Otherwise, they might have been killed long ago. The Land of Rain wasn't like the peaceful era Haneda had come from—it was chaotic, and murder was common, with no one around to enforce justice.

This was why Orochimaru had suggested killing Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan back then. In his eyes, it was better to spare them the suffering of trying to survive in such a brutal world.

"What are you thinking about, Haneda?"

Yahiko, having finished distributing food, approached Haneda, hoping to win over this skilled medical ninja.

Hearing Yahiko's voice, Haneda turned his gaze from the children and replied, "How long do you think you can help them?"

"Don't get me wrong. I just think that once they're no longer under your care, it'll be difficult for them to survive in this world."

"Hey, hey, hey, Konoha guy, are you saying we're meddling too much, handing out kindness willy-nilly?" Jiu snapped, glaring at Haneda. He didn't like anyone questioning Yahiko's authority.

"Jiu, calm down. Haneda means well—otherwise, he wouldn't have come here to help us," Yahiko said, pacifying Jiu before turning to Haneda. "As long as I'm alive, I'll help them grow to the point where they can stand on their own."

Seeing Yahiko's determined expression, Haneda couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for him.

"Your intention is good, but there's a different approach you could take," Haneda suggested thoughtfully.

***

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