What?!
The thud of a forehead striking the ground echoed in his ears. Chiba's eyes slowly widened, his face openly filled with shock and disbelief. Reflected in his pupils was Zong Mi kneeling and pleading, his head pressed tightly to the ground, his sincerity plain to see.
The little bald boy behind Zong Mi also trembled after revealing himself, clearly terrified of Chiba. Then, after timidly glancing at Chiba and then at the kneeling Zong Mi, he brought his knees together and copied Zong Mi, heavily knocking his little head against the ground.
"P-please... y-you... save... save us."
Then came the little bald boy's childish voice, still untouched by puberty, soft with trembling fear and timidity.
This...
After that plea, Chiba, already so shocked that he could barely react, froze where he was.
What... was going on?
Why were they suddenly making such a solemn plea?
Chiba understood what their posture represented. The original Hokage setting was Japan, and many things were essentially reflections of Japanese culture. This kind of kneeling was called dogeza there—the most formal way of making a request or offering an apology.
Uh...
He understood now. Such a solemn plea.
After another glance, Chiba noticed their expressions and suddenly understood. The two children before him were sincerely asking for his help, and what they were asking concerned their lives.
But why were they asking me?
They were obviously both terrified of me. Why would they make a request of someone they feared so much?
And besides, if they were so afraid of me, why had they saved me?
Zong Mi, and even the little bald boy, must have been afraid of me from the moment they found me.
I'd been unconscious the whole time before this. There was no way I could have done anything to