Seeing the Light of Day Again, Deva Path Pain!

The break this time was quite long, and Ming Jing even managed to get a little sleep. When he woke up, all he felt was his stomach rumbling.

"How long have we been here?" Ming Jing stood up, stretching his sore neck, and asked.

"Two days," Konan replied leisurely.

Ming Jing blinked in surprise and asked curiously, "How do you know?"

"I lived in a similar environment for three years when I was a child," Konan said calmly, as if talking about someone else. Ming Jing sighed, a saying coming to mind: "When the country prospers, the people suffer. When it falls, the people suffer."

For some reason, Konan suddenly looked at Ming Jing and said, "I don't know if the path you've chosen is the right one, but I hope you are the one who can truly bring peace and happiness to everyone."

Ming Jing hadn't expected Konan to say something like that. When he'd chatted with Itachi before, he hadn't grasped the concept of peace. No matter how nicely Itachi put it, it had just been an excuse for him to leave Konohagakure. But hearing the same sentiment from Konan felt completely different.

When a young Itachi talked about the grand topic of peace, Ming Jing had treated it as a joke. A Young Master from the Uchiha Clan, who had never lacked for food or clothing since childhood, talking about peace? Didn't it sound a bit chuunibyou?

But Konan was different. She was an orphan of war, who had to scavenge for food among corpses from a young age, often going hungry and risking death. If Jiraiya hadn't taken pity on her, Konan's corpse would likely have rotted away long ago.

For the first time, Ming Jing felt the immense weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. At that moment, Konan didn't seem like a divine messenger; she was just an ordinary girl weary of war.

"Yes, I will do everything in my power!" Ming Jing nodded, seemingly having found his goal as an official for the future.

"Let's go!" Konan walked to Ming Jing's side, took his hand, and led him in a certain direction. Neither of them harbored any ulterior motives, yet they both felt warmth from each other's palms.

Perhaps their bad luck had run out, as they found the exit smoothly this time. Seeing the outside scenery once more, even Konan quietly let out a sigh of relief.

"This isn't the cave entrance we came in from," Ming Jing said, looking around with some distress. He didn't know where they were.

"This is the Land of Rain," Konan said, looking at the rain outside. "It's about a day's journey from Muchuan County."

"I can't believe we ended up in the Land of Rain so haphazardly," Ming Jing chuckled. He saw fish occasionally surfacing in a small river nearby, blowing bubbles, and happily exclaimed, "We're so lucky, there are fish in this river. There's no better day than today to let Konan taste my cooking!"

"Okay!" Konan nodded, and her tone indicated she was quite happy.

Ming Jing immediately took off his shoes, picked up a branch, and ran into the river. Using the branch like a sword, he speared six palm-sized fish. He then spent a long time trying to identify them with his meager knowledge of biology, but couldn't.

"This is a crucian carp... Are you sure you know how to grill fish?..." Finally, Konan couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but ask.

"Ahem... It'll be about the same after it's grilled!" Ming Jing coughed awkwardly and nimbly scraped the scales off the crucian carp by the river, then made two cuts on its back. Seeing this, Konan felt a little more at ease.

After Ming Jing had prepared the crucian carp, he got some honey from the nearby woods and dug up some ginger by the riverbank. However, there was no salt, which left Ming Jing helpless. It was the first time he was cooking without salt, and he was doing it for Konan... What a sad story...

In this case, he could only rely on his own ingenuity!

As a member of the Holy Empire of Gluttony, he absolutely could not disgrace his country and people!

Ming Jing carefully spread the honey evenly over the crucian carp. Then, he formed his fingers into a sword, sliced the ginger into pieces, and stuffed the ginger slices into the fish's belly. Finally, he started a fire and skewered the crucian carp with a branch, placing it over the flames.

"I'm sorry, the conditions are basic, so this is the best I can do. Next time we go to Muchuan County, I'll make you a full fish banquet," Ming Jing said with a sigh after finishing his preparation.

"It's already wonderful," Konan said, her gaze shifting from the grilled fish, a smile appearing on her face.

Ming Jing kept turning the fish to ensure it grilled evenly. After about twenty minutes, a fragrance of fish mixed with honey wafted out. Konan closed her eyes, sniffed, and said joyfully, "It smells so good."

"This one's for you first! Mine is almost ready," Ming Jing said, handing Konan a golden-brown grilled fish.

Konan took it and eagerly took a bite, immediately yelping from the heat. After a while, she took a small bite, chewed slowly, and then looked at Ming Jing, saying, "It's delicious! The fish is tender and smooth, not fishy, with a hint of honey sweetness and a touch of spiciness. It's quite warming to eat."

"You're praising it too much. You're probably just very hungry, so everything tastes good," Ming Jing said. The second fish was also grilled. Ming Jing tore off a piece and tasted it, feeling it wasn't as good as Konan had described.

"Such a pampered Young Master..." Konan said, glancing at Ming Jing's refined eating posture with a hint of envy. Ming Jing was speechless. Given Konan's experiences, neither Akira Kurama nor Ming Jing could be said to have suffered hardship.

Just then, a voice approached from afar, arriving from the horizon in the blink of an eye. Ming Jing shielded Konan behind him, looking at the newcomer with a solemn expression. What a terrifying aura! Wait, this guy looks a bit familiar! That orange hair, the black cloak with red clouds, and those Rinnegan eyes!

"Don't be nervous, he's my companion," Konan's voice came from behind Ming Jing. Ming Jing naturally moved aside.

"It seems there's no problem," Pain said, looking down at Konan with a blank expression.

"I've made you worry," Konan said to Pain after finishing a fish.

Pain descended from the sky and walked in front of Ming Jing. His Rinnegan stared at Ming Jing, and he asked in a deep voice, "A new friend? Or a subordinate?"

"A friend," Konan said, picking up another grilled fish and continuing to eat. After seeing Pain, she had completely relaxed.

"Oh?" Deva Path Pain couldn't help but size up Ming Jing seriously.

"Hello, I am Akira Kurama," Ming Jing said, taking the initiative to greet him.

"Akira Kurama..." Deva Path Pain narrowed his eyes. "Prime Minister of the Land of Fire, a ninja of Konohagakure."

"And Konan's friend," Ming Jing added with a smile.

Deva Path Pain looked at Ming Jing coldly and said, "Let's talk about your purpose in approaching Konan! Regardless, I cannot believe a Konohagakure ninja."

"My purpose in approaching Konan?" Ming Jing blinked, looking at Deva Path Pain and retorting, "Does Konan have some other identity that would make me deliberately approach her?" Deva Path Pain fell silent. The purpose of Akatsuki was currently unknown to outsiders. In that case, there really seemed to be no reason for Ming Jing to deliberately approach Konan!

"Pain, there's something inside that needs your attention," Konan said, finally finishing another grilled fish. She walked between the two, separating the tense atmosphere.

"What is it?" Deva Path Pain's gaze shifted away from Ming Jing, and Ming Jing immediately felt the air become much more breathable.

"Inside this mountain, there's a plant and a spring. Both are very dangerous things," Konan said, pointing towards the cave with a solemn expression.

"Hmm?? What's with your Chakra?" However, as soon as Konan approached, Deva Path Pain noticed the abnormality on her and immediately asked.

"We'll talk about it when we get back," Konan said. She hadn't intended to hide anything from Deva Path Pain, but she just didn't know how to explain it at the moment.

Deva Path Pain assumed that Konan didn't trust him because Ming Jing was present, so he didn't press further. He glanced at the mountain and instructed Konan, "Wait for me here," before flying into the cave.

"He just went in like that, is it okay?" Ming Jing asked with some concern.

"Don't worry! There's no enemy in this world he can't defeat. Do you want more?"

"Uh... You eat..."

"Okay."