The Meat-Stealing Trio, a System Ahead of Its Time

Amegakure's night was shrouded in an unceasing curtain of rain, the damp air thick with the stench of fish and mildew.

Chiyo was hiding inside an abandoned seafood warehouse.

Several streams of rainwater dripped through the damaged roof, splashing tiny droplets across the waterlogged wooden floor.

He leaned against a row of rusted iron racks. His Mangekyō Sharingan had been deactivated, but his keen senses still kept him alert.

The Mangekyō Sharingan's backlash hit, and Chiyo felt as though his entire body had fallen apart.

When he had exchanged moves with Tsunade earlier, his legs had merely gone weak.

But after using the Mangekyō Sharingan a few times, it felt as if he had been completely drained.

Though Chiyo grumbled inwardly,

he had also gained a new understanding of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

He needed time to recover now, and this place was hidden enough—for the moment, at least.

However, before he had rested with his eyes closed for even ten minutes,

faint footsteps suddenly mixed into the sound of rain outside the warehouse.

Chiyo's eyes snapped open. His figure flashed, and he silently slipped into the shadows behind the shelves.

Creak.

The rusted iron door was gently pushed open, and three small figures sneaked inside furtively.

By the dim light filtering in through the windows, Chiyo clearly saw what they looked like.

An orange-haired boy with spiky hair walked in front. Behind him followed a thin red-haired boy with hair covering his eyes, and last came a girl with bright eyes and short blue-purple hair.

"Yahiko, Nagato, Konan?"

Nagato, Yahiko, Konan.

Chiyo's pupils shrank slightly. He had not expected to encounter the future founders of Akatsuki here.

Just as Chiyo was thinking, something unexpected happened.

"Ah!"

Yahiko stepped into a puddle and slipped, pitching forward.

In a panic, he grabbed the shelf to steady himself, only to pull the entire iron rack down instead.

Crash!

The enormous sound of the collapsing rack was especially piercing in the silent warehouse, and all kinds of rusted fishing tools scattered across the ground.

"What little thief dares steal my goods?!"

The warehouse owner immediately cursed from outside, his heavy footsteps rapidly drawing closer.

Chiyo's gaze sharpened as he made a decision in an instant.

He raised his hands and formed seals.

Two Shadow Clones appeared at once. Before Yahiko and the other two could react, they had already gripped their shoulders.

"Don't make a sound."

Chiyo's original body said softly.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

They vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next second, the enraged owner kicked open the door and charged in. His flashlight beam swept across the empty warehouse, revealing only the fallen shelf and the mess covering the floor.

"What the hell..."

The owner muttered as he warily looked around.

Meanwhile, Chiyo had already brought the three children to an abandoned sewer several hundred meters away.

Under the dim light, Yahiko and the other two sat on the ground, still shaken, staring in shock at the unfamiliar ninja before them.

Konan was the first to react. She vigilantly shielded her two companions behind her.

"Y-you, who are you?"

Chiyo put away his kunai, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"That should be my question. What were three brats doing at a seafood warehouse in the middle of the night?"

Chiyo put away his kunai and crouched down, bringing his gaze level with the three children.

Inside the damp sewer, there was only the dripping sound of rainwater seeping in from afar.

"You..."

Chiyo deliberately softened his tone.

"Were you going there to steal food?"

Although Yahiko's legs were still trembling, he stubbornly raised his head.

He said angrily,

"We bought fish from that owner last time, but our stomachs hurt after eating it, and we threw up several times.

We saved up that money with great difficulty, but he cheated us!"

"Yahiko!"

Konan hurriedly tugged on his sleeve.

The red-haired Nagato remained silently bowed, the Rinnegan beneath his bangs turning uneasily.

Chiyo's gaze swept over Nagato, and he understood.

The Rinnegan's abilities had not fully awakened yet, but the hidden sense of oppression was already faintly perceptible.

He suddenly reached into his ninja tool pouch and took out three Soldier Pills.

"Eat these."

He handed the Soldier Pills to the three of them.

Soldier Pills did not taste good, but at least they could fill their stomachs a little.

The three children froze.

Konan reacted first. After cautiously sniffing one, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"They're... they're Soldier Pills!"

Joy appeared on the three children's faces, but then they suddenly thought of something.

They forcibly suppressed their urge to swallow them.

"W-why are you helping us?"

Yahiko remained wary, but his stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

Chiyo pointed at the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector.

"I was just passing through."

As he spoke, his face suddenly went pale and he began coughing.

Konan cried out in surprise.

"You're hurt!"

After hesitating for a moment, she pulled a faded handkerchief from her tattered sleeve.

"W-we won't eat your food for nothing. We can help you..."

"Konan!"

Yahiko wanted to stop her, but Nagato gently pulled him back.

The Red-Haired Boy spoke for the first time, his voice as faint as a mosquito's.

"He... means us no harm."

Chiyo shook his head and suddenly asked,

"Do you have any other companions?"

The three little faces darkened at once.

"No. They're all... dead."

The sewer fell silent.

Chiyo looked at the three of them, their faces filled with dejection, like children who had made a mistake.

The three frail children before him still had warehouse dust clinging to their tattered clothes.

Konan had a fresh scrape on her knee, while Nagato's wrist was so thin that the outline of his bones could be seen.

Who had not started out as an innocent child?

[Task triggered: Take Konan before anyone else does.]

[Reward: Paper Style Jutsu or one random Kekkei Genkai.]

Take Konan before anyone else did?

Looking at the tiny little brat before him, she was only six or seven years old.

This system was a little too ahead of its time.

He would have to raise her for ten years!

After grumbling inwardly, Chiyo looked around.

"How about the three of you come with me from now on?"

Chiyo crouched down, bringing his eyes level with theirs.

"It won't be long before I can take you out of the war-torn Land of Rain."

Yahiko's eyes lit up for a moment, but he immediately took half a step back warily.

He pointed to the mark on Chiyo's forehead protector, his childish voice firm.

"We can't go with you. Teacher Jiraiya said that once he finishes his mission, he'll come back for us!"

This book's timeline: First, the battle against Hanzō earned the title of Konoha's Sannin. Jiraiya took the three as disciples. He died after the war was interrupted, while the war continued afterward.

Chiyo's eyes flickered. It seemed that Jiraiya had already begun teaching them at this point in time.

"The white-haired Toad Sage..."

"In that case, at least let me take you home."

The three exchanged glances.

"Okay!"

Then, led by the three of them, Chiyo arrived at their so-called home.

Their "home" was a half-collapsed wooden shack, its leaking roof barely covered with scraps of cloth.

Several moldy cushions were piled in the corner, while a few hand-drawn portraits were pasted crookedly on the walls.

They were not portraits of themselves and Jiraiya. Chiyo felt they were likely depictions of what their parents looked like in their memories.

"This is all you eat?"

Chiyo frowned and kicked aside an empty can, from which several ants crawled out.

Yahiko's face flushed red.

"We... we would have been able to today..."

"Wait here."

Chiyo suddenly turned and walked out.

The three looked at each other.

Less than half an hour later, heavy footsteps sounded outside.

Chiyo entered carrying a wild boar over his shoulder, with a grass rope strung with fish hanging from his waist and fresh mud still clinging to his boots.

"What are you staring at?"

He tossed down a bundle of firewood.

"Start a fire."

As the night deepened, the long-absent scent of meat drifted through the ruined shack.

After disinfecting his kunai with alcohol, Chiyo skillfully carved up the wild boar.

Konan crouched beside him, helping skewer the meat under Chiyo's instructions. Nagato silently added firewood, while Yahiko stared eagerly at the sizzling, oil-dripping roasted meat.

"Why are you helping us?"

Konan suddenly asked softly.

"Even though you're hurt yourself..."

Chiyo turned the roasted meat over, and the firelight cast shifting shadows across his face.

"Only because..."

He paused.

"I've been hungry before too."

Those words moved the three children somewhat.

Naturally, they could not imagine that such a powerful ninja before them had once experienced such a past as well.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, exhaustion finally overcame their vigilance.

Yahiko and Nagato fell soundly asleep against the wall. Konan forced herself to stay awake, staring blankly at Chiyo as he helped repair the roof.

"You don't need to do that. If you're sleepy, sleep."

Chiyo lowered his head and looked at Konan below, whose eyes were nearly too tired to remain open.

But Konan stubbornly shook her head, her short blue-purple hair glowing warmly in the firelight.

"You hunted for us and helped repair our roof..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter.

"Mr. Ninja, thank you."

After patching the final hole, Chiyo climbed down.

He bent over and looked at the girl's earnest profile, then suddenly took out a Scroll from his ninja tool pouch.

"This is for you."

Konan unfolded it and saw the Basic Chakra Cultivation Method along with several ordinary ninja techniques.

"Until Jiraiya returns..."

Chiyo lowered his voice.

"You and your companions need to learn how to protect yourselves."

"Go get some rest!"

Konan lowered her head as she accepted it, found a clean spot, and leaned against the wall.

Clutching the Scroll tightly, a strange glint flickered in her eyes.

She looked up at Chiyo and asked softly.

"My lord."

"Um, what is your name...?"

"Chiyo Uchiha!"