Before long, Tazuna had told the story of the Land of Waves in a heartfelt speech.
It was a heartbreaking story to hear.
What was wrong with wanting to make his country prosperous, and help its people escape poverty and live better lives?
As far as the people of the Land of Waves were concerned, Tazuna had done nothing wrong. In fact, he was practically a saint.
The one at fault was the evil merchant Gato, who wanted to control the Land of Waves and had tried to stop Tazuna from building the bridge. He had even sent people to kill them.
Gato was a real villain. No matter the circumstances, he was a villain—that was simply a fact. Yu completely agreed. He could tell good people from bad.
After hearing Tazuna's story, everyone present remained unmoved except Fujiwara Chima, who seemed a little swayed. Yu, Sai, and Yamashiro Aoba showed no reaction at all.
Sai had grown up in Root and endured hardships beyond what ordinary people could imagine. So, in his eyes, what happened to others was none of his concern. Besides, he had yet to regain his emotions. No matter how tragic Tazuna made his story sound, Sai thought it was all nonsense.
As for Yamashiro Aoba, he was a thoroughly competent ninja. After hearing Tazuna's story, he had gained a basic understanding of the situation.
"Mr. Tazuna, you concealed the true nature of this mission because you didn't have enough money. You misrepresented a mission that should have been at least B-rank as a C-rank mission. That is a serious violation of the rules. I have decided to cancel the mission and return to Konoha. You will be held responsible for this," Yamashiro Aoba said, his expression stern and tinged with anger.
If Yu hadn't been