A Granddaughter Given for Free and a Forbidden Technique

Tsuchigumo Clan territory...

Watchtower.

"What is that?"

"A merchant caravan?"

"Since when has our merchant caravan been this fast?"

Two Tsuchigumo clan members looked terrified as they watched the caravan speed towards them like an army of thousands.

They confirmed the carriages bore the Tsuchigumo flag and saw the young lady Hotaru sitting in the lead carriage.

The two breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn't sound the alarm.

They let the caravan pass the watchtower and enter the heart of the clan territory, sending clouds of dust billowing at the village entrance.

After a short while.

The Uchiha group followed the caravan into the Tsuchigumo village, a place of wooden houses and sparse streetlights, looking somewhat desolate.

[Side Quest]: Not a single one can be missing.

[Options]:

1. Bring the caravan back to the Tsuchigumo village.

Quest Complete!

[Reward]:

Storage Space increased by 100 cubic meters.

In the lead carriage, Ingetsu's eyes flickered as he focused his mind to check his Storage Space.

An additional 100 cubic meters had been added, doubling the space he previously had, which was like a one-bedroom apartment.

Bodies were placed on the left.

Miscellaneous items were placed on the right.

Ingetsu surveyed the space from an omniscient perspective, thinking that in the future, he would need to create a separate room to store the bodies.

The caravan stopped near the stables.

There was a grassy clearing around it.

"Heh heh, Elder, Young Lady Hotaru, you both look tired. You must have had a bountiful harvest on this trip, right?"

A young Tsuchigumo clan member, holding a torch, led a group of Tsuchigumo clansmen over to unload the goods.

The Elder, supported by his clansmen, alighted from the carriage with Hotaru. Both looked towards Ingetsu and his group.

Wrinkles appeared around the Elder's eyes as he sighed inwardly, "Indeed, it was a bountiful harvest... and we gained an S-Rank Rogue Ninja and a group of Uchiha rogue ninja as extras. What a disaster, I just hope they leave quickly!"

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Hotaru took the initiative to break the ice. She raised her hand and pointed to Sōsen, who had woken up on the carriage, and said to the Tsuchigumo youth leading the unloading:

"Shirajo, settle the hiring fee with this guard captain and give them some food. Let them rest in the village for the night."

"Understood!"

The Tsuchigumo youth named Shirajo smiled amiably. Before leaving, he glanced at Ingetsu and his group with surprise.

The Tsuchigumo Clan was located on Mount Katsuragi, far from the towns of the Land of Fire, and their information channels were limited, relying entirely on merchant caravans for news. Now, the caravan had only just returned.

The young and strong Tsuchigumo clan members unloading the cargo were unaware of Ingetsu's group's identities.

As the guards from the caravan and the Tsuchigumo clansmen left, all the goods were carried away.

Only the Uchiha group, along with Hotaru and the Elder, remained on the grassy clearing.

The night was soft.

The evening breeze was cool.

Seeing that the Uchiha group had no intention of leaving, the Elder swallowed and slowly walked forward, forcing a weak, awkward smile. He said to Ingetsu, "Before you leave, do you need any supplies?"

Ingetsu shook his head, glanced at the two, and said calmly, "You are in a weak state. Traveling at night is not safe. I'll escort you home."

The Elder: "???"

Hotaru: "??"

As he spoke, Ingetsu glanced at Nanfeng and Tamao, who immediately stepped forward to support the old man and Hotaru.

"I... I... we..."

The Elder's pale, anxious face instantly flushed red as he stammered.

Nanfeng interrupted the old man's explanation, patted the Elder's shoulder, and appeased him:

"Captain is kind-hearted and can't stand seeing the weak travel at night. Alright, stop fussing and don't let the captain's good intentions go to waste."

The old man's face was bitter, staring at Nanfeng as if he had eaten Huang Lian, with unspeakable suffering in his heart.

What kind of good intentions are these?

He said he wasn't interested in the Tsuchigumo Clan?

And also.

This is the Tsuchigumo territory, and it's unsafe to walk at night is what kind of excuse, can it be any lamer?

Under duress.

Hotaru and the Great Elder could only lead a group of Uchiha through the old wooden houses by the street, heading towards a larger courtyard.

"The Tsuchigumo Clan, as an ally of Konoha, has declined to this point?"

Kurenai Yuhi's beautiful eyes flickered as she gazed at the dilapidated buildings in the distance, initiating the conversation.

The Uchiha clansmen looked at the Tsuchigumo Great Elder and Hotaru, who were responsible for guiding them. Their faces were ashen.

What Kurenai said was blunt.

But it was the truth.

Ingetsu sighed inwardly, lies don't hurt people, the truth is the sharpest knife.

Looking around, on the outer edge behind the Tsuchigumo territory, large areas of buildings were broken and collapsed, looking as if they had been ravaged by war.

There was no tranquility at all, unlike the entrance to the village.

"It's all because of the scarcity of clan members, let's not mention it!" the Great Elder tried to salvage some dignity.

In reality, it was precisely because of the clan's decline that the Tsuchigumo Clan had fallen into a state of information isolation.

Tamao interjected:

"Is there a good end for being an ally of Konoha?

The Tsuchigumo Clan is considered lucky.

The last one who considered themselves an ally of Konoha was the Land of Whirlpools. I bet the grass on the grave of the Uzumaki clan leader is as tall as the tree Danzo has become."

"..." Kurenai's mouth twitched.

Ingetsu chuckled inwardly.

Upon hearing the young man's explanation, the Great Elder of the Tsuchigumo Clan immediately looked at him with gratitude.

Compared like this.

The Great Elder felt much more at ease.

All the Uchiha clansmen looked at Tamao in unison, shaking their heads and sighing, "He still can't forget about Danzo turning into a big tree!"

After walking for a while, Hotaru suddenly mustered her courage and looked at Ingetsu, asking:

"Do you want to meet my grandfather?"

Her grandfather was the actual power holder of the clan.

The Uchiha clansmen put away their thoughts and looked at Ingetsu.

Ingetsu nodded.

The Great Elder immediately looked worried, unsure if it was a blessing or a curse. The Tsuchigumo Clan currently had no way to deal with these rogue ninja.

If they resisted, the Konoha Anbu who died in the valley would be a precedent.

Hotaru worriedly asked, "Just to meet him?"

"Mm."

"Okay, I understand." Hotaru felt no malice or greed from Ingetsu, so she nodded obediently.

The Uchiha clansmen, along with Hotaru and the Great Elder, arrived outside the courtyard. Several Tsuchigumo ninja appeared with a shunshin, and upon seeing Hotaru and the Great Elder, they respectfully withdrew.

Everyone entered the inner courtyard.

"Everyone, please wait here for a moment. The Great Elder and I will go inform Grandpa!" Hotaru said, glancing at Ingetsu with a heavy heart before turning to leave.

She and the Great Elder arrived at a bedroom door, knocked, and upon receiving permission, pushed the door open and entered.

The Uchiha clansmen looked around.

They felt that the courtyard was quite decent, but it couldn't compare to the slightly more luxurious buildings in Konoha.

The leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan living in such a place truly illustrated the clan's predicament.

In the wooden house, Hotaru and the Great Elder informed the Tsuchigumo Clan's power holder of their encounters on the road and the deeds of Ingetsu and the others, exactly as they happened.

After receiving approval, Hotaru walked out of the wooden house and invited Ingetsu to enter the bedroom alone.

Tamao and the others wanted to follow, but saw Ingetsu make a gesture of caution.

Swish--

The Uchiha clansmen, including Kurenai and Nonō, turned into shadows and dispersed, lurking around the courtyard.

The courtyard was empty once more.

Ingetsu donned his black hood, revealing only the lower half of his face. He followed Hotaru into the bedroom. As soon as they entered, he sensed numerous ninjas lurking in the corners of the room.

The bedroom was simply furnished.

The candlelight was dim and yellow.

In the center of the room was a bed, covered with a grey quilt. On it lay an elder, white-haired, frail, and critically ill.

The Great Elder knelt respectfully by the bedside.

The white-haired elder on the bed sensed Hotaru's arrival with an outsider. He weakly opened his eyes.

Upon seeing Ingetsu, his eyes lit up.

Even though he couldn't see the other's true face.

The elder made a difficult decision.

The leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan, "En no Gyōja," moved his withered hand from beneath the quilt and produced a bundle of green scrolls.

Ingetsu's gaze was drawn to the scrolls.

He could feel that even opening his eyes required all the elder's strength, as if he would pass away at any moment.

The white-haired elder turned his head to look up at Ingetsu, who was clad in a black robe and hood, and spoke with difficulty: "This is the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden art, 'Rage of the Kami.' You may take it...

I have but one request.

Take Hotaru with you as well!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone in the room, except for Ingetsu, showed confusion and shock.

The bedroom fell into a deathly silence.