Three Paths

There was no way to hide it.

Nor was there any need to.

The image of Lin Qing carrying the corpse of Suikazan Fuguki, followed by a massive procession of four hundred people marching through the firelight, was branded into the hearts of the citizens of Mirage City.

They pressed against their windows and hid behind door cracks, observing with extreme caution.

Compared to other nations, the Land of Water was truly small, and with water transport being more convenient than land, travel between cities was quite frequent.

The citizens of Mirage City gradually began to recognize familiar faces within the crowd.

"Nitta! Why are you here?"

"Brother Uesugi? What happened to those wounds?"

"Oh my! Sister Matsudaira, you... quickly, come inside, let me bandage you!"

Some stepped out of their homes, trying to pull familiar friends and relatives inside to treat their injuries.

The survivors, having just escaped a nightmare, did not go.

Having endured such torment, they were more clear-headed than others; to go inside would be to bring disaster upon the kin and friends who were offering help.

The group continued to follow in Lin Qing's footsteps, and as they marched, the citizens of Mirage City and spies from various organizations kept asking about the sequence of events.

Exclamations of shock erupted from the ranks from time to time.

By the time the massive group of four hundred reached the harbor, nearly half the city knew of the actions taken by the Fourth Mizukage and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, as well as the miraculous way Lin Qing had finished off Suikazan Fuguki.

Lin Qing found a government vessel of the Land of Water docked at the harbor.

It was a pleasure boat over thirty meters long, specifically used to host the Daimyo and the leaders of various nations.

Lin Qing kicked the railing open and led the crowd onto the ship.

"Halt! Stop right there! Oof—"

Seven or eight samurai tried to block them, only to be kicked into the sea by Lin Qing, one by one.

The locals of the Land of Water had been sold like cargo by their own hidden village, so taking a ship as compensation...

That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

The four hundred people had dealt with the ocean and ships since birth; sailing was as simple as breathing to them, and after a brief moment of fumbling, they started up the overly luxurious passenger ship.

"Woo—woo—"

The steam whistle sounded.

"Don't you dare leave!"

The officials of Mirage City finally rushed over, their clothes unbuttoned and their bellies protruding, their faces flushed red as they shouted:

"Stop! Get back here!"

Seeing the ship drifting further and further away, the official in charge of Mirage City collapsed to the ground and wailed.

With such a massive incident occurring in the city under his jurisdiction, his political career was effectively over.

Aero Smith circled in the sky.

At first, a few ships had followed them sneakily, but after Lin Qing maneuvered Aero Smith to blow them up, there were no more pursuers.

After a night of sailing, the group finally began to set their hearts at ease.

They had truly escaped.

"Ding-a-ling!"

A bell rang out.

A young man ran up, beaming with a smile, a smear of grease still on his lips.

"Food's ready! Come and eat!"

The four hundred people arrived at the mess hall, where several large barrels were set out, filled with dishes they had never even seen before.

"These must be ingredients prepared for the noble lords, right?"

Someone laughed, "In this life, to be able to eat what the Daimyo eats—even if I die now, it's been worth it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the person next to him slapped him.

"Don't say such unlucky things."

The man realized his mistake, chuckled foolishly, and drooled at the food.

Everyone was starving, but upon seeing the silhouette of Lin Qing standing by the window, they all silently formed a line.

The first person to get his food swallowed hard; driven by hunger, he wanted nothing more than to shove the meal into his mouth, but he held back.

He carefully walked over to Lin Qing's side.

"My lord, please eat first."

Lin Qing glanced at him.

He understood that the gesture was not born of sycophancy or deference, but rather gratitude for the previous night.

Lin Qing did not refuse this goodwill; he nodded with a smile, accepted the meal, and walked over to Sasuke and Xiaotao, who were sitting in the corner, handing the food to Xiaotao.

"Eat something."

"Brother Qing, I'm not hungry..."

Lin Qing nodded and said, "I know you aren't hungry, but whether you want revenge, to investigate, or haven't yet decided what to do and need time to think... you must first stay alive."

Xiaotao lowered her head in silence.

Lin Qing handed the food to Sasuke, who patted his chest, giving Lin Qing a look of reassurance.

Portion after portion of food was delivered into the hands of the people; they chewed greedily, some even shedding tears, wiping them away while carefully and earnestly savoring the meal.

"Look!"

Someone suddenly exclaimed.

Following the direction of their finger, everyone saw—

From the edge of the horizon, the rising morning sun shone through.

The cruise ship had excellent lighting, and as the sunlight hit the glass, it emitted a faint, iridescent glow.

How beautiful.

So, was sunlight truly this wonderful?

It had been a long time since they had seen the sun.

Ever since they were locked in cages, they had been accompanied only by darkness, filth, and rot, and they had thought they would never again be able to sit under the sun and feel its warmth with a relaxed heart.

And the reason they could enjoy all of this was because of that man.

The crowd looked at Lin Qing's back, their eyes filled with longing.

Once everyone had finished eating, Lin Qing turned around, pulled up a chair, sat down opposite them, and said, "Regarding the path for your future, I would like to share my thoughts."

Hearing that it concerned their future, the crowd knelt upright, straightening their backs.

"The first path is to go home."

Lin Qing said, "Some of you are residents of the Land of Water, while others are visitors from abroad. If you wish to return home, I can dock the ship at the shore."

A small group in the crowd nodded.

No matter how brutal the Land of Water might be, if they returned to the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth, it was unlikely that the authorities would go to great lengths to hunt down one or two commoners.

"The second path is to head to Konoha and seek political asylum."

"Konoha... political asylum?"

Many voiced their confusion; the term was far too foreign to them.

Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Every nation and ninja village was in conflict, whether openly or in the shadows, and there was no shortage of friction between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water on a daily basis.

If he sent them to Konoha, given the methods of the Third Hokage or Danzo, they would certainly be treated as a prime example to attack Kirigakure, recruit talent, and draw in skilled individuals.

They would be able to live safely—at the cost of sacrificing a portion of their freedom.

After hearing Lin Qing's description, many were moved.

"The final path is to establish a small village of your own."

In the world of Naruto, many places were still vast stretches of jungle and wasteland. As long as a group of people worked hard enough and had the right tools, they could build a small village in a few months.

On his way from Konoha to the Land of Water, Lin Qing had seen many suitable locations.

Once the fields were cleared and cultivated, they would be stable within a year or two.

Three paths, corresponding to three different futures.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then a man raised his hand.

"Sir, I wish to follow you."

Hearing this, many others looked up and said in unison, "Sir, please allow us to follow you."

"No."

Lin Qing said, "After killing Suikazan Fuguki, Kirigakure and the Land of Water will certainly not let me go. If you continue to stay by my side, it will be a danger to both you and me."

Lin Qing was not yet strong enough to protect a group of people.

"Sir, but it is clearly... they who did wrong. You saved us and corrected this mistake; why must they come to arrest you?"

Hearing this question, Lin Qing fell silent for a moment.

A long while later, he gazed at the rising sun outside the window and sighed softly:

"Indeed, why is that?"