"Applying it to the skin feels cool and comfortable, and it smells wonderful, with a faint hint of jasmine." Shinozaki Ayumi fondled the delicate little porcelain bottle, unable to put it down, looking rather delighted.
"Good. I'm glad you like it. Apply it once in the morning and once at night. In a few days, we'll see if the scars have faded." Xian Yu lounged back, growing drowsy with the carriage's jostling. The light outside was a little harsh, so he buried his face in the young girl's arms. Her scent drifted across his nose, and he felt blissfully content.
Shinozaki Ayumi felt him press against her lower belly through her clothes. A blush spread across her pretty face. Carefully, she shifted the ninja tool pouch hanging at her waist to the side, afraid it might bump her young master. She held her left side with her right hand and tried to block the light with her sleeve.
The carriage continued to jostle, and silence fell inside...
By noon, a torrential downpour had begun. Raindrops pattered on the carriage roof, an incessant annoyance.
"The road ahead is blocked!" someone suddenly shouted from the front of the convoy.
"Hm?" The sound of the rain had left Xian Yu half asleep, but the sudden shouting jolted him fully awake.
"Xiao Yu, what's wrong?" After the long, tiring journey, the little girl must have been exhausted too. She only jolted awake when Xian Yu sat up in her arms.
Xian Yu's expression turned serious. "Stay alert. Someone just shouted that the road ahead is blocked. It could be bandits setting up a roadblock."
In the Naruto World, a ninja's combat ability far surpassed an ordinary person's. But aside from the Third Raikage, Xian Yu had never heard of anyone who could take on ten thousand men.
Ninjas were famous for their high attack and low defense. They were fragile. Even if an ordinary person stabbed one in a vital spot, if the ninja couldn't use a defensive technique or dodge and block in time for whatever reason, they would still die. They were flesh and blood, just like anyone else.
"Understood." Shinozaki Ayumi grew solemn. Danzo didn't keep dead weight around, and she was practically one of his disciples herself. She was no mere decoration.
"Let's go take a look. This carriage is packed with rice, and it's stuffy in here even with all this space." Xian Yu said, then jumped down from the carriage.
The rain was pouring down. The convoy had stopped in a gorge, with dense vegetation on both sides. Seventeen carriages stretched out in a long line.
Xian Yu and Ayumi's carriage was at the very end. The rain and obstacles made it impossible to see what was happening at the front.
Xian Yu glanced around. Each carriage had a driver and two men dressed as guards, wearing conical hats.
The moment he stepped down, the downpour drenched Xian Yu from head to toe. His ninja uniform was somewhat waterproof, though, so despite looking soaked on the outside, the water wouldn't seep through to his skin right away.
"Uncle, where are we?" Xian Yu asked a square-faced, middle-aged guard standing nearby.
The guard glanced at him and Ayumi, who stood behind him, then grumbled, "We're in the Great Warm Valley area of Kangsong Mountain. Damn it, this rain came out of nowhere. There's no village ahead or behind, so we have no choice but to travel in it."
"You can say that again. Here, Uncle, want a drink to warm you up?" Xian Yu took a small flask from his pocket and held it out to the square-faced man.
"The host purchased 30 portions of premium rice wine (three taels each, in wooden flasks), consuming 1 diamond. Current balance: 1439 diamonds."
Hearing the system notification, Xian Yu decided that when you were away from home, you shouldn't skimp on necessary expenses.
Behind him, Shinozaki Ayumi kept surveying their surroundings.
The square-faced guard's eyes lit up. Carefully shielding himself from the rain with his conical hat, he uncorked the flask and took a long swig. "Ah! That's good stuff! It's every bit as good as the Cloud Wine at the Little Cloud Pavilion. Little brother, I must've just drunk at least several dozen taels' worth of wine. My name's Ya Midie. Just call me Uncle Ya. Here, little brother, have a drink to warm you up too."
"Sure. Uncle Ya, just call me Xiao Yu. This is Xiaomei." Xian Yu took the flask and drank deeply. It was indeed good wine, smooth and mellow. In his previous life, he hadn't been much of a drinker, but he'd still have a couple of drinks now and then. This premium rice wine wasn't exactly the finest stuff, but it was on par with the best farmhouse-brewed liquor from his previous life.
Xian Yu seemed to be making small talk and drinking with the guard, but he was really using him as cover while he discreetly watched their surroundings. After finding no sign of an ambush, he asked, "Uncle Ya, what happened up ahead? We've been stopped for quite a while. Here, have another drink."
"It's all because of this rain. The gorge narrows up ahead, and there's been a landslide. The road's completely blocked. The carriages can't get through." Ya Midie was warming to the young man and cheerfully took the flask to drink.
"Turn around! Turn around! We're going to Yangxi Village! We'll spend the night there!"
A shout came from the front of the convoy and was relayed back from carriage to carriage. Before long, everyone knew they were rerouting to spend the night in Yangxi Village.
"Yangxi Village is the nearest one around here. It has more than twenty households. Xiao Yu, Xiaomei, you two should get back in the carriage. The rain's pouring down. You might catch cold." Ya Midie was an easygoing fellow. As he spoke, he noticed that both children were soaked and urged them to take shelter.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ya. We may be young, but we're still ninjas. This much rain won't hurt us. The carriage is stuffy, so we'd rather walk and chat with you. It's nice." Xian Yu smiled. He'd only slept in the carriage because the journey had been dull. Since they'd soon reach the village and have somewhere to stay, it was better to gather some information.
After all, gathering information was a ninja's main job.
Shinozaki Ayumi followed behind Xian Yu, acting like she wasn't even there. She didn't join the conversation, just quietly kept pace. She wasn't good at striking up conversations with strangers. It seemed that most of Danzo's subordinates in the original story had poor social skills and were cold and distant. Only a few were outgoing.
"Then I'll go get you two some conical hats." Ya Midie hurried to the carriage at the front and exchanged a few words with the driver. Before long, he returned with two sets of rain capes and conical hats.
"Thanks, Uncle Ya." Xian Yu said as he put on the rain cape and conical hat.
"Thank you, Uncle Ya." Shinozaki Ayumi thanked him in a clear voice, then put on her rain cape and conical hat too.
As they walked, Xian Yu chatted with Ya Midie about all sorts of things and managed to pick up quite a bit of useful information. After more than an hour, they finally spotted what looked like a village in the hazy distance.
As the village drew nearer, Xian Yu and Ayumi both furrowed their brows and exchanged a glance.
There was a smell of blood!
"Stop! Everyone, stop!" Another order came from the front of the convoy, telling everyone to halt.
"I'll go up front and see what's going on." Xian Yu said, then ran ahead. Ayumi followed close behind.
"Those two kids..." Ya Midie was worried. He said something to another guard, then hurried after them.
Several fierce-looking men had blocked the lead carriage. More than a dozen caravan guards were facing them in a standoff.
When Xian Yu arrived, he saw that farther ahead, at the village entrance, more than twenty fierce-looking men were fighting over thirty villagers. Seven or eight people already lay on the ground. Despite being outnumbered, one side had a clear advantage, while the larger group was being driven back step by step.
When Hua Qi, the fat merchant leading the caravan, saw Xian Yu and Ayumi, his face darkened and he snapped, "What are you two doing here? Don't get involved! If you provoke those Black Wind Stronghold bandits, I won't be responsible for whether you live or die."
Before you continue