"The lotion feels so cool and comfortable on my skin, and it smells lovely too—just a faint hint of jasmine." Shinozaki Ayumi couldn't stop admiring the delicate little porcelain bottle, looking quite delighted.
"Good. I'm glad you like it. Apply it once every morning and evening, then check in a few days to see if the scar has faded." Xian Yu leaned lazily to one side. The jolting carriage had made him a little drowsy, and the light outside was rather harsh, so he buried his face against the girl's chest. Her scent drifted past his nose, and he felt utterly content.
Ayumi felt his touch through her clothes against her lower belly, and a flush spread across her pretty face. She carefully shifted the ninja tool pouch hanging at her waist to the side, afraid it might bump her young master. With her right hand braced against her chest and her left gripping her waist, she tried to block the sunlight with her sleeve.
The carriage continued to jolt, and silence settled over the cabin...
By noon, a torrential rain had begun to fall. Raindrops pattered against the carriage roof, an irritating, constant tapping.
"The road up ahead is blocked!" someone suddenly shouted from the front of the caravan.
"Hm?" The sound of the rain had left Xian Yu half asleep, but the shouting jolted him fully awake.
"Xiao Yu, what is it?" After all the long hours of travel, the girl was probably exhausted too. She only jolted awake when Xian Yu sat up from her embrace.
Xian Yu's expression turned grave. "Be careful. Someone just shouted that the road ahead is blocked. It might be bandits setting up a barricade."
After all, although ninjas in the Naruto World far outclassed ordinary people in combat, aside from the Third Raikage, Xian Yu had never heard of anyone who could take on ten thousand people alone.
Ninjas were famous for their high attack and low defense—they were fragile. Even if an ordinary person stabbed one in a vital spot, without a chance to use a defensive technique or dodge or block for whatever reason, they would still die. They were still made of flesh and blood.
"Understood." Ayumi's expression turned solemn. Danzo didn't keep dead weight around, and she was practically one of his disciples. She certainly wasn't just a pretty face.
"Let's go take a look. This carriage is packed with rice, and it's stuffy in here even with this little space." With that, Xian Yu hopped down from the carriage.
The rain was pouring heavily. The caravan had stopped in a gorge, dense vegetation lining both sides. Seventeen carriages stretched out in a long line.
Xian Yu and Ayumi's carriage was at the very end. Between the rain and the obstacles, they couldn't 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.
As soon as he stepped down, the downpour soaked Xian Yu from head to toe. His ninja outfit had some water resistance, though, so even though it looked drenched on the outside, the water wouldn't seep through for a while.
"Uncle, where are we?" Xian Yu asked a middle-aged guard with a square face who stood nearby.
The square-faced guard glanced at him and Ayumi behind him, then grumbled, "We're in the Great Warm Valley, in the Kangsong Mountain area. Damn it, this rain came out of nowhere. There's no village nearby, so we've got no choice but to keep going in the rain."
"Tell me about it. Here, Uncle, want a sip to warm you up?" Xian Yu pulled a small wine flask from his pocket and offered it to the man.
"Young master purchased 30 portions of high-quality rice wine (three taels each, in wooden flasks), spending 1 diamond. Current balance: 1,439 diamonds."
At the system notification, Xian Yu thought that when you were away from home, you shouldn't skimp on necessary expenses.
Ayumi stood behind him, continually 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 hits the spot! This is fine wine. It's every bit as good as the Cloud Wine from the Little Cloud Pavilion. Young man, that gulp must've cost at least a few dozen taels of silver! I'm Ya Midie. Just call me Uncle Ya. Here, want a sip to warm you up too?"
"Sure. Uncle Ya, you can call me Xiao Yu, and she's Xiaomei." Xian Yu took the flask and gulped down a mouthful. It really was good—smooth and full-bodied. He hadn't been much of a drinker in his previous life, but he'd still have a drink now and then. This high-quality rice wine wasn't exactly exceptional, but it was on par with the best farmhouse brews from his previous life.
Xian Yu seemed to be chatting 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 a while now. Here, have another sip."
"It's all because of this rain. The gorge narrows near the entrance, and there's been a landslide. The road's completely blocked. The carriages can't get through." Ya Midie found himself liking the boy more and more, and cheerfully took the flask to drink.
"Turn around! Head for Yangxi Village! We'll spend the night there!"
A shout came from the front of the caravan and was relayed down the line. Before long, everyone knew they were turning toward Yangxi Village to spend the night.
"Yangxi Village is the closest village to here. It has a little over twenty households. Xiao Yu, Xiaomei, you two should get back in the carriage. The rain's so heavy—be careful you don't catch a cold." Ya Midie was a talkative fellow. Noticing that the two children were soaked through, he urged them to take shelter.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ya. We may be young, but we're still ninjas. A little rain won't hurt us. The carriage is stuffy, so it's nice to walk and chat with you." Xian Yu smiled. He'd only been sleeping in the carriage because the journey was dull. They'd soon reach the village, so he'd rather gather more information.
After all, gathering information was a ninja's job.
Ayumi followed behind Xian Yu, making no effort to join the conversation. She simply kept quietly behind him, like a shadow. She wasn't very good at striking up conversations with strangers. It seemed most of the subordinates trained by Danzo in the original story had poor social skills and were cold and distant, with only a few exceptions.
"Then I'll get you two some conical hats." Ya Midie ran to the carriage ahead and spoke with the driver. Before long, he returned with two sets of conical hats and rain capes.
"Thanks, Uncle Ya." Xian Yu put on the rain cape and conical hat.
"Thank you, Uncle Ya," Ayumi said sweetly, putting on her rain cape and conical hat as well.
Xian Yu chatted with Ya Midie about all sorts of things along the way and learned quite a bit of useful information. They walked for over an hour before a hazy village came into view in the distance.
As they drew closer to the village, Xian Yu and Ayumi both frowned, then exchanged a glance.
There was a smell of blood!
"Stop! Everyone, stop!" An order was relayed from the front of the caravan, telling everyone to halt.
"I'll go up front and see what's going on." Xian Yu ran ahead, with Ayumi right behind him.
"Those kids..." Ya Midie looked concerned. He told another guard to keep an eye on things, then followed them.
A few fierce-looking men had blocked the lead carriage. More than a dozen caravan guards were facing off against them.
When Xian Yu arrived, he saw two dozen fierce-looking men fighting over thirty villagers near the village entrance. 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.
The caravan leader, a fat merchant named Hua Qi, saw Xian Yu and Ayumi and immediately scowled. "What are you two doing here? Don't get involved! If you provoke these Black Wind Stronghold bandits, I won't be responsible for what happens to you!"
Before you continue