Crisis Approaches

He crawled awkwardly out of the pit, returned the grappling hook to his ninja tool pouch, then filled in the mountain of dirt piled to one side. Xian Yu didn't bother inspecting the buildings before heading straight back.

He didn't need to look to know this was probably the Black Wind Stronghold, the bandits' lair northwest of Great Warm Valley. And the gems he—or rather, the system—had absorbed were probably the wealth the bandits had accumulated through years of robbery.

Black Wind was clearly a resourceful fellow. He'd converted all his valuables into gems, which were easier to carry.

No wonder nobody knew where his treasure was hidden. Wearing the gems and transporting them in batches to the underground storage room made them hard to discover.

Unlike hauling away box after box of silver and jewelry, which would inevitably attract the attention of anyone looking closely, no matter how well they tried to cover their tracks.

By the time he returned to his lodgings, the sun was setting. He happened to see Shinozaki Ayumi coming out of the house.

"Ayumi, send a message to the village." Xian Yu briefly explained what had happened with the Daimyo Ginseng and requested reinforcements. He also mentioned that a man named Ya Midie would be arriving with his family, and that he was Xian Yu's guard. He asked Danzo to arrange a place for them to stay.

Shinozaki Ayumi promptly went back inside to write the letter. The Ninja Hawk was with her.

Early the next morning, an old man came to the courtyard.

"May I ask who you are?" Xian Yu had already guessed the visitor's identity, but it was better to make sure.

The old man smiled kindly. "Young ninja, thank you and that young lady for saving my village. I'm Hosaka Takashi, the village chief of Yangxi Village."

"So you're the village chief! I haven't even thanked you for providing such a fine courtyard for me to recover in, and now you're thanking me. Since bandits were slaughtering villagers right before my eyes, I couldn't just pretend I hadn't seen it. When you come across injustice, you must lend a hand and set things right." Xian Yu spoke with a grave expression, radiating righteousness.

Heh, it was time to show off his real skills. Xian Yu was brimming with confidence.

It was just a matter of putting on an act, wasn't it?

If he didn't come across as young, hot-blooded, chivalrous, upright, and kind, how could he expect the old man to hand over the Daimyo Ginseng willingly?

Besides, he needed to maintain that image for what came next.

"Good, good! There are fewer and fewer heroic young ninja like you these days." The old man had been discreetly sizing Xian Yu up since he arrived. Seeing that the boy before him looked no more than eight or nine, yet was full of righteous zeal and daring, he finally let out half the breath he'd been holding.

Then the old man told Xian Yu about the Daimyo Ginseng. The story was essentially the same as Ya Midie's, except the Hua Qi Caravan from the Land of Rain had even threatened him to his face.

"That's how things stand. I've put you in a dangerous position, young hero. This old man is deeply ashamed!" The old man's wrinkled face was filled with guilt as he stamped his feet and beat his chest.

Keep acting, then. Xian Yu almost couldn't stop himself from sneering.

Did he really think Shimura Xian Yu was a Salted Fish? Oh, so I'm supposed to risk my life. If I lose, I die; if I win, you reap the benefits... These old geezers really were all rotten to the core. As if I'd believe a word you said.

Still, Xian Yu could understand the other man. If Yangxi Village were one of the Three Kingdoms, it was the weakest party, so of course they were doing whatever they could to survive.

At least, though the village chief's words did carry a hint of trying to persuade Xian Yu to risk his neck on their behalf,

and although most of that chest-beating was an act,

there was still a trace of sincerity.

He wasn't some irredeemable monster who'd turn on an ally the moment it suited him.

"Chief, there's no need to be like this. As an upright young man, I can bring a little righteousness to the world and leave a little light in people's lives. Even if a thousand stand against me, I'll go!" Xian Yu felt a little embarrassed himself after saying something so painfully dramatic.

The old man had been praising him nonstop, practically calling him the embodiment of justice and the messenger of light...

I'll do my best to play along with your performance...

He was playing along too, after all. Even if the fee for his appearance was a little low.

"Then I accept this difficult mission. Chief, hand the Daimyo Ginseng over to me. That treacherous Hua Qi has surely already alerted a large force of enemies, and they're on their way. Time is short. Every extra moment we spend here means more danger." Xian Yu clasped his hands and spoke resolutely.

The old chief smiled with relief. "Good, good. The Daimyo Ginseng is hidden in a very secret place in the village shrine. Please come with me to retrieve it."

He followed the old man all the way to the village shrine.

"Hm? Why is Hua Qi here too?" Xian Yu frowned slightly, then immediately understood.

What a sly old fox! He was trying to divert the trouble elsewhere!

If he handed it over to Xian Yu in secret, nobody would see, and the village couldn't escape blame. So he'd deliberately summoned people from the Hua Qi Caravan to hand the Daimyo Ginseng over in front of everyone.

But Xian Yu had plans of his own. This arrangement suited him just fine, so he said nothing.

When they approached, Hua Qi and several guards came over to surround them. The old chief glanced at the boy beside him, looking slightly surprised.

He was probably wondering why the boy hadn't questioned why people from the Hua Qi Caravan were there.

But after a moment's thought, the old chief couldn't help feeling impressed. What a pure-hearted child! What a righteous child!

Thinking of this, the old chief felt a little guilty.

"Er Gouzi, go fetch the Daimyo Ginseng," the old chief ordered, pointing to a burly villager.

Er Gouzi went into the back room and came out a moment later carrying a sandalwood box.

"Son, this is the Daimyo Ginseng. I'm entrusting it to you. Be sure to take it to Linshui City and sell it for a good price. You're the hope of our whole village!" The old chief solemnly opened the box, revealing the Daimyo Ginseng inside, then handed it to Xian Yu.

It was an old ginseng root, forty-five centimeters tall, with a long, spindle-shaped tuber. It was milky white with a faint golden hue.

"Hmph! Chief Hosaka Takashi, you'd better think carefully." Hua Qi gave a cold snort, his gaze icy.

Beside Hua Qi stood a tall young man wearing an Amegakure Forehead Protector.

Seven more guards, each with a samurai sword at his waist, stood behind them.

Xian Yu swept his gaze over Hua Qi and the young man, his eyes full of domineering confidence. "What? Chairman Hua Qi, are you planning to take it by force?"

Although Shinozaki Ayumi wasn't there and he was alone, and he couldn't summon the Three-Tailed Fox for now, Xian Yu wasn't the least bit intimidated.

His chakra was still at the peak of the Genin level, but his family's three secret Wind Release Ninjutsu were enough to contend with an ordinary Chunin. Even if he got hurt in the process, he could still kill one.

The Rain Ninja across from him was clearly only a Genin. At thirty-something, he'd likely never have any hope of becoming a Chunin. He might have had plenty of mission experience and a wealth of combat experience, but no amount of experience could make up for being completely outclassed in underlying ability.

"Hmph!" Hua Qi remembered the bloody battle two days earlier. Having watched from the sidelines as the boy before him killed, he couldn't help feeling intimidated. He didn't dare provoke him, and merely gave a cold snort before letting it go.

Just wait. Once reinforcements from Amegakure arrive, you'll be a dead man!

As it turned out, after realizing he couldn't keep the benefits of the Daimyo Ginseng all to himself, Hua Qi had settled for the next best thing and sold the information to Amegakure.