The Possibility of Becoming a Ninja (Part 2)

Of course, Chiba could not be one hundred percent certain that Yahiko and the others were living in this specific peaceful area.

After all, even behind the front lines of the major nations' invasions, there were still some remote, scattered pockets of peace.

But at the very least, based on probability, the likelihood of them being in this region was quite high.

Moreover, even if they were living in this area, finding them in such a vast expanse would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Chiba had other clues.

First, if they were truly living in this rare, relatively peaceful area, then their place of residence should be quite far from the war zones.

There was no other reason for this; peaceful areas near the front lines would undoubtedly be flooded with a massive number of orphans.

In the current chaotic era of the Land of Rain, there was no shortage of orphans of every kind.

Not long ago, while passing through the previous two towns, Xia Mu had once again acted on his own initiative to take in over a dozen orphans, and this was even after Xia Mu had reached his limit, only taking in the youngest and most vulnerable.

As for the hundreds of other orphans left behind, Xia Mu could only helplessly abandon them, which had left him in a foul mood for days.

Given the kind-hearted nature of Yahiko and his friends, Chiba was certain that if there were more orphans in their town, they would undoubtedly have brought them into their group.

Judging by the fact that there were only the three of them after staying in that town for so long, Chiba could be almost certain that their location was very far from the war zones, far enough that most wandering orphans could not reach it.

Beyond this, Chiba could also basically determine that the town where they lived should be relatively large in scale.

The fact that the group had access to relatively abundant supplies was enough to prove something.

Would a small town really need so many merchants and peddlers?

One could easily imagine that if the three of them were relying on stealing food to survive in a small town of only one or two thousand people, they would have become far too recognizable to continue. They would have had no chance to steal anything; they would likely have been chased away before even approaching someone's stall.

Chiba guessed that it had to be a large town of at least four or five thousand people, or perhaps even more, to provide the conditions for them to survive.

Although four or five thousand people sounded small, in a country like the Land of Rain, such larger towns were already quite rare.

With these clues, the search range could be significantly narrowed down.

Of course, for an ordinary person, even with all this potential information, finding the specific city where they were staying would still be impossible.

After all, there were so many cities in the Land of Rain; how would an average person have detailed information and locations for so many of them?

However, fortunately, Chiba had someone by his side who had traveled throughout the Land of Rain and other nations.

"Brother Xia Mu, I suddenly remembered that when I was a child, I went to visit relatives with my parents. I don't remember the exact location anymore, I only remember..."

Listening to the conditions Chiba described, Xia Mu frowned slightly.

"There are many large cities in that direction. And are you sure you can still find your uncle if you go to that city?"

"No problem, I lived in that town for a long time when I was a child. As long as I get to that town, I will definitely recognize it."

Xia Mu nodded thoughtfully: "Oh, I see. That's fine, once we are all settled, I will go help you find your relatives."

Chiba pretended to be excited and nodded: "Then thank you so much, Brother Xia Mu."

Xia Mu smiled slightly: "It's nothing."

But soon, Xia Mu's face became troubled again.

"It's just that I know of at least thirty towns in that area. It would be too difficult to search across so many places, and I might not have enough time to accompany you. Do you have any other clues?"

Chiba frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly managed to recall that Nagato and Yahiko had stolen fish from a fish stall when they were children.

Chiba's eyes lit up; this was another incredibly important clue.

Perhaps in other countries, most towns and even villages were built along rivers, but this rule clearly did not apply to the Land of Rain.

One must know that as a country where it rained too frequently, the Land of Rain had an incredibly abundant supply of groundwater; in almost every place, one only needed to dig a well to have water.

Farming also basically required no irrigation, and people were often more worried about the problem of excessive rainfall.

As a result, there were relatively few cities located near rivers or lakes.

"Near a river..."

Xia Mu frowned and thought for a moment before nodding.

"If that's the case, it should be much easier to find. In that direction, there should be fewer than ten large cities that meet this condition."

"Really? Brother Xia Mu, can you tell me exactly which cities they are?"

A moment later, clutching a crudely drawn map, Chiba walked out in excitement.

Although Chiba could not guarantee that the place he was looking for was among these cities—after all, many things were just his own conjectures, and even Xia Mu could not guarantee he had been to every city—at the very least, the probability was much higher than his previous blind guessing.

Holding the map in his arms, Chiba's eyes were filled with longing. If he was lucky, he should be able to learn ninjutsu then.

Of course, if he still couldn't learn it, it wasn't as if Chiba didn't have a backup plan.

For example, when the war was nearing its end, he could go find Jiraiya alone. There was no reason he would be willing to take others but not him, though the danger and difficulty would increase significantly.

After all, he wouldn't have an expert like Zetsu secretly guiding and protecting him.

If that failed, he would have to find a way to infiltrate some country as a samurai. As far as Chiba knew, there were still a few kings of small nations whose character was decent enough.

If he could find a way, it wouldn't be impossible to get in.

Beyond that, he would have to find a way to become a merchant and see if he could hire a rogue ninja to teach him once he had money.

Of course, other than being taken as a disciple by Jiraiya, all other methods were destined to have no future.

Silently looking at the rough map in his hands, Chiba couldn't help but sigh.

"I hope... I can get what I wish for."