"Chiba, come play with us."
A cute little girl tugged at Chiba, pleading with him to play.
Chiba glanced at the group of rowdy kids behind her, playing house, and his expression darkened.
You've got to be kidding me. I'm not really six years old. How could I possibly play this kind of game with you?
"Um, I've got something to do. You guys go ahead and play."
He had barely managed to get away from the troublesome girl when, before long, another little boy came over and insisted on showing Chiba his special talent.
Chiba's expression darkened even further. Having to spend time with this bunch of rowdy kids was pure torture.
Thinking of this, Chiba turned a resentful gaze toward Xia Mu, who was standing not far away.
Maybe Xia Mu thought Chiba still hadn't recovered from the blow of his shattered dream, or maybe he thought Chiba was too withdrawn. Either way, Xia Mu had decided—quite wrongly—that the children should spend more time with Chiba, and had even made him their leader.
Who knew how Chiba had managed to survive the past few days, constantly surrounded by this bunch of rowdy kids.
Seeing Chiba's disgruntled, aggrieved expression, Xia Mu laughed and walked over. Ignoring Chiba's protests, he ruffled his hair until it was a mess.
"Why do you always act so grown-up? Kids should be more lively. Let the past stay in the past. Come on, I'll show you something fun."
As he spoke, Xia Mu deftly twisted a few blades of grass into a little mouse and kept teasing Chiba with it.
Thinking Chiba was still lost in sadness, Xia Mu never passed up a chance to cheer him up.
Chiba's mouth twitched stiffly. "I've told you so many times, don't treat me like a child."
"Haha, but you are a child."
Dodging Xia Mu's hand as it reached for his hair, Chiba launched his counterattack.
"Izumi, Xia Mu has something to tell you!"
"Oh? What is it?"
A beautiful woman who looked exceptionally gentle and refined walked over from a distance and gave Xia Mu a playful, knowing glance.
"He said he likes you."
Xia Mu immediately panicked and clapped a hand over Chiba's mouth.
"Um, um, Izumi, don't listen to his nonsense."
"Oh? So you're saying you don't like me?"
"No, no."
Watching Xia Mu flusteredly explain himself in the distance, then glancing at the group of rowdy kids nearby, Chiba found the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
All this time, Chiba had kept saying he didn't like them bothering him, but in truth, a strange sense of happiness had always filled his heart.
Here, Xia Mu had experienced a warmth he'd never known before.
Whether it was gentle Xia Mu, equally gentle Izumi, or the bunch of rowdy kids Chiba kept claiming to hate, they all made him feel as if he had a family.
Chiba could feel that every one of them cared for him sincerely.
Sometimes, Chiba even wondered if perhaps being an ordinary person instead of a ninja wouldn't be so bad.
Becoming a ninja meant facing all kinds of killing and schemes. He could die at any moment.
Perhaps living quietly and peacefully as an ordinary person really would be better.
Besides, he wasn't even sure he could become a ninja. So far, he'd only come up with a rough plan.
Even setting off to find someone who could teach him ninjutsu could be dangerous. In these turbulent times, nowhere was completely safe. Could he really ask Xia Mu to accompany him on one risky adventure after another?
Chiba fell into deep thought.
If things really worked out as Xia Mu had said—finding a quiet, remote place and a gentle, beautiful girl to spend the rest of his life with—that might not be so bad.
As Chiba sat there, lost in thought, the caravan had already reached a new town.
After pausing briefly to restock, Xia Mu led the caravan back onto the road.
When he returned, Xia Mu was beaming.
"I ran into someone I know. He sold me a lot of food for cheap, so we won't have to worry about food for a while."
As he spoke, Xia Mu excitedly gestured at the map.
"We're roughly here now. We've made it into the peace zone, and we're not far from our final destination. We should get there in about three more days."
"Xia Mu, now that we're in the peace zone, why not stay here? That shopkeeper in town seemed to know you pretty well. If he looked after us, it'd be much easier to settle down."
Xia Mu shook his head. "Even if he could look after us, it'd only be temporary. Prices here are too high for us to survive long-term, and there aren't many resources either."
As he spoke, Xia Mu excitedly pointed to a spot on the map.
"My initial goal is here. It's far from the battle zone, so prices should be lower. There's also a forest and a river nearby, so we can make full use of those resources."
As Xia Mu continued excitedly explaining his plans, the whole group grew more enthusiastic.
They were especially excited after Xia Mu came back from hunting a huge wild boar around noon.
"Heh, I told you, didn't I? I'd find a way to get us out of this mess."
As he spoke, Xia Mu ruffled Chiba's hair again, ignoring his protests.
"You little rascal never believed me. So, you're not talking about running off anymore, right? Once we get there, you'd better work hard and pay me back the money you owe me."
Now that the difficult journey was finally about to end, Xia Mu wore a joyful smile.
The others in the caravan also began apologizing.
"Xia Mu, you really came through for us. We're sorry for pressuring you like that before."
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. It's just..."
Suddenly, Xia Mu grew inexplicably sad.
"If only we'd known, maybe we could've brought a few more children with us."
Thinking of the children he hadn't been able to bring along, Xia Mu's voice gradually grew subdued.
Seeing Xia Mu's spirits sink, Izumi quietly comforted him. "It's all right. Once we're settled, you can find a way to bring them back."
"Hahaha, you're right."
At that, Xia Mu's smile returned.
"Come on, everyone, let's pick up the pace. We're not far from our destination, so we can move faster."
"Yeah!"
Soon the caravan picked up speed again, traveling through the night.
After hurrying along all night, the group weren't tired at all. In fact, they seemed full of energy, each of them enthusiastically discussing the new home they were about to reach.
But unlike everyone else, Chiba suddenly felt a strange sense of oppression.
This feeling was so familiar.
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