A Strange Feeling

"Chiba-nii, come play with us!"

A cute little girl tugged at Chiba, acting spoiled.

Chiba looked at the group of brats playing house behind her, and his face instantly darkened.

Are you kidding me? I'm not actually six years old; how could I possibly play these games with you lot?

"Um, I have things to do. You guys go ahead and play."

Having finally shaken off the troublesome little girl, it wasn't long before a little boy came over, insisting on showing Chiba his "special move."

Chiba's face darkened even further; being stuck with these brats was pure torture.

Thinking this, Chiba cast a resentful gaze toward Xia Mu not far away.

Perhaps thinking that Chiba hadn't recovered from the blow of his shattered dreams, or perhaps thinking Chiba's personality was too withdrawn, Xia Mu thought it wise to have the children get closer to Chiba, even making him the leader of the pack.

Heaven knows how Chiba had managed to survive the siege of these brats for the past few days.

Seeing Chiba's sullen and aggrieved expression, Xia Mu walked over with a laugh and, ignoring Chiba's protests, ruffled his hair into a mess.

"Why are you always acting so old-fashioned? Kids should be lively. Let the past be the past. Come, come, let me show you something fun."

With that, Xia Mu busied himself weaving a little mouse out of some wild grass, teasing Chiba with it.

Believing Chiba was still wallowing in sadness, Xia Mu didn't miss any opportunity to guide him.

Twitching his mouth in a stiff, forced smile, Chiba said helplessly, "I've told you how many times: don't treat me like a child."

"Haha, but you are a child."

Scrambling to dodge Xia Mu's "claws" reaching for his hair, Chiba launched his counterattack.

"Izumi-nee, Xia Mu-ge has something to tell you!"

"Oh? What is it?"

A beautiful woman who looked exceptionally gentle and intelligent walked over from afar, looking at Xia Mu with a playful smile.

"Xia Mu-ge said he likes you."

Xia Mu panicked and immediately covered Chiba's mouth.

"Um, um, Izumi, don't listen to his nonsense."

"Oh, so you're saying you don't like me?"

"No, no, that's not it!"

Quietly watching Xia Mu, who was flusteredly explaining himself, and then looking at the group of brats nearby, the corners of Chiba's mouth curled up involuntarily.

Over these past few days, although Chiba kept saying he hated them bothering him, in reality, his heart was filled with an inexplicable sense of happiness.

Here, Chiba experienced a warmth he had never known before.

Whether it was the gentle Xia Mu, the equally gentle Izumi, or the brats Chiba claimed to dislike, they all gave him the feeling of having a family.

Chiba could feel that the care each of them showed him was pure.

Sometimes, Chiba even thought that perhaps not becoming a ninja wouldn't be so bad.

To become a ninja was to inevitably face all kinds of slaughter and conspiracies; one might die an untimely death at any moment.

Rather than that, perhaps it would be better to be an ordinary person and live a stable, peaceful life.

Besides, he wasn't even sure he could become a ninja; so far, he only had a rough idea.

Even just setting out on the path to learn ninjutsu was likely fraught with danger. In such chaotic times, there was no such thing as absolute safety. Could he really let Xia Mu risk everything to accompany him on his adventures?

For a moment, Chiba fell into deep thought.

If it were really as Xia Mu said—finding a remote, peaceful place and spending the rest of his life with a gentle, beautiful girl—that might not be so bad.

Just as Chiba was lost in his thoughts, the caravan arrived at a new town.

After a brief stop for supplies, Xia Mu led the caravan back onto the road.

Upon returning, Xia Mu's face was full of smiles.

"I ran into an acquaintance who sold me a lot of grain at a cheap price. With this, we won't have to worry about food for a while."

As he spoke, Xia Mu excitedly pointed at the map.

"We are roughly here now. We've entered the peace zone, and we aren't far from our final destination. Another three days of travel should get us there."

"Xia Mu, since we've reached the peace zone, why not stay here? I saw that the boss in the town earlier seemed to have a good relationship with you. With his help, it would be much easier to settle down, right?"

Xia Mu shook his head gently. "Even if he could help us, it would only be temporary. The cost of living here is too high for us to survive long-term, and there are too few resources."

Xia Mu excitedly pointed his finger at a spot on the map.

"My initial goal is here. It's far from the war zone, the cost of living should be lower, and there are forests and rivers nearby. We can fully utilize those resources."

As Xia Mu continued to speak excitedly, the morale of the entire group soared.

Especially after Xia Mu hunted a giant wild boar around noon, the people became even more excited.

"Heh heh, I told you, didn't I? I'd definitely be able to lead you all out of this predicament."

As he spoke, Xia Mu ignored Chiba's protests and ruffled his hair into a mess once again.

"You little guy still didn't believe me, did you? You won't bring up leaving anymore, right? Once we get to our destination, you'd better work hard for me and pay back the money you owe."

Seeing that the arduous journey was finally coming to an end, Xia Mu's face was filled with a joyful smile.

The others in the group began to offer their apologies one after another.

"Xia Mu, you really are something else. I'm truly sorry for what happened before, for pressuring you like that."

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine, it's just..."

Suddenly, Xia Mu inexplicably grew a bit melancholy.

"If we had known, perhaps we could have brought a few more children out with us."

Thinking of the children he had been unable to bring out due to his own helplessness, Xia Mu's voice gradually sank.

Seeing Xia Mu's low spirits, Izumi silently comforted him: "It's alright. Once we're settled, you can always find a way to go back and bring them here."

"Hahaha, you're right."

Thinking of this, a smile returned to Xia Mu's face.

"Come on, everyone, let's push ourselves! We aren't far from our destination now, so we can definitely pick up the pace."

"Oh—!"

Soon, the caravan's speed increased once more, and they even traveled through the night.

After a full night of forced marching, the group was not tired at all; instead, they appeared quite spirited, with everyone excitedly discussing their soon-to-be-reached new home.

However, unlike the excitement of the others, Chiba suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.

This feeling was so familiar.