Family

Exchanging a look of slight astonishment, Yahiko and Konan quickly set down their bread and ran over to help Chiba up.

Without a doubt, for two kind-hearted souls like them, expecting them to sit idly by and pretend they hadn't seen anything was simply impossible.

"Hey, hey, how are you? Are you alright?"

Under their anxious gazes, Chiba slowly drifted back to consciousness.

"C-can you give me something to eat? I haven't eaten in three days."

Well, in truth, Chiba was acting.

If he didn't appear pitiful, Chiba wasn't sure if they would take him in.

Stunned for a moment, Konan quickly handed the bread from her side to Chiba.

"Here, eat."

"Th-thank you."

With that, Chiba began to wolf down the food.

In reality, Chiba was indeed starving; even if it hadn't been three full days, he hadn't eaten in at least a day and a half, so his performance wasn't entirely a facade.

Smiling as she watched Chiba, Konan said softly, "Eat slowly. There's more if that's not enough; it's all yours."

As she spoke, Konan handed over another loaf of bread.

Yahiko was also slightly taken aback, then helplessly curled his lip.

"We barely have enough for ourselves, and you're giving away so much at once."

Yet, despite his words, Yahiko still handed over his own portion.

"Hey, what's your name, kid?"

"I, I'm Chiba."

"Chiba. Are you a girl?"

Chiba couldn't help but feel speechless for a moment. Why did everyone keep mistaking him for a girl?

But he couldn't really blame others; aside from his rather gender-neutral name, his own features were simply too soft.

If he were back in his past life, he might have earned the title of a national "little pretty boy."

Especially since he hadn't had the chance to cut his hair, it had grown quite long, making him look even more like a girl than Konan when standing next to her.

"I'm a boy."

Chiba argued weakly.

Suddenly, Chiba recalled Izumi, who had always loved to tease him with that question, and he fell into an involuntary silence, a trace of sorrow surfacing in his eyes.

Yahiko clearly noticed this sadness, and his tone softened immediately.

"How did you end up here? You look so wretched."

"I was..."

Soon, Chiba recounted most of his experiences.

Aside from omitting the fact that he had come here specifically to find them, he had nothing else to hide.

From the death of his parents to the passing of Xia Mu and the others, and all the dangers he had faced since, Chiba narrated it all in a flat, detached tone.

A moment later, a flash of anger appeared in Yahiko's eyes.

"Ninjas again. It's all because of those damn people that our Land of Rain has become like this..."

As he spoke, Yahiko seemed to recall something, and a look of sorrow appeared on his face involuntarily.

Konan, however, was already teary-eyed halfway through the story. Chiba hadn't cried while recounting these events, but Konan was sobbing uncontrollably, tears falling to the ground as she hugged Chiba in comfort.

A moment later, Konan turned to Yahiko and asked, "Yahiko, let's take him back with us, okay?"

Yahiko frowned slightly. "Really now, it's already hard enough for the two of us to survive, and now you want to add another person..."

"Forget it, let him stay with us for a while. We can't just watch him starve to death. Sigh, what a hassle."

Soon, Chiba followed Yahiko and Konan to the cave where they were currently living.

Although the cave wasn't large, it was exceptionally clean and tidy, and at the back of the cave, a shelf was stocked with all sorts of food.

"Hey, let me make this clear first."

Yahiko called out to Chiba.

"I don't keep idlers here. If you want to stay, you have to help with the work, got it? If you don't perform well, watch out, or I'll kick you out."

"Oh, I understand."

"Why are you whispering? A real man should shout like this: 'Oh! I understand!'"

Yahiko began to lecture him in a gruff voice.

"Let me tell you, in a world like this, you can't survive if you're weak. No wonder you ended up nearly starving to death before."

Before Chiba could say anything else, Konan giggled.

"Don't let Yahiko's fierce look fool you; he's actually the softest-hearted person there is. You can stay here without a worry—no one is going to kick you out. Just treat this place like your own home; from now on, we're all your family."

"Konan!"

"Hehe."

"Get over here."

"Not a chance."

Watching the two of them laughing and bickering, Chiba felt his tension suddenly melt away.

The arduous life he had led alone for so long had left him physically and mentally exhausted; he hadn't even dared to sleep soundly, constantly fearing that he might wake up to find his life taken.

But now, he could finally let his guard down completely.

For some reason, a wave of warmth welled up in Chiba's heart.

"Home... family."

These two strange words suddenly gave Chiba an unparalleled sense of security.

It seems... I'm not alone anymore.