Family

They exchanged a slightly startled glance. Yahiko and Konan quickly set down their bread and ran over to help Chiba up.

There was no doubt about it: for the kindhearted pair, turning a blind eye and pretending not to see him was simply impossible.

"Hey, hey, how are you? Are you all right?"

Under their anxious gazes, Chiba slowly came to.

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

Well, in truth, Chiba was putting on an act.

If he didn't make himself look a little pitiful, he wasn't sure whether they would take him in.

Konan blinked in surprise, then quickly handed Chiba the bread beside her.

"Here, eat."

"Th-thank you."

As he spoke, Chiba wolfed it down.

In fact, he really was very hungry. It wasn't three days since he'd eaten, but it had certainly been a day and a half, so his performance wasn't entirely an act.

Watching Chiba with a smile, Konan said softly, "Eat slowly. There's more if you're still hungry. It's all yours."

As she spoke, Konan handed him another piece of bread.

Yahiko blinked in surprise, then helplessly pursed his lips.

"We don't even have enough for ourselves, and you're giving him so much at once."

Though he said that, Yahiko still handed over his own portion.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"I-I'm Chiba."

"Chiba. Are you a girl?"

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

Still, he couldn't really blame them. His name did sound rather unisex, and he himself had rather delicate features.

If he'd been in his previous life, he might even have earned a title like the nation's favorite pretty boy.

Especially since he hadn't had a chance to cut his hair. It had grown so long that standing next to Konan, he undoubtedly looked more like a girl than she did.

"I'm a boy."

Chiba protested weakly.

For some reason, Chiba suddenly thought of Izumi, who had always liked teasing him with that question. Without meaning to, he fell silent, and a trace of sadness crept into his eyes.

Yahiko clearly noticed that sadness, and his tone softened.

"How did you end up here? You look like you've been through a lot."

"I..."

Chiba soon recounted most of what had happened to him.

He left out the fact that he had deliberately sought them out and come here. There was nothing else he needed to hide.

From his parents' deaths and the deaths of Xia Mu and the others, to the many dangers he had faced afterward, Chiba recounted it all in a calm voice.

After a while, 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 remember something, and a trace of sorrow unconsciously crossed his face.

Konan's eyes had already filled with tears halfway through listening. Chiba hadn't cried while recounting what he'd been through, but Konan was sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face as she hugged him comfortingly.

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

Yahiko frowned slightly. "Honestly, it's already hard enough for the two of us to survive on our own. If we take in 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.

The cave wasn't large, but it was exceptionally clean and tidy. At the back, an entire shelf was filled with all kinds of food.

"Hey, I want to make something clear first."

Yahiko called out to Chiba.

"I don't keep freeloaders here. If you want to stay, you'll have to help out. Got it? If you don't pull your weight, I'll kick you out."

"Oh, I understand."

"Why so quiet? A man should speak up like this. 'Oh! I understand!'"

Yahiko said, raising his voice as he lectured him.

"Listen, if you want to survive in a world like this, you can't be a coward. No wonder you nearly starved to death."

Before Chiba could say anything else, Konan giggled.

"Don't let Yahiko fool you. He may look fierce, but he's actually a big softie. You can stay here without worrying. Nobody's going to kick you out. Make yourself at home. From now on, we're all family."

"Konan!"

"Hee-hee."

"Get over here."

"No way."

Watching the two of them laugh and bicker, Chiba suddenly felt himself relax.

He had spent so long struggling to live alone that he was already exhausted in body and mind. He hadn't even dared sleep soundly, always afraid he might wake up dead.

But now, at last, he could let down his guard.

For some reason, a warmth suddenly rose in Chiba's heart.

"F-family..."

Those two strange words suddenly gave Chiba an incomparable sense of security.

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