First Meeting with Konan

The two walked through a relatively bustling street when a small, thin figure suddenly darted out from ahead.

She was running with a stumbling gait, and because she was looking back at those chasing her, she collided head-on with Yusuke.

"I... I'm sorry." The girl's voice was very young; judging by her stature, she was only five or six years old.

She cast a panicked glance behind her, and without waiting for Yusuke to reply, she skirted around him and ran directly behind him.

Only a wisp of blue-purple hair remained, flicking out from under her rain hood.

"You wretched little thief! Don't let me catch you!"

The shopkeeper chased after her, but he was slightly plump and was already gasping for air after only a few steps, leaving him able to do nothing but shake his fist in anger.

"Your things were stolen by that child," Tsunade said, her brown eyes fixed on Yusuke.

"Mm, I know, but it was just a bit of coin," Yusuke replied nonchalantly.

For the people of these war-torn lands, especially the children, he would help whenever he could.

Tsunade didn't say much, only thinking to herself, He really is a gentle, good man.

Yusuke naturally had no idea that he had inexplicably received a "good guy" card from Tsunade.

The two continued walking down the street; their top priority was to find a place to settle down.

Based on the patrols they had seen in Amegakure, it was common for guests in inns to be interrogated several times a day.

Therefore, for Yusuke and Tsunade, finding a secluded spot and asking a local family to let them stay was the best plan.

They wound through various streets and alleys, gradually heading toward a more remote area.

A dilapidated house that appeared ahead caught their attention.

The house looked very crude, and it was clear it hadn't been repaired in a long time.

Just then, a man's plea for mercy suddenly drifted out from inside.

"This is the last of our rations, I beg you... cough, cough, I beg you, don't..."

"Bang!" A sound of a heavy object hitting something echoed from the house again.

Before long, two ninjas walked out, cursing, "Just this half-bag of rice? What a waste of time to guard."

The two froze when they saw Yusuke and Tsunade standing outside the door; they seemed to want to avoid any extra trouble.

They glared viciously at Yusuke and Tsunade, warning them not to meddle in other people's business, before their figures quickly vanished into the curtain of rain.

Yusuke and Tsunade exchanged glances, and after Tsunade gave him a nod, the two walked straight into the house.

There was no furniture inside, only a tattered quilt and a few clay pots.

A gaunt man lay on his back on the floor, unconscious; there was blood at the corner of his mouth, and his complexion was deathly pale.

Tsunade walked over and performed a brief examination of the man's injuries.

"It's fine, just minor wounds."

She fed the man a bottle of medicine and channeled chakra into her hands to repair his damaged internal organs.

Yusuke stood guard at the doorway, preventing any other unexpected visitors.

Just then, a figure came stumbling toward the house.

The rain was too heavy, and she could only see a blurred silhouette at the entrance.

Thinking it was her father, she waved happily, her pace quickening slightly.

After drawing closer and seeing the attire of the figures, her steps stopped instantly, and her small frame visibly stiffened.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and resolutely walked toward Yusuke.

Yusuke recognized the child; it was the same girl who had stolen his money earlier.

The little girl trembled as she walked up to Yusuke, her right hand clutching medicinal herbs she had bought from somewhere, while her left hand held out the remaining coins to him.

"I... I'm sorry. I... I won't do it again. Please, let my father go."

She didn't ask Yusuke to spare her; her small body was shaking constantly, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.

The girl tilted her head to look into the house and saw her father lying on the ground with blood that had yet to dry beside him.

Her frame shook even harder, but Yusuke could tell from her clenched fists that she wasn't just afraid this time—she was mostly angry.

"We didn't hurt your father. In fact, it's the opposite; my wife is currently treating him."

As Yusuke explained, the little girl nodded, though it was unclear if she believed him or not.

Once the treatment was finished, she walked silently to her father's side, wanting to help him onto the bed.

But she was too weak, and after trying several times, she couldn't budge him.

Yusuke walked over and lifted the man onto the bed.

The man was extremely thin, weighing barely eighty pounds; he didn't look like an adult man at all.

The scene fell into silence, broken only by the sound of breathing.

Yusuke walked over to Tsunade's side and wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Tsunade's face flushed red at this action: Does this guy dare to take advantage of me at a time like this?

She then felt a coded message transmitted through her waist: "Should we try another place?"

The sensation made Tsunade feel ticklish, and goosebumps rose on her back, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

Pretending to be a married couple allowed the two of them to pass information via physical contact through coded messages whenever outsiders were present.

While this was Tsunade's original intention for the ruse, was the code meant to be used like this?

Relying on her excellent ninja discipline, she endured it and tapped a coded message onto the back of Yusuke's hand: "Wait a little longer."

She then gripped the hand Yusuke had around her waist with a "kind" smile, and Yusuke instantly felt a massive force descend upon him.

This tigress! Although he kept a smile on his face, a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Ahem!"

At this moment, a voice broke the dead silence, and Yusuke was finally spared from his ordeal.

He quickly pulled his hand away, hid it behind his back, and hurriedly rubbed his numb palm.

The man opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling in front of him with a dazed expression.

He then let out a long, heavy breath, thinking to himself: Thank goodness I didn't die. If I had, what would happen to my daughter?

Seeing that her father was alright, the little girl let go of her tightly coiled heart and threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

She could not imagine how she would survive if she lost her father.

The man stiffened slightly before coming to his senses; he looked softly at his daughter, whose eyes were stained with tears, and rubbed her head with his hand.

"It's alright, Konan." His voice was very gentle.

"Ahem, although I hate to interrupt your father-daughter moment, there is something we would like to ask for your help with."

Yusuke stepped forward and said, feeling a bit awkward.

The man looked at Yusuke and Tsunade with great terror; he sat up straight and pulled Konan into his arms to protect her.

"My lords, we really have no food left. Please, I beg you, spare us." His voice was weak and filled with pleading.

Yusuke waved his hands, signaling them not to be so nervous.

"You were injured by those two earlier; it was my wife who treated you."

"We are just merchants who came to the Land of Rain to purchase local specialties, but our identification papers were stolen on the road, so we can't stay at an inn."

"We were hoping to stay here for a while, and my wife knows some medicine and can help you continue your treatment," Yusuke explained the situation.

The man was stunned after hearing this, then squeezed a smile onto his pale face: "Thank you for your treatment, my lord. My name is Seiichi, and this is my daughter, Konan."

"You are my saviors, of course you may rest here."

Yusuke smiled at the father and daughter: "Thank you. There's no need to call us 'my lords,' we are just merchants."

"Just call me Yusuke, and this is my wife, Tsunade."

Tsunade wrapped her arm around Yusuke's and gave the two of them a slight smile as well: "Sorry for the intrusion."

Yusuke, however, was startled: Again?

At that moment, he felt a coded message from Tsunade on his arm: "I will keep an eye on this man. You go notify the other two teams that we have arrived safely and arrange to meet them at two o'clock tonight."

Yusuke understood and asked with a smile: "It's almost noon; I'm going to buy some things. What would you like to eat?"

The man shook his head: "Whatever you decide, my lord."

Tsunade was even more concise: "Whatever. Anything is fine."

Yusuke immediately wore an expression of utter disbelief: Fine, fine, fine. Going straight for the highest difficulty, are we?

He smiled at the little girl: "Konan, would you mind showing me where to buy some things?"

The man frowned for a moment, then smiled and patted his daughter on the shoulder, pushing her forward: "Go on, help the gentleman find his way."

Konan nodded and handed the few apples and herbs she had stolen today to her father.

The two of them put on their rain hoods and disappeared into the curtain of rain.