"Hahaha, Brother Seishin, thank you for everything on this journey. If you hadn't been with us, we probably wouldn't have made it back so smoothly.
"Our Hot Spring Village is about a hundred li ahead."
Izumitani Yoju pointed to the main road on the right and said with a beaming smile. It was clear he was in a very good mood.
"Don't mention it, old sir."
Uchiha Chen smiled sheepishly. After all, he hadn't done a thing along the way; instead, he'd gotten a free ride. On top of that, Izumitani Yoju had practically treated him like royalty these past few days, making sure he ate and drank well. He'd even put on a little weight.
"Of course I have to mention it! Once we reach the village, I'll host a feast in your honor. Brother Seishin, you must stay with us for a few days."
Izumitani Yoju hurriedly waved his hands, afraid he might neglect Uchiha Chen.
"Old sir, really, there's no need. I like to wander around. I don't have a fixed home.
"This time, I'm heading to the Land of Wind to see its endless desert. As for your village, maybe next time. I promise I'll visit next time."
Faced with Izumitani Yoju's warm hospitality, Uchiha Chen could only give him an apologetic smile.
If he hadn't had this mission to attend to, he really would have liked to go there and have a look around.
But when Izumitani Yoju heard what Uchiha Chen said, his eyes lit up and he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! If you're going to the Land of Wind, then you have all the more reason to stop by our village. It seems you and our village are fated to meet, Brother Seishin!"
"Oh? What do you mean by that, old sir? If I remember correctly, according to the map, the road to the Land of Wind doesn't pass through Hot Spring Village."
Seeing Izumitani Yoju's hearty smile, Uchiha Chen almost began to wonder if he'd remembered the route wrong.
"You don't know this, Brother Seishin. It's true that the official map doesn't show a route through our village.
"But there's actually a small path from Hot Spring Village to the Land of Wind. Taking it can even save you two or three days.
"Few people know about this path, but as luck would have it, I happen to know the way."
Izumitani Yoju raised an eyebrow and stroked his white beard, looking rather pleased with himself.
"Is that so? In that case, I simply must visit Hot Spring Village. I hope I won't be a bother!"
"Not at all! I couldn't be happier to welcome you. Hehe."
When he heard that Uchiha Chen was willing to visit Hot Spring Village, Izumitani Yoju grew even happier, the wrinkles on his face spreading like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Hahaha, since Brother Seishin is visiting our Hot Spring Village, I'll have to tell you all about it."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, old sir..."
"Our Hot Spring Village has one special feature: we have an especially large number of hot springs. You absolutely have to try them, Brother Seishin.
"Just imagine, when you're exhausted, you can soak in a hot spring. It'll not only ease your fatigue, but also help you recuperate..."
As the carriage rolled along, Izumitani Yoju went on and on about the village. Beside him, Uchiha Chen listened, smiling and nodding now and then.
Hot Spring Village was located in the Land of Rivers and was the Land of Rivers' only ninja village, just as Konoha was to the Land of Fire and Kumogakure to the Land of Lightning.
The name said it all: hot springs, hot water, and baths.
Hot springs were Hot Spring Village's greatest specialty. The village had abundant water resources, especially hot springs, so more than anything else, it had shops where people could bathe in them.
For some reason, the people of Hot Spring Village were all very mild-mannered. They upheld pacifism, both within the village and toward outsiders, and rejected war.
A village as detached from worldly conflict as Hot Spring Village was even known as "the village that forgot war."
But in the war-torn Ninja World, Hot Spring Village's pacifism made it an oddity, an oddity that people couldn't accept.
As the saying went, kind people get bullied, and gentle horses get ridden. Because the people of Hot Spring Village upheld pacifism, the village's ninjas grew weaker and weaker in actual combat, to the point that some even lost their ability to fight.
This left Hot Spring Village weaker by the day. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that anyone could bully them.
Listening to Izumitani Yoju's explanation and recalling what he knew about Hot Spring Village, Uchiha Chen had already formed a rough impression before they even arrived.
"Brother Seishin, look! This is Hot Spring Village!"
After who knew how long, Izumitani Yoju excitedly pointed ahead and called out.
Following his finger, Uchiha Chen saw a village with an old-world charm.
Surrounded by mountains, the village was encircled by lush trees and fields. Its gate was made of stone, and beside it stood a huge stone monument bearing the prominent character "湯."
As soon as they entered the village, they heard several children cry out excitedly.
"Wow, the village chief is back!"
A moment later, the children came running toward the village, shouting, "The village chief is back!"
Before long, hundreds of villagers came streaming toward the entrance, their faces bright with joy.
"Old sir, you're the village chief?"
Uchiha Chen looked at Izumitani Yoju in surprise. He hadn't expected this unremarkable-looking old man to be the chief of Hot Spring Village.
"We were away from the village, and these supplies are essential to everyone's livelihood, so I had to be cautious. I hope you won't take offense, Brother Seishin."
Izumitani Yoju hurriedly bowed to Uchiha Chen and explained.
"Don't worry. I understand."
Uchiha Chen smiled faintly. After all, he was using an alias himself.
"Let me introduce our guest. This is Seishin. Thanks to him, we were able to bring our supplies back to the village. To thank our benefactor, I'm going to hold a grand feast in his honor. What do you say?"
"Sounds good!"
Izumitani Yoju raised his arm, and all the villagers answered with smiles.
"Brother Seishin, please."
As he spoke, Izumitani Yoju gestured invitingly. Uchiha Chen nodded and followed him into Hot Spring Village.
At Izumitani Yoju's orders, the villagers divided up the supplies he'd brought back in the few carriages, then dispersed to return to their usual duties.
Entering the village, Uchiha Chen saw a narrow lane paved with stone slabs. All sorts of buildings stood on either side, and steam rose steadily above them...
There were plenty of shops along the road, but most of them were hot spring establishments with signs bearing the character "湯."
Soon, the two of them arrived at what looked like the largest hot spring establishment. They went inside.
"Brother Seishin, I run this hot spring shop. Would you like to try it out? After so many days on the road, a soak would surely make you feel much better."
Uchiha Chen was just about to refuse when several young, attractive women walked out from inside, looking as if they had just finished bathing. He also noticed a sign in a corner that read: Mixed-Gender Bathing!
The refusal that had been on the tip of Uchiha Chen's tongue promptly vanished...