Homecoming and a Child Entrusted to His Care

Rin went to the mountaintop every day. She could see far from there, and the moment her brother appeared, she would know.

The wait was long and agonizing, and she could never stop her mind from racing.

Did Brother not want me anymore? Was he in danger? Why hadn't he come back? Had he forgotten Rin?

The little girl stood in the cold wind, hoping to see her brother on the road.

Countless times, she imagined the moment he would appear. Sometimes she even mistook a passerby for him and ran down the mountain in delight, only to feel more disappointed than before.

Countless nights, she knelt and begged the heavens not to let any harm come to her brother.

In her childish mind, the heavens could only punish people so much. If she took more punishment, her brother would suffer less misfortune.

She prayed that if the heavens wanted to punish someone, they would punish her instead. She would even die if it meant her brother could be safe.

Today was no different. At daybreak, Rin took Braised Pork up to the mountaintop.

Braised Pork was the name Rin had given the little wild boar. Her brother had said braised pork was delicious, so she had named the boar after it.

She had barely reached the summit when a loud voice rang out behind her.

"Rin, you keep coming all the way up here. It must be exhausting! I brought you breakfast. Want some? Don't worry, I've already got people watching the road. They'll report back the moment they see your brother. Don't forget, I'm the Kusakage's grandson!"

A boy slightly taller than Rin stepped out of the bushes. His round face looked like a steamed bun, and he spoke with tremendous pride.

Rin found the boy, who had only recently moved here, rather annoying. Every other sentence was about being the Kusakage's grandson, as if that made him so special. Yet he had still been desperate to move into the village.

If Kumi Uzumaki hadn't specifically warned her against it, Rin would have kicked Kusakai Naoto off the cliff.

"Look, I brought you sushi! There's salmon inside, and the seaweed was freshly toasted. It smells amazing. Here, have some!"

Kusakai Naoto tried to feed Rin a piece of sushi.

Rin knocked it away. "You're so annoying. Can't you go away and leave me alone?"

Kusakai Naoto stared at the sushi on the ground, his eyes reddening.

"You think I want to stay here? There's nothing here! No Grandpa, and no friends to play with!"

His voice turned hoarse, as if he were about to cry. Rin felt a pang of guilt. After hesitating for a while, she bent down, picked up the fallen piece of sushi, brushed off the dirt, and put it in her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I just miss my brother so much!"

"I know how that feels. Whenever my mom and dad went away on missions, I missed them so much too. I always hoped they'd come home soon. But then, one time, they left and never came back..."

Naoto's voice grew softer, and tears streamed down his cheeks. Then, seeming to realize he shouldn't have said that here, he hurriedly wiped his eyes and forced a smile.

"My grandpa says your brother is really strong. He'll come back safe and sound. Don't worry!"

At that, Rin unconsciously straightened her back.

"Of course my brother's strong! Isn't your grandpa the Kusakage? He should be really strong too, so why did he send you here?"

"Grandpa said Kusagakure would become very dangerous. He has a lot to do and might not be able to protect me, so he sent me here."

"Oh. Okay. I don't really understand, but your sushi is delicious!"

Children's moods changed quickly. Soon, the two were absorbed in their food, their worries forgotten for the moment.

"Hey, look at those people on the road! Their packs are huge. They look like giant turtles!"

Kusakai Naoto pointed down the mountain for Rin to see.

Rin caught sight of the six figures and froze, then hurriedly rubbed her eyes.

"Brother! It's Brother! They're back!"

Rin sprang up and ran down the mountain. Whether from running too fast or sheer excitement, her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to leap out of her throat.

Please don't let me be wrong. Please.

She ran faster and faster. Even when a vine tripped her, she ignored the pain, scrambled up, and kept going.

Only when the figure she had longed to see stood right before her did Rin lose control. Crying, she threw herself into Lu Zeming's arms.

Lu Zeming held her small body close, deeply moved.

When he had first arrived in this world, who could he have told about his fear and helplessness? If Rin hadn't stayed by his side, he felt he would have fallen into depression long ago.

It felt wonderful to be needed.

By then, the mountain road was packed. Word of Lu Zeming's return had spread, and everyone had dropped their work to welcome him.

They greeted him warmly. Some called him boss, others village chief. Not one of them dismissed him because of his age.

After greeting everyone, Lu Zeming asked Kumi Uzumaki to sort and store the supplies they had brought back. That evening, they all gathered for a celebratory meal, and the mood was lively.

Once the others had dispersed, Kumi Uzumaki reported on the village's recent affairs.

"After you left, several bands of mountain bandits tried to take our territory. I led some people and drove them back. With you away, I didn't dare decide on my own whether to wipe them out completely."

"They're just petty bandits, nothing to worry about. Leave them be for now. Once our ninja are stronger, they can use them for practice."

"Understood! We've also taken in some homeless refugees recently. Many are the poor women you rescued from the bandit stronghold. They went down the mountain to stay with relatives, only to find their relatives had suffered disasters too. With nowhere else to go, they brought their families here. I took it upon myself to let them in..."

"Taking in refugees is a good thing. We're about to enter a period of rapid growth, and the Land of Grass will fall into chaos. There will be more refugees. As long as we can support them, take in as many as possible."

"But that could easily let spies into the village!"

"Don't worry. With Listening Yuka here, no spy will stay hidden."

Relieved, Kumi Uzumaki moved on to Kusakai Naoto.

"His status is unusual, and he brought a letter written by the Kusakage himself. I didn't dare make the decision alone, so I arranged for them to stay for now. Three ninja came with him. By my estimate, they're all Jonin-level!"

As she spoke, Kumi Uzumaki handed over Kusakaito's letter with both hands.

Lu Zeming read it and fell silent for a long time.

Kusakaito was entrusting his grandson to me.

Lu Zeming couldn't understand why Kusakaito would dare send his only grandson here, given the strength Lu Zeming had shown so far.

He didn't know whether Kusakaito was far too trusting or whether the potential he had shown was simply that great.

Either way, he now owed Kusakaito a tremendous favor. Keeping his grandson alive through the coming chaos was hardly too much to ask.

But Lu Zeming wasn't sure what to do about the three Jonin.

They were now the strongest people in the entire village. That might be fine for a while, but given enough time, who knew what other ideas they might develop?

As if she had read his mind, Kumi Uzumaki suggested, "Should we talk to them?"

Lu Zeming thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not yet. We still have time. I'm confident I'll soon be strong enough to keep all three in line."

Kumi Uzumaki had complete faith in him.

"By the way, you said the village was about to enter a period of rapid growth. What did you have in mind?"

Lu Zeming chuckled and took out a booklet.

Across its cover, in large letters, were the words "Outline of the Five-Year Development Plan."