The Aftermath of War

"I swear I'm going to butcher that rotten old geezer! Let go of me, or I'll cut you down too!"

"If you're not afraid of me chopping you into pieces once we're out at sea and tossing you overboard to feed the fish, go ahead."

Hidan faltered, apparently finally remembering that he could no longer beat Shinji. Only then did he grit his teeth and say, "Fine, you win. What do you want?"

"Stay here and behave for one night. We'll leave tomorrow."

"Fine, but sooner or later, I'm cutting that old man down!"

Smack!

"Cut, cut, cut! That's all you ever think about! Picking a fight with an old man who can barely walk-does that make you proud?"

Hidan immediately clutched his head and shouted, eyes wide, "Bastard! You and that old geezer are both dead!"

"You? Keep running your damn mouth, and I'll cut out both your kidneys tonight and stir-fry them for an extra dish!"

"You! Bas-"

"Hmm?"

Hidan instinctively shut his mouth and covered his lower back with both hands. Clearly, he wasn't fond of stir-fried kidneys, especially when they would be his own.

Seeing Hidan finally become a little more cooperative, Shinji breathed an inward sigh of relief.

After all, even though he had joined a terrorist organization like the Jashin Cult, he still had his limits. At the very least, he couldn't attack ordinary people without cause or slaughter villagers.

Of course, if someone tried to harm him first, he wouldn't play the saint either.

Killing had once felt terribly remote to him, but now he was being forced to prepare himself for it well ahead of time.

This was, after all, a world where the big fish ate the little fish, and the little fish ate the shrimp.

Without enough strength to protect himself, he might someday die in a stray AoE attack without even knowing who had killed him!

And no one would seek justice for him!

Before long, Shinji and Hidan followed the old man home.

"Grandpa, pick me up~"

The moment they entered, the old man deftly and gently scooped up his little grandson, who came bouncing toward him on his short legs. A smile instantly bloomed across his face!

"Higher~"

"All right, all right! Up you go!"

"Higher, higher~"

"You're flying~"

"Father, dinner's already rea... Who are these two?"

The old man was thoroughly enjoying his time with his grandson. If his daughter-in-law hadn't come out and asked, he might have forgotten all about Shinji and Hidan standing by the door.

"Oh, right. Nearly forgot. These two young men came from outside and happened to pass through our village. Set out two more bowls and pairs of chopsticks, then tidy up the room in the back. They're only staying for one night."

"All right, Father. I'll take care of it."

His daughter-in-law looked like a gentle, capable homemaker, but she seemed uncomfortable talking to strangers and quickly ducked back into the kitchen.

"Sit wherever you like. If you want water, there are cups over there. Help yourselves."

After welcoming them, the old man went back to playing with his grandson, making the little boy giggle nonstop.

Watching this, Shinji began to suspect that the old man's earlier words had carried a hidden meaning.

"You'd better keep an eye on your younger brother. There are a lot of women and children in the village..."

Had he been worried that Hidan would hurt his family?

That really was an unnecessary concern. Hidan hadn't even spared the woman in the house a proper glance. He was busy gulping down cool well water and seemed genuinely thirsty.

Of course, it was also possible that his brain needed topping up with water.

Soon, the woman came out carrying the prepared food.

The dishes were simple, just three in all.

There were scrambled eggs with green peppers, wild greens soup, and pickled radishes.

Not only was there no meat in sight, but even the eggs with green peppers seemed to have been thrown together at the last minute.

Most likely, they had only made it because guests had arrived. There wasn't enough rice either; they had only cooked so much, and making another batch would be too much trouble.

Fortunately, Shinji and Hidan still had some dry provisions left, which they could take out to make do.

It was clear that the family was living on a tight budget.

They weren't so poor that they had nothing to eat, but that was about all that could be said.

As someone with a little tact, Shinji understood that they had brought out the best food they had to entertain their guests. He ought to be grateful, not picky.

Hidan, however, clearly didn't see it that way.

After poking through the dishes a couple of times with his chopsticks, he lost all interest.

Even his expression turned sour, as though he were sneering, That's it? You're feeding the great Hidan this pig slop?

"I want pork chops, not pig sh-mmph!"

Shinji reacted instantly, clamping a hand over Hidan's foul mouth again before saying with a cheerful smile, "Sorry about that. My idiot little brother's brain condition is acting up again. He's always talking nonsense."

"Mmph mmph mmph mmph..."

(You're the one with a fucking brain problem! I'll kill your whole family, you bastard!)

"What did he say?"

"Oh, he just said the food was so good that he bit his tongue."

"Mmph mmph... mmph!"

(Bullshit! The great Hidan would never eat this pig slop!)

The old man nodded. "Your troublesome little brother might not look very bright, but at least... he has some taste."

"Ayako's cooking is famous throughout the village. Whenever there's a banquet, even those so-called master chefs volunteer to help her..."

"That's enough, Father. Please stop. That was... that was all in the past." The woman was a little shy, and her face flushed in her haste.

While everyone's attention was elsewhere, Shinji immediately whispered into Hidan's ear, "Don't cause trouble. Once we reach the Land of Waves, I'll make sure you get your fill of killing."

"Hmph!"

Hidan slapped Shinji's hand away and snorted, but he really did stop acting up.

Perhaps this was what they meant by everyone having someone who could keep them in check.

Changing the subject, Shinji asked curiously, "Sir, why haven't we seen your son?"

At that question, both the old man and the woman paused what they were doing. Then the old man let out a heavy sigh.

"He's gone. A few years ago, two groups of shinobi came from who knows where and tore the village apart fighting each other."

"A fireball as big as a house came crashing down, just like that... My poor boy didn't even get the chance to run outside before... Ah!"

"It was all my fault. If it hadn't been for me, if I'd been able to run a little faster, Shota wouldn't have... sob..." At some point, the woman had begun quietly wiping away her tears.

The old man said, "It wasn't your fault. You were pregnant at the time, after all. All we can blame is this rotten world, and... my boy's cruel fate."

After speaking, the old man set down his chopsticks and returned to his room, looking forlorn.

After all, whoever was caught in a man-made disaster that fell out of the sky like that was simply unlucky!

And there was nowhere to seek justice, nowhere to plead their case.

Most likely, even the two groups of shinobi who had fought to the death here hadn't given these peasant villagers a second thought afterward.

All told, only a few short years had passed since the last Shinobi World War ended. Back then, human lives had truly been worth less than grass!

Things were already fairly good now. At least they were still alive, with food and water.