A person's name, a tree's shadow. This is, after all, the Land of Fire, not too far from Konoha. The middle-aged samurai ultimately didn't dare to attack the Konoha ninjas. After running away, they headed towards a tall manor in the distance.
Shinsei continued to urge his disciples to Momotaro's village. The town was sparsely populated, and the soldiers and civilians looked timid and mostly emaciated.
The four little ones were seeing the outside world for the first time, and they curiously looked around at everything in the town.
Hanabi quietly ran to Shinsei's side, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Teacher, they look so poor!"
Shinsei sighed and said to his disciples:
"You will continue to carry out this mission. I will only guarantee basic safety. You can make any decisions, and the teacher will bear all the consequences."
Also, after this mission is completed, please write down your thoughts in a mission report and submit it to me.
A little girl, dressed in rags and with lifeless eyes, stood by the roadside, staring blankly at a few ninjas passing by, her small hand outstretched as if begging for something.
Hanabi seemed to understand the little girl's intention, and quickly took out a cookie from her bag and put it in the little girl's hand.
The little girl took the cookie blankly, knowing it was food, and hurriedly tore at the packaging with her little hands. Hanabi helped her tear open the wrapper, took out a cookie, and fed it to the little girl.
The little girl ate the biscuit in big mouthfuls until she choked. Moegi quickly handed her a bottle of water and hurriedly patted her back.
Finally, with the help of water, the little girl successfully swallowed the cookie.
The surrounding residents watched the ninjas' actions without interfering or offering assistance. Finally, an old man cautiously Earth Flow and asked:
"Are you ninjas from Konoha?"
Konohamaru nodded in reply, "Yes, we are all ninjas of Konoha."
Shinsei turned his head and asked Momotaro, "Aren't you from around here? You don't seem to know the people in this town very well."
Momotaro sighed and replied, " Lord Shinsei, it's true that we live only a few kilometers away. But we're farmers; how could we dare come near the lord's residence?"
Shinsei agreed with this assessment; judging from the demeanor of the town's residents, it was clear that the lord's authority had deeply permeated their hearts.
Hanabi gently patted the little girl's back and asked softly, "Little sister, is there anything I can help you with?"
The little girl blinked, then burst into loud sobs. "I want my mommy! I want my mommy!"
The little girl was too young, and despite trying several different questioning methods, Hanabi was unable to get the full story out of her.
An elderly man who had just arrived sighed and said, "Her mother has already been taken to the lord's mansion."
Konohamaru wanted to ask more questions, but the old man hurriedly ran away, hid in a nearby house, and closed the door.
At that moment, about ten people, armed with weapons, came running menacingly from the main road in the distance. The leader, dressed in fine clothes, Earth Flow to the group from Konoha and said, "I am Yamagami Mima's steward. Are you all Konoha ninjas?"
Konohamaru didn't like the butler and replied rudely, "We are Konoha ninjas, what do you want?"
A man dressed as a servant, wielding a stick, pointed at Konohamaru and shouted, "How rude! You should address the steward as 'Sir'!"
The butler waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Since you are ninjas from Konoha, there's no need to be so formal. Mima invites you to his residence."
The little girl quickly hid behind Hanabi, Hanabi shielded her with her body and said to the steward, "You're all carrying weapons. Is this how you invite guests? It seems your lordly manners are lacking."
The butler squinted and stroked his mustache. "Our lord is of noble blood and well-mannered. He carries these weapons merely to guard against troublemakers. Please, young ninjas of Konoha."
Konohamaru decisively refused. "I'm sorry, we have other missions to attend to and will not be going to your residence."
The butler chuckled, narrowed his triangular eyes, adjusted his tall hat, and continued:
"Our lord is a representative of your Konoha. He even went to watch the Chunin Ninja Exams back then."
"You're not exactly an outsider; the lord and your future Hokage Lord Shinsei, are even acquainted."
Konohamaru was taken aback, not expecting that this lord was related to his teacher, and couldn't help but turn to look at his teacher.
At this moment, Shinsei had changed his appearance, and he was no longer recognizable as the handsome man he once was.
A student noticed the teacher's change, but since the teacher didn't explain, the student pretended not to see it. Hanabi guessed that the teacher didn't want to face these people in her true identity, so she refused again.
"We will not be visiting your home. Also, please hand over the girl's mother."
After the butler saw the little girl hiding behind the Hanabi, he looked troubled.
"Young ninja, I cannot make this decision. If you could come and visit, I believe the lord might spare this girl's mother, considering you are Konoha Ninja."
Hanabi and Konohamaru exchanged a glance, before Konohamaru again refused, saying, "I'm sorry, we have a mission."
Momotaro looked conflicted, worried that the ninjas he had finally managed to recruit would be won over by the lord, but also afraid that interrupting them would anger them. Shinsei noticed Momotaro's worries and gently patted his shoulder to reassure him.
The butler, his face hardening after being repeatedly rejected by the brats, suppressed his anger, waved his hand, and stormed off.
After the butler returned, he entered a magnificent manor. He walked past pavilions and towers and arrived at a grand hall.
A fat, pale-skinned man leaned lazily against a huge chair. Seeing the butler enter, he slowly asked in a shrill voice, "Are they Konoha ninjas? Have they come? How many are there?"
"They're definitely Konoha ninjas, but there are only four kids, all Genin. There's also a boy who looks about fifteen or sixteen, but we can't tell his exact ninja rank."
The fat man snorted coldly, "Fifteen or sixteen years old, at most a Chunin. Konoha must be out of talent, actually letting this kind of ninja be a team leader, and leading four at a time. Have we heard anything about the ninja we hired?"
"My lord, we haven't received any news from them yet. Have we taken the wrong route?"
The fat man stroked his round chin:
"These wandering ninjas are all untrustworthy; they might have taken my money and run away."
The fact that these Konoha Ninja are here at this time suggests they might be investigating that matter. Go and inform Lord Shin to be careful lately, lest the Konoha ninjas find any fault with him.
The butler nodded and hurriedly left.
After that, Shinsei and his group's journey was undisturbed. After walking a few more kilometers, they arrived at a remote village.