Beside them, Tobi simply said calmly, "Actually, we can look at it from the bright side. Everyone who bullied you has already gone to hell. From now on, you're free."
However, Hanami's expression did not improve. She only wept, tears streaming down her face, "Although I'm not my father's biological daughter, even though he beat me, after everything, I still can't hate him."
"He raised me, gave me a chance to run away, and in the end, even killed that monster for me. I… I don't want him to die!"
Tobi shook his head, "Death is the ending he wanted. He'd been enduring for a long time, but people are people, not objects. Rather than dragging out a miserable life, it's better to pull your enemy down to hell with you."
"He has endured many human emotions, but pitiful people always have hateful parts. Sometimes, when you're stuck in a puddle of mud, you can't help but be stained by the filth."
Hanami lowered her head and leaned against Makoto's chest, silent, only crying without stop.
Tobi sighed and said, "Many people turn evil because this world forces them to, because rotten people like Tanaka Nobuyuki force them."
At the side, Yahiko couldn't help but say, "Then, what about the Land of Rain, are there many Tanaka Nobuyukis there too?"
Tobi said, "Everywhere is the same. Maybe the Land of Rain has even more. After all, that country was once ravaged by war; the status of commoners is even less valuable. The powerful in the Land of Rain treat commoners even less like human beings."
Yahiko's face looked unpleasant, "Do you mean, after we go there, can we reform the Land of Rain, kill all these people in one go?"
Tobi said, "You can't kill them all. If one group dies, another group will just take their place, endlessly. What we need to kill isn't a number of people, it's that position at the top, that system."
Yahiko said, "That sounds really difficult, right?"
Tobi said, "Not really. Haven't you seen examples?"
"As long as everyone has the courage to pick up a kitchen knife, as long as… the knife is sharp enough to stab someone to death, then we don't even need to help. People can solve the problem themselves."
"Once those at the top know they can be killed, they'll provide better living conditions for the common people, and some kind of balance will be reached."
Yahiko looked a little hopeful, "Just a balance? The oppression and desire of the powerful would still exist, wouldn't it?"
Tobi said, "Everyone has desires. Reaching balance is already pretty good."
Yahiko looked at Tobi, "So we need to provide the common people with a sharp kitchen knife? Then what is that kitchen knife, exactly?"
Tobi thought for a moment and said, "Let's first popularize chakra converters and raise people's living standards."
"As long as people's living standards rise and they're no longer trapped in the swamp of survival, they'll have spare capacity to think about more issues. Maybe… they'll figure out how to prepare that knife themselves."
Yahiko looked up at the sky and said, "Looks like we really have done something remarkable."
Tobi shrugged, "Didn't you know that a long time ago?"
At this moment, Hanami still hadn't recovered, immersed in sorrow.
Makoto held Hanami and grew anxious. He looked at the most lively Tobi and asked, "Ninja-sama, Hanami… what should we do?"
Tobi put his hand to his chin, pretending to ponder, "From my experience, you just need to be by her side. Even if the world is shattered, as long as the person beside you remains, the wound can slowly heal."
Saying this, Tobi's tone brightened up, "Of course, from another angle, this is also your best chance when she's vulnerable, you ignorant young man, learn to seize the opportunity so you can taste the fragrance of a girl."
Makoto felt like his heart was about to break, and then Tobi's meddling made his expression immediately awkward, "Ninja-sama, how can you be so improper? I wouldn't do anything to Hanami."
Tobi noticed that the previously despondent Hanami had quietly perked up her ears at that moment.
He increased the heat, "If you can take advantage of the opportunity, then take advantage of it, none of this idle talk. Don't you want to take advantage of it?"
Makoto's face flushed instantly, "This… this…"
Like Makoto, Hanami's ears had also turned red.
Her body unconsciously pressed closer against Makoto, burying her face deep in his arm.
Seeing this, Tobi said, "In short, since the vengeance incident might implicate you, you should stay with us for the time being."
"It's late, and later we'll go to the inn and book a room for you. If you have sweet words, whisper them privately."
"And about those clothes you found for us. I thought about it and we won't change. Our clothes are a bit special; we can't just take them off casually."
Makoto, hearing about booking rooms, felt a little flustered.
But hearing that the clothes can't be taken off, he felt inexplicably puzzled.
These ninja lords, though powerful, sometimes had thought processes he really couldn't understand.
———
Land of Water, daimyo's residence, the inner circle, a mansion that looked luxurious—
In a quiet room, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged on tatami, eyes closed in meditation.
At this moment, an elderly man who looked like a butler opened the door and walked in.
"Lord Ken, Steward Tanaka has been killed. A commoner did it."
"According to the Hidden Mist Village ninja's investigation, that commoner had a private grudge with Steward Tanaka. This may be an act of vendetta."
The middle-aged man opened his eyes, a trace of displeasure showing.
"Useless, dying at this moment of all times."
"I remember, the person previously responsible for receiving and escorting ships carrying war orphans was him, right?"
The butler nodded, "Yes, Lord Ken. And if you calculate the timing, the last slave ship should be about to dock too."
Hayashi Ken thought for a while and said, "A small steward dying is just that, he's dead. But don't let it delay the big matters."
"Find another person to promote, someone to be in charge of this duty."
"To ensure safety, request a B-rank escort mission from the Hidden Mist Village and have them send a reliable ninja."
"Though I don't want to deal with those ninjas, if Tanaka Nobuyuki's death wasn't an accident but has hidden circumstances…"
"My rivals are always watching me closely. It seems this expense still has to be paid."
The butler nodded, acknowledged, and respectfully withdrew.
———
One night passed, dawn came.
On the coast of the Land of Water, a large ship slowly entered a secret harbor.
On the ship were nearly a hundred war orphans. Some two or three years old, the oldest seventeen, both boys and girls.
Kakashi used the transformation technique to hide his most conspicuous silver hair, disguising himself as a ragged ten-year-old orphan, blending in.
Because the Hidden Mist Village is on an island surrounded by sea, separated from the continent, to infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village and gather intelligence, he had to first find a way to cross the ocean.
Taking a ship became one of the few choices.
The Land of Water had some trade with other countries, but since the Hidden Mist Village was closed off for many years and didn't welcome ninja from other villages, inspections of incoming ships were extremely strict.
Kakashi didn't think he could successfully infiltrate by taking an ordinary passenger ship under these circumstances, so he used an idea equal to the Nara family's intelligence and came up with this plan.
To be honest, he wasn't in a very good mood.
Although he knew this was the Third Shinobi World War and war orphans were born every moment, fueling the slave trade, knowing it in theory and experiencing it personally are different things.
Seeing the fear, unease, and terror in the eyes of so many orphans around him, he wanted to slaughter the slave traders on the ship and save the children.
However, as a proper ninja, he had to put the mission first. His mission was to infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village and investigate the village's intelligence; he could not cause unnecessary trouble.
Although people who don't cherish their companions are worse than trash, the cruel reality was that these orphans… were not his companions.
So he had to take a deep breath, suppress his thoughts, and remember that a ninja must learn to endure.
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