A raucous inflection reverberated.
Yoichi turned around and stared at the man with a deadpan expression.
Burly physique with a couple of special items behind his backpack, is he a merchant? Hmm, that might be true.
"Quit staring at me and move your ass away from the road!" the man rebuked loudly, solemnly glancing at Yoichi.
"Oh, sorry about that," Yoichi moved out of the way before a lightbulb flickered within his brilliant mind.
"Are you a merchant?"
Following the man's path forward, he then began to strike up an exchange of words with the man.
"Yeah, so what?" The man replied grumpily. "Wait a second... Are you new here? You did not look like someone from these lands."
Yoichi's heart skipped a beat once he saw the man's narrowed eyes staring.
"Is that obvious? Hehehe... I'm just a child from a remote town here. I got lost and I didn't know where to go..."
Yoichi lied as he naturally breathed, appearing relatively clueless with his ordinary countenance.
"Figures..." The man abruptly stopped. "For now, stay by my side and don't even take a look or steal my things. I counted these items beforehand so keep your hands away, understand?"
"Got it." Yoichi nodded in agreement.
For a while, the two began to hike on the particular trail with caution.
Each step in the soil felt heavy due to the huge ravine beside them, but the man easily passed through it without any problems while Yoichi's eyes stayed on the scenery around him.
Occasional rumbles could be heard from a mile away as the electrifying views of the frequent generation of lightning discharge became utterly majestic yet inapproachable.
Like a delectable cake on the glass windows of a bakery, nature's beauty displayed right before Yoichi made him feel an inexplicable sense of composure.
"What are your plans after this, kid? Don't tell me you're just gonna wander around in this treacherous place all by yourself." The man's eyes shifted, still skeptical and suspicious at the same time.
"Say, old man." Yoichi shot an innocent look, "Do you know where the shinobi are located?! I want to be a shinobi! A powerful and famous one!"
Hearing this, the man examined the child until he chided, "You? A shinobi? Hahaha! This is the first time I've met a presumptuous kid like you!"
"Listen here, brat. You can't just want to be a shinobi. First of all, you need connections or an influential family to nurture you."
"Besides that, you must have a talent. You might prove yourself whenever they are actively recruiting. But for now, there's no official information about the recruitments whatsoever."
"Last but not least, you should have a permit or authorization papers to be accepted inside of Kumogakure with a staggering 100,000 Ryō just to stay inside for 3 days and 3 nights."
"Who in the hell would even tend to fetch that lump sum of money? I also want to go there, but with that kind of price tag? I'll just shove that permit right in their asses before they let me cough up my hard-earned money!"
During that tirade of fresh news, Yoichi fell into a contemplative state.
100,000 Ryō for a permit?! Hell nah! Maybe I should look at the gaps until I infiltrate Kumogakure's defenses...
"Thinking about slipping past there unnoticed? I strongly suggest you not do that unbelievable task, kid. You'll just die worse than death if you try. Don't say that I didn't warn you."
After giving some advice, the man walked unhurriedly while Yoichi came next to him, silently mulling things.
With a clear understanding of the situation, Yoichi began to plan ahead of time and figure out what the next course of action was.
...I need to know Kumogakure's location. There should be clues in the town like caravans splitting up or people going there.
The sounds of hooves stomping and the cacophony of people were given attention once Yoichi felt getting closer to a remote town in the area.
"We're here..." the man glanced at Yoichi. "Be extremely cautious here, kid. There are tons of kidnappings going on in these grounds."
"Thank you for guiding me here!"
Yoichi conveyed his gratitude before he slowly strolled into the town.
On the other hand, the man shot a look at the child until he shook his head, going to the merchant's area.
They are merely acquaintances after all. These kinds of tragic events were commonly known here but the man's compassionate attitude gave a simple prayer for the child's safety and luck.
"I need to change my appearance."
Meanwhile, Yoichi went down an alley and transformed into another typical face but very distinctive according to the different shapes of his nose and ears.
And within moments, he initiated his information gathering in full force.
...
"Watch where you are going, sissy white man!"
"Heh, I don't want to argue with a monkey!"
Holy hell, these people do not know how to chill!
After painstakingly gathering news, Yoichi frowned at the sight of two different races fighting with each other right before his eyes.
According to his information, this kind of racial divide stemmed from the two parties ever since the Warring States Period.
One is the Yotsuki Clan who vehemently promoted their darkish skin color as if it were a symbol of royalty and prosperity in the Land of Lightning.
The other one is a coalition of white skinned individuals who call themselves Shiro-Gou, one of the elitist groups in the Land of Lightning.
These parties waged wars in terms of political maneuvering, economic issues, and workforce points on innumerable circumstances.
However, from the looks of it, the Yotsuki Clan's propaganda skyrocketed through their own power and impact around these rugged highlands.
From Yoichi's personal viewpoint, this absolute one-sided issue was practical and understandable.
If you have an enemy, will you let him stand up and fight back? Hell no! In fact, even your own party would beat them every time they stood up.
That's why the tension felt oppressive and unjust in both extreme ends.
Aside from that, Yoichi had learned the position of Kumogakure thanks to the mindless banter between these two racially separated parties.
Let's begin!
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Disclaimer: I'M NOT A RACIST, ALRIGHT?!
I just created this out of realism since there's no definitive proof of this matter. Regardless, I wanted to paint the picture that perhaps in the anime world, there's going to be a class or racial division.
I mean, this is our life as humans here in the real world. If we go and unite, maybe half of the population is living now on Mars or something.
But, it was wishful thinking.