"Ugh... what's wrong with that child?"
"What an exaggerated way of eating."
"Has she not eaten in eight hundred years?"
"Whose child is this? Don't the adults feed her? Look, the poor thing is crying from hunger."
A wave of chatter rose from an ordinary restaurant near the port of the Land of Water.
It turned out a young girl was shoveling large amounts of food into her mouth, looking like a starving ghost reborn, even crying while she ate and muttering things like "This is real human food."
The Root member codenamed 'Ding' felt his heart go numb under the increasing weight of the surrounding gazes.
Lord Danzo, your judgment is flawed! I taught her all the way here to be low-key and natural, and she forgets it all over a meal.
"You're being too exaggerated..."
He helplessly reminded the person Danzo had taken a liking to. But Tian Yin had no intention of paying attention and even pointed at the dish in front of him, her meaning clear: are you going to finish that?
Ding felt his heart palpitate distinctly.
"Thank you for your patronage. Young man, I don't know what happened, but you must take good care of your daughter from now on."
The shop owner said happily after receiving payment, his words also full of well-wishes.
From his perspective, this little girl must have grown up in a long-term state of hunger, while this cold-faced, unapproachable older man paid without batting an eye and had even given up his own portion during the meal.
Thus, a drama of finally finding a long-lost daughter played out in the shop owner's mind.
Ding wanted to open his mouth to argue a few words, but on second thought, nothing he could say now seemed appropriate. It was better to accept the role and leave quickly.
"Thank you, uncle. All these years, I finally..."
At this point, Tian Yin suddenly closed her mouth. Her eyes darted around at a speed noticeable to ordinary people, and her hand holding Ding's clothes unconsciously tightened.
In an instant, Ding felt the gazes of some of the shop staff fall upon the two of them.
So that's it!
His previous slight underestimation of Tian Yin instantly vanished. Truly worthy of being someone Danzo had his eye on!
She was using herself as bait to lure information right to their doorstep!
Ding reacted extremely quickly. He immediately said goodbye, took Tian Yin's hand, and left, heading straight for the crowded streets.
"The idea is good, but you are an important designated person. Also, don't act on your own initiative."
First affirmation, then a warning. Tian Yin couldn't help but roll her eyes a little.
"There are two people following us. And behind those two, there's another one following. The others have already lost our trail."
Tian Yin closed her eyes, sensing, and reported.
This wasn't the legendary Kagura Mind's Eye; this was just an ordinary Sensing Technique. Even if Tian Yin was a genius praised by Danzo in this lifetime, a mere four years or so was still too short a time.
However, Danzo had still taught her the training method for the Kagura Mind's Eye, back when he taught her the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Every time she thought about it, Tian Yin really hated that Danzo was an irredeemable villain who had done so many disgusting things to her. Otherwise, acknowledging him as a master wouldn't have caused her such psychological pressure.
"Good. Trash like them aren't worth expecting much information from. I'll handle it later; you just watch out for yourself."
After speaking, Ding slowly began leading Tian Yin towards a more secluded place. This was a signal that they were willing to engage in a Ninja confrontation.
This move had nothing to do with martial virtue; it was simply because Ninjas on missions inherently carried secrets. Fighting openly on the streets would easily attract unnecessary trouble.
And so, just like scenes from movies or anime, Tian Yin and Ding encountered the duo with ill intentions in a deserted spot.
[Wow~ This is the feeling! This is exactly the feeling!]
On one side was the azure sea, on the other a dense jungle. A man and a child faced two vicious villains, with an observer lurking in the shadows.
All that was missing now was a tense, impending BGM and a breeze sweeping across the land, rustling their sleeves.
While trembling and hiding behind Ding, Tian Yin indulged in her imagination.
"I don't have a Bloodline Limit..."
Tian Yin's soft, timid voice made the two men break into nasty smirks.
The Hidden Mist Village's policy towards Bloodline Limit Clans was to kill first, ask questions later! And to ensure efficiency, of course there were rewards for reporting them.
"Hehehe... Looks like we're going to make a windfall today."
"What luck. Just eating a meal and we get to earn money. Isn't this like a free lunch?"
The two were completely lost in their imagination of getting paid, making Tian Yin secretly disappointed.
No style at all. Totally wasted such a good scene.
[But from the looks of it, the persecution policy against Bloodline Limit Clans is still ongoing?]
Tian Yin estimated in her heart; otherwise, there was no way to explain these two being so confident in this line of work.
Of course, another possibility was that these two were just poorly informed.
"The person behind us is still watching, but his Chakra seems ready to act at any moment."
Her hand gripping Ding's clothes quickly relayed the information. Next, Tian Yin prepared to play her part. Her current role was that of a weakling who, besides sensing, only knew some basic Water Release.
"Are you from the Hidden Mist Village? I heard the treatment of Bloodline Limit Clans has recently changed."
Although they weren't wearing forehead protectors, it wasn't unusual for Ninjas to remove them for a mission.
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting! The policy of hunting Bloodline Limit Clans would never be canceled. Do you know how many people make a living from this? Just surrender quietly!"
With that, the two charged, one from the front, one from behind. Judging from their formation and coordination, they were definitely trained.
"Seems they're not from the Hidden Mist Village."
The lead man was knocked down by Ding with a swift straight punch. The one following, who had just prepared to throw shuriken, was met with an even faster shuriken to the forehead.
Thus, these two took their final bow.
[As expected, they wasted the scene.]
Although trained... even Tian Yin, with her weakling persona, could definitely have performed better if she had taken the field herself.
[It seems my weakling persona needs to be even weaker. From now on, if I encounter a Ninjutsu situation, two ordinary Water Releases and I'll be exhausted.]
Tian Yin sincerely thanked the two for personally demonstrating the weight of the term 'weakling'.
"What about you? Still planning to give us trouble?"
Ding spoke towards the nearby woods.
Swish, swish... Seeing he was discovered, the person who had been following them finally showed himself. He wore the forehead protector of the Hidden Mist Village.
"Impressive. Your taijutsu alone, sir, places you among the top Chunin."
Although it was just a straight punch and a shuriken throw, precisely because they were simple techniques, they placed exceptionally high demands on one's physical abilities.
"Are you planning to sweet-talk us into walking into a trap?"
Ding stood in front of Tian Yin, completely shielding her, and questioned.
Seeing this, the Mist Ninja raised his hands.
"I bear no hostility. The news you heard is also true. The Hidden Mist Village will indeed no longer hunt down those related to Bloodline Limit Clans. Not only that, any surviving members of persecuted clans can receive satisfactory compensation from Lord Gengetsu."
As the Mist Ninja spoke these words, he also watched Ding's expression. The latter gave a wary look.
"Hard to believe."
"Indeed. But there were hidden reasons behind the initial persecution of Bloodline Limit Clans."
At this point, the Mist Ninja stopped, deliberately creating a cliffhanger.
Anyone could guess the next line was, "If you want to know the details, come with me."
"No, I can't trust you for now. If the Hidden Mist Village has truly canceled the hunt for Bloodline Limit Clans as you say, then I believe with my skills, I can manage until it's completely over."
With that, Ding turned to leave.
"Be careful. The Hidden Mist Village is currently divided into two factions. Although you, young man, seem fine, if you encounter trouble, remember to seek out the Terumī Clan's side."
After saying this, the Mist Ninja watched the two leave, even smiling at Tian Yin when she looked back.