Chapter 27
They were led to a small town just outside the woods where they were found. Though they weren't bound or restricted in any way, it was clear that those people wouldn't let them go so easily.
They were watching Yahiko the most with sharp eyes, ready to interfere if he tried something. While Yahiko only smiled back at them, showing his hands that he meant no harm. He didn't think his intentions were interpreted in the right way.
The town was situated next to a massive river. It wasn't too big settlement, with about a thousand people living in it. At least that's what Yahiko managed to calculate from all the houses around.
It didn't have walls surrounding it or anything, but at least on one side, it was protected by a river. It didn't seem like they received many attacks, even during a war. But there were plenty of warriors around. Some with quite scary eyes.
It also looked like every single one of the residents in this town wasn't normal. Every single one of them looked like they learned how to handle one weapon or another. Even children looked taller and broader than anyone Yahiko had seen back home. Well, it was probably because of a lack of food due to the war, but still, those kids were quite ripped.
"Move!" Yahiko was pushed as he took too long to observe his surroundings.
Yahiko quickly motioned for Konan and Nagato not to do anything, as they looked like they wanted to teach them a lesson for touching Yahiko. Though it wasn't a hospitable place for them, it was still better than going on their own into the wilderness.
A little rough treatment should be expected. After all, Yahiko was a stranger to them, and there was no mistaking that he was someone to look out for. They couldn't just leave them be, but they were still kids, so they probably felt it was wrong to kill them or imprison them.
That wasn't a decision they could make on their own, especially when Yahiko hadn't done anything to harm them yet. So, it was clear where they were being led. Before them was the biggest building in the town, overlooking the main street.
"The chief will meet with you. Be grateful."
Inside the building were vast halls. It was more like a town hall than a house where someone lived. Either way, they passed by people who looked curious at them before entering the other side of the building, into a room with various hunting trophies displayed proudly.
While they waited inside, Yahiko took notice of the various animal heads on the walls. Wolves, bears, moose, and even a fox's head were displayed, with various hides turned into rugs as well. As Yahiko looked around, before long, someone walked in.
This person was an old man with grey hair and wrinkles on his face. But he stood tall and broad, even bigger than Jiraiya and Sakumo. But Yahiko could tell that this person was already struggling to walk and took a second too long to sit down before them.
"I am Chief Sakamoto," he said. "Just from a glance, I can tell that you three are shinobi. Where are you from? What do you want from this place?"
Now, Yahiko was curious. In a place with no shinobi, it was natural for them to be concerned about three shinobi who came from nowhere, but why were they so guarded? It didn't seem to be for their own sake, as they could have just locked Yahiko up or even killed him if they were afraid of shinobi.
Yet they didn't even try. And Yahiko didn't even have his hands bound. Just like the towns in the Land of Fire, even though they were concerned about shinobi, they left them be. And yet these people couldn't do it. Why?
"Well? Had enough time to think? Answer me!" The chief didn't look like he liked Yahiko's silence. "Where are you from? Why did you come here?"
What answer would satisfy him? Would he even believe Yahiko if he answered honestly? No, he was looking for a specific answer. Something to confirm his suspicions. That meant he expected shinobi to come, but not three kids, so now he was confused.
"We came from far away," Yahiko put on a pitiful appearance. "We don't belong to any village and only learned a few things from a passing shinobi. We just wanted to escape to a place where we didn't need to be afraid for our lives. We don't want to harm anyone."
"There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious about them, and they were wandering around the mountains for some time on their own," one of those who took them in reported to the chief.
"You know well how good shinobi are at deception; all of this could be a play to let our guard down."
As Yahiko thought, they wouldn't believe anything they said unless it was an answer they were looking for. No, it wasn't that they wouldn't; it was because they couldn't. They knew that shinobi would come to them, so they couldn't believe that these weren't the ones they were waiting for.
So, Yahiko kept silent. If they wanted them to be imprisoned, it was fine. As long as they didn't endanger their lives, it wasn't a bad idea before any misunderstandings could be cleared. It was better and safer that way for both parties.
But then all of it was interrupted, as a low explosion could be heard outside, like a house collapsing. The chief was the first to react; all his age seemed to evaporate as he quickly stood up, a fierce expression settling on his face.
Before anything could be said or done, the wall behind the chief collapsed, and a man covered in a long white cloak burst in. The chief was the first to react as he caught the invader's face with his hand and then slammed him to the ground. It wasn't the floor that cracked.
"Seriously?" At this point, Yahiko looked at the situation with disbelief.
What had he done to get into these kinds of situations everywhere he went? This was just ridiculous at this point. There were fewer of these kinds of situations during the war. Did shinobi not have anything better to do?
"Stay put," the chief glared at Yahiko before leaving through the hole that was made in the house.
From there, Yahiko could see most of the commotion. Figures in white cloaks wreaked havoc, killing anyone who got in their way. The warriors of the town struggled to protect their home. But it seemed like they were somewhat prepared for it.
Their terrifying arrows caught a few of these attackers, killing them instantly. But that was it. The attackers were trained shinobi whom normal people couldn't hope to take on. For every shinobi dead, at least a dozen of those warriors had to sacrifice their lives.
Only the chief seemed to be able to match the shinobi. But that was only in one-on-one fights. He couldn't do anything about the rest of them. And then there were other people, not even able to run away from the onslaught.
Yahiko wanted to stop this madness. But he saw the eyes of those attackers. They were not human. Beasts in human skin, there was no reason in those eyes. Just hunger. Hunger for blood, for killing and destruction.
Those eyes made Yahiko go still with fear. Because for the first time, he knew there was nothing he could do but watch. It was even hard to breathe, as for the first time, he couldn't see a path he should take to stop it all.
He knew he should interfere, but he didn't know these people. And he was afraid that he might have to use lethal force to stop them. That's not something he could accept. Not something he ever wanted.
He felt his heart beating rapidly as panic settled in him. More and more people died with each second. He wanted to yell, but no words could stop them. No voice would reach them. Those eyes were the same as the wolves' eyes that starved in the winter.
"Yahiko?"
The selfish intent of wanting peace is what initiates war. None of this had anything to do with him. And yet, could he watch as people died before his eyes and do nothing? Accept the futility of it all and live out his life detached from it all.
It would have probably been the right choice, the simplest of paths. But Yahiko was human, and he couldn't control his feelings, even though logically he knew that interfering right now could cause far more suffering and pain.
And yet, when he saw a mother protecting her child from a crazed murderer's hands, he couldn't help but move, even when he was told not to. Peace could wait. For now, Yahiko just wanted to save one life. And with that thought, all hesitation vanished within him.
"Yahiko!"
Konan had probably long since noticed Yahiko's changed expression. So, she tried to call him, but he wasn't one to listen. When his mind was set on something, his body just moved. Damn the consequences.
They were not his enemies. But they were about to hurt innocent people, and Yahiko wouldn't allow it. Neither the ones who kept him in the house nor the one whose sword was falling on an innocent woman and child managed to react to Yahiko's movement.
One moment, he was sitting with the others, watching the street from the broken wall. The next moment, he held the blade that was midway through its fall with his hand. Lightning ran through Yahiko's fingers and traveled through the sword and finally to the one who wielded it.
A faint burned smell spread from the shinobi as he fell to his knees and then to his face. And there he was again, getting involved in things he shouldn't. But once a line was crossed, Yahiko didn't care anymore. Though he was still careful to control his force so as not kill.
Without lamenting his actions or the reason for them, Yahiko moved once again. Since he decided to act, it was better to finish this as fast as possible. None of the shinobi was as strong as one of the Seven Swordsmen he had faced previously.
So, with the help of the terrifying arrows and a few strong warriors protecting their home, Yahiko ended the fight quickly. All he needed to do was take down the more troublesome and faster shinobi.
And with Konan and Nagato joining the fray, it was done in quick succession, without any more lives lost. Now, he only needed to persuade the people pointing their weapons at them that he had nothing to do with any of this, even though he saved a few of those shinobi from having their heads blown off by the arrows fired at them.
…
Wherever they went, they ended up in these kind situations. Konan was tired of it all, the worry she had for Yahiko. She knew how important others were to him; that was why she and Nagato were here right now. But she would rather let everyone else die than let Yahiko make that pained expression again.
She wished she dared to tell him that he didn't need to get involved, but she didn't. Even though she could see how futile it was for them to get involved in another conflict. They were strangers to these people, and yet it didn't matter.
The fighting was over. The shinobi who attacked were either killed by the locals or captured by them, since Yahiko didn't want to kill anyone, so neither did Konan nor Nagato. Then the locals turned their weapons on them.
"We will leave," Yahiko ignored the worried looks of the locals and calmly told them.
"You are not taking another step," the chief, bloodied with his own and the enemy's blood, stepped forward.
He wasn't even concerned about his wounds as he glared at them. But Konan could tell that he was more afraid of them than anything else. He was the only one who could pose any trouble for them, but he was already injured, and he knew he couldn't do anything to them.
"You should be worried about your people; there are plenty injured who need urgent help rather than keeping your attention on us," Yahiko replied calmly, but Konan could see the fear of another conflict that could arise. "We are leaving since we aren't welcome here. And you know very well that you can't stop us."
Ignorant and reckless. Konan didn't have a better description for these people, as they refused to lower their weapons even though they knew what Yahiko said was true. Was it pride or something else? Konan didn't care enough to find out.
Yahiko didn't wish to hurt anyone. It was this kindness that Konan admired. It was like a steady boulder that held everything around it. But now she started to hate this about him. It must be hard always holding himself back, always thinking of others.
She only cared about Yahiko and Nagato. She couldn't care less about these people or the ones who attacked this place. But Yahiko had everyone on his mind. The strangers and the enemies were people he still cared about.
She could cut them all down with her paper blades and be done with it. Those people didn't understand how lucky they were that Yahiko was too kindhearted. They didn't understand how much they were using that kindness, and it made Konan angry with them.
"Put down your weapons," Then a calm but authoritative voice echoed.
"Lord Mifune," the locals, even the children, bowed their heads to the newcomer.
A man supported by an armored samurai slowly walked up to them. He was completely covered in bandages, and it didn't seem like he could even stand on his own. But his eyes were made of steel. They reminded Konan of Jiraiya and Sakumo Hatake as he looked at them.
She was afraid for the first time coming here. That man was dangerous. The only reason she didn't start using her jutsu immediately was that the man was heavily injured, and he didn't look like he wanted to harm them.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.