Chapter 13: Kin Tsuchi of the Land of Rice Fields
After arriving at the destination town, Kato settled the final payment as if he were fleeing, then hurriedly disappeared around the street corner with his caravan and guards.
The look in his eyes was as if he had seen some humanoid beast, terrified that if Haruko were to become displeased, he might take his round head as a trophy too.
"Phew... it's finally over." Ichi let out a long sigh, his whole body relaxing; the bloody scene from yesterday still left him feeling a bit dazed.
Makire leaned against the wall, his face still pale, clearly not yet fully recovered from the shock of his first life-or-death battle.
Anko looked at the state of her two team members and shook her head helplessly: "Look at you two, so weak. Alright, we'll rest in this town for the day and return to the Village tomorrow."
"Oh yeah! Long live Anko-sensei!" Ichi cheered immediately.
Haruko had already planned out his next steps. He looked at the loot in the cart and said to Anko: "Anko-sensei, you all go find a place to rest first. I'll go take care of these and see if I can trade them for some pocket money."
Anko's mouth twitched, and she waved her hand: "Go ahead, just don't cause trouble. And try not to kill anyone if something comes up."
She wasn't worried about Haruko's safety at all; rather, she was worried about the safety of any idiots who might try to cause trouble for him.
Haruko rolled his eyes, speechless: "Do I look like someone who is that bloodthirsty..."
Hearing this, Anko and the other two also rolled their eyes, even more speechless.
Haruko walked alone on the streets of the town.
He could clearly feel the gazes of passersby mixed with fear and curiosity, and there were even a few that carried greed.
After all, it was hard not to attract attention when a young Ninja was carrying a blood-stained bag and a cart full of blood-stained weapons, armor, and miscellaneous items.
'So annoying!"
Haruko hated trouble the most.
He turned into an empty alley and quickly formed hand seals with both hands.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
Bang!
The white smoke dissipated, and the handsome white-haired youth vanished.
In his place was a bald, burly man nearly two meters tall with a fleshy face and fierce eyes.
He wore a large gold chain around his neck and had a long sword on his back—crafted using Earth Release.
Now everything was fine; the world was peaceful.
Walking back onto the street, passersby hurriedly made way, and those ill-intentioned gazes from before disappeared without a trace.
Haruko, no, now "Big Brother Baldy," nodded with satisfaction.
This was the street experience he wanted.
He found a blacksmith shop, sold the scrap metal he had looted from the Mountain Bandits in a bundle, and exchanged it for a decent amount of pocket money.
Then he inquired and found out that the group of rogue Ninjas did indeed have a bounty on them, and to collect it, he had to go to the Daimyos Estate.
This town was not far from the city where the Daimyos Estate was located, and at a Ninja's pace, he could get there quickly.
Although it was a bit of a hassle, making money was always worth it, so Haruko headed straight for the Daimyos Estate.
As soon as he entered the city, Haruko frowned.
At the city gate, displaced people and beggars with tattered clothes could be seen everywhere, all of them sallow and thin, with numb eyes.
In stark contrast, the wealthy district around the distant Daimyos Estate featured high walls, large courtyards, and grand, vermilion gates.
'Tsk, it's the same in every world."
Haruko was no saint, and he had no interest in saving the world.
But scenes like "behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste, while out on the road, people freeze to death" always made him feel uncomfortable.
The guards at the Daimyos Estate didn't dare to make things difficult for this fierce-looking, burly man, but after announcing him, they made him wait in the reception room for a full half hour.
Finally, a fat man, bloated and wearing luxurious clothes, looking just like a pig from a farm, sauntered out. He was the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields.
The Daimyo glanced at the few heads Haruko had thrown on the ground, then looked him up and down with an expression like he was inspecting goods: "You're the Ninja who killed those Mountain Bandits? You look like you have some brute strength. Here's the bounty, take it and get lost."
As he spoke, a guard threw over a bag of money.
It was as if he weren't paying a bounty, but rather giving alms to a beggar on the roadside.
Haruko was naturally unhappy, but it wasn't worth getting angry at a pig.
Besides, this guy only dared to run his mouth; the bizarre clients from his previous life were far worse than this.
'Take the money and leave; save the trouble."
He picked up the money bag, weighed it, and turned to leave.
"Wait." The Daimyo spoke again, with a hint of inexplicable hostility, "A guy of unknown origin like you had better behave yourself and not stir up trouble in my territory."
Haruko didn't turn around, but just looked back with a sinister smile: "Oh."
He was already calculating in his mind whether to sneak into the Daimyos Estate at night and pull off a big job.
Haruko walked out of the Daimyos Estate, pondering a plan for "robbing the rich to help the poor (himself)" as he walked—
A timid voice came from the side.
"P-please wait, sir!"
Haruko turned around and saw a little girl with long black hair running out from an alley.
She looked to be about eight or nine years old, her small face somewhat pale and thin.
Although she was a bit disheveled, the material of her clothes was quite good, and her demeanor and temperament did not resemble those of the displaced people on the street.
Moreover, this little girl was quite bold to dare to speak to him in his fierce-looking state.
"Something up?"
The little girl shrank her neck, but still gathered her courage and said: "My name is Kin Tsuchi. Sir, thank you... thank you for avenging my parents!"
Kin Tsuchi?
Oh, he remembered. An Hidden Sound Village Ninja under Orochimaru, that girl who used needles during the Chunin Exams, who was eventually used as a sacrifice for Edo Tensei.
"My parents were merchants. When they passed through the canyon a few days ago, they were... by those Mountain Bandits... wuwu..." Kin Tsuchi said, tears falling, "They fought to their deaths just to let me escape."
"I went to find the Daimyo, but he didn't care at all; he just put up a token bounty..."
The little girl sobbed as she recounted her experience intermittently.
Haruko listened, and he roughly understood the situation.
Even if this Daimyo and the Mountain Bandits weren't in collusion, at the very least, they were in a tacit understanding, mutually utilizing each other.
"I saw you come to collect the bounty and knew my great revenge had been avenged!" Kin Tsuchi wiped away her tears and knelt before Haruko. "Sir! I have nowhere left to go, please take me in! I am willing to be your servant and repay your kindness!"
Haruko rubbed his smooth chin.
Be his servant?
Her attitude was good, at least much better than those who just open their mouths to say "I'll repay you in the next life" or "I have nothing to repay you with, so I'll offer my body."
However, this little girl probably didn't just want to repay his kindness; she also wanted to find a powerful backer.
True, a little girl with no one to rely on, without the protection of a strong person, probably wouldn't end up very well.
'So that's how it is; that's why she ended up joining Hidden Sound Village."
She could gain protection and also gain the power to take revenge.
But Hidden Sound Village hadn't been established yet, and Uncle Snake was still working for the Akatsuki.
Haruko's Spiritual abacus began to clatter.
If he wanted to continue lying flat in the future, having someone to help manage miscellaneous tasks would indeed save a lot of trouble...
If he wanted to start a side business later, like opening a dessert shop or something, he would also need someone trustworthy to manage it.
This Kin Tsuchi was a merchant's daughter; having grown up surrounded by it, her business acumen shouldn't be bad.
Moreover, in the original work, she passed the Forest of Death at fourteen, which is equivalent to training from an ordinary person to near-Chunin level in less than five years with limited resources.
Although she couldn't compare to those cheaters, her talent was still pretty good.
If he took her back now and raised her from a young age, her loyalty would also be guaranteed.
Hmm, it seems... this could work.