The northeastern border of the Land of Rain was a village with houses distributed in a circular band, named Nibi no Utsu.
Nibi no Utsu almost completely encircled the entire northeastern border, becoming the Land of Rain’s first line of defense. Hardly any ordinary people lived here.
They were either merchants who valued money more than their lives, or wandering and rogue ninjas with nowhere to go. Among them were also some samurai supported by merchants and refugees who had fled from war-torn countries.
"We’re almost there." Haruki reminded Yahiko and the others.
The northeastern border of the Land of Rain was close to the Land of Grass, with sparse trees. As far as the eye could see, there were endless grasslands and low-lying houses, which stood quietly at the end of the grassland.
Beyond that cluster of low-lying buildings was the Land of Grass.
The green grass submerged their ankles like waves. Haruki led Yahiko and the others to continue walking forward.
The low-lying houses grew larger and larger in their eyes, they had already entered the territory of Nibi no Utsu.
The streets were filled with refugees huddled in corners, an unpleasant aura permeated the air, and various garbage piled up on the ground. Occasionally, two tall, strong men walked past Haruki and his companions.
From the moment Haruki and his group stepped onto this street, countless gazes, both overt and hidden, focused on them.
Haruki noticed his clothes pulling down a bit. He turned his head slightly and saw Konan clutching his hem. Konan’s eyes flickered with unease. She had keenly sensed the danger pervading this place.
Haruki’s hand covered Konan’s hand, which was holding his hem. He gently removed Konan’s hand, then held her hand, his eyes filled with comfort. Konan pursed her lips, tightened her grip on Haruki’s hand, and followed him closely.
"Why are they all looking at us?" Yahiko leaned close to Haruki’s ear and whispered.
Haruki glanced at Yahiko’s fair face. He didn’t answer, instead asking, "Look at the people around us. What do you see?"
"Refugees, ninjas, merchants, samurai..."
Nagato’s voice chimed in from Haruki’s other side.
Hearing Nagato’s answer, Yahiko began to examine his surroundings more carefully. The walls on the street were dilapidated, but even these crumbling ruins served as the only refuge for the refugees. They huddled in corners, with only a ragged, crumpled piece of burlap beneath their buttocks, their clothes barely covering them. They were emaciated, with sunken cheeks and large, bright, somewhat terrifying pupils, staring unblinkingly at Haruki and his three companions as they passed through the street.
On Haruki’s other side, in stark contrast to the refugees, were clean and bright shops. The shop owners lay leisurely in rocking chairs, with an abundance of snacks on the table beside them.
Inside every shop were figures of ninjas or samurai, their presence preventing the refugees across the street from acting rashly.
"We aren’t refugees, and we’re not old. Appearing in a chaotic border region, how could we not attract attention?" Haruki explained.
Yahiko and Konan’s gazes lingered on these refugees, their eyes filled with compassion.
Konan turned her head away, feeling distressed.
"War is truly devastating."
Seeing the tragic state of these refugees, Yahiko clenched his fists, further strengthening his belief.
He must stop the war. He must ensure that there will be no more wars in the Ninja World in the future.
"First, let’s find an inn to settle down. After we’ve settled, we can go explore the area." Haruki said.
They entered an inn with a decent environment.
The boss, who was sprawled on the counter, lazily lifted his head and scrutinized Haruki and his three companions.
Haruki said, "One room."
The boss’s lips curled downwards. "Alright. Pay first."
He extended his hand towards Haruki.
The prices for dining and lodging at the inn were posted on the counter, almost ten times that of ordinary inns.
Haruki had noticed along the way that almost all inns here had such exorbitant prices.
Nibi no Utsu was located on the border, and the Land of Grass was embroiled in war. To extract more money from the refugees, they had inflated the prices to astronomical levels.
Haruki paid the money and followed the boss upstairs. The boss casually opened an empty room and gestured towards Haruki and his companions.
With that, the boss turned and left.
Upon entering the room, Konan closed the door.
Yahiko complained, "The lodging prices here are too expensive. No wonder those refugees would rather sleep on the streets than stay in an inn. How could a group of refugees afford such an expensive place?"
"We might be staying here for a long time. There are quite a few ninjas here, and none of them are easy to deal with."
Haruki sat on the tatami and said to Yahiko and the others.
Most importantly, this place was close to the Land of Grass battlefield. For Haruki, war was the best place to get stronger. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
"It’s okay. When we run out of money, we’ll sleep on the streets too." Yahiko said optimistically.
After all, it wasn’t like they hadn’t slept outside before. They had experienced worse things in the past.
"Don’t worry about money." Haruki said to Yahiko and the others.
Yahiko, moved, rushed over and put his arm around Haruki’s shoulder, exclaiming from the bottom of his heart, "Haruki, it’s so good to have you."
Although Jiraiya had left them some money before he left, that money definitely wouldn’t be enough to support their long-term life in Nibi no Utsu.
Haruki smiled. "Let’s rest for a while. We’ll go out and check the situation later."
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Yahiko immediately lied down and closed his eyes on the tatami.
A crow flew over Nibi no Utsu from high above, landing on a branch. Its black bean-like pupils rotated, reflecting everything on the street in its eyes.