Chapter 4 The reality of the world After confirming that the target of the mission, Ando, had actually committed an act of betrayal, Shiba Kiyokawa's overt investigation suddenly made a breakthrough. That afternoon, he took Xiaonan and tracked them all the way to a secret base hidden in the nearby mountains and forests by Anduo. This stronghold is hidden deep in the dense forest. It is in a very concealed location and a team of wandering ninjas are arranged to patrol and guard the area. The confidentiality work has been done in an excellent manner. But this obviously did not pose any difficulty for the two elite members of the Akatsuki organization who came to investigate. After the two of them took their positions, Konan quickly grabbed the arm of Shiba Kiyokawa beside her and spoke urgently in a deliberately lowered voice. "Qinghe, they are all wandering ninjas from the Land of Rain. Don't be impulsive. You promised me that you can't use such extreme methods this time!" She didn't even worry about the threat from the enemy first. This made Shiba Qinghe unable to smile bitterly for a moment. I don't know whether I should thank Xiaonan for her trust in his ability, or lament that my image has declined to the point where it is irreversible.
As for why Xiaonan could tell at a glance that the few wandering ninjas on guard outside were all locals of the Rain Country, it was naturally because they were very poor. Several wandering ninjas did not have standard ninja vests, and could only wear cold-colored clothes that were similar to the colors of the surrounding environment. Half of them did not even have ninja tool bags. They just carried a knife, wore a rainproof straw hat, and held a straw in their mouths. Free and easy yet poor, it fits the local characteristics very well... Shiba Kiyokawa did not choose to contradict Konan over such a trivial matter. "Okay, Sister Xiaonan, let's bypass them and sneak in to investigate." Xiaonan was a little surprised for a moment, as if she didn't expect Shiba Qinghe to be so easy to talk to this time. Shiba Kiyokawa was in no hurry to explain. Because the real highlight is not on the periphery. Then they bypassed these amateur wandering ninjas and sneaked into the secret base of merchant Ando. Then, the two were quickly shocked by the goods that filled the entire warehouse. After checking, Xiaonan said in disbelief, "It's mainly medicine and food, and a small amount of meat. Oh my god! How could this person have so many supplies? Obviously, many people in the surrounding villages have no food to eat because of the war. " Shiba Kiyokawa did not answer. He was also a little shocked, but his surprise was different from Xiaonan's. He just didn't expect the quantity of goods to be so large. As for Ando's stockpiling of goods, he had already guessed it. "We should quickly find Ando. He obviously has so many supplies, why has he been unwilling to help the refugees around him? Obviously, if we send these out, our Akatsuki organization, Yahiko, and everyone else won't have to work so hard to help the surrounding villages." Xiaonan said impatiently. But the next moment she was grabbed by Shiba Kiyokawa. "Don't be impulsive, Sister Xiaonan, calm down first! Are you going to just barge in and look for someone without caring about anything? What if you find them? What will you do if they don't listen to you? It was you who just advised me not to handle the task in an extreme way."
Only then did Xiaonan calm down as if she had just woken up from a dream. She turned around and looked at Shiba Qinghe with a very complicated look. There was surprise, gratitude, and a lot of admiration. "Thank you, Qinghe. You are right, I was too impulsive. You are really amazing. You are always so calm, as if nothing can shake you." Because this is the "gift" I carefully prepared for you. "Sister Xiaonan, I understand how you feel right now, but I want to say that maybe it's time to wake up from your naive dream." "What do you mean, Qinghe?" "I don't know whether people can understand each other, but I think you should at least take a good look at the reality of this world." Konan was caught off guard. She didn't expect to hear Shiba Kiyokawa mention their ideals at this time. But Qingbo Qinghe was not in a hurry to go deeper. He just planted the seeds lightly and then grabbed Xiaonan's hand. "Come with me. Andor has so much supplies stored up. He probably hired more than just the few people outside. We still need to be cautious with every step we take." This was the first time that Xiaonan had her hand held by Shiba Kiyokawa, but she was so stunned that she completely forgot to refuse. The two continued to sneak hand in hand and soon came to a hidden room at the back of the warehouse. Shiba Kiyokawa and Konan carefully stuck to the roof, looked down through the gap in the ceiling, and then finally found the target of their mission: the hoarder Ando. At this time, there were several Iwagakure ninjas in the same room with Ando. Even though they are now in the Rain Country, they still wear the forehead protectors openly, without any intention of hiding it, fully displaying the arrogance of the Great Ninja Village. Seeing this scene, Xiaonan, who had just calmed down, became furious again! It turns out that this guy not only ignored the war refugees around him, but also colluded with the ninjas of the Iwagakure Village! Fortunately, Shiba Qinghe still held her hand, squeezed her soft palm, and soothed her to calm down. Inside the room, Anduo was sitting on a chair, puffing out tobacco, venting his anger with a look on his face. "So do you understand? My commission is to eliminate that troublesome organization called Akatsuki. It would be best if they were all killed, or at least driven out of my town and told to go somewhere else to recruit members!" The Iwagakure ninja who led the team frowned as he listened. Although as a ninja, he shouldn't comment on the client's motives, but this mission was so bizarre that he still needed to confirm it carefully. "According to the information we have learned, the town where you live was saved by this organization called Akatsuki not long ago, so why did you hire us to expel your benefactor?" The bottom line of this Ando really shocked the Iwagakure ninja, so much so that he even worried that the employer in front of him was in cahoots with Akatsuki and was trying to trap them. Unexpectedly, this Ando didn't have so many thoughts. He really hated the Akatsuki organization. "Who needs their rescue? I have my own hired ninjas, and I'll be fine without them! I didn't ask them to come to the rescue? Besides, it's fine that those naive idiots are saving people everywhere, but they actually want to interfere with me raising the price! Are you kidding me?! If I don't make a fortune by raising prices during the Ninja World War, how can I sell these goods at a high price when the war is over? What does the life and death of those lowly people have to do with me? Even the Salamander Hanzo doesn't care, but they pretend to be kindhearted. Bah! Disgusting! If the Rain Country is really under the control of these guys, how can I make a lot of money in the future? ! " At that moment, after listening to Anduo's confession, Xiaonan couldn't help but tremble slightly. Although it was still a warm season, she felt her hands and feet were cold. Only the hand held by Shiba Kiyokawa still had some warmth.
Before she came, she never imagined that there would be such people in the Land of Rain. She looked back at Shiba Kiyokawa, with countless complex emotions surging in her eyes. Is this the reality of the world you are talking about? (End of this chapter)