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Naruto: IHCS Ch. 108
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 00:32:11 +0000 UTC"Because we're looking for all the foreign ninjas in this country!"
Yahiko stood up, put his hands on his hips, and shouted at the man in front of him.
The man gave Yahiko a glance that was hard to read.
"Oh?"
He rubbed his chin, sizing them up, as if trying to gauge the truth of Yahiko's words.
"Why are you doing this?"
Although these four kids didn't look like ordinary children, they were still kids after all.
He didn't think badly of them.
"Because those foreign ninjas have hurt ordinary people in this country. We have to save them! Drive all the foreign ninjas out!"
Yahiko declared passionately, like a hero.
Hearing that, the man stared at Yahiko for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.
His laughter made Yahiko's face flush red.
Yahiko's confidence wavered instantly, like a balloon being punctured. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. Have you eaten yet? Want to come to my place and sit down?"
"I just made some bellflower rice cakes." The man invited warmly.
Yahiko froze.
He stared dumbfounded at the man before him.
What was that supposed to mean?
Didn't this man understand? Yahiko had just said he wanted to drive him out!
The man's gaze shifted to Shiratori. "You must be their older brother, right?"
Yahiko: "…"
What the hell was this guy saying?
Sure, Shiratori was the tallest among them, but being tall didn't mean being the oldest.
Shiratori suppressed a smirk.
"You certainly look the most mature."
"So, you can decide. Do you want to come to my house and try my bellflower rice cakes?"
"I'm sure you'll like them. The villagers all say my cooking is excellent!"
The man's tone grew proud.
Yahiko continued glaring at him angrily. But the man was unfazed, completely ignoring him.
Shiratori glanced at Nagato and Konan, then nodded. "Alright."
They had already finished the breakfast they'd brought on the road, and one candied apple wasn't filling. Eating something more wasn't a bad idea.
As for safety… he thought of his cursed spirits and decided there was nothing to worry about for now.
"You just agreed to this weird man like that?"
"Aren't you afraid he might trick us?"
"What if he's some kind of monster, luring us to his house so he can eat us?"
"Or what if he poisons the rice cakes and captures us all at once?"
"…"
On the way to the man's house, Yahiko wouldn't stop muttering by his side. His imagination was so wild he might as well inherit Jiraiya's writing career.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you all," Shiratori reassured him.
[Affection detected]
[Multiple sources: +500 points each]
[Total accumulated: 1500 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 33.05%]
Yahiko scratched his head, looking troubled. At last, he couldn't hold it in and whispered to Shiratori, "I know you really want to protect us, but I'm actually the oldest. It should be me protecting you!"
What was there to struggle over?
When Shiratori said he'd protect them, he only meant in situations where the enemies were within his ability to handle.
If they really encountered someone on the level of Minato or a Jinchūriki, he would definitely be the first one to run away.
So those words were nothing more than lip service, Yahiko didn't need to take them too seriously.
"No matter if I'm the oldest or not, I still want to protect you all."
He gave Yahiko a smile that could kill in a contest.
[Affection detected]
[Multiple sources: +500 points each]
[Total accumulated: 1500 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 33.2%]
Yahiko let out a helpless sigh.
Alright then...
The man walking in front of them overheard their conversation, and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.
After walking for about half an hour, a wooden cabin came into their view.
"We're here."
The man strode toward the cabin, opened the door, and went inside to fetch the bellflower rice cakes he had made earlier that morning.
Shiratori led Yahiko and the others inside. They sat down neatly on the clean tatami mats.
Before long, the man came back carrying a large tray. He set the tray, piled high with bellflower rice cakes, before them.
"Go ahead, try them."
He laughed heartily. But no one touched them. They all stared suspiciously at the rice cakes.
The cakes gave off an enticing fragrance, yet they all feared they might be poisoned.
"Hahaha!"
He saw through their hesitation. He casually picked up a rice cake himself and tossed it into his mouth.
Nagato cautiously reached out and picked up a rice cake.
Just when Shiratori thought Nagato was about to eat it, he instead handed the cake to the man.
"…"
The man's mouth twitched as he ate the rice cake Nagato had handed him.
He thought to himself: these little brats are pretty sharp!
When the man showed no abnormal reaction after eating it, Yahiko finally reached out for one.
Shiratori's stomach was growling too.
The man's rice cakes were delicious, lightly sweet, but not overly rich.
"Good, isn't it?" the man asked.
Konan nodded honestly.
The man's face grew more and more pleased with himself.
"Alright then, tell me, what are your names?"
His expression turned a little more serious, though still without malice.
Yahiko was chewing happily, speaking indistinctly:
"I'm Yahiko, that's Shiratori, that's Nagato, and she's Konan."
"Now it's your turn, tell us your name."
Shiratori fixed his gaze on the man, who looked deeply at him. He had heard the boy's name before.
Unlike the villagers of Kikyōhara, he made a point of regularly crossing mountains to gather the latest intelligence in case of emergencies.
Shiratori, student of Hanzō.
He did not point out Shiratori's identity.
In his eyes, the bond between these children was so close, it almost seemed fake.
How could they possibly know Shiratori's true identity?
"You can call me Himura. Of course, if you want to call me the Mountain God, I don't mind either."
Himura shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't even think about it!"
As soon as Himura said this, Yahiko immediately glared at him, speaking firmly.
"You're clearly just a man, so why should we call you a Mountain God! You've been deceiving the villagers!"
A faint smile appeared on Himura's face.
Shiratori stared at him and said, "You're a ninja, aren't you?"
Himura did not deny it. He quietly looked at Shiratori.
"Are you going to drive me out of the Land of Rain?"
Himura asked with a smile. There was no contempt in his smile, only seriousness.
"The Land of Rain has already ceased its wars. Ame has signed peace treaties with all the other great hidden villages."
"In order to guarantee Ame's independence and the safety and order of the Land of Rain, no other villages' ninjas can remain here."
Shiratori emphasized.
Himura nodded.
"I know."
"Then you know why I don't leave on my own?" Shiratori pressed further.
"Because I've already lived here too long. If I leave this place, I wouldn't know where to go… or what I should do anymore."
Himura gave a bitter smile.
His eyes carried a trace of sorrow.
"But no matter how long you've lived here, you still have to leave! A ninja living among civilians will bring them harm!"
Yahiko said to Himura.
The power of ninjas was far too overwhelming for ordinary people. Against a ninja, ordinary civilians had absolutely no way to fight back. He had seen too many civilians cut down mercilessly by ninjas before they even had the chance to resist.
Himura, upon hearing Yahiko's words, couldn't help but chuckle softly. Looking at Yahiko and Shiratori, he countered, "Do you think the villagers of Kikyōhara have ever been harmed by me?"
His question immediately choked Yahiko's throat.
Yahiko couldn't help but recall everything he had seen along the way. Though Kikyōhara was poor, there were no traces of war there.
He felt everything was not at all like what he had imagined.
In his imagination, they would join forces to drive away the ninja threatening the village, and receive the villagers' gratitude. But the reality had turned out very differently.
The villagers did not fear Himura at all. On the contrary, they even revered him, addressing him as "Mountain God."
In his black-and-white view of the world, the reality before him was beyond anything he could resolve.
Blankly, he looked toward Shiratori.
"In the past, you didn't harm them. Now, you haven't harmed them. But that doesn't guarantee you won't in the future," Shiratori said.
Human nature must withstand tests. Of course, there were also good people who remained steadfast. But such people were not many.
What matters most was this: Ninjas who do not belong to Ame cannot remain in the Land of Rain.
That was the rule.
If there was one exception, then there would be thousands, millions of exceptions.
The sovereignty that Ame bought with lives would become nothing but a joke.
"Even if you will never harm them, you still cannot stay in the Land of Rain. Because you are not a ninja of the Land of Rain."
Shiratori believed that Himura would understand this reasoning.
Himura was a smart man. He had seen through the true nature of war, and so he secluded himself here, even deceiving the innocent villagers.
He gave a bitter smile:
"Although I am not a ninja of the Land of Rain, I am not a ninja of any other country either."
He still wished to remain here. This peaceful life was what he pursued. He had long since grown weary of blood and smoke, weary of politics and interests.
He no longer wanted to be entangled with war.
"No matter whether you are a missing-nin or a wandering ninja, as long as you still have a ninja's abilities, you cannot remain in the Land of Rain. Unless…"
Shiratori looked at Himura.
"Unless… I join Ame, is that it?"
Himura gave a helpless smile.
Shiratori nodded.
"What!"
"No way!"
Yahiko immediately said firmly.
Himura looked at him in surprise.
Shiratori was Hanzō's student, so why did Yahiko reject the mention of Ame so strongly?
"Joining Hanzō means joining the war, doesn't it? Even if I don't agree with you staying in the Land of Rain, I agree even less with you joining Ame!"
Yahiko spoke seriously to Himura.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Shiratori. Seeing no extra emotion on his face, he let out a small sigh of relief.
Yahiko's attitude surprised Himura. His gaze shifted back and forth between Shiratori and Yahiko.
Konan watched nervously.
Every time a topic related to Hanzō came up, the relationship between Shiratori and Yahiko would grow tense.
She feared they would argue fiercely again and part ways.
"You're not a ninja of Ame? Then why do you hate Hanzō so much?"
Himura asked in confusion.
Yahiko almost jumped up, glaring at Himura:
"Who said I was a ninja of Ame? I'm not! I've never liked Hanzō! That man who brought war to the Land of Rain!"
Only after speaking did Yahiko realize Shiratori was still there.
He glanced at him cautiously.
Shiratori lowered his gaze, as if he hadn't heard.
"Do you think so too?"
Himura looked at Shiratori with an amused smile, finding the scene before him absurd.
Hanzō's student and a child who hated Hanzō, yet they were as close as family.
"No."
Shiratori shook his head.
"He is a hero."
He stared straight into Himura's eyes, enunciating every word.
[Affection detected: Himura +1000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 33.3%]
If Shiratori had not spoken up for Hanzō, Himura might have looked down on him. But precisely because he honored his teacher, he was a ninja worthy of admiration.
Even though he was still so young.
Hearing his words, Yahiko's cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.
"Actually, I agree with you."
Himura looked at Shiratori.
"Hanzō is indeed a hero."
Yahiko: "..."
"But that doesn't mean I support him."
Yahiko froze, looking at Himura in confusion.
"I admire Hanzō's strength and determination, but I do not agree with his methods. Peace doesn't necessarily have to be won through force."
Himura's expression grew serious, and his words resonated deeply within Yahiko's heart.
