Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

It's evening again.

Qingni Town.

Nagato and Yahiko bid farewell to Konan, who was left behind, and once again stepped out of the hut to search for food.

"The town is getting more and more chaotic..."

Yahiko sighed softly, "It seems we have truly lost to Konoha on the front lines."

The Konoha squad that had previously harassed the town has disappeared, but more and more Amegakure ninjas have subsequently appeared here.

They all looked disheveled and flustered.

Even if these ninjas couldn't utter any coherent sentences.

But this was enough to make the already rumor-ridden town even more anxious.

Many civilians had already sensed something was wrong and packed up their valuables, fleeing overnight to the deeper parts of the Rain Kingdom's borders.

The people who live in these border towns year-round possess a certain keenness, like cicadas sensing the coming autumn wind before it even blows...

But there is one thing to say.

This actually benefited Yahiko and his group, as it significantly reduced the difficulty of finding food.

Nagato listened in silence, then felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

It's Konoha again...

He didn't offer any opinion, but simply asked, "Yahiko, are we going back to that izakaya from last time? I remember there should still be some food left."

The last time the two of them went out, they passed by an izakaya that was closed.

Nagato, with her sharp eyes, spotted the izakaya owner fleeing through the back door with his young sister-in-law in the dead of night...

So, no sooner had they left than Yahiko decisively followed and sneaked in.

After a thorough search, the two little ones managed to find several pieces of cured meat that they hadn't had time to take with them from the cellar!

This is a rare and great harvest!

They never ate this well, even during the Lunar New Year!

After taking him back, the ninja who called himself Takenaka Taiga was also very happy.

On a whim, he also gave the three of them three kunai and explained a few techniques for throwing ninja tools.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs (representative of handicrafts) among the three little ones, Konan reciprocated by presenting three ninja paper flowers that evening.

She also carefully tied the paper flowers into the shape of carnations, symbolizing the younger generation's gratitude to their elders.

However, Takenaka Taiga didn't notice the sentiment behind the flowers at all, and casually tossed them aside by the bedside, never looking at them again.

After hearing Nagato's question.

Yahiko shook his head, deep in thought.

Last night, after eating cured meat, the ninja said that meat is incomplete without wine, and insisted that he find a way to get a drink this time!

That's easy for you to say.

Where can you get alcohol so easily?

"Never mind, let's go to the east side of town."

Yahiko patted the kunai in his pocket and directed, "That side is close to the front line. I've observed that many residents on the east side have chosen to leave early out of fear. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a cup of sake."

Nagato had no objection.

The two walked through the empty streets, braving the increasingly heavy wind and rain.

Although it wasn't completely dark yet, most of the shops on both sides of the road were already closed, and there were very few pedestrians.

"stop!"

A voice came from the alley ahead.

The two children looked up and saw a gray-haired boy, about their age, running quickly out of the alley, with several men who looked like shop assistants chasing after him.

"Kid, trying to dine and dash?"

The portly shopkeeper yelled from afar, "Catch him back here! If I don't beat this brat to a pulp today, I'll never open this shop again!"

"I didn't dine and dash!"

The boy covered his chest with both hands, seemingly hiding something, and argued as he ran, "You didn't tell me the price beforehand, you deliberately raised the price after I finished eating, trying to trick me into working illegally!"

Both sides have their own version of events, and neither side can convince the other.

Seven or eight pairs of feet stomped on the puddles, splashing water everywhere.

Yahiko quickly pulled Nagato aside, showing no intention of helping at all.

For these homeless children, being chased and beaten is just a minor scene in their daily lives...

"You can't run fast like that!"

Nagato, who had been keeping her head down, seemed lost in thought when she suddenly spoke up, offering advice: "You need to stretch both arms out completely and then put them behind your back to run faster!"

Um......

In fact, Nagato didn't know if this was the right thing to do.

But he observed that those ninjas were indeed running in that direction...

That must be right, right?

The boy was taken aback by what he heard, somewhat bewildered, clearly not expecting a passerby to offer him advice.

He politely thanked him, but continued to put his hands on his chest as if he didn't care.

The shopkeeper behind them was furious: "Fine, there are accomplices! Arrest these two too, and send them both to help in the kitchen!"

The men shouted in agreement, and soon a few of them shifted their focus to another target.

Yahiko: "......"

At this point, they couldn't care less why Nagato had suddenly spoken.

He bent down, picked up a handful of rainwater from the ground, splashed it all over the ground, and then shouted, "Run! Follow me!"

Yahiko considers the area in the east of the town to be his "jungle area," as he is very familiar with its terrain.

In addition, there was his years of experience as a homeless person.

Along the way, Yahiko transformed into the "Furniture Store God of War," using everything on the road as props to set up roadblocks, hide, and create obstacles. After a few twists and turns, he had completely outmaneuvered his colleagues...

Nagato was used to this.

The gray-haired boy was dumbfounded, as if he had seen a celestial being!

Yahiko chuckled, a little smug.

If he didn't have this skill, how could he have helped Konan survive in the Land of Rain before?

Although Yahiko is kind-hearted and somewhat naive, it doesn't mean he is truly virtuous and righteous.

He had a smattering of knowledge about all sorts of people, from the most shady to the most common, including cheating at dice games...

"Nagato, you should at least tell me before you start anything."

Yahiko stopped and gently tapped Nagato's arm: "It was so sudden just now, I almost didn't even have time to react."

Nagato bowed deeply, mimicking the tone of the izakaya girl he had overheard that night, and said softly, "I'm sorry, Yahiko-san, please punish me severely."

Yahiko: "......"

He was completely speechless.

That Nagato guy.

Although when they first arrived, they mostly acted like autistic children, appearing dull and dazed.

But as the group grew more familiar, he would occasionally act silly, revealing some of his childlike nature.

Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard the gray-haired boy shout, "Hey! You're red-haired too! I knew it, red-haired people are always good people!"

Are all redheads good people?

What kind of twisted logic is this?

Yahiko turned his head and saw that the guy was looking at Nagato's hair with a serious expression.

I sensed Yahiko's gaze.

The boy quickly introduced himself, "By the way, my name is Xingnan! Thank you both for your help!"

He seemed to want to bow in thanks.

However, because one hand was firmly pressed against his chest, the overall movement looked awkward and unnatural.

It doesn't look like a thank you gift; it looks more like a knight's declaration of love to a princess from a storybook...

Yahiko subtly stepped back half a step, looking speechless: "What is it that you treasure so much?"

It's already this late.

The other person even held one hand in front of their chest, unwilling to put it down.

"You didn't steal something from the store, did you?" Yahiko asked suspiciously.

"No, that's not true!"

Yukio argued loudly, "My mother told me that no matter what, you must never steal or rob! I've always kept that in mind!"

He turned his back to shield himself from the wind and rain, then carefully opened his palms.

Yahiko and Nagato went over and found a cookie wrapper and two 100-ryo banknotes lying in the other's palm.

He preserved both items extremely well.

Apart from the creases caused by the folding, there wasn't even a trace of rainwater.

There was still a little warmth remaining on it, indicating that it was being kept close to Yukio's body.

Yahiko was even more puzzled.

That's it?

Yukio said earnestly, "This is...something more precious than my life!"