Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 33 The Land of Hot Springs, A Strange Village, A New Template (Seeking monthly votes!!!)

pat!pat!

Amidst the crisp sound of horses' hooves, accompanied by loud shouts and yells.

"Huff! Boss, huff! Aren't we there yet? I feel like I'm going to die from exhaustion!"

"You're exhausted after just a few steps off the horse. It seems your training volume isn't enough. Maybe we should double it when we get back."

"Huh?! I'm not tired! Who said I'm tired!"

As Yahiko walked, he spoke while panting heavily, while Yunchuan and Nagato, riding horses, seemed much more relaxed.

Three days have passed since they crossed the border and entered the Land of Fire.

"Idiot, stop complaining. If it weren't for my brother drawing the people from Konoha away, we wouldn't even be able to cross the border of the Land of Fire. In that case, we would have had to take a boat and travel by water to get around the Land of Fire."

"However, with your weak constitution, you'll definitely be seasick and exhausted after a few days on the ship. It's a real shame to miss that scene."

It might be to relieve pressure, or it might be because he can't stand Yahiko.

Nagato rode alongside Yahiko on horseback, making sarcastic remarks that earned him a furious glare from Yahiko.

But before he could retaliate...

With a neighing sound from the horse, Yun Chuan, dressed in casual clothes, tightened the reins, and the horse beneath him came to a stop.

Seeing Yun Chuan, who was leading the way, suddenly stop, Yahiko subconsciously looked up and immediately broke into a tearful expression: "Waaah! After walking all day, we've finally found a village!"

Not far ahead of them, the endless expanse of weeds and tangled woods gave way to a path stretching into the distance.

Some building outlines can still be vaguely seen. They are all thatched houses with earthen and stone walls and thatched roofs to keep out the rain, giving them a unique sense of rustic antiquity.

The most conspicuous and incongruous thing was a tall building with a huge vaulted ceiling and buttresses, all made of brick and stone, which made Yun Chuan take another look.

With his enhanced vision through his "pure eyes," he was able to see a sign on the building.

It appears to be a circle containing a triangle?

Besides, there were large tracts of barren fields on both sides of the path, and a few short, thin figures could be vaguely seen.

Those people were all wearing short-sleeved shirts and holding shovels, seemingly filling the ground with soil.

As soon as Yun Chuan and his group stepped onto the path, they looked up at them.

"Hey!" Yahiko waved and shouted at them, "Uncle, can we borrow a room to rest for a bit?"

Yun Chuan did not stop his rash action, but squinted at the group of people in the distance.

Seemingly having heard the noise, three people approached.

"I am the village chief of this village. May I ask where you are from?"

The leader was an old man, leaning on a cane. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a wrinkled face but a kind smile and tone.

However, Nagato frowned when he saw them.

This group seems to be in much better condition than the refugees of the Land of Rain.

They all had rosy complexions, unlike normal refugees who were sallow-faced, emaciated, and bony.

However, based on what they had seen and heard along the way, they should now be at the border of the Land of Hot Springs.

Not protected by the Land of Fire, nor welcomed by the Land of Hot Water, how can they possibly have enough to eat in the current chaotic state of the ninja world?

"..."

Although Nagato discovered many suspicious points, he didn't think his brother hadn't. Since his brother hadn't said anything, he tacitly chose to remain silent as well.

"Old man, we come from the Land of Fire and want to go to the port of the Land of Hot Water."

Yun Chuan patted Ya Yan, who was about to speak, and said apologetically in a gentle tone, "This child is just impetuous by nature. I hope you won't mind his rudeness."

"Excuse me, how much further do we need to walk to reach the port?"

"The port is far away." The old man shook his head, pointed east, and sighed. "It would probably take you a day or two to get there on horseback, and the nearest village is another half a day's journey away. The road isn't easy to travel either."

After saying that, he paused for a moment, looked at Yun Chuan and the others, and smiled, "I see that you have two children with you, so you shouldn't be a bad person. If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for the night and leave when it gets light tomorrow."

Can I stay overnight?

No more sleeping in trees?

Upon hearing this, Yahiko's eyes lit up.

However, the recent training has been quite effective. Unlike before, he did not agree on his own initiative, but looked up at Yun Chuan expectantly.

He's just easily carried away by emotions; he's not so stupid as to lose sight of priorities.

"We can't let the old man's good intentions go to waste." Yun Chuan didn't even glance at him, a smile playing on his lips. "Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."

So the four men and two horses headed toward the village.

"Uncle, why are all these fields abandoned?"

"Alas, tea trees used to grow here, but the harvest was bad, and no one dared to pick them. If they did, they would have to pay taxes, and the land rent would be 60% of their income. In the end, they would have to pay a lot out of their own pockets."

Upon hearing this, Yahiko, who had no prior knowledge of these matters, turned his gaze to Yunchuan on horseback.

The old man's incessant complaining, in particular, changed his perception of Yunchuan.

Greedy landlords dared to demand 60% of their income as rent!

Normal landlords would receive 40% of the land rent as income.

In comparison, Yun Chuan only needs 30% of his income; he's practically a philanthropist.

Moreover, almost all landlords used large measures for lending grain and small measures for lending it out. They lent grain to farmers using small measures, but used large measures to collect rent.

Even if you're lucky enough to encounter a kind nobleman, their servants will still cheat you, so in the end there's not much difference.

For the first time, Yahiko felt Yunchuan's "benevolence" so deeply.

"By the way," the old man asked, walking slowly and seemingly casually, "may I ask what you're doing at the port?"

"Well, that's a long story..."

Hearing Yun Chuan sigh with emotion, the old man initially thought he was going to keep things brief, and smiled as he listened attentively. However, Yun Chuan suddenly changed the subject:

"Since it's a long story, let's not go into it. But, sir, what's your name?"

Ga?

Upon hearing this, Yahiko grunted, tripped over his own foot with his left, and nearly strained his back.

He immediately looked up at Yun Chuan with a look of horror, unable to believe that he could actually tell a lame joke.

But isn't this way of changing the subject a bit too abrupt?

"..." The old man's smile froze, and his wrinkled face looked quite comical.

But he quickly smiled again, shook his head with a smile, and said, "Your demeanor is that of an aristocrat, so please don't tease this old man. Everyone in the village calls me Uncle Xiangshan."

Yun Chuan smiled but remained noncommittal, and they walked all the way to the village. After passing dozens of closed houses, they arrived at a relatively clean courtyard and were led into a side room.

There was nothing else in the room except for two beds.

"I hope you have a pleasant evening here."

The old man who opened the door turned to look at Yun Chuan, a sincere smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"I hope you have a sweet dream tonight," Yun Chuan replied with the same gentle smile.

After watching the old man close the door and slowly disappear, Yun Chuan shook his head and looked at the room.

It appears to be a temporary residence specifically for outsiders.

Clearly, they were not the only group of outsiders living here.

As for those who came before them...

"Alas!"

Yahiko pounced on the bed and rolled around on it with a satisfied look on his face.

But the next second, Yun Chuan grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

"Can't you smell the stench that even perfume can't mask?"

Nagato made a sarcastic remark, then walked to the bedside and gently lifted the bed.

Yahiko, who was still struggling, subconsciously looked down and his pupils shrank immediately. He turned ashen-faced from the stench that hit him.

There was an empty space under the bed.

The room was filled with pale, horrifying skeletons. Some of the corpses were not even completely decomposed, and their withered, pale faces could still be vaguely seen.

"Looks like we've run into a rip-off."

Yun Chuan chuckled softly and looked out the window.

As the sun gradually set over the distant wilderness, unlike the sublime feeling brought by the setting sun, the red sun over the barren land was so large that it evoked a sense of loneliness at first glance.

The only backdrop to it is the boundless sky and the endless earth, and the sun setting on the village looks like it is sleeping in a huge grave on the earth.

That towering stone structure is the solitary tombstone on the burial pit.

That logo...

"A cult?"

Yun Chuan murmured softly, and with a thought, his consciousness sank into the depths of his mind.

Defeating Tsunade [Young] may trigger a new template.

【Name: Carnage [Initial Symbiote]】

[World: Marvel]

(End of this chapter)