Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 20 Talkative Straight People

"That's not all," You Shu said in a low voice, "The city lord also said that some of the lowly people on his estate—oh dear!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was struck on the back of the head.

"Sister Chuncao, why did you hit me!"

"You're so outspoken." Kisuke glared at him coldly.

You Shu shrank back and changed his tune, saying, "It's those farmers who have started causing trouble recently, as if some wandering samurai are instigating it behind the scenes. The city lord suspects that those wandering ninjas and samurai are actually in cahoots, trying to seize his property."

Aburame Shisei listened quietly, quickly sorting through the information in his mind.

Although the Land of Waterfall is a neutral country, seemingly far removed from the flames of war, it has in fact long been infiltrated by the aftermath. Refugees continue to pour in, ninjas from other countries are secretly crossing the border, and the country's security is increasingly deteriorating…

As expected, once a major war breaks out, no place can truly be at peace. However, compared to the outside world, this place, being in a remote corner, is relatively tranquil.

As for these troublemakers… he could clean them up when he had a spare moment, or perhaps use them. After all, Takigakure would be his home from now on, and he needed to get rid of some pests.

When Ryuji Ida was woken up, he was still a little dazed, but when he saw the four Taki ninjas who suddenly appeared, he immediately came to his senses and bowed respectfully.

"Esteemed ninja lords, what brings you here so late at night?"

Sato Yoshisuke didn't beat around the bush. He looked him up and down and asked directly, "Are you the head of the caravan? Takikawa Hide said he was escorting you, is that true?"

"It's true, absolutely true!" Ryuji Ida hurriedly said, "Lord Ryukawa is our benefactor! If it weren't for his rescue, we would probably have been killed by those ronin..."

He briefly recounted what had happened outside the post station town. Of course, he knew what to say and what not to say, and naturally omitted the story of the two mysteriously vanished ronin.

After listening, Sato Yoshisuke inquired about details such as the caravan's goods, destination, and personnel composition, to which Ida Ryuji answered in detail.

"I'm sorry, I was just being cautious, it's a routine matter. After all, you've been away from the village for too long..."

"It's okay, I know, this is normal procedure."

Undeniably, such vigilance is rare for a Chunin from a small ninja village, but that's all. It's not just a difference in ability, but also a difference in technique.

"However, Takikawa, according to the rules, since you accepted the escort mission and failed, you should have returned to the village to report first, instead of accepting the mission on your own."

"I originally planned to escort Mr. Ida to safety and then return to the village, but I just happened to run into you all..."

Seeing that he didn't understand, Sato Yoshisuke waved his hand and said, "Never mind. Mr. Ida, what's your route?"

"We plan to detour north through the Land of Waterfall and enter the Land of Earth from the northern border. We'll be passing through that castle up ahead, so if you gentlemen don't mind, we can travel together."

"Sure. But let's be clear from the start, our mission takes priority, and we can't escort you the whole way. Once you get to the big city, you'll have to figure things out yourselves."

"Yes, yes, that's enough! That's enough!"

Ryuji Ida was overjoyed. With this professional Takigakure squad traveling with him, the safety factor was greatly increased, at least for this part of the journey.

The squad leader looked at the two again, shaking his head and sighing. "You don't know the value of money until you're in charge. How are the other ninjas supposed to survive if you're so charitable?"

He had made his point clear enough. But one of them didn't understand, while the other was feigning ignorance. Why would a ninja refuse a helping hand, even if it was just along the way?

The group rearranged their watch and then went to rest.

Aburame Zhicheng leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes to rest. Two figures approached again at that moment, one was Zhiren, and the other was You Shu.

Young people are full of energy.

"Takikawa-senpai, you're amazing," Yuki whispered. "I've already found out that there were three ronin in the original group, but you took care of them all. That Kurosaki Ichiro guy had a lot of presence; I felt like he'd killed a lot of people, and he was definitely stronger than me."

"Just lucky," Aburame Shisei replied with his eyes closed.

He has already extracted the information from them, and he is very tired and wants to rest. He doesn't want to talk to them anymore.

"Don't be modest. Taki-soo-ge, I feel like your strength has increased since your trip. How about a spar with us?"

Aburame Shisei turned her head to the other side: "This isn't good. You should go and keep watch now, after all, this place isn't safe."

"Oh, oh." You Shu didn't question it at all.

He was indeed to keep watch tonight. He bid farewell to the two men and left quickly.

Naoto didn't leave, but instead lay down next to him, crossed his legs, and looked up at the sky: "Takikawa-kun, do you want to come with us on this mission? The captain shouldn't object."

"We'll see how things go then," Aburame Shisei said ambiguously. "I need to go back to the village and report first."

"That's true." Naoto was a little disappointed, but quickly cheered up. "Then at least when we're in the big city, we can have a drink together! I know a nice tavern there..."

Naoto kept talking on and on, and Aburame Shisei responded half-heartedly. He was very sleepy and annoyed, but he still listened.

In the latter half of the night, Naoto finally fell asleep, but Ryuji Ida secretly went to find Shisei Aburame again.

"Lord Takikawa, I've been thinking, since we're going to pass through that big city, why don't we sell a batch of goods there first?"

"Among the goods I brought, some are tea and silk, which are not very valuable in the Land of Fire, but they will definitely be popular among the nobles of the Land of Waterfall."

"If we can make a deal with that city lord, we'll not only get cash, but also build a relationship. After that, I plan to use the money to issue missions and hire those Takigakure lords to escort us to the border of the Land of Earth."

He rubbed his hands, somewhat embarrassed. "I know this might seem a bit presumptuous, but this is a rare opportunity. What do you think, Lord Takikawa?"

Aburame Zhicheng looked at him.

Ryuji Ida may have had a limited perspective, or he may have held prejudices against ninjas, but when it came to survival and climbing the social ladder, he truly spared no effort.

"This is your own business; you can decide for yourself."

"Understood, understood."

Before leaving, he added, "I believe Lord Takikawa is no ordinary ninja, and I hope we can cooperate again in the future."

He was wide awake now because of the constant interruptions.

He nudged the guy next to him, who was sleeping like a log. The guy scratched his butt, turned over, and continued sleeping.

"Indeed, there are always some similar people in this world. It's a pity that not everyone has the fate of a protagonist."

He released a stinking bug to cast an illusion, making the person sleep even more soundly, then pried open his mouth and sent a bug egg down his throat into his stomach.