Chapter 104: I Have To Criticize You Now
Crossing over most of the Land of Rain, the Fox Squad arrived at the north bank of the Jishui River.
The Jishui River originates from a large lake in the northwest of the Land of Rain, gathering several tributaries, flowing along the south side of the Land of Rain basin, all the way east, and finally entering the Land of Rivers.
Arriving near the Jishui River, Yoru saw the Ji Gang Mountain Range suddenly rising in the distance, majestic like a city wall.
That mountain range separates the Land of Rain from the Land of Wind.
The surface of the Jishui River is over 100 meters wide, with grand waves.
Yoru found a big tree to shelter from the rain and opened the map.
The Jishui River has little strategic value; a 100-meter-wide river could be used by Water Style ninjas to form a defensive line.
Most Sand Ninjas are Wind Release ninjas; even if they occupy this river, they couldn’t hold it.
Yoru scanned the map and saw the largest nearby village, Di Gu Town.
“Let’s go, head to Di Gu Town first for investigation, see if the people in town have seen any Sand Ninjas.”
Arriving near the town, Yoru had the other squad members hide outside the town; he and Purple Cat disguised themselves as travelers and entered the town.
Purple Cat removed her mask, wearing a long waterproof cloak, her chin exposed under the hood, small and smooth.
The two walked inside Di Gu Town.
There were few people on the street; on a rainy day, many stayed indoors.
After walking a distance, the two sat on a bench, observing while resting.
A small figure approached through the distant rain.
She was about eight or nine years old, carrying a basket.
“Brother, is this sister your girlfriend? Want to give her a blue flower? This is the rare blue small flower only found on the Jishui River embankment.”
Purple Cat perked up upon hearing this, lifted her hood slightly, and looked delighted at the blue small flowers in the basket.
Seeing Purple Cat liked them, Yoru said, “I’ll buy all your blue small flowers, for my girlfriend.”
After paying, the little girl was very happy, and Purple Cat was even happier.
Yoru casually asked, “Little girl, what’s your name? Have you seen any unusual people around here lately?”
“I’m Xiao Lan. The most unusual are you two.”
“Okay, besides us two, any other unusual people?” Yoru said, “We got separated from our friends in the heavy rain and are anxious to find them.”
Xiao Lan looked at the money from selling flowers and said, “Okay, I’ll take you to find them!”
Xiao Lan first took Yoru to the umbrella shop in town.
“The uncle at the umbrella shop is a very unusual person; he always fixes broken umbrellas and gives them to us orphans.”
Seeing Xiao Lan’s expectant look, Yoru had no choice but to buy two umbrellas.
Xiao Lan then took Yoru to the bakery in town.
“The aunt at the bakery is also unusual; she always gives us bread that’s about to expire but still edible.”
Xiao Lan looked at Yoru with expectant eyes again, and Yoru had to buy two packs of bread.
After that, Yoru bought shoes, bought gloves, bought salted fish.
He even bought paper and pens, because the boss at the stationery shop usually taught the orphans to write.
It was clear that this small town took good care of the orphans in town.
“Okay, Xiao Lan, we can’t buy any more; if we do, I won’t be able to carry them.”
Carrying big and small packages, Yoru had to refuse Xiao Lan’s next request.
“Please, big brother, only one last person left. The river patrol uncle always takes us to work and gives us some small money as remuneration.”
“The river patrol uncle?”
Yoru’s heart stirred.
The only noteworthy place in this town was the embankment to the north of the town.
“Okay, then let’s go see the last person you think is unusual.”
Leaving the town, Purple Cat signaled to the distant squad members, telling them not to come over.
Yoru and Purple Cat followed the little girl to the base of the embankment.
The river patrol uncle came down from the embankment and saw Xiao Lan and two unfamiliar young men.
The two unfamiliar young men were laden with bags over shoulders and in hands, not idle at all.
“Sorry, sorry.” The river patrol uncle stepped forward and said:
“Xiao Lan is always like this; because we take care of her and a few orphans, every time she meets travelers, she promotes a few shops in town to them.
You didn’t spend too much, did you? I can compensate you.”
Xiao Lan’s mouth puckered, about to cry.
Purple Cat quickly said, “No, no, the bread Xiao Lan recommended was delicious; I ate it all on the way.”
Yoru said:
“Uncle, we’re travelers from the Land of Grass, not familiar with here. Can this embankment really hold back the Jishui River? Isn’t it a bit dangerous?”
The river patrol uncle explained:
“The Jishui River changed its river channel over a hundred years ago. After the rerouting, a gap was left here, and the daimyo sent people to build an embankment to block the gap.
The people of Di Gu Town are descendants of the laborers forcibly conscripted by the daimyo back then.
Luckily, this place is poor, not many ninjas come. If ninjas sabotage the embankment, Di Gu Town and the dozen villages behind it would all be flooded.”
Yoru looked at the embankment, then at the towering Ji Gang Mountain Range in the distance.
Could the Sand Ninjas be planning to do something with this embankment?
After returning from the embankment, Yoru found an inn and checked in with Purple Cat.
Purple Cat dried her hair and said coyly, “Captain, our squad members are guarding outside the town in the heavy rain, and we’re staying in a warm hotel—isn’t that bad?”
“What’s bad about that? Just say we got two rooms when you go back; don’t say we got one room, and it’ll be fine.”
Aries switching from Hyuga Clan ninja to Aburame Clan ninja actually freed up Yoru, giving him more freedom.
Purple Cat blushed and said, “If you emphasize it deliberately, won’t people think the wrong thing even more?”
Yoru scooped Purple Cat up by the waist and walked toward the bed.
Her bath towel loosened, revealing her long legs.
“Thinking the wrong thing is tomorrow’s problem. Your biggest task today is to keep your voice down. We’re Anbu; we absolutely cannot expose our identities. Right?”
“I absolutely won’t make a sound! Never!”
All night, Purple Cat tightly pursed her lips, humming muffledly, her pretty face flushed red.
She was an Anbu ninja; she absolutely could not expose herself.
Several days of continuous investigation yielded no results.
Instead, Xiao Lan brought three or four orphans, following Yoru and Purple Cat every day, eating either bread or rice balls, getting fuller and fuller.
Yoru sent the three squads to scatter and investigate nearby villages, but still got no information.
He began to suspect: could Hanzo just be trying to draw away the Anbu? To concentrate forces against Konoha’s main force?
—
Unknowingly, it was full moon night again.
No full moon visible, only dark clouds covering the sky.
Seeing Yoru standing by the window, Purple Cat said shyly, “Do we have to be by the window tonight too? So afraid of being seen.”
“As your squad leader, I’m about to criticize you. We’re here for reconnaissance intelligence, not just to stay in inns. Of course by the window tonight—what if we miss important information?”
Purple Cat shed her bath towel while coming to the window with a gaze full of spring, carefully hiding to the side of the window.
The second morning.
Yoru stood by the window looking at the Ji Gang Mountain Range outside.
On the other side of the Ji Gang Mountain Range, the gobi and desert had climates worlds apart from here.
Xiao Lan hurriedly ran through the street, shouting that the river patrol uncle had been captured by ninjas!
Yoru put on his mask: “Purple Cat, let’s go!”
The two jumped out the window, landing on the tallest nearby rooftop.
Outside the town, Sand Ninjas were fighting more than ten samurai from the town.
The battle was one-sided; the samurai were no match for the Sand Ninjas.
More and more Sand Ninjas in the distance—these Sand Ninjas came from where?
