Chapter 47
"Don't worry too much. It's just one person, and he seems like an ordinary civilian," Asakawa Naoki said calmly.
"An ordinary person?"
Hearing Asakawa Naoki's explanation, Rope Tree felt a bit more at ease.
The problem they faced now was simple: should they wake everyone, or investigate by themselves?
If this were a horror story, heading off alone would be asking for trouble. But if it was really just a wandering traveler drawn by the campfire, it felt unnecessary to disturb everyone's rest.
"Let's stay put and wait for him to come," Asakawa Naoki suggested.
"Yeah," Rope Tree agreed with a nod.
After a short while, under the flickering light of the fire, the figure slowly became clearer.
A thin middle-aged man, half-dressed and looking like a starving refugee, staggered toward them.
"Stop! Who are you? Why are you coming this way?" Asakawa Naoki called out.
Rope Tree eyed the man too, his expression softening at the sight of the man's pitiful state.
"Young friends… do you have anything to eat?" the man asked weakly.
"We do. It's a bit rough, but you can have something for now," Rope Tree replied, glancing at Asakawa Naoki and motioning for him to hand over some rations.
"Alright."
Asakawa Naoki took out two ration pills and passed them to the man along with a bottle of water.
The middle-aged man took the ration pills—usually tough for even trained ninja to stomach—and washed them down with the water, a look of relief appearing on his face.
"Rope Tree, go wake everyone," Asakawa Naoki ordered.
"Okay."
Rope Tree dashed toward the tents.
In truth, several Genin had already been stirred by the earlier voices and were making their way over. Only a few of the caravan workers still slept soundly.
Soon, Rope Tree roused the rest, though the head of the caravan arrived with a scowl, visibly irritated.
"What's going on?" the caravan leader demanded, glaring at Asakawa Naoki.
Ignoring the man's expression, Asakawa Naoki briefly explained what had happened.
The refugee's story wasn't complicated. His home had been destroyed by roaming ronin, and he'd been wandering, without food for days. It wasn't surprising he'd devoured the ration pills without hesitation.
"Sir, could I travel with your caravan to the next village? I can work… just give me a little food," the man pleaded.
"Our caravan doesn't need any extras," the head of the caravan, Sawaki Koichi, replied coldly.
"Either leave now, or I'll kill you myself."
"Mr. Sawaki, that's going too far!" Rope Tree burst out.
He was still young, still carried a sense of justice, and couldn't stay quiet in the face of something like this.
"You ninja… I pay you to work for me. I'm the employer!" Sawaki Koichi sneered.
"If your teacher hadn't vouched for you, do you think I'd hire a bunch of fresh Genin?"
He didn't bother to hide his dissatisfaction anymore.
Though there had been no danger so far and the Genin had proven competent in their duties, Sawaki Koichi resented having to spend so much on what he considered second-rate protection.
What he didn't realize was that Orochimaru's confidence in the caravan's safety came from the fact that Jiraiya himself was secretly following them. A Jonin-level ninja had been watching from the shadows the entire time, ensuring no serious threat could touch them.
But Koichi didn't know that, and right now, he was annoyed these Genin had woken him.
"This kind of lowlife should've been killed the moment you saw him. Why bother asking me?"
"If you were experienced ninja, you'd have driven him off long ago."
"I should've never hired unqualified kids like you!" Koichi spat.
"Mr. Sawaki! He's a citizen of the Land of Fire! How can you be so heartless?" Rope Tree shouted, his voice trembling.
"Heartless? He's just a refugee now," Koichi retorted. "And right now, either drive him away or finish him."
"Don't forget—I'm the one in charge here."
"Mr. Sawaki," Asakawa Naoki spoke up, his tone measured. "I suggest it's safer to keep him nearby and watch him."
Minato, Mikoto, and the others silently nodded. Their thoughts differed from Rope Tree's.
Yes, the man might be a genuine refugee… but there was another possibility.
In old records left by his parents, Asakawa Naoki had read about ronin using desperate civilians as scouts. They'd threaten these men's families, forcing them to gather information.
If a scout approached and wasn't seen again, the ronin would assume the guards were ruthless and capable. But if the scout returned, they'd learn the strength and number of the defenders, deciding whether to attack.
Right now, no one could be certain what this man was.
The most reliable method was to keep him under watch and prevent information from leaking. But it was clear Koichi didn't care for such precautions.
To him, Asakawa Naoki's suggestion was just defiance.
"You're nothing but a bunch of rookie Genin!"
"If you won't do it, I'll kill him myself!"
His expression darkened.
In this world, peace was fragile. Refugees were everywhere, and a dead one outside the village walls meant nothing.
"If you head that way, you'll reach Konoha in a day," Rope Tree said quietly, pointing down the road they'd come from. He handed the man five more ration pills.
"This should last you. Sorry… we can't take you with us."
Rope Tree's eyes reddened slightly.
The person he wanted to help stood right before him, but he couldn't do anything. That helplessness hurt more than anything.
"Thank you, young one," the man said gratefully as he accepted the food.
But hidden behind that gratitude was a flicker of resentment in his gaze.
"Since you won't take me… then you'll see."
After the man disappeared into the night, Asakawa Naoki let out a quiet sigh.
He had a bad feeling about tonight.
*********
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link:
https://patreon.com/LordFisherman?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: patreon.com/LordFisherman