Chapter 5: A Stunned Silence
[You have completed a Special Order.]
[Konan's Order:
I want to eat until I'm full~]
[!]
Looking at the generous rewards and the complete ninjutsu scroll [Secret Technique: Dance of the Shikigami] that he had suddenly received, Kusa Hikaru was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected to actually complete a Special Order.
Compared to the three ordinary orders he got each day, Special Orders were incredibly rare. For example, in all the time he had been here, he had only encountered three, including this one.
[Kana Uzumaki's Order:
I want a warm home!
(Completed!)]
[Black Zetsu's Order:
To see Mother one more time.
(Incomplete!)]
Aside from Kana's and the one he had just finished, Black Zetsu's was still incomplete. But the rewards from those two completed orders had been extremely generous.
So, one could just imagine~
Of course, it was also possible that Special Orders could only be obtained from special characters. Since he had been stuck in the Land of Grass all this time and hadn't met many plot characters, he had encountered very few special missions.
As for Black Zetsu…
Once, when he was out delivering a manuscript, he encountered a strange fellow trying to buy drawing paper and brushes. The guy even asked the shopkeeper if he had an exquisite picture book of poop, and he had no money on him…
The shopkeeper immediately thought he was a troublemaker and kicked him out on the spot.
At the time, he felt that the guy looked familiar, so he bought him the pen and paper.
Then.
As he was leaving, a cloaked figure suddenly appeared in the wilderness and snatched the weirdo away. At that moment, he immediately understood… he had probably run into the most filial son in the shinobi world and the swirly-faced Guruguru!
Of course, he never saw them again after that.
Speaking of which, the Kannabi Bridge was located within the Land of Grass, so Madara was probably still underground in the Land of Grass, hooked up to an IV drip from the Divine Tree.
As for Black Zetsu's mission…
This god-forsaken mission was simply impossible to complete right now!
Was his mother someone you could meet so easily?
He probably had to wait until the Fourth Great Ninja War to complete it, so the mission just hung there, ignored.
After Konan had eaten her fill, Kusa Hikaru immediately took her with him, heading towards the location indicated by his intelligence.
Speaking of which.
Running into Konan on the road was an accident.
He had originally planned to check Nagato's home first. After all, Konan and Yahiko were both orphans, so they were wandering everywhere. It wouldn't be easy to find two orphans in a short amount of time.
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko probably met when they were around ten years old. Not long after, they encountered Jiraiya and the others, who had just earned the title of Sannin.
But he didn't expect…
To find a fainted Konan on the road first!
It seemed the three of them hadn't met yet, and he didn't know if Nagato's parents had been killed.
He believed that if Kana saw that she still had a fellow clansman, she would be overjoyed.
The next day.
They arrived at Nagato's home.
Just as he had thought… Nagato hadn't left yet.
However.
It seemed he was too late.
When they found Nagato's house, the main door was wide open.
You have to understand.
This was the other side of the Land of Rain, very close to the battlefield with Konoha. Therefore, the area was heavily affected by the war, and many people had already fled.
Those who remained mostly kept their doors tightly shut.
As for a door being wide open…
There was only one possibility.
An intrusion had occurred.
Kusa Hikaru instantly understood and rushed inside.
However.
It was already too late.
By the time he burst in, Nagato's father was already lying on the ground. He had only managed to save Nagato and his mother—Fusō!
An Uzumaki clanswoman, living in hiding in the Land of Rain.
In the end.
Considering it was wartime, with his and Konan's help, Nagato and his mother buried the body, holding back their grief.
Kusa Hikaru sighed inwardly. He had planned to take the entire family with him.
After all, the Land of Grass was in dire need of people right now.
But he had arrived a step too late.
After he disposed of the Konoha shinobi's bodies, it was already getting late. With three civilians to consider, Hikaru could only stay at Nagato's house for one more day.
Besides, with Nagato's family grieving, it wasn't a good time to ask them to move.
After a simple dinner, the two children went to rest. After all, one had traveled a long way, and the other had just experienced the sorrow of losing a father. Konan and Nagato were long exhausted.
At this time.
Only Kusa Hikaru and Fusō were left in the living room.
Perhaps from the recent loss of her husband, Fusō's face was filled with exhaustion and sorrow.
Especially now…
The war was not over, and given her identity… how were she and her son, a widow and an orphan, supposed to survive in this chaotic world?
She was filled with uncertainty about the present and the future.
Just a moment ago, she had been forcing a faint smile while preparing dinner. However, once the children were asleep and darkness fell… Fusō could no longer contain her grief.
Kusa Hikaru noticed this, pondered for a moment, and walked over. "Mrs. Fusō."
"I'm sorry, Lord Shinobi!" Seeing someone approach, Fusō quickly wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile onto her exhausted features.
A pained smile.
She was still very grateful to this shinobi who had suddenly appeared at her home with a child and saved her and Nagato.
However.
Her and Nagato's identity… that was something that absolutely could not be discovered by other shinobi.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you."
"It's fine." Kusa Hikaru sat directly opposite Fusō. Considering the current situation in the Land of Rain… the final battle was about to begin.
Once Jiraiya's team pushed into the Land of Rain, the final battle before the end of the war would erupt, and there was no telling what accidents might happen.
Especially since he had to take three people through a battlefield back to the Land of Grass, and also find Yahiko… the three titans who would found the Akatsuki.
Therefore, he had a lot to do.
His original plan was… to find Nagato first, then Yahiko and Konan. If Nagato's family was still around, he would take them all. If not, he would convince Nagato to leave.
So, just in case, they had to leave as soon as possible.
Otherwise.
It would be troublesome if an accident occurred.
Since Nagato's mother was still here, Kusa Hikaru decided to talk to her sooner rather than later.
He figured that if his mother wanted to emigrate, Nagato probably wouldn't refuse.
Kusa Hikaru crossed his hands, placed them in front of his chin, and looked at her with a somber expression under the dim light.
This scene instantly made Fusō nervous. She looked at the shinobi with worry and confusion.
Why so serious all of a sudden?
Could it be that her identity as an Uzumaki survivor had been discovered?
Just as she was wondering.
Kusa Hikaru, with a dead-serious expression, said bluntly, "Mrs. Fusō, you don't want your son to live in this war-torn country, do you?"
As he spoke.
Just as Kusa Hikaru was waiting for Fusō to nod with a pained expression, cover her face, and cry out "I don't," so that he could then say, "Then how about moving to the Land of Grass?"
However.
He had guessed the beginning but not the end.
While he was wondering, "Why isn't she saying anything yet?"
Fusō's face turned red, then pale. Finally, as if she had thought of something, her eyes turned red, and she said with a slight tremor in her voice, "I understand."
With that.
She stood up, her body trembling, and placed her hands on the collar of her shirt.
"???"
This left Kusa Hikaru completely stunned. He quickly stopped her, "Ma'am, what are you doing? No! You've misunderstood!"
He hastily pulled out a document. "What I meant was… would you like to move to another country to live? The Land of Grass is currently recruiting talent. If you apply for immigration now, the procedure is simple, convenient, and fast. We'll even open a green channel for you! Once you arrive in the Land of Grass… not only will you be assigned a job, but room and board are also covered, and your family's children can attend school for free!"
He said in a tempting tone, "Apply tonight, and you can be in the Land of Grass by tomorrow. What are you still considering?"
However.
As he finished speaking.
Fusō: ...
Her hand froze slightly, her face a mask of stunned silence.
Author's Note:
For those who don't know, please read this note about some matters.
Madara and Zetsu never really managed Nagato. At this point, Nagato was just a vessel. Once he awakened the Rinnegan, Madara wouldn't be able to stay on his IV drip, so they only paid slight attention to him. Even later, Obito didn't manage him either; he just wanted the Akatsuki to capture the Nine-Tails. If Yahiko hadn't refused Obito's offer to join, Obito probably would have ignored Yahiko. He didn't even care when Nagato attacked Konoha. Obito and Madara's goal was always clear: Nagato was just a vessel for the eyes, to be taken when necessary, and was constantly on the verge of death.
(End of Chapter)