"Renna, I heard you rescued a boy who was poisoned by eating poisonous mushrooms?"
Not long after, while Renna was helping tidy up the room in her father—Village Chief Kujō Ichirō's—wooden house, her father suddenly asked while smoking a pipe.
"Yes. That guy actually dares to eat recklessly in this area, and he's only twelve years old, traveling alone. He's simply too bold."
Thinking of the young man named Yūki resting in her wooden house, Renna felt he had "nerves of steel." Was he really not afraid of death?
A twelve-year-old boy traveling alone?
At this thought, Ichirō took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaled slowly, and said, "Renna, do you remember what I often tell you?"
"Bad girls starve to death—so go cook?"
Pfft! "No! It's 'You must not harbor intentions to harm others, but you must never lack vigilance against others'!"
Teased by Renna, Ichirō nearly choked on a mouthful of herbal smoke and spoke loudly.
"I know." Renna covered her mouth and chuckled. "You mean although it's peacetime, the world still isn't safe, so beware of bad people and don't get hurt."
"You know that. That boy Yūki can travel alone at twelve, so he's likely not an ordinary person. Let him leave as soon as possible."
"He can't leave even if he wants to. The paralysis poison in his body hasn't been cured yet. He'll leave naturally once it's cleared."
Thinking this, Renna couldn't help but sigh.
If only Grandma were still here—she'd definitely be able to purge this level of toxin in one go. At the thought, Renna reached out and touched the pendant around her neck—a keepsake left to her by her grandmother.
Alas, this child is still too naive. Seeing Renna finish tidying the house and head straight back to her own wooden house, Ichirō couldn't help but sigh.
Renna was good in every way—gentle yet strong-willed, hardworking, and very talented in herbal knowledge. But her biggest flaw was her lack of awareness about the world's dangers, having grown up in the mountains.
Forget it. I hope this time passes smoothly...
"Ahh!"
But just as Ichirō, village chief of "Kujō Village," silently prayed for the village's peace, a sudden cry of pain erupted not far from his wooden house!
No? Speak of the devil?
Hearing the shout, Ichirō's expression changed drastically. He immediately threw his still-smoking pipe to the ground and rushed out!
"Kujō Village" didn't have many houses or buildings. Between the houses were either large open spaces or herbs, drying clothes, or rice—meaning the sightlines were actually quite clear.
But when Ichirō ran out, he saw four men in strange attire standing in the village center, with several strong villagers lying on the ground before them!
"What are you people doing?!"
One of the fallen strongmen asked in pain. His left arm now hung at an unnatural angle—clearly broken by external force!
As these strongmen fell, the villagers watching from afar immediately shrank back in fear, unsure what these four sudden intruders intended.
"I've said it—there's an old woman in your village very skilled with medicine. Take us to her now, or else... hehehe, I can't guarantee there won't be a bloodbath here!"
After the strongman spoke, the masked man at the front—Ghost Face—walked over, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up, speaking coldly.
Guh! Urk...! With his neck gripped and lifted, the strongman's face quickly turned purplish-red!
Even so, the other villagers nearby didn't dare intervene. After all, the masked man's methods were too terrifying!
In the blink of an eye, the strongest men in "Kujō Village" had been laid low, their arms and legs broken by him alone. What could the others do even if they tried?
"Stop!"
But just as the strongman was near death, an angry voice suddenly rang out nearby.
Ghost Face and the others looked over to see a middle-aged man in coarse cloth glaring at them.
"I am this village's chief! Are you ninjas? Why are you causing trouble here?"
After all, "Kujō Village" was deep in the mountains, and few outsiders came here—especially after Renna's grandmother passed away; hardly anyone visited.
"Village chief? Perfect. We're here for the 'Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill.' Why not cooperate and lead the way?"
Seeing Ichirō appear, Ghost Face's tone seemed to grow more excited, and he loosened his grip slightly, allowing the strongman some breathing room.
Ghost Face's meaning was clear: if "Kujō Village" handed over the secret medicine, they wouldn't kill anyone. If not... well.
But upon hearing this, Ichirō's face turned pale.
After a moment, Ichirō said slowly, "I don't know where you heard this, but there really is no secret medicine in our village."
"Huh? None? I think you people aren't living comfortably enough."
"Wait—you're the village chief, right? Why not take us to that old woman named Kujō Heri? She should be the one who made the secret medicine."
Just as Ghost Face was about to go berserk, Hannya, the oldest ninja standing at the back, stepped forward at the right moment, approached Ichirō, and spoke with a smile.
"Heri? But she passed away many years ago, and I've never heard of any secret medicine she left behind."
As if intimidated by Hannya's aura, Ichirō couldn't help but swallow hard, took a step back, and spoke slowly.
Indeed, Ichirō spoke the absolute truth. The famous pharmacist Kujō Heri was his mother. She had died years ago and left no information about any secret medicine.
What? She's already dead? Hearing this, Hannya involuntarily frowned.
Though he believed Heri was dead, Hannya didn't believe the "Secret Medicine: Platinum Pill" didn't existed.
"In that case, let us search the village. If there's no Platinum Pill, we'll leave naturally."
"What? Search the village?!"
"Huh? Unwilling?"
Just as Ichirō showed reluctance, a fierce murderous intent suddenly erupted from Hannya, terrifying the ordinary middle-aged man nearly to collapse.
"Go gather all the villagers here! Anyone who dares escape will be killed!"
"Yes!"
Following Hannya's order, the three Kusagakure genin behind him immediately responded, then vanished instantly, splitting up to enter various wooden houses and start "herding the pigs."
"By the way, don't think letting the villagers scatter and flee will solve anything. I'll be frank—we set traps all around the village before entering. If anyone tries to escape—"
Boom! As Hannya explained to the ashen-faced Ichirō, a deafening explosion suddenly came from the forest nearby, accompanied by a faint scream!
"Hahaha! Someone must've stepped on an explosive tag. How unlucky—probably blown to bits."
Looking toward the forest, Hannya showed a cruel smile, as if blowing someone to smithereens was as ordinary as eating salmon rice balls for dinner.
However, just as the three grass ninja began breaking into houses in "Kujō Village" and herding all villagers—men, women, old, and young—to the village center, a clear gaze quietly watched from inside one wooden house.
Though clear fear showed in her eyes, the girl named Renna quickly steadied herself and began thinking of how to respond.
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(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹ (TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)