Chapter 11 — The Aftermath of War
"I'm going to kill that old bastard! Let me go, or I'll chop you up too!"
"If you're not afraid of being torn to pieces at sea and fed to the fish, then by all means, go ahead."
Hidan froze mid-sentence, as if he'd finally remembered he couldn't beat the other, and gritted his teeth. "Alright, you win. What do you want me to do?"
"Stay here quietly for one night. Tomorrow we leave."
"Fine, but that old man… I'll get him sooner or later!"
Slap!
Shinji gave him a much needed slap.
"Chop, chop, chop! Always talking about chopping! You're so proud, huh, going after a frail old man who can barely walk?"
Hidan immediately clutched his head, eyes wide, yelling, "Bastard! You and that old man are both dead!"
"You? One more word out of you tonight, and I'll slice your kidneys and fry them up!"
"You… bastard—"
"Hmm?"
Hidan instinctively shut his mouth and held his hands over his waist, clearly not thrilled at the idea of having his kidneys fried—especially his own.
Shinji finally felt some relief seeing Hidan at least partially compliant.
Even though he had joined a terrifying organization like the Cult of the Evil God, Hidan still had his limits. He wouldn't attack ordinary people without reason; he couldn't bring himself to massacre villagers.
Of course, if someone tried to harm him first, he wouldn't be a saint either.
The word "kill" used to feel distant to him, but now the world forced him to be ready for it mentally.
This is a world where the big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat the shrimp.
Without enough strength to protect yourself, you could die from some unknown attack at any moment, never knowing who the killer was!
And no one would seek justice on your behalf.
Before long, Shinji and Hidan followed the old man back home.
"Grandpa, hug~"
As soon as they stepped inside, the old man quickly scooped up his eldest grandson, who had come bouncing in, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"Lift me higher!"
"Okay, okay, lifting high!"
"Higher, higher~"
"Flying~"
"Grandpa, dinner's ready… who are these two?"
The old man was enjoying this family time so much that he nearly forgot about Shinji and Hidan at the door.
"Oh, right, almost forgot. These two young men are just passing through our village. Prepare two extra sets of bowls and chopsticks, and tidy up that room over there—they'll stay one night."
"Understood, Grandpa."
The daughter-in-law seemed well-behaved and responsible, though a bit shy around strangers, and quickly returned to the kitchen.
"Sit wherever you like. There are cups for water; help yourselves."
The old man said as he went back to playing with his grandson, making the boy giggle endlessly.
Watching this, Shinji suspected the old man's earlier words had a hidden meaning.
"You better keep an eye on your brother. There are many women and children in the village…"
Was he worried Hidan might harm his family?
It was probably unnecessary. Hidan hadn't even looked at any of the women inside. He was gulping down cold well water, genuinely thirsty—or perhaps his brain needed hydration.
Soon, the woman brought out the cooked food.
The dishes were simple—just three.
Green peppers with scrambled eggs, wild vegetable soup, and radish pickles.
No meat in sight, and even the scrambled eggs looked quickly thrown together, likely because of the unexpected guests.
There wasn't even enough rice for more, so she made just enough; cooking more would have been too troublesome.
Luckily, Shinji and Hidan still had some uneaten rations with them. Perfect to supplement the meal.
It was clear that this family lived modestly.
Not exactly struggling to survive, but certainly far from wealthy.
Shinji, being emotionally perceptive, understood that they were offering the best they had, and it was something to appreciate, not criticize.
Hidan, on the other hand, had no such gratitude.
He poked at the dishes a couple of times with his chopsticks and lost all interest. His expression turned sour, as if to say, "This? You expect Hidan to eat this pig slop?"
"I want pork chops, not… ugh!"
Shinji quickly covered Hidan's mouth again, laughing, "Sorry, my idiot brother's brain is acting up again. He's just talking nonsense."
"Ugh ugh ugh…"
(You're the one with the problem! Believe it or not, I'll kill your whole family, bastard!)
"What did he say?"
"Oh, he said the food's too delicious and he bit his tongue."
"Ugh ugh… ugh ugh!"
(Nonsense! Hidan wouldn't eat this kind of pig food.)
The old man nodded. "Although your unfortunate brother doesn't seem very bright, at least… he has some taste."
"Ayako's cooking is famous throughout the village. Whenever there's a banquet, so-called master chefs willingly assist her…"
"Enough, Grandpa. Stop talking. That's all in the past." The woman blushed, clearly embarrassed.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Shinji whispered to Hidan, "Don't cause trouble. When we get to the Land of Waves, you'll have your revenge."
"Hmph!"
Hidan swatted Shinji's hand away with a cold snort but didn't act impulsively again.
Perhaps this was what they meant by a match to counter a match.
Changing the topic, Shinji curiously asked, "Grandpa, where's your son?"
The old man and the woman both paused at the question. The old man sighed heavily.
"He's gone. Years ago, two groups of ninjas showed up from somewhere and wreaked havoc in the village."
"A fireball hit one of the houses… my poor husband didn't even have time to escape…" The woman's voice trembled as she wiped her tears.
The old man said, "It's not your fault. At the time, you were still pregnant. This world is cruel… my child's fate was unfortunate."
After saying this, the old man's expression fell, he put down his chopsticks, and went back inside.
Such sudden disasters were a matter of sheer bad luck.
And there was no one to appeal to or reason with.
Even the ninjas who had fought here probably didn't care about the villagers afterward.
It had only been a few years since the last great ninja war ended. Back then, human life was truly worthless.
Now, things were at least slightly better—they were alive, and they had food.