After Ryoma, Kōko, and Rinsuke had finished eating the wild rabbit for dinner, the sky outside gradually darkened.
During the meal, Ryoma listened as Kōko recounted how they had encountered a heavy rainstorm while passing through this area, how they had stumbled upon the entrance to the cave Ryoma had concealed, and how they had then discovered Ryoma and decided to take care of him, living there for five days.
Throughout this process, Rinsuke simply listened quietly and chose not to ask a single question about Ryoma's affairs.
As descendants of the Uzumaki clan, they deeply understood that people like ninjas would absolutely never mention anything related to their missions to others, unless they themselves wanted to talk about it.
Although Ryoma looked quite young, when they first discovered him, both Rinsuke and Kōko had sensed the thick, bloody aura emanating from Ryoma, as well as the extent of his weakness.
It was as if he had completely exhausted all his strength and mental energy, his entire vital signs becoming extremely faint.
Rinsuke initially hadn't wanted to get involved with Ryoma, thinking of letting him fend for himself in the cave and die.
After all, as descendants of the Uzumaki clan, they had witnessed the village's destruction and the clan's decline.
Added to that was their continuous flight since then, which had made them weary of the wars between villages and the conflicts among ninjas.
They had fled here precisely to avoid war and not be dragged into it again.
However, after seeing Ryoma, Kōko thought it over again and again and ultimately decided to save him.
It wasn't just because Kōko herself was an extremely kind girl, but also because of a sentence she said to Rinsuke.
"If my little brother were still alive, he would definitely be about this age too."
Kōko's younger brother had gotten separated from them on the road after their village's destruction, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.
Rinsuke knew that Kōko's heart always carried this guilt towards her brother, and with her repeated requests, he naturally couldn't refuse.
However, Rinsuke stated that if, after waking up, Ryoma discovered their identities and harbored any ill intentions towards them, then he would directly take advantage of Ryoma's weakness and kill him.
After all, their heads full of red hair were far too conspicuous; although Ryoma looked very young, it couldn't be ruled out that he knew their origins.
Their long period of displacement had forced them to harden their hearts to avoid getting hurt.
Sometimes, just as Orochimaru said, this world is just like that; many times you don't want to kill others, but others always come to kill you.
If you don't want to be killed, you have no choice but to harden your heart and kill others!
Fortunately, Ryoma showed no signs of malicious intent; on the contrary, his words and actions were full of gratitude towards them.
Rinsuke also breathed a sigh of relief.
At least killing a child was something Rinsuke still found somewhat difficult to do.
Just then, Ryoma, as if suddenly thinking of something, asked Kōko and Rinsuke: "Sister Kōko, Brother Rinsuke, I once heard the elders in my clan mention that Konoha Village and a neighboring country, the Land of Whirlpools, were extremely friendly, and the strongest clan in the Land of Whirlpools was the Uzumaki clan."
"Even now, the Jonin vests in our Konoha have the Uzumaki clan's emblem on them. Sister Kōko and Brother Rinsuke are from the Uzumaki clan, right?"
Hearing Ryoma's words, Kōko and Rinsuke were both momentarily stunned.
Rinsuke immediately shot up, his eyes fixed intently on Ryoma, his hand already quietly reaching for the shuriken behind his back.
Seeing their reaction, Ryoma could naturally guess why they were so agitated and quickly stated: "Brother Rinsuke, Sister Kōko, I have no ill intentions, please don't get agitated."
"I am from the Nara clan. Both the Uzumaki clan and the Nara clan joined Konoha Village from the very beginning to help it develop. That's how I know about your situation. Our Nara clan has never had any ill will towards the Uzumaki clan, never!"
"Besides, Brother Rinsuke, in my current state, even a wild boar could trample me to death. If I had any designs on you and Sister Kōko, why would I reveal myself so early? I'd at least wait until I've recovered a bit over a couple of days!"
Hearing Ryoma's sincere words, Rinsuke thought it over and realized that made sense, so he could only sit back down, half-convinced.
Kōko was also staring intently at Ryoma's face at this moment and said to him: "Ryoma, although this is our first meeting and we're not familiar, from the feeling you give me, I can tell you have no ill intentions towards us."
Uzumaki Kōko had possessed an exceptionally strong perception ability since childhood; her daughter Karin's sensory ability was precisely inherited from Kōko's talent.
Ryoma smiled and shook his head, saying: "Sister Kōko, you and Brother Rinsuke are my saviors. I can't thank you enough; how could I possibly have any ill intentions towards you two?"
Rinsuke finally relaxed completely; he trusted Kōko's perception quite a bit. Generally, if anyone had ill intent, Kōko would clearly sense it.
Looking at Rinsuke, who had sat back down, Ryoma smiled and then spoke up to ask: "Brother Rinsuke, Sister Kōko, I pointed out your identities with no other meaning, it's just that I have some questions bottled up inside that I always feel like asking."
Rinsuke looked at the genuinely sincere Ryoma, sighed softly, and said: "Go ahead and ask, Ryoma. We'll try our best to answer your questions. But we also hope you won't reveal our whereabouts to others."
Ryoma nodded affirmatively and said: "Of course. You can rest assured on that point. I wouldn't want you, my saviors, to come to any harm because of me."
Hearing this, Rinsuke felt even more at ease.
Ryoma then asked: "Brother Rinsuke, I heard from the clan elders that the Uzumaki clan signed a friendship treaty with Konoha a long time ago. So why didn't you choose to take refuge in the Land of Fire, instead coming to the more distant Land of Grass?"
At this, Rinsuke exchanged a glance with Kōko, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Our Uzumaki clan has indeed been on very good terms with Konoha for a long time, but we also have our own considerations."
"Both Kōko and I experienced a major upheaval within our clan when we were very young, and we've been fleeing ever since."
"Because our thoughts are very similar, we don't want to get involved in the wars of the various villages anymore. We just want to stay away from war and be an ordinary couple, so we've always wanted to find a stable enough place to live."
Rinsuke paused, touched his own head full of red hair, and then continued: "The Land of Fire is indeed very powerful, but this mark of being a pure-blooded Uzumaki makes it difficult for us to hide our identity. If discovered, the high probability is that we would become Konoha ninjas."
"But Kōko and I simply want to find a stable place to live and no longer be drawn into these endless wars between villages."
Listening to Rinsuke's answer, Ryoma understood their thoughts.
But how could this world easily let you find a place that was always stable?
In Ryoma's view, in this era of constant major and minor wars, either you are strong enough yourself to gain stability, or your backing is strong enough to seek stability through it.
Clearly, the Land of Grass and Kusagakure completely failed to meet either of these requirements.
This directly led to Kōko's later tragic end and Karin's painful experiences in her youth.
As a member of a once-powerful clan, to die so humiliatingly while dependent on others...
Ryoma suddenly felt a sense of pity for this poor couple who only wanted to find a peaceful place in this chaotic world.
But the tree desires stillness, yet the wind will not cease; it is always so.
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