When she heard the name Harada, Ka Natsuko's eyes flickered with a flash of pain. "Yes, Harada was one of those two people. Back then, no one in the village truly believed they would come back. We just held on to a faint hope, since everyone had already gotten used to living in pain."
"So after Harada returned, Nikamura regained hope?"
"Yes, Harada came back. But it wasn't him who turned the village into what it is today."
Shiki Uzumaki seemed to understand something. "You mean..."
Ka Natsuko nodded toward Shiki. "The other person also returned. His name is Duy Ni."
"Duy Ni?"
Shiki Uzumaki found the name unfamiliar. Even during his time living in Nikamura, he couldn't recall hearing about anyone by that name.
"That's right. We were very lucky — those two kids, who once carried our village's hopes, still wanted to help even after they gained power.
But from that moment on, the tragedy in Nikamura began."
"Tragedy?"
Upon hearing this word, a cold glint shot through Shiki's eyes.
Clearly, this term stirred deep sensitivity within him.
It summed up everything he didn't get about the village — why it was so rich, and why such wealth came with something dark hiding beneath it all.
Now, it seemed the truth was beginning to unfold before him.
"The two were completely different people. After everything happened, Harada's will became even stronger. He firmly believed the village could prosper through its own efforts. He really is a good man — whatever he does always brings happiness to others."
Still, Shiki stared coldly at Ka Natsuko. He sensed he was grasping something important.
"But you said the one who truly brought Nikamura's prosperity wasn't him."
"Exactly. The one who truly made Nikamura flourish was another person — Duy Ni."
As she spoke, Ka Natsuko couldn't help but sigh again. Though still young, she looked like years had been added to her in just moments.
"He and Yuan Ye were almost complete opposites. Originally, he gained support in the village because he often managed to befriend the bandits, thus helping avoid many disasters.
And he didn't come back just to repay the village that helped him — he wanted power, too. He said, 'Why keep being the good guys if it just gets us killed?' Most of the young guys in the village bought into his idea. Thus, our village flourished."
"You mean through robbery?"
"It wasn't quite that simple. Duy Ni was a man of great intelligence. He wasn't just good at playing rival gangs against each other — he also knew how to run the village like a pro."
"Managing?"
"This word took Shiki Uzumaki by complete surprise. He hadn't expected a brigand would use such vocabulary as 'management.'"
"Right, management. As a village located at the border of the Land of Rain, many people flee to the Land of Fire through our territory. A person with foresight realized one important truth—there are many individuals in this world who simply cannot be messed with. However, identifying which travelers could be eliminated and relieved of all their money became our specialty. In fact, most people here often don't even need money, since those without strength inevitably lose their wealth to us eventually. This is precisely why our village has become increasingly prosperous while maintaining a small population."
"But that alone wouldn't be enough, right? And wouldn't many people feel concerned when they realize they've lost contact with friends traveling to the Land of Fire?"
"This is exactly where Duy Ni demonstrates his business acumen," Duy Ni replied. "He doesn't kill everyone. Those with certain combat abilities get spared. Then we send them back to their places of origin to spread the word that people fleeing to the Land of Fire have begun living affluent lives. That's how entire villages gradually joined us. Consequently, our strength and wealth grew exponentially."
"I see now." Shiki Uzumaki suddenly appeared enlightened. In these chaotic times, despite Ka Natsuko's seemingly simple explanation, he understood the actual difficulties must have been tremendous.
"It wasn't like he just waltzed into other bandit gangs and fit right in."
"Moreover, convincing capable individuals to fight for him represented an extraordinary challenge."
"At the very least, it showed he had some serious leadership chops."
"No doubt he'd also sent reliable people to keep an eye on those returning to their hometowns, preventing unfavorable information from spreading, and so forth."
"That Duy Ni character was definitely no ordinary figure."
"So then, what brings you here this time?"
"Because villagers no longer want to live in constant fear. Some have gradually discovered the truth. We know this dangerous scheme will eventually destroy us all someday. Our consciences also torment us relentlessly."
"Furthermore, Yuan Ye proposed a new approach to drive the village's prosperity, which caused a rift between Yuan Ye and Kōji. The task I'm entrusting you with this time concerns exactly this matter. Regarding the payment...(Continued)"
Chapter 225: Remuneration
"What will be the remuneration for this task?"
Ka Natsuko spoke cautiously, as if uttering these words would require enormous sacrifice.
"[A-Rank Ninjutsu] technique."
[A-Rank Ninjutsu]?
"When he heard that, Shiki Uzumaki felt genuinely taken aback."
"After all, A-Rank techniques were already exceptionally rare. Unless someone had a copying ability, most shinobi found it nearly impossible to learn techniques from other villages."
"Because these sorts of techniques were usually considered core strengths of a village."
Moreover, A-ranked jutsu usually refer to techniques that either possess immense power or play a significant role in certain aspects.
The former category is represented by Chidori and Rasengan, while the latter includes techniques like Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and Five Elements Seal.
"I'm not sure if using ninjutsu as payment will work, but I think it should be fine. So Ka Natsuko, let me take you to check out the mission request office."
Shiki Uzumaki pondered for a moment before suppressing his curiosity.
After all, asking more might feel like I'm prying into her business.
Generally speaking, he didn't really lack any ninja techniques to learn right now.
Plus, any techniques not suited for him would just cause trouble.
"Hmm." Ka Natsuko seemed particularly grateful.
"Then Ka Natsuko, could you please step outside for a moment so I can change clothes?"
It had rained the past couple days, so the weather was a bit cooler. But it was still midsummer, and Shiki had only been sleeping in shorts.
While sitting here chatting posed no problem at all, standing face-to-face with someone while changing clothes felt awkward.
Ka Natsuko suddenly blushed and nodded. "Alright, but make it quick. Because…"
Watching Ka Natsuko dash away, Shiki suddenly remembered something important.
Even though they'd talked about a lot of things, he still hadn't figured out exactly what mission she wanted to give him.
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