"As long as the corpse is intact and the time of death hasn't exceeded half an hour, it is possible to loot the body at the site of death."
This was the system's explanation.
With this, Mo Yu felt reassured. He no longer needed to worry about leaving his enemies with complete corpses while fighting.
Approaching the pile of charred remains, Mo Yu stretched out his hand.
"Pickup."
Only a burst of white light floated out of the charred remains.
"It seems that the incomplete state of the corpse does have some effect on looting," Mo Yu muttered to himself, placing his hand on the remains. A surge of information flooded his mind.
This time, what he gained was neither a jutsu nor wealth, but the memory of the tall ninja.
Although the memory was brief, it clarified many things for Mo Yu.
For example, the tall ninja's name was Asai Haruaki, and the other two were named Kamejima Ken and Kamejima Sho.
They were sent by the Asai and Kamejima clans to assassinate Mo Yu, though it was clear that the Uchiha clan had been pulling the strings behind the scenes.
However, neither the Uchiha nor the two clans expected that all three Chūnin would be wiped out. After all, the intel they had received indicated that Mo Yu was just a lowly Genin.
From this memory, Mo Yu also learned that although the Ishika clan hadn't sent anyone, there was an elite ninja from their clan nearby, on a mission in a small town along Mo Yu's path. If Asai Haruaki and the others encountered trouble, they could seek help from this ninja.
When Mo Yu saw this information, a bold and reckless plan began to form in his mind.
He had grown tired of the constant trouble caused by these three clans.
He had intentionally taken this mission far from the village to see if he could lure out a few "fish" and vent his frustrations.
Unexpectedly, he had caught three small fish, and now a big fish was waiting for him.
"Since you want to play, then I'll play a big game with you."
The impulsive side of Mo Yu's personality emerged, and his eyes flashed with a hint of madness.
After a long while, Mo Yu finally calmed down. He carefully reconsidered his plan. Although it was risky, if he proceeded with caution, success wasn't impossible.
And if he succeeded, it would be the greatest gain he had gotten since his rebirth.
"Time waits for no one. I'll continue to accumulate gold to increase my strength. This risk is worth taking!"
Mo Yu made up his mind, planning to refine the details of his plan as he continued on the road.
At this moment, he remembered the mother and daughter in the carriage. No, it should be the mother and daughter still anxiously waiting.
Mo Yu walked over and knocked on the carriage window.
"Come out. It's safe now."
A moment later, Hikari Mai cautiously poked her head out.
After seeing the two corpses, the woman only paled slightly. She didn't scream or panic, which made Mo Yu think more highly of her.
It was Hikari Ruri's reaction that surprised Mo Yu. He had expected the little girl to be frightened by the sight of the corpses, but instead, she showed no particular reaction. Her curiosity even seemed to grow, and she seemed much bolder than before.
Mo Yu nodded and said, "You two stay here for a while and warm up by the fire. I'll take care of something and return to talk to you."
Mo Yu dragged the bodies of the fat and thin ninjas to a nearby forest. Then, with a clap of his hands, he left. Within a day, the bodies would be consumed by wild animals, leaving only bones.
When he returned, he found Hikari Mai had regained her composure.
"Let's talk. Mai-chan, you must have at least three things you want to say to me."
Mo Yu looked at the woman with a playful glint in his eyes.
Hikari Mai's eyes flickered with a trace of bitterness, and she said, "I'm sorry."
Mo Yu shook his head. "Not that one."
Hikari Mai thought for a moment and said, "Ruri isn't my son... she's my daughter."
Mo Yu shook his head again. "Not that one either."
Finally, after some hesitation, Hikari Mai slowly said, "My surname isn't Hikari... It's Kaguya. My full name is Kaguya Mai."
Mo Yu's eyes flashed with understanding. "The Kaguya clan of the Land of Water, the ones with the Shikotsumyaku bloodline?"
Hikari Mai—no, Kaguya Mai—was a little surprised that Mo Yu had figured it out so quickly, but she nodded. "Yes, that's the one."
Mo Yu noticed the trace of hatred in her eyes.
"So, you weren't just out here visiting relatives?" he asked.
Kaguya Mai shook her head with a bitter smile. "Although it's not a family visit, the encounter was real."
"How so?" Mo Yu asked, intrigued.
Kaguya Mai looked at her daughter, Ruri, and slowly began to speak. "It's all for this child. She is the heir to the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku bloodline."
Mo Yu raised an eyebrow. "Has she awakened the Shikotsumyaku?"
Kaguya Mai nodded. "Yes, she has."
Mo Yu looked at Kaguya Ruri. The little girl's face was covered in dirt, but Mo Yu could still make out the delicate features similar to her mother's. When Ruri noticed Mo Yu staring at her, she shyly lowered her head.
"Then I don't understand. Every Kekkei Genkai wielder is considered a treasure of their clan. Why would they want to kill her?"
Kaguya Mai explained, her voice filled with emotion. "The family would indeed treasure anyone who awakened the Shikotsumyaku, but the problem is, Ruri is a girl."
Kaguya Mai continued, "For a thousand years, every Shikotsumyaku user in the Kaguya clan has been male. Never has a female awakened it. If a female could awaken the Shikotsumyaku, the Kaguya clan would experience a huge boost in strength. So those old fools decided to use Ruri as an experimental subject, to study the secret behind her awakening the Shikotsumyaku. Even her father didn't oppose it and even encouraged it..."
Hearing this, Mo Yu understood. She had been turned into a lab rat.
Kaguya Mai became agitated. "Of course, I couldn't allow them to do that to my daughter. So, I fled with Ruri, spending all our savings to hire a small mercenary group. But on the way, we encountered a group of mountain bandits. During their fight, my mother and I secretly escaped, and after wandering for a while, we ended up here in Konoha. The rest you already know."
Mo Yu nodded. "So why did you decide to go to the Land of Rain? From what I know, there's a power struggle going on there, and it's quite chaotic. Wouldn't it be safer to stay in the Land of Fire?"
Kaguya Mai caressed her daughter's head and, her emotions calming a little, explained further. "Most of the residents of the Land of Water are those who migrated there due to the war. Decades ago, the Kaguya and Mizunotsuki clans, trying to escape the war, split off from their respective families and moved to the Land of Water, where they joined other ninja clans to form the Mist Village."
She continued, "My maternal grandmother's branch of the family sent my mother to the Land of Water, and they've been in touch through letters for decades without interruption. So, I wanted to go to the Land of Rain to seek refuge with my maternal grandmother's branch. I hoped they would take us in."
"I see," Mo Yu said.
He looked at the mother and daughter, a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
"So you never considered the possibility that the Land of Rain would treat your daughter the same way the Land of Water did?" Mo Yu's gaze shifted to Kaguya Ruri.
His meaning was clear: If the Kaguya clan in the Land of Water had treated Ruri as an experiment, there was no guarantee that the Kaguya clan in the Land of Rain wouldn't do the same.
Kaguya Mai's beautiful face froze, and she gave a bitter smile. "Of course, I've thought of that. But what can I do? This is our last hope. Maybe, for the sake of my mother and grandmother, they'll give this child a chance."
Mo Yu fell silent.
He didn't offer to help. After all, facing a threat from a clan even larger than the Kaguya clan, what right did he have to help others?
Mo Yu tossed another log into the campfire, clapped his hands, and stood up.
"Get some rest, Mai-chan. We need to set off early tomorrow."
With that, he jumped up into the tree and lay down on a branch.
Kaguya Mai stared blankly at Mo Yu, holding Ruri tightly in her arms, resting her chin on the girl's head. She softly whispered,
"Thank you."