Iwagakure Village Street
The air was filled with the aroma of fresh earth and baked bread. As the first day of the ninja school approached, the village became noticeably busier. Iwagakure was a large village, with hundreds of thousands of people. It was actually considered one of the largest towns.
Because there has been no war in the Land of Earth, under the leadership of the Third Tsuchikage, the Land of Earth can be regarded as a ninja village that has developed extremely rapidly in recent years. Coupled with the large number of ninjas, it has driven the development of many businesses.
Children dressed in all kinds of clothes chased and played in the streets, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation, while parents gathered together, either advising their children or chatting with each other.
Chi Chen walked alone on the slightly crowded street. His long silver-gray hair and overly calm demeanor made him seem somewhat out of place among the noisy group of children, attracting many curious glances.
"Hey! Look over there! It's Chichen, want to come play with us? Chen!"
"Yeah, it's been a while since I last saw you, and it's been a while since I last saw Fei Liu either."
"Yeah, it's time to go to school. Are you going to go to Ninja School too? Wait, I will definitely be the best!"
Chi Chen greeted them and told them that he was also training to become a ninja in the future. He declined their kindness, saying that these guys were also caring about him in their own way.
Thanks to the education in the Land of Earth, although the finances of the Land of Earth are relatively difficult, it is still quite friendly to orphans.
(Being good at business doesn't mean being rich. As mentioned earlier, most of them are from the Land of Fire, and the top two are from the Land of Earth. The large population is relative to other ninja villages. Also, if you are really rich, who would be willing to start a war?)
"Brother Chichen!"
A crisp, cheerful voice rang out, a little breathless. A little girl with pigtails and rosy cheeks, probably only three or four years old, clutching a steaming, slightly burnt potato pancake, rushed over like a small cannonball.
"Ya Ya?" Chi Chen lowered his head and recognized that this was the little girl from the neighbor's house who lived next door to Aunt Chun Jing. His stiff body relaxed a little, and he tried to make his voice softer. "What's wrong?"
"Here you go!" The little girl held up the potato pancake, which was bigger than her hand, in front of Chi Chen, her face full of seriousness. "Mom said that my brother is going to school soon and needs to eat something good."
The potato pancakes were a bit overcooked, with burnt edges, and didn't look particularly good, but the simple aroma and heat of the pancakes were incredibly warming.
Chi Chen was stunned. He looked at the little girl's clear eyes that were full of admiration and kindness, and then at the potato pancake that didn't look good but was full of thought.
An unfamiliar warm current quietly flowed through his heart. He stretched out his hand, not to take the cake, but to gently ruffle the little girl's hair.
"Thank you, Yaya. I'm not hungry, you can eat it."
"No! It's for my brother!" The little girl held the cake stubbornly.
"Chichen, just take it." A gentle and smiling female voice came. Yaya's mother, a woman wearing an apron, walked over quickly with an apologetic and sincere smile on her face. "How can you train every day without eating enough?"
Chi Chen looked at the woman's sincere eyes and the little girl's stubborn movements, and finally took the warm and slightly hot potato pancake.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Oh, you're so polite!" The woman laughed heartily, pulling her little daughter, who kept looking back, and said, "Let's go, Yaya. Don't delay Brother Chichen."
Chi Chen stood there, holding the potato pancake. The warmth of the pancake pierced through the wax paper, reaching his palm and warming his heart. He took a bite. Beneath the charred crust lay soft, sweet mashed potatoes, with a simple wheat aroma.
"Hey! You're so brave, Chichen! You didn't even call me when there was something delicious!" A loud voice rang out. Fei Liu ran over, sweating profusely, obviously having just finished training.
In fact, after Fei Liu finished training, Shan Shang told Fei Liu that Chi Chen had been there and watched his training. Not long after he left, he hurried over.
He snatched the cake from Chi Chen's hand and took a big bite without hesitation, "Wow! Delicious! Where did you get it?"
"Yaya gave it to me." Chi Chen looked at Fei Liu with bulging cheeks, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly in an almost invisible arc.
"Hey! That little girl is quite conscientious!" Fei Liu raised his chin proudly, as if the cake was for him, "Let's go! I heard that the Ninja Tool Shop has a new batch of kunai models, let's go and have a look! School is about to start and we must have a decent 'weapon'! Now I am very powerful and can protect you!"
He grabbed Chi Chen's wrist without saying a word, dragged him into the bustling crowd, and ran towards the ninja tool shop.
Chi Chen was dragged along, looking at the back of Fei Liu's excited head, feeling the touch of the rough wooden talisman on his wrist, and then thinking of the burnt but warm potato pancake just now...
He suddenly felt that this village built on rocks, which seemed rough and hard, actually had something warmer and tougher inside than he had imagined. It was great that he had completely integrated into this world and was no longer alone.
He is no longer alone. Here he has his family, Aunt Harui and Hiru, who need his protection; his neighbors, Yaya and her daughter, who show him kindness; his strict but generous teacher, Ohnoki; his swordsmanship instructor, Yamagami, who appears rough but is actually very meticulous; his friends, whose clumsy expressions make him wary; and the strangers running down the street who may become his future companions.
Ninja school might really be worth a visit, not just for learning, but to more clearly "see" everything you are going to protect.
He looked at Fei Liu's flying red hair in front of him and clenched his fists. He knew that this guy would be very sad if he didn't go.
Although I will probably graduate soon, I'd like to stay with you for as long as possible.
"You guy, you are always distracted like this every time you go out to play. Let's go quickly. We still have to go home for dinner after shopping." Fei Liu turned around and looked at Chi Chen angrily.
"I know, I know. You are holding my hand while running. I won't get lost." Chi Chen said with a smile.
Yes, strength was born to protect this bond. This bond would also become the most solid foundation for him to climb to the pinnacle of power.
The future of the Hidden Rock Village will be written by their generation. And he, Chi Chen, will become the most solid rock, holding up the sky for those who come after him.
I absolutely will not let these expectations down.