"Answer me honestly, Nagato… do you really see anything like that?"
Yahiko stared intensely at the hair covering my eyes. His eyebrows knitted together so close they almost touched. "I know the Rinnegan is supposed to be super special and all, but this doesn't even make sense!"
A snort escaped me as I raised my brow at the boy walking next to me. "Are you still going on about that? Really? After everything you've already seen me do until now?"
I lifted my hand and waved at him. The rain falling down on us in a steady rhythm was continuously being repelled from my skin. Not a single drop touched me even once.
"How come this did not faze you at all?"
A short laugh shifted my attention to the girl walking on my left side. "We have both long grown used to the absurd things you keep on doing. Yahiko is right. This doesn't make sense. How do you see when your eyes are covered?"
A smirk tugged at my lips.
I raised my chin and answered in my best mysterious tone, "A master never reveals his tricks… If you work hard… maybe I will tell you in the future. Let's say…"
I took a short pause and pursed my lips. "…Once you both manage to walk through the rain without getting drenched like wet dogs, how does that sound?"
A quick series of barks brought my attention downwards. My smirk was replaced with a soft smile as I assessed the look in Inu's brown eyes.
"My apologies, Inu."
I cleared my throat and turned back toward my two human companions. "I will tell you once you can walk through the rain without getting drenched like wet cats."
Yahiko clicked his tongue and pushed his hands into the pockets of his yellow raincoat. He grumbled something inaudible as he was forced to walk around the incoming puddle in the muddy ground.
A puddle I simply strolled across without pause.
"That is unfair, Nagato. You are cheating! You are a cheating cheater with cheating eyes." His bottom lip trembled slightly as he turned his head away from me.
A small huff made its way out of my throat.
I gave the pouting boy a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure you will both manage to do this very soon. After all, you already mastered the wall-walking exercises! And you don't even sink into the mud anymore. That is great progress!"
Yahiko perked up at my reassurance and nodded with a glint in his eyes. He looked past me and grinned at Konan. "Yes, we did, although… some of us managed it faster than others."
Konan rolled her eyes and cast the smug boy a sidelong glance. "You finished barely an hour before me, Yahiko. Besides, there is a clear explanation for why you were faster." A sharp grin spread across her face.
"It is because I have more chakra than you… At this point, maybe even Inu has more."
The small dog barked at the mention of his name and wagged his tail.
Yahiko let out a groan and threw his hands up into the air. "Ah! Nagato! Why did you have to tell her that?"
I snorted at their antics and shook my head.
In the still far distance, a multitude of chakra signatures appeared at the edge of my awareness.
"We're almost there. You know the drill. Let's do this the same way as always. We go in, take what we need, and then get out before anyone recognizes us. Easy."
My partners in crime turned quiet and nodded curtly.
Even Inu walked a little straighter.
In front of us, the muddy ground shifted into stone roads as the largest village in our home's immediate surroundings drew nearer.
—————
"Who is our target this time?"
Yahiko peeked down from the building we had previously ascended. From our elevated position, the entire sprawling marketplace was visible.
There are fewer people than usual.
I absentmindedly scratched Inu behind his ears.
With my Rinnegan hidden but the Mind's Eye fully opened, I analyzed the busy crowd below.
Konan tilted her head as she looked at me. After a couple more seconds of silence, she gave my shoulder a light poke. "Nagato, are you alright?"
I turned my attention toward her and, after another short pause, answered. "Yes… I am alright. It might be nothing, but…" I peered back down at the marketplace with furrowed eyebrows.
"Something feels wrong. The people down there…they are agitated, even more so than usual."
Yahiko blinked. "And that's a… bad thing? Doesn't it just mean that things will be easier for us?"
I let out a deep exhale and nodded slowly. "You... are probably right. I'm sorry if I am acting strange."
Without thinking about it any further, I stood up and turned towards the people I was sharing the rooftop with.
"Alright then, let's get to it. What we need now is some fresh fruit. Anything we get extra is a plus, but fruit is our main objective." I shifted my head back toward the marketplace below and pointed to a specific food stall.
"There is a new vendor working by that stand. You know what that means, right?"
Konan answered without hesitation. "Yes. First, two of us go down and ask them for the food. Once the vendor refuses, they give the signal and start causing a scene. While that is happening, the other two sneak up from behind and take the food."
A satisfied smile grew on my face at the textbook answer. "That's right… I think this time, Inu and I will play the decoy." I glanced at the two orphans. "Stay out of sight for now and wait for my signal."
Once I had received their confirmation, I pulled Inu close to my chest and jumped off the back of the building.
After making sure that I did not attract any unwanted attention to myself, I walked forward and rounded corners until I arrived in the open marketplace.
I lowered my head and made my way through the small crowd to reach the fruit stand I had singled out as today's target.
———
Something is not right here.
The pedestrians lining the street, the same ones that usually didn't even give me a second glance, were staring at me with undisguised concern and pity as I walked by.
I did my best to ignore their attention until I came to a stop in front of the fruit stand. My stomach growled quietly.
The young woman working behind the counter turned around with a perfect customer service smile plastered on her face.
The moment her green eyes met mine, the smile slipped off her lips.
Instead of the scorn I had come to expect from the people in this country when they were faced with people like me, her eyes were filled with an inexplicable emotion.
The corners of her mouth raised up into a soft smile.
"Hello, sweetie… What can I do for you?"
My eyes, carefully hidden behind a layer of hair, widened.
For a moment, I was speechless.
I quickly regained control of my emotions and schooled my expression.
A shaky smile grew on my face.
"Hello, miss! Me and Inu," I hugged the docile dog closer to my chest, "were wondering if we could perhaps have some fruits? We don't have… much money."
My voice lowered to a whisper at the end. In my best impression of a lost and pitiful child, I lowered my head toward the ground and shuffled my feet.
After keeping the act up for a few more moments, I raised my head again.
And this is the point where she screams at me to get lost and—
"Of course you can! How much do you need? Do you have any friends? I can give you extra if you need it!"
I froze.
"I... I... do." I pulled the bag off my shoulders and handed it to the kindly smiling woman. "I would appreciate anything you are willing to give me."
She practically snatched the bag out of my hand and filled it with multiples of everything she had in store. Apples, pears, and oranges… she did not hold back at all.
"There you go, sweetie! Though I recommend you do not give too much to your dog, neh? They can only stomach fruits in moderation." Her eyes glinted with amusement.
I inclined my head and stared at her in incomprehension.
Eventually, I simply nodded.
"Thank you… you are very kind. I appreciate your generosity."
The woman cupped her cheek and tinkled a laugh.
"What a well-spoken young man you are! Go along then; I am sure you would rather be spending time with your friends than with an old woman like me."
My smile grew genuine for the first time since I approached her.
I gave her a shallow bow and turned around.
Yahiko and Konan perked up from the building they were hiding in the distance, clearly expecting to receive the signal.
I hastened my steps and shook my head.
Now… How am I going to explain this?
———
"And she just… gave it to you?" The ginger-haired boy asked with clear disbelief.
"Yes… She even seemed eager to part with her goods."
Konan tilted her head. "That is very unusual." She frowned. "Are you sure she didn't ask you to do anything strange in return for the food? Perhaps she was trying to trick you."
I shook my head. "I am sure. She asked nothing of me… She just wished me all the best and then let me go."
A contemplative silence fell between us as we each considered the novel experience.
I eventually let out a sigh and glanced around the alley we were hiding in.
Stacks of water-stained crates lined the walls, and unidentifiable fluid leaked out of a dumpster farther down the passage.
"Anyways, let us not look a gift horse in the mouth, yes? Maybe she was having a good day; maybe she did try to trick me somehow." I shrugged. "It doesn't matter."
My brows furrowed. "Let's go home… Something is wrong here. I can feel it. I'm not sure what exactly, but it's not worth sticking around any longer just for some extra food."
Konan and Yahiko exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
"Yeah. Let's go home."
I nodded curtly.
Shortly after, we made our way out of the village into the wasteland beyond.
"AHHHHHHHH"
A female voice filled with anguish rang out from behind us. Before I could say anything, Konan took off in the direction of the scream.
"Konan! Wait!" I reached out to stop her.
She was already gone.
"Damnit! Yahiko! We need to go after her!" The boy nodded quickly and followed closely behind me.
It didn't take long for us to catch up.
What we found there was not what I had been expecting.
I came to a stop slightly behind the blue-haired girl. With tentative steps, I walked up to her side and whispered into her ear.
"Who is that?… What is going on here?"
Konan turned towards me with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She softly shook her head and tried to answer my question. Her voice broke.
Before she could try again, a shrieking scream interrupted her.
"They took him! My darling boy… he is gone! They stole him…" The youthful-looking woman collapsed to the ground in grief. The crowd surrounding her parted as two other women rushed out to comfort her.
A cacophony of murmurs reached my ears.
"So it happened again…"
"Another child… taken from their home."
"It's those damn foreign monsters! They are desperate for new recruits because they can't stop killing each other. It happened just like I told you! They will come for us all..."
Yahiko spoke up next to me. His voice was quiet.
"Nagato… is this what you meant when you said something wasn't right in this village?"
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, staring at the scene in front of me.
It took me a few moments to gather my thoughts enough to answer.
"No… yes… I don't know. I sensed that something was different today. But not this."
The street was beginning to fill with people.
I quickly made sure my Rinnegan was fully covered again and took the two children by their hands.
With a heavy heart, I tore them away from the haunting scene.
"Come… we need to leave. There are too many people here. We will be recognized if we stay any longer."
They nodded reluctantly and allowed me to drag them out of the village.
Away from the broken woman and her desperate cries.
——————
Our march back home was silent.
Despite having accomplished what we set out to do, none of us felt like celebrating. Even Inu was walking alongside us with uncharacteristic silence.
I sighed deeply when I sensed Yahiko's control over his chakra fluctuate.
I turned my head to my right side, where Konan was walking quietly.
Unlike Yahiko, she did not look angry. Instead, she had gone completely silent. Her expression utterly blank.
Alright. That's it.
"Stop." I halted my movement and waited for the others to do the same.
"I know how you feel." I hesitated. "No… that's not right. I don't know how you feel… but I do know how I feel." My brows drew together. "I am angry."
Yahiko's hands clenched into fists as his gaze dropped to the ground.
"That woman lost her child… It's not hard to guess who took him. Things like that happen and will continue to happen every day in this country."
My voice lowered to a whisper as I studied them.
"Just like they did to us."
Konan's expressionless mask broke.
"That's why we need to get stronger." I gritted my teeth. "As we are now… we're too weak to help anyone."
Yahiko flinched as if I had struck him.
With a quiet exhale, I slowly grabbed their hands and injected my chakra into their pathways like I did the first day we met.
My emotions merged with theirs.
"That won't be true for long." My Rinnegan shone with a faint purple light. "Not only will I never let anything like that happen to you, but whoever it was that took the child… I will find them. And I will make them pay. No matter how long it takes."
The tension in Konan's shoulders loosened.
It was her chakra that I felt move first.
Suddenly, I was no longer alone in my head.
A moment later, Yahiko did the same.
I blinked rapidly as their emotion surged through me.
"I'm glad."
I released their hands and met their gaze with a glint in my rippled eyes.
They will be alright.
I will make sure of that.