The man did not point out Haruki’s identity. In his opinion, the close relationship between these children could not be faked.
How could they not know Haruki’s identity?
"My name is Himura Tohyo." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel-fire.ɴet
"You can call me Himura, or you can call me Tohyo, and of course, I don’t mind if you call me Mountain God." Himura shrugged.
"Hmph! Don’t even think about it."
As soon as Himura said this, Yahiko immediately glared at him and said firmly.
His voice was resentful. "You’re clearly a human, why should I call you Mountain God? You deceived the villagers."
A faint smile appeared on Himura’s face.
Haruki stared at him and said, "You’re a ninja, right?"
Himura did not deny it. He quietly looked at Haruki.
"Are you going to drive me out of the Land of Rain?" Himura asked with a smile.
There was no contempt in his smile, only seriousness.
"The Land of Rain has ceased fire, and Amegakure has signed peace treaties with all other major ninja villages. To ensure the independence of Amegakure and the safety and order of the Land of Rain, no ninja from other villages can remain in the Land of Rain." Haruki emphasized.
Himura nodded. "I know."
"You know, so why don’t you leave on your own?" Haruki asked again.
"Because I’ve lived here for too long. If I leave this place, I don’t know where to go, or what to do." Himura gave a bitter smile, his eyes holding a hint of sadness.
"But no matter how long you’ve lived here, you have to leave. Ninjas remaining among civilians will cause them harm." Yahiko said to Himura.
The power of a ninja is too great for ordinary people. Ordinary civilians are completely defenseless against ninjas. Yahiko had seen too many civilians brutally killed by ninjas before they even had a chance to resist.
When Himura heard Yahiko’s words, he couldn’t help but smile. He looked at Yahiko and Haruki and asked in return, "Do you think the villagers of Kikyogahara have been harmed by me?"
Himura’s counter-question immediately choked Yahiko. Yahiko recalled the scenes he had seen along the way.
Although Kikyogahara was poor, there were no signs of war. Moreover, the old man called Himura the Mountain God, and said that the Mountain God protected them from the war.
Yahiko felt that everything was different from what he had imagined. In his imagination, they should have teamed up to drive away the ninja who was harming the village and received the gratitude of the villagers but now everything had changed.
The villagers were not afraid of Himura at all. On the contrary, they respectfully called Himura Lord Mountain God.
In Yahiko’s black-and-white world, everything happening before him was beyond his ability to resolve. He stared blankly at Haruki.
"You haven’t harmed them in the past, and you haven’t harmed them now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t in the future." Haruki said.
The human heart cannot withstand tests. Of course, it doesn’t rule out good people who stick to their original intentions but such people are not many.
Most importantly, non-Amegakure ninja cannot remain in the Land of Rain.
If there was one exception, there would be thousands of exceptions. The sovereignty that Amegakure fought for with their lives would become a joke.
"Even if you never harm them, you cannot remain in the Land of Rain because you are not a ninja of the Land of Rain."
Haruki believed Himura could understand this principle.
Himura was a smart man. He saw through the essence of war, so he lived in seclusion here, even misleading innocent villagers.
Himura gave a bitter smile and said, "Although I am not a ninja of the Land of Rain, I am not a ninja of any other country either."
He still hoped to stay here. The peaceful life here was his pursuit. He was tired of blood and smoke, tired of politics and profit. He didn’t want to be involved in war anymore.
"No matter if you are a rogue ninja or a wandering ninja, as long as you still possess ninja abilities, you cannot remain in the Land of Rain, unless..."
Haruki looked at Himura before him.
"Unless I join Amegakure, is that it?" Himura gave a helpless bitter smile.
Yahiko immediately said emphatically.
Himura looked at Yahiko in surprise.
Haruki was Hanzo’s disciple, so why was Yahiko so resistant when he mentioned Amegakure?
"Joining Hanzo isn’t joining the war, is it?Although I don’t agree with you staying in the Land of Rain, I disagree even more with you joining Amegakure." Yahiko said seriously to Himura.
He glanced at Haruki out of the corner of his eye, and only slightly relaxed when he saw no extra emotion on Haruki’s face.
Yahiko’s attitude surprised Himura. His gaze darted back and forth between Haruki and Yahiko.
Konan watched Haruki and Yahiko nervously. Whenever a topic related to Hanzo came up, the relationship between Haruki and Yahiko would become tense. She was very afraid that Haruki and Yahiko would have another big argument and then go their separate ways.
"Aren’t you a ninja of Amegakure? How can you hate Hanzo?" Himura asked, puzzled.
Yahiko almost jumped up, glaring at Himura. "Who said I’m a ninja of Amegakure? I’m not! I’ve never liked Hanzo! That guy who brought war to the Land of Rain!"
After Yahiko finished speaking, he realized that Haruki was also there. He cautiously looked towards Haruki. Haruki’s gaze was lowered, as if he hadn’t heard.
"Do you think so too?"
Himura looked at Haruki with amusement, finding the scene before him absurd. Hanzo’s disciple and the child who hated Hanzo were friends closer than family.
"No." Haruki shook his head.
"Hanzo-sama is a hero."
Haruki stared into Himura’s eyes, saying each word clearly.
[System detected Himura Tohyo’s Affection Value +1000]
[Your Love Curse Growth Value has risen to 33.3%]
If Haruki hadn’t spoken up for Hanzo, Himura might have looked down on him. Haruki respected his teacher and his path, meaning he was a commendable ninja, even though he was not very old.
Hearing Haruki’s words, Yahiko’s cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish.
"Actually, I agree with your statement."
Himura looked at Haruk and said, "Hanzo is indeed a hero."
"However, that doesn’t mean I support him." Himura laughed.
Yahiko was stunned, he looked at Himura in confusion.
Himura smiled slightly at Haruki and Yahiko. "I admire Hanzo’s ability and determination, but I don’t agree with his methods. Peace doesn’t necessarily have to be achieved through violence."
Himura’s expression was serious, and his voice resonated deeply in Yahiko’s heart.