Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 47 Experimental Subject: Returning Night Party

Because of the spy incident a few days ago, Takigakure is now controlling ninjas returning from missions and outsiders more strictly.

After a morning of questioning and inspection, the Naoto team was finally allowed to leave the mission site.

Afterwards, the three did not go straight home, but instead pooled together some money and went to visit their former squad leader, Zuo Teng.

After lingering there for a long time, they dispersed, agreeing to meet at Takikawa Hide's place that evening. Now that they knew Takikawa Hide would be their new squad leader, they naturally wanted to celebrate at his house as was customary.

Meanwhile, things weren't going so smoothly for businessman Ryuji Ida.

He had intended to meet with the new leader of Takigakure Village to discuss the long-term establishment of a daily necessities store in the village, but he was turned away from the village by personnel sent by the four elders before he could even enter the door.

Left with no other choice, he had to take the shipment of ore and head towards the major city. The guard accompanying him was none other than Kurosaki Ichiro.

After being subdued by Shisei Aburame, he was ordered to protect Ryuji Ida, while also secretly carrying out his surveillance duties.

Although Shisei Aburame did not say it explicitly, Ichiro Kurosaki was well aware of this.

After being kicked out, Ryuji Ida was not angry. He still smiled and said, "Go on, you won't see your master this time."

"I told you, he isn't." Kurosaki Ichiro stood with his sword in hand, his face serious.

"Understood, understood." Ryuji Ida waved his hand with a smile, no longer probing.

For him, Takikawa Hide's true identity was no longer important. As long as he diligently completed the tasks assigned to him, he could earn a huge fortune and would surely become a great merchant or even a nobleman in the future.

After all, his son had been sent to the staff office of a high-ranking noble family in the Land of Earth, which meant that their family's path to advancement had been opened. Now, all they lacked was military support.

Ryuji Ida believed that they had an equal cooperative relationship, but little did he know that what he thought was just his own assumption.

Once that final line is crossed, the gambler will have to pay for all his bets.

-

As dusk fell, a bonfire was lit in Aburame Shicheng's courtyard. He had a premonition that his little courtyard would be very lively in the coming days.

Sure enough, in no time, Zhiren, Youshu, and Chuncao arrived at his yard one after another, carrying meat and vegetables.

You Nu Zhicheng greeted them with a smile, and soon the aroma of roasted meat filled the courtyard.

"Takikawa-nii, welcome to join us and become our captain." Naoto raised his glass, a long-lost smile on his face.

Seeing this, the other two also picked up their glasses. Ayumi Shicheng smiled and picked up her glass as well, clinking glasses with them and saying, "Congratulations to you all for successfully completing the mission."

After they finished drinking, the meat on the stove was thoroughly roasted. Zhicheng, the woman who worked at the oil shop, divided the meat and casually asked, "Was the journey smooth?"

While eating, You Shu replied, "It went quite smoothly. Boss Jingtian is very good at business. After selling his goods in the Land of Earth, he discovered that the local ore was cheap, so he used the profits to purchase a large amount of iron ore and copper ore and transported them back to resell. He even issued an extra escort mission for this purpose."

Naoto, with meat between his fingers, continued his report: "He originally planned to go directly to the big city, but insisted on coming back to the village with us first, saying he wanted to thank you in person. He also wanted to open a general store in the village, but unfortunately the elders didn't agree."

Aburame Shisei nodded. He understood that Ryuji Ida's trip was ostensibly to open a shop, but in reality, he wanted to establish a contact point and test his background and attitude.

However, his attitude is not so easy to test. If you want to test his background, you must be prepared to pay the price.

However, they were lucky this time and were stopped by the people of Takigakure Village, but there won't be a next time.

The four of them ate and chatted.

Naoto reverted to his cheerful and talkative self, first recounting the harrowing encounter with the Sand Village squad on the border of the Land of Earth, and then discussing the war-torn landscape he witnessed along the way.

It was later said that they rescued a merchant on the way and then naturally became Ryuji Ida's partners.

The campfire crackled as night deepened.

Midway through the gathering, Yu Nu Zhicheng quietly released a trace amount of pheromones, a calming substance extracted from stinky bugs that could make people fall asleep without them even realizing it.

He had intended to let all three of them fall asleep peacefully so that it would be easier to proceed with the next steps.

Of course, there's another point: Naoto talks too much and too frequently, and this lively scene makes him feel slightly uncomfortable, although he still keeps a smile on his face.

Soon, Chuncao and Youshu's eyes gradually became hazy, and they fell into a deep sleep one after another by the table.

However, Naoto simply shook his head, his face flushed with the effects of alcohol, yet he remained sober.

Although Aburame Shicheng was surprised, he quickly realized that the parasites in his body had developed some resistance, which had offset some of the effects of the pheromones.

Hmm, it seems this insect has evolved again without us even realizing it; it's worth studying.

As he was pondering, Naoto leaned his head closer. He didn't notice anything amiss, only thinking it was the effects of the alcohol.

"Takikawa-kun... tell me, what is the point of us becoming ninjas?"

Aburame Zhicheng looked at him quietly without interrupting.

"I've seen too many people die along the way. Sand ninja, Iwa ninja, civilians... for a piece of land, for a mission, for a village... they all killed each other."

Naoto paused, his tone growing increasingly bitter. "Captain Sato is dead. On the way back, none of Boss Ida's former servants were familiar faces. They all must have families, right? What's the point of their deaths?"

"And then there are the civilians, they just want to live. But with the arrival of the ninjas, it seems like they've lost everything."

Naoto felt his head throbbing and becoming increasingly foggy.

He rubbed his temples and continued, "Are we protecting them or destroying them?"

Yu Nuzhi added a piece of firewood to the fire and slowly said, "I don't know."

"I don't know the meaning of being a ninja, nor do I know if those deaths have any meaning."

"This is perhaps the world of ninjas. The strong survive, the weak perish; great powers contend, small nations sacrifice. Everyone is searching for their own way of life and paying the price for their choices."

He turned to Naoto and said, "If you feel lost, don't waste your energy thinking about so many things. Just focus on the present and live your life well. Of course, if you feel you have the ability, perhaps you can follow your heart, do what you want to do, and change the things you don't like."

Aburame Shisei stretched out her finger and tapped his chest.

Naoto was stunned for a long time, nodded as if he understood, and finally couldn't hold on any longer. His eyes slowly closed, and he fell asleep on the table.