Reality Will Never Be “Beautiful”

Crack! Crack!

As Konan and Yahiko stared at the scene before them in shock and bewilderment.

With a piercing screech from the city gates, the water before them no longer flowed downward, instead churning wildly under the pull of some force.

It was the suction created as the city gates slowly opened!

Hearing the gates open, the refugees, who had looked like corpses, all turned toward them in unspoken unison. A glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes as they began gathering in that direction.

"The gates are open!"

A trace of joy returned to Yahiko’s face, and he instinctively stepped forward, wanting to run over as well.

But someone suddenly grabbed him by the collar, the force so great that it made him gag.

"Cough, cough! What are you doing…" Yahiko turned toward the culprit in irritation.

But before he could finish, a dark figure suddenly appeared, blocking the bridge—the only route into the city.

He wore a rain hat, dark clothes suited for moving at night, and a forehead protector marked with four vertical lines like falling rain.

He was…

A Rain Shinobi!

In an instant, the refugees who had been surging forward stopped. Along with numbness and longing, undisguised fear appeared on their faces!

Their fear of Ninja had instantly overwhelmed their desire to live.

Soon, two rows of fully armed swordsmen emerged, their fine armor clanking with metallic sounds.

Apparently afraid that the refugees would force their way through the gates, the warriors silently guarded the bridge and even set up barricades across it.

"Those who cross the bridge without permission will die! Those who force their way through the city gates will die!"

Under the warriors’ unanimous warning, the frightened refugees instinctively retreated.

Just then.

The Rain Shinobi suddenly took a step forward and slightly raised his head, sweeping his gaze over the refugees before him. "Everyone, have you been hungry for a long time?"

After a brief silence, he only received scattered replies, making the Rain Shinobi frown slightly.

"Who turned you into this? Who made you homeless?"

The Rain Shinobi’s tone and expression grew agitated as he looked down at the crowd and shouted, "Our country is still weeping, yet the weak leader of Amegakure still grovels before the great nations that dragged us into war!"

"But what has their humility brought us?!"

At that point, his impassioned speech suddenly paused. Only after noticing that all the refugees were looking at him did a smile appear on his face.

"In the First Shinobi World War, the small nations were destroyed by the Five Great Nations, leaving us behind only to serve as a buffer zone for war!"

"In the coming Second Shinobi World War, our country will once again become the battlefield of the great nations! Everything we possess is gradually being taken away by them!"

"As long as Amegakure’s incompetent leader remains, this country will continue to weep! We need a true hero to lead us in resisting those great nations and bring us peace through absolute strength!"

"And that hero is Lord Hanzo! Lord Hanzo of the Salamander!"

The Rain Shinobi gazed at the crowd and called out, "Lord Hanzo has said that he is willing to use his own food to provide relief for everyone, and he also hopes that people of ambition will join us!!"

As the Rain Shinobi spoke passionately, a light appeared in the refugees’ eyes.

Especially when they saw the warriors erecting a rain shelter and carrying out basket after basket of bread, the refugees began to grow restless.

"Lord Hanzo!"

Shouts began to rise from the crowd, gradually becoming a unified chant!

"Lord Hanzo! Lord Hanzo!"

Rain dripped from the edge of the umbrella like strings of broken pearls. Watching the scene gradually turn fanatical, a teasing smile appeared at the corner of Yun Chuan’s mouth.

"What a complete bore."

Yun Chuan glanced aside and thought, Still, someone must be giving Hanzo ideas from behind the scenes. For certain hot-blooded people, it is unexpectedly effective.

Yahiko stared fixedly at the scene before the city gates, his eyes filled with restless eagerness.

The Rain Shinobi continued saying similar things, mainly about how incompetent Amegakure’s current leader was, how evil and hateful the Five Great Nations that started the war were, and how powerful, wise, benevolent, and brave Lord Hanzo was.

Only after half the bread had been distributed did he stop speaking and shout, "Today’s relief ends here!"

"Lord Hanzo is raising funds and gathering people of ambition. He wants to lead everyone in changing this weeping country. Any adult men who are interested may come forward to register!"

The moment he said that, earth-shaking cries erupted.

"Lord Ninja! Can’t women join? I can do anything!"

"My lord! Don’t leave! Our children are going to starve to death! Please give us a piece of bread!"

Seeing refugees crying as they crowded toward him, the Rain Shinobi narrowed his eyes slightly, and his smiling face turned cold.

What a joke.

There were thousands upon thousands of refugees gathered here. Even the capital of the Land of Rain could not support so many refugees. Providing relief to a hundred or so people each day just for appearances was already enough.

In the end, they were merely cannon fodder.

So when he saw someone reaching toward him, a chill suddenly flashed through the Rain Shinobi’s eyes.

"Ahhh!!"

He kicked the refugee behind the knee. The ruthless force instantly twisted the man’s left leg to a grotesque angle. With a scream of pain, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Don’t push your luck, bastard. Be grateful to Lord Hanzo, or I’ll butcher you right now!" Looking down at the man clutching his leg and howling, the Rain Shinobi wore a cold smile before raising his head to look at the other refugees.

In an instant, the starving crowd remembered the terror that belonged to Ninja.

"Listen up!"

One of the warriors suddenly stepped forward and shouted solemnly, "Lord Daimyo is recruiting maidservants. Girls above twelve and below sixteen will be given priority if they are pretty. Their families may receive five loaves of bread!"

Upon hearing this, the intimidated crowd became noisy again.

A gaunt young girl soon emerged from among the refugees, pulling along a five- or six-year-old boy as she asked softly, "Sir Warrior, I’m willing to serve Lord Daimyo, but I want ten… no, seven loaves of bread."

"Seven?"

The warrior repeated the question in a muffled voice, then tossed five loaves of bread at the girl’s feet and said coldly, "A deal is a deal. No matter who it is, they are only worth five loaves of bread."

The girl did not bargain any further. She silently picked up the bread, lowered her head, and handed it to the boy beside her. Forcing a smile onto her face, she said, "Crucian, big sister is going to live a good life. Take these back… Ah!"

Before she could finish, someone suddenly rushed out and snatched two loaves of bread directly from her hands. The force was so great that she was dragged to the ground, while the person squeezed out of the crowd without looking back.

The frail girl struggled to get up and shouted as she ran after the person, "Give them back!"

But someone in the crowd stretched out a foot and tripped her just as she had climbed back up.

"Hahahaha!"

At the sight, malicious and jealous laughter immediately rang out from the crowd.

They were now the lowest of the low. Under the pressure of war and death, their natures had gradually become twisted.

As for this, the warriors and Rain Shinobi merely watched coldly.

It was enough that they had made the deal and taken the girl away. As for whether she could keep that bread…

That was none of their concern.

"How… could this happen…"

From afar, Yahiko witnessed everything. His cracked lips parted slightly, revealing reddened blood vessels, and a hoarse, low murmur escaped his mouth.

He simply could not believe what he was seeing!

He and Konan had clung to their last sliver of hope for survival, relying on scavenged garbage for food all the way here.

Yet the scene before him was even more despairing than anything they had seen along the way!

Why? Why had the capital become like this?

"Because this is a real world."

As if sensing Yahiko’s confusion, Yun Chuan sighed and said softly, "And reality will never be ‘beautiful.’"

With that, he slightly raised his eyes.

Before they knew it, several figures had gathered around them, staring fixedly at the bundle behind him. Their pale, gaunt faces were filled with ugly greed.