"Because we are looking for all the foreign ninja in this country." Yahiko stood up, hands on his hips, and shouted at the man in front of him.

Haruki: "?"

He swept a meaningful glance at Yahiko.

"Oh?"

The man stroked his chin, sizing up Yahiko and the others, as if pondering the truthfulness of their words.

"Why are you doing this?"

Although these four children didn't look like ordinary kids, they were still children after all. The man wouldn't harbor malicious thoughts about them.

"Because these foreign ninja have harmed the ordinary people of this country. We want to save them. Drive all the foreign ninja out!" Yahiko spoke passionately, like a hero.

Hearing Yahiko's words, the man stared fixedly at Yahiko, and after a few seconds, he burst into laughter. His laughter made Yahiko's face flush red.

Yahiko's confidence immediately faltered, he was like a punctured balloon, deflating, "You… what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, have you eaten? Do you want to come to my house and sit for a while? I just made Kikyo cakes." The man invited warmly.

Yahiko was stunned. He stared blankly at the man in front of him.

What did this mean?

Did this man not understand his words?

He just said he was going to drive this man away!

The man's gaze fell on Haruki. He said something that made Yahiko want to spit blood, "You're their older brother, aren't you?"

Yahiko: "…"

Bastard!

He was the oldest one!

Haruki was the youngest among them!

What was this bastard saying?

He admitted that Haruki was indeed the tallest among them, but being the tallest didn't mean he was the oldest.

Haruki suppressed the upward curve of his lips.

"I don't know who among you is the older brother, but you look more mature than them. So, you make the decision. Do you want to come to my house and try the Kikyo cakes I made?"

"I believe you will like them. The villagers all think my cooking is excellent." The man's tone became proud.

Yahiko was still glaring angrily at the man. The man was unmoved, completely ignoring Yahiko.

Haruki looked at Nagato and Konan, then nodded. "Okay."

Breakfast had long been digested on the road, and a string of candied haws wasn't filling enough. Eating something would be good.

As for safety issues…

Haruki thought about his curses and felt that there was no need to worry for now.

"Haruki, you just agreed to this strange uncle? Aren't you afraid he'll trick us?"

"What if he's some kind of monster and tricks us into his house to eat us?"

"Or maybe he wants to put medicine in the Kikyo cakes and catch us all at once."

"…"

On the way back to the man's house, Yahiko's incessant nagging kept sounding in Haruki's ears. Yahiko's imagination was rich enough to inherit Jiraiya's writing career.

"Don't be afraid, I will protect you." Haruki comforted Yahiko.

[Ding!]

[System detected Yahiko's affection value +500]

[Ding!]

[System detected Nagato's affection value +500]

[Ding!]

[System detected Konan's affection value +500]

[Currently collected affection value totals 1500. Your Love Curse growth value has increased to 33.05%]

Yahiko scratched his head, looking conflicted. Finally, he whispered in Haruki's ear, "Haruki, I know you want to protect us, but I'm the oldest one, I should be protecting you."

What was there to be conflicted about?

When Haruki said he would protect Yahiko and the others, it was only when they encountered surmountable opponents. If he really encountered beings of the level of Minato or a Jinchuriki, he would definitely be the fastest one to run. Yahiko didn't need to care about such verbal assurances.

"No matter if I'm older or not, I want to protect you." Haruki smiled at Yahiko, ending the argument.

[Ding!]

[System detected Yahiko's affection value +500]

[Ding!]

[System detected Nagato's affection value +500]

[Ding!]

[System detected Konan's affection value +500]

[Currently collected affection value totals 1500. Your Love Curse growth value has increased to 33.2%]

Yahiko sighed helplessly.

Alright then!

The man walking ahead heard their conversation, and a warm smile appeared in his eyes.

After walking for about half an hour, a wooden house appeared in Haruki's view.

"We're here."

The man strode towards the wooden house, opened it, and skillfully went inside to find the Kikyo cakes he had made that morning.

Haruki led Yahiko and the others into the wooden house and sat down on the clean tatami mat.

Soon, the man appeared before Haruki and the others, carrying a large platter. He placed the platter, piled high with Kikyo cakes, in front of Haruki and the others.

"Have a taste." The man laughed heartily, his eyes filled with anticipation.

No one dared to eat.

Haruki and the others stared at the Kikyo cakes with suspicious eyes. The Kikyo cakes emitted an enticing aroma but they were all afraid of poison.

"Hahahahaha!"

The man saw through their thoughts and casually picked up a Kikyo cake, tossing it into his mouth.

Nagato cautiously reached out and casually picked up a Kikyo cake.

Just as Haruki thought Nagato was going to eat it, he handed the Kikyo cake to the man.

Haruki: "…"

The man: "…"

Yahiko gave Nagato a "well done" look.

The man ate the Kikyo cake from Nagato's hand, his lips twitching.

He thought, 'These little brats are quite clever.'

Seeing that the man had eaten and showed no unusual reactions, Yahiko finally reached out.

Haruki was also hungry.

The Kikyo cakes tasted very good, mildly sweet, and not overly cloying.

"Delicious, isn't it?" The man asked.

Konan nodded.

The man's expression became even more proud.

"Alright, now tell me, what are your names?"

The man's expression became a little more serious, but still without malice.

Yahiko, eating with relish, said indistinctly, "My name is Yahiko, his name is Haruki, his name is Nagato, and her name is Konan."

"It's your turn to say your name." Haruki stared at the man.

The man looked deeply at Haruki. He had heard that name before. He was not like the villagers of Kikyo Plain.

To always be prepared for emergencies, he would regularly cross mountains and valleys to gather the latest intelligence.

Haruki — Hanzo's disciple, the Genius ninja of Amegakure.