Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 12 Temporarily Joining the Caravan

The leading ronin samurai weighed the silver in his hand; there were only twenty or thirty thousand taels, which was a temporary payment from the merchant. But this amount of money was hardly enough to satisfy them.

Of course, they never intended to continue protecting the caravan; they just planned to make a quick buck before leaving.

As for why they didn't ambush the merchants on the way?

They're not that stupid; they want cash, not bulky goods.

The businessman had already made arrangements along the way and didn't have much cash left.

What they had to do was force the merchants to sell some of their goods first, and then make plans after they got the money.

Passersby were already used to it and kept their distance, not wanting to get involved.

Those who had been watching from the sidelines were mostly merchants from other caravans. They all suppressed their smiles, watched coldly, and waited patiently.

They were waiting for this merchant to succumb to the pressure and sell his goods at a low price, so they could take advantage of the situation and profit from the bargain.

Even if they have done business together, or are friends or business partners, in the face of profit, those feelings are no longer worth mentioning.

Yu Nu Zhicheng saw everything and his eyes lit up. Wasn't this merchant the employer he had been searching for?

He stepped forward, snatched the boy from the skinny man, and then precisely kicked away the leg that was stepping on the merchant's back. The force was not great, but it made the slightly fat ronin stagger back several steps and almost fall into the mud.

Then, Aburame Shichen pulled the merchant out of the mud, stood in front of him, and calmly looked at the three wandering samurai, saying in a moderate voice, "Gentlemen, it's not good to raise prices on the spot. If word gets out, who will dare to hire you in the future?"

The ronin leader, a man in his thirties with a ruthless air, sized up Aburame Shisei. Seeing his youthful appearance and immature face, he said, "Don't let others fear you just because you're a ninja. Judging from your headband, you must be a ninja from Takigakure. A ninja from a small village like that is probably still a genin at that age. If you want to stand up for others, you need to have the ability."

Aburame Shisei smiled gently and said, "Gentlemen, harmony brings wealth. These days, ninjas from various countries have set up checkpoints at every turn. You wouldn't want to be repeatedly questioned and get into unnecessary trouble, would you?"

The ronin leader's expression changed, because Aburame Shisei's words had struck a nerve. These ronin had questionable backgrounds and were most afraid of thorough official investigations.

After a few seconds of stalemate, the ronin leader snorted coldly, "Hmph, let's go!"

"Wait a minute!" Aburame Zhicheng suddenly called out, stopping the group. "Since you've taken the money, you should get the job done. Otherwise, please return the money to this uncle."

The ronin leader was furious upon hearing this. He frowned, turned his head, and glared fiercely at Aburame Shisei.

Just as he was about to speak, the slightly chubby ronin tugged at his arm, winked at him, and smiled, "Brother, one should be honest. Since this ninja has spoken, let's continue following him."

The three exchanged glances, immediately understanding each other's intentions, and smiled again, though the smiles appeared terrifying to the merchant.

"In that case, let us continue to escort you on your journey."

"No, no." The merchant hugged his son and hurriedly shook his head. After what had happened, how could he dare to let these wandering warriors escort them again?

But upon closer reflection, how would they reach the Land of Earth if no one escorted them?

Are we really going to sell our goods here at a low price?

But if he really did that, he wouldn't even be able to earn back the money he had already invested, and he would probably soon become a commoner.

"Sir, if you don't mind, I can escort you."

Aburame Shisei's words were like a ray of warm sunshine, dispelling the chill in his heart.

The businessman was excited, but he quickly calmed down. With his current wealth, could he really afford to hire a ninja?

"Sir ninja, I don't have that much money on me. Shall I give you a mission?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't have money."

"My companion and I have just gotten separated, and I was planning to return to the Land of Waterfalls. The canyon bridge is not easy to cross now, and it is quite dangerous to enter the Land of Earth. It would be better to enter the Land of Waterfalls first, and then detour north to enter the Land of Earth. Although it is a detour, the Land of Waterfalls is a neutral country with no war, and the inspections are lenient, which will actually save trouble."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

The merchant was deeply grateful to the oil lady Zhicheng and quickly introduced himself.

"My name is Ryuji Ida. Ninja, could you please tell me your name? When I become successful, I will definitely come to thank you."

"Haha, my name is Ryukawa Hide, and I'm a ninja from Takigakure. Nice to meet you!"

Aburame Shisei imitated Mori no Kazuya's mannerisms, scratching his head and grinning foolishly, seemingly with a kind heart.

While the two chatted, several servants had already reorganized the goods, and Ryuji Ida, holding his child, boarded the carriage. It was the boy who had been kidnapped earlier, named Keita Ida, eleven years old.

On the other side, three wandering samurai were very surprised. They did not expect that Shisei Aburame would choose to join the team and ask for no reward.

As the group was about to depart, the leader of the ronin began to hesitate, wondering whether he should return the money he had and leave the group.

Just then, the slightly chubby ronin behind him grabbed him again and said, "Brother, the Land of Grass is in turmoil right now, why don't we take this opportunity to leave?"

Then, in a very low voice, he said, "Brother, look at him. He doesn't look like a real ninja at all. He's probably just a greenhorn who's never even killed a human. Why don't we turn the tables on him... If we gain something from this, maybe we can become ninjas too."

It has to be admitted that the ronin leader was tempted.

He was a samurai who believed he was no less skilled in taijutsu than a normal chunin, especially since he had acquired the method of chakra refinement many years ago.

The only thing he lacked compared to a ninja was a few decent ninjutsu techniques.

The three ronin exchanged another glance, then continued to follow the caravan, showing no intention of leaving.

Little did they know that none of their sounds, movements, or even expressions escaped Aburame Shisei's perception.

The reason we don't deal with them is mainly because we don't want to expose our strength in public.

Sitting in the lead carriage, Ryuji Ida looked at the few wandering samurai who had not yet left, and still felt a little worried.

When he saw Yu Nu Zhicheng sitting calmly on the hood of the car, all his worries vanished.

In the eyes of these merchants, a ninja is a ninja, and a ronin is a ronin; the two cannot be compared at all.

He believed that the ninja must have his reasons for letting those ronin follow him and leave him alone.