Chapter 166: Beware the White Monster, the Man from the Past
Land of Hot Water, a small southern village.
A giant wild boar was coming down the mountain, its sheer presence scattering the birds and beasts. But upon closer inspection, it was being carried down. A sturdy young man was carrying it on his back, one step at a time. The boar was already long dead.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
He carried it down the mountain and dropped it in front of the village chief's house.
"Grandpa Chief! Mission complete! The big boar on the mountain has been killed! Can I get the bounty now?"
The old village chief came out, trembling. He was surprised to see that the red-haired brat had actually managed to kill the boar that had been terrorizing the village.
"Amazing!" he said. "No wonder you're so... heroic at such a young age. You're very strong."
He couldn't help but look at the boy's biceps. He was a completely different breed from his own grandson. No wonder his grandson had been knocked over by the boar, while this boy had knocked over the boar.
There was no haggling over the bounty. The people of the ninja world understood the rules. A small village like this would never dare to shortchange a ninja. The chief happily paid the 100,000 Ryō reward.
"Such a big boar," he said, looking at it. "If you don't mind, young hero, you can stay for dinner and have a taste."
"The boar isn't part of the deal," Nagato said, tucking the money away. "The mission request didn't say the prey belonged to the client."
"Then why did you bring it down?" the chief asked, taken aback.
"To show you I didn't lie. I'm taking it with me. The butcher in town is buying. I can get at least 10,000 Ryō for it. Of course, if you want it, I can give you a discount. It would save me the trouble of carrying it back. How about 9,000? Don't worry, I've already bled it."
The chief's face twitched. He felt like he was talking to a butcher, not a ninja.
In the end, the boar was sold for 8,500 Ryō. But the chief did not mention dinner again.
Nagato left with his reward, feeling very satisfied.
A few years ago, when his family was still in the Land of Rain, he had never imagined that he would be living like this.
Since he had become his master's student, had learned ninjutsu, and had understood the truths of the world (mistakenly), his life had become full of hope. His parents had settled down in the Land of Iron, and he was following his master, training and taking on mercenary missions. In his eyes, his master was his second father. He had taught him how to survive in this world, and had often taught him how to be a man.
The only thing that saddened him was that his master, who called himself a "wanderer with no home to claim," had never told him his real name. He could only call him "master." Even when he took missions at the underground exchange, his master would only use a code name.
But their bond was real.
And since he had become proficient in his training, his master had begun to allow him to take on missions alone.
A ninja, even a mercenary without a village, earned a good living. Though he couldn't take on high-ranking missions because of his age, the D and C-rank missions from the underground exchange still provided a considerable income.
He sent most of the money to his parents, and he would go back to visit them every few months. With his support, they had quickly established themselves in the Land of Iron. They had not only bought a new house, but were also expecting a new baby brother or sister.
He returned to the small courtyard he and his master were renting in a medium-sized town in the Land of Hot Water, his reward in his pocket, feeling very happy.
"Master! I'm back!"
But his master, who usually liked to sit at the entrance, drinking, was gone. And there was no answer. At first, he didn't think much of it. They were both mercenaries. His master would occasionally leave him to take on more difficult missions.
It wasn't until he opened his master's room and found that it had been completely cleaned out, with only a single letter in the center, that he began to panic.
On the letter was written: "To my dear student, Nagato."
He quickly opened it.
"Nagato, I have nothing more to teach you, neither the power of a ninja nor the ways of a man. The rest is up to you, to study and practice, and to test in your own life. The Great Ninja War is over, but the peace is only temporary. You must seize every moment to become stronger, so that you can protect yourself and those around you when the next turmoil comes."
The letter recounted their time together, and Nagato's eyes began to sting.
At the end, his master had written a few words of comfort. "Remember, Nagato! Only with power can you laugh in the face of the pain of the ninja world! All suffering is caused by a lack of power! Master power, and laugh at strength! I have left a small booklet for you in a hidden compartment. If you are ever lost, you can look at it."
Though he was sad, he instinctively flexed his well-developed trapezius muscles. "Master is right," he said to himself. "Master power, and laugh at strength!"
But even after reading the letter, he was still dejected. He didn't know why his master had suddenly left him.
He took out the small booklet from the hidden compartment. It was in his master's handwriting, a record of the life lessons he had taught him. Tears began to fall.
When he had recovered, he pulled himself together. It was a long shot, but he had to try. He went to the familiar underground exchange and found the mission dispatcher.
"I want to post a mission," he said. "To find a mercenary. The reward is... thirty... no, fifty thousand."
"Sure," the owner of the exchange said, unfazed. "Any description?"
"Tall, about forty years old, muscular, with a stubble, likes to drink... code name 'Raifu'..."
"The code name 'Raifu'," the owner said, looking at him, "was deactivated a few days ago. He paid the cleaning fee. That means he's retired. So the exchange cannot accept a mission to find him."
"What? He even deactivated his code name?"
Nagato left the exchange, dejected, the "Raifu's Maxims" in his hand. He was a little lost in the bustling streets.
His master's departure had been too sudden. He had a feeling that something was wrong.
He suddenly remembered that three years ago, when he had just become his student, his master had been teaching him about encryption and decryption. He had, as a joke, made up an encryption method on the spot and had had him practice deciphering it. But he had burned the paper with the encryption method on it that very night.
He suddenly wondered if his master had left a hidden message.
He began to search his memories, trying to find any hidden information.
Nothing in the booklet. He tried the letter again.
Sure enough, he could faintly make out a few characters that had been encrypted according to a special pattern. He tried to remember the encryption method he had only seen once. Fortunately, he had a good memory.
After a long time, he had cracked the code. In the hundreds of words of the letter, a few characters formed a sentence.
"Behind you, there is a great conspiracy. Be careful, your parents' safety, the white monster, the man from the past..."
Though he was shocked, he did not forget his master's teachings. He did not show any emotion. He just committed the message to memory.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he left the underground exchange.
And on a tower in the distance, a tall ninja in a straw raincoat was watching him. He took a sip of sake from a gourd.
"Well then," he murmured, "though it is hard to part, it is time for me to go. Nagato, with your talent, you will one day be famous throughout the ninja world."
Including the preparation time before he had made contact with him, it had been five years. At first, it had just been a mission. But now, it had become his life. And he had come to think of him as his own student.
"I don't know if I can get used to life back in the village," he thought. "I'll take a year or two off first. Nagato, we'll meet again if fate allows."