Although it was strange that there was suddenly one more person, seeing that Yuya and Konan were about the same age, the pursuers instantly lumped Yuya in as one of them.
"Crap! Run!!"
Yahiko's expression changed instantly. He called out to Konan and turned to flee.
Konan was momentarily startled and instinctively moved to follow, but immediately thought of Yuya.
"Come with us, hurry!"
Even though Yuya wasn't actually with them, it was obvious he'd already been mistaken as part of their group. If they left him behind, and he couldn't explain himself clearly, he might get beaten badly.
Without time to think further, the kind-hearted Konan grabbed Yuya by the arm and dragged him forward as she ran.
Yuya's expression turned a little strange, but he didn't say anything. After letting her pull him for a few steps, he naturally matched her pace and followed along.
The three of them pushed through the crowded marketplace, weaving left and right. Before long, they managed to shake off their pursuers and ran straight out of the town.
"Huff… huff…"
Only after leaving the town did Yahiko bend over, panting heavily.
Konan wasn't much better, though she held herself together a bit more.
As for Yuya, he didn't seem short of breath at all. His gaze flickered as he quietly observed the two of them.
After catching his breath, Yahiko finally noticed that Yuya looked completely unfazed. He circled around Yuya once, then grinned.
"Man, you've got some insane stamina. We ran all that way and you don't even look tired."
"Yahiko…"
Konan looked embarrassed and turned to Yuya.
"I'm really sorry. We dragged you into this."
"It's fine."
Yuya smiled slightly and handed over the long loaf of bread he was holding.
"This…"
"Well, you ran with us all that way, so…"
"Oh, just take it already, Konan!" Yahiko waved dismissively. "He clearly doesn't need this stuff."
Konan looked apologetically at Yuya, but in the end, she still accepted it.
"I'm really sorry… We're orphans. Just surviving in this world is already hard enough. This is the only way we can—"
"I'm an orphan too."
Yuya suddenly spoke softly.
At the same time, a faint trace of loneliness appeared on his face. Even now, he had no idea who his parents in this world were.
He only had a few vague memories—fragmented and incomplete.
Konan clearly hadn't expected that answer. She stared at Yuya in surprise.
But noticing his worn, tattered clothing—much like her own—and the expression on his face, it was obvious he wasn't lying.
"Oh?! You're an orphan too?" Yahiko said in surprise. "But you don't look all skinny and malnourished at all. And your stamina's crazy…"
As he spoke, Yahiko's eyes flickered. He suddenly grinned.
"Hey, how about teaming up with us?"
With Yuya's stamina, he clearly wouldn't be a burden. If he helped out, their lives might actually get a lot better.
Yuya instinctively wanted to refuse.
But when he glanced at Konan—and thought of Nagato, that extremely important figure—his eyes flickered slightly, and a different idea formed.
"Alright."
"That's awesome!"
Yahiko laughed loudly and introduced them.
"I'm Yahiko. She's Konan."
"Yuya."
Yuya didn't particularly care if his name caused trouble. It wasn't famous enough for ordinary people in the Land of Rain to recognize anyway.
"Then we're partners now. Come on—let me show you our base."
Yahiko casually slapped Yuya on the shoulder and led the way.
Watching Yahiko like this made Yuya feel slightly uncomfortable.
After all, the image he was used to was Yahiko as Tendo Pain—cold, calm, and utterly emotionless.
Konan nodded lightly to Yuya, then walked alongside him.
Before long, they arrived inside a limestone cave.
It was filled with stolen and scavenged supplies—food, clothes, and other daily necessities.
Yuya looked around with interest.
"Well? Not bad, right?"
Yahiko sat on a wooden table and grinned at Yuya.
Yuya simply shrugged.
"Oh, right. What about you?"
Thinking about Yuya's stamina, Yahiko assumed he must have some supplies of his own.
Yuya shook his head.
"I have nothing."
"…Alright. That won't do."
Yahiko sighed helplessly, jumped down from the table, and looked at Yuya seriously.
"Even if you've got great stamina and strength, and can always find food—what happens if the war reaches this place one day?"
"So you have to store supplies. Honestly, you don't seem to know much about surviving in this world."
Yahiko grabbed an apple, took a bite, and started lecturing like a teacher.
Konan stood nearby, smiling quietly.
"First, you always need to stockpile supplies. We never know when we won't be able to find food."
"And when stealing, you have to be careful. Some people are absolutely off-limits."
"For example—those ninja with metal forehead protectors."
"Those guys are terrifying. If you provoke them, they might just kill you on the spot!"
At this point, Yahiko looked visibly shaken, as if he had witnessed ninja killing before.
Beside him, Konan fell silent, her expression darkening.
Her hometown had been almost completely destroyed by war, and that was how she became an orphan.
"As for robbing places… only target shops, and always plan an escape route. But I don't really recommend it."
"If you get caught, it's a huge problem. Though with your stamina, you probably won't get caught."
Yahiko grinned again, clearly envious of Yuya's endurance.
"Anyway, there's only one thing that really matters—never, ever mess with ninja!"
"To them, ordinary people like us are no different from ants. They kill without even blinking."
After rambling on for quite a while, Yahiko finally noticed that Yuya didn't seem to have listened to a single word.
A dark line appeared on his forehead as he grabbed Yuya's shoulders and shook him hard.
"Hey! Are you even listening?! Don't come crying to me if you get yourself killed!"
"Yuya, Yahiko's right."
Konan also spoke softly.
"Those ninja are absolutely not people we can provoke. You have to remember that."
"Stealing might just get you beaten up, but if you anger a ninja, it'll be far worse. We don't have the power to fight them at all."
"…Actually, I'm a ninja too."
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