klisemfg Chapter 555 How could this happen?
Chapter 555 How could this happen?
"How could this be?" Zhang Hai frowned deeply. The intelligence he had gathered previously contained no indication of an attack on Yangyan Village. He quickly moved through the ruins, cautiously observing his surroundings. His intuition told him that something unknown must have happened here.
His original mission was simply to gather intelligence, but now he finds himself potentially embroiled in deeper trouble. One of his objectives is to find Elder Gen-o, the most senior ninja in Yangyan Village. Gen-o is the village's most skilled in Fire Release techniques and metallurgy, and Zhang Hai hopes to obtain some secret information about Fire Release ninjutsu and ninja tool manufacturing from him.
He searched cautiously, his gaze sweeping over a scene of utter devastation. Suddenly, he sensed a faint fluctuation of chakra. The fluctuation was subtle, yet it carried a unique aura of concealment, clearly the result of special training. Zhang Hai did not immediately reveal himself, but instead moved stealthily, following the fluctuation as he quietly approached.
Beneath the rubble of collapsed houses, through a narrow crevice, he saw a small, thin figure. It was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, curled up in a ball, covered in dust and blood, but her eyes were unusually wary. In her hand, she tightly gripped a bloodstained kunai, and although her body trembled slightly, the tip of the kunai was steadily pointed in the direction where Zhang Hai might appear.
The fact that she could even control her chakra to this extent is enough to show that she had received professional training.
Zhang Hai stopped in his tracks, not daring to approach any closer. He knew that in this environment, any sudden action could provoke an overreaction from the other party. He slowly raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm, and then spoke in as gentle a voice as possible: "Little sister, don't be afraid. I'm not an enemy."
The little girl's body trembled slightly, but the kunai in her hand pointed even more firmly at Zhang Hai. Her voice trembled slightly, yet it was unusually clear: "You...who are you? Why are you here? I've never seen you before...were you sent by those enemies?" Her eyes were filled with vigilance and suspicion, as well as the fear buried deep in her heart.
Looking into her bloodshot yet still stubborn eyes, Zhang Hai felt a pang of pity. He didn't answer her question directly, but instead tried to soften his tone and build trust: "My name is Zhang Hai, and I'm a passing ninja. I saw everything here; it seems a very unfortunate attack has occurred. I meant no harm; I just wanted to see if anyone needed help."
"Help?" A mocking smile curled at the corner of the little girl's lips. Though her voice was still innocent, it carried a world-weariness beyond her years. "Those who said they would help us all turned out to be wolves. You're just like them, a ninja! Who knows what your motives are!" Her words were filled with distrust of ninjas, clearly indicating that she had suffered a great blow in the past.
Zhang Hai knew that verbal explanations would be utterly ineffective with a little girl who had just experienced the tragedy of her village's annihilation. He had to take a more effective approach. He said nothing more, but instead concentrated his chakra at his fingertips and cast a very faint, almost imperceptible genjutsu into the little girl's eyes. This genjutsu was not offensive; its purpose was simply to lower her guard and instill trust in her.
The illusion had taken effect. Although the little girl's eyes remained wary, the unfathomable hostility deep within them seemed to have dissipated somewhat. The kunai in her hand also drooped slightly.
"What...what exactly do you want to do?" The little girl's voice was no longer so sharp, but it was still full of uncertainty.
Zhang Hai looked at her calmly, his tone guiding her: "I want to find the other survivors in your village, especially Elder Xuanweng. If you know where they are, can you take me there? I promise I won't hurt you."
The little girl hesitated. Under the influence of the illusion, her aversion to Zhang Hai lessened, but her instinctive self-preservation remained. She was silent for a moment, seemingly struggling with her thoughts. Finally, she slowly nodded, but instead of getting up immediately, she pointed in a direction deep within the ruins.
“They…they’re there…beside a small hill.” The little girl’s voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something.
Zhang Hai looked in the direction she pointed. It was a relatively intact area, obscured by several huge rocks, forming a natural barrier. He knew that the little girl wasn't completely controlled by the illusion; she remained somewhat vigilant, which was why she hadn't led him there directly but instead chose to point the way. But that was enough.
"Thank you," Zhang Hai said softly, then he carefully walked in the direction the little girl had pointed. He deliberately made no sound with his footsteps, as if he were blending into the ruins.
When he rounded several boulders and arrived at the small hillside, the sight before him made his pupils shrink.
Sure enough, a group of survivors had gathered there. Most of them were ragged, their faces showing exhaustion and fear, huddled together for warmth. There were several elderly people and some wounded villagers. In the center of them, a short but remarkably vigorous old man stood with his back to Zhang Hai, seemingly whispering words of comfort. Although he was old, the old man's back was still straight, and he exuded a calm and collected aura that came from years of battle.
It was Elder Xuanweng from Yangyan Village!
Zhang Hai didn't conceal his presence; he knew that suddenly appearing under these circumstances would only cause unnecessary panic. He chose a suitable spot, tiptoed, and slowly walked over.
The moment he stepped onto the small hill, Xuan Weng abruptly turned around. His cloudy eyes instantly sharpened, staring intently at Zhang Hai like a hawk. Beside him, several young ninjas immediately assumed defensive stances, their eyes filled with vigilance despite their numerous wounds.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Xuan Weng's voice was slightly hoarse, yet still authoritative. He noticed the Leaf Village headband on Zhang Hai's forehead, but his eyes showed no relaxation; instead, they held a hint of wariness.
Zhang Hai stopped and raised his hands again to indicate that he meant no harm. He looked directly into Xuan Weng's eyes and said in a deep voice, "I am Zhang Hai, a Konoha ninja. I came here on a mission, but I didn't expect to encounter this situation." He did not hide his identity because he knew that in the ruins, any lie could be exposed.