The band played, and girls danced.
Their thighs, some slender and long, others plump and soft, shone under the scorching sun like the color of "youth."
Only at times like these did the people living in the Land of Wind thank the scorching sun.
"It's hot, it's good and hot!"
A group of Washua City civilians were blocked by samurai, clearing the main road.
They held cups of coffee, dressed impeccably, and even when craning their necks to look, they put on airs.
"A 21-gun salute, what sort of big shot is coming to Washua City? Could it be a Daimyo from another country?"
"Please don't let it be a Daimyo from the Land of Fire. I have trade dealings in the Land of Fire. If a Daimyo from the Land of Fire visits, it could delay the signing of customs documents, costing tens of millions round trip."
"What Daimyo? You people don't pay attention to current events at all! Today, the man 'who cannot be named' is coming."
The man who cannot be named?
Among all the great heroes in the world, the one feared so much that his name dare not be spoken is probably only Linto, known as "invincible under the starry sky."
However, the reason consortiums, ninja villages, and leaders of various organizations don't mention Linto's name is because they fear that strange little vine will come looking for them.
The few people talking were just ordinary civilians; even if they chanted Linto's name day and night, Hermit Purple wouldn't stir.
They said this purely to flatter themselves, as if they were important figures connected to the consortiums.
This kind of phenomenon was common in Washua City and often set off a trend.
For this, Shiratori Uemon could only use two words to describe it:
"Idiots."
He muttered softly.
Shiratori Uemon was a boy of sixteen or seventeen, with messy hair, not tall, wearing a gray-black cloak. As he walked, one could see the left side of his cloak was empty, clearly missing his left arm.
He weaved through the crowd, his only remaining right hand occasionally flashing out from his cloak, and by the time he left, an empty wallet had already appeared on the ground.
Shiratori Uemon was a "rat" living underground.
Having lost an arm, he couldn't work in a factory, so his main job was stealing.
Because he only had his right arm, if he were caught, he wouldn't be able to transfer the stolen goods, and he would face the chopping off of his remaining right hand.
This would be no different from death for Shiratori Uemon.
Therefore, he was extremely focused during each theft.
He had never failed.
Shiratori Uemon had heard early on that a big shot was coming today, and given the nature of Washua City citizens, they would surely slick their hair, put on formal wear, hold coffee, and pretend to be passing by while standing on both sides of the road, talking loudly.
If anyone listened to them, their tone would become even more impassioned.
Shiratori didn't know why they wasted time doing this, but for him, it was a buffet.
He casually stole a wallet and peered through the gaps in the crowd at the approaching figure…
Huh?
Shiratori's eyesight was excellent. Linto wasn't walking; he was clearly floating in mid-air like a ghost.
"Tch, so this is a 'big shot'."
He sneered, "Doesn't look like much."
As soon as he finished speaking, a hand grabbed Shiratori's wrist.
He jumped in fright and looked up, meeting the samurai's cold eyes.
"Damn it!"
"I've been found out!"
Just as Shiratori was about to escape, the samurai's hand, like an iron clamp, pulled him out and kicked him in the stomach.
"Scram! A sewer rat, don't stand here and ruin Washua City's image!"
Not satisfied, he kicked Shiratori in the stomach two more times.
Despite the pain, Shiratori Uemon breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking he'd been caught stealing.
After the samurai walked away, he got up, went to the outskirts of the city, lifted a dirty manhole cover, and disappeared underground.
He walked through the deserted underground pipes, counting his day's haul one by one, muttering:
"Linto didn't come, I got beaten up."
"Linto came, I still got beaten up."
"Didn't Linto come here for nothing?"
Shiratori shook his head.
He said all that nonsense about the "awakening ideology" was rubbish; in their mouths it was about principles, but in their hearts it was about business.
Shiratori had seen this kind of thing many times; it was nothing more than finding excuses to make others fight and die.
The so-called Linto was just another type of big shot.
Shiratori Uemon thought as he turned a corner, and the number of people walking in the underground pipes gradually increased.
He took left and right turns underground, finally arriving at a door, which he pushed open and entered.
"Boss, a great harvest today!"
Shiratori took a thick stack of cash from his kabuto and placed it on the table with a soft "thud."
Kurosaki, sitting behind the table, looked up and pushed his glasses up.
Kurosaki was the leader of the underground rats, his status equivalent to Iwamine Yako of Korin City.
He took the money, and a slight smile appeared on his dry lips.
"With this money, we can treat the sick children."
After speaking, he seemed to remember something and looked Shiratori Uemon up and down:
"Did you not keep any money for yourself again? I heard you haven't eaten a proper meal in quite some time."
Shiratori waved his hand. Rather than eating well himself, he hoped those sick little ones would get better quickly. Besides—
"I've seen workers overworked to death, but have you ever seen a beggar starve to death?"
Shiratori raised his chin and changed the subject:
"There's another piece of news. The big shot you've been longing for, Linto, has arrived in Washua City. Boss, are you going to pay your respects?"
"I will, but not now."
Shiratori shrugged.
Under the influence of Boss Kurosaki, the rats regarded the awakening ideology as sacred scripture; this was essentially an idol meet-and-greet.
Only Shiratori was not interested in Linto or the awakening ideology.
He only cared about money.
"I'm leaving."
Shiratori decided to find another place to "crowdfund" some money for his younger siblings' treatment.
Kurosaki took out a hard, dry piece of bread from a drawer and tossed it to him: "Remember to eat properly, and next time, knock before entering!"
"Annoying."
Shiratori left.
The main door closed again.
Silence fell within the room. Kurosaki slowly took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes.
A few strands of long hair fell on his forehead, and he swept them back.
This simple action completely transformed his demeanor.
From a gentle and kind rat leader who spoiled his subordinates excessively, he became a man with sharp eyes and boundless ambition.
"Put away your knives."
Kurosaki said coldly.
Clack—clack—
Two faint sounds of impact on the ground.
Two men who had been hanging from the ceiling landed silently on the ground.
One of them was a bald monk, carrying a pipa. His appearance could be considered handsome, but a scar spanning his nose gave him a fierce look in addition to his Buddhist aura.
The other had thin hair and a gaunt build. His eyes constantly darted around, as if he had a hundred schemes in mind. He looked like he wasn't a good person at all.
Both were rogue ninjas from Sunagakure Village.
The former was Monk Hoichi, a direct disciple of Monk Bunpuku (the first Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast), skilled in various sealing jutsu.
However, after Monk Bunpuku's death and Gaara became the new Jinchuriki, Monk Hoichi gradually lost his influence in the village and became an ordinary monk.
Later, upon learning that Rasa intended to lead Sunagakure Village to betray the Land of Wind, Monk Hoichi could no longer tolerate Rasa's obstinacy and quietly left the village.
If Monk Hoichi's departure could be considered understandable and justifiable, the other man's betrayal was purely for his own selfish desires.
That man was named Mukade. He was skilled in puppet techniques, but in his pursuit of more powerful puppet techniques, he experimented on the village's people like Orochimaru. The result was that he was discovered and had to flee.
Kurosaki looked at the two men before him.
"Let's continue our previous topic. Linto has arrived in Washua City… our chance has come."
Monk Hoichi clasped his hands together.
"Shedding the mortal coil and transforming into a dragon."
That's right, not like the rats of Korin City, emerging from the ground to become "people" standing under the sky.
They had waited for so long, planned for so long, and now they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Naturally, they wanted to become "dragons" suspended above the blue sky, looking down on the world.
Success or failure would be determined today.
The three looked at each other, placing their right hands on their chests:
"Long live the awakening."