[Naruto] Stunning

Li Xiang was awakened by the chirping of unknown birds in the woods.The first scene I saw when I opened my eyes was the sunshine outside the cave, which seemed to be covered with a layer of golden veil, and a silver-haired young man roasting an unlucky pheasant by the fire.

Today seems to be an unusual day.

Li Xiang went to a nearby stream to wash up, and the stream reflected the girl's unhappy face.Even if the sun is shining and the air is fresh, it is really hard to be happy.

After simply tidying up his clothes and hair, when he walked to the side of the silver-haired young man, he just happened to roast the pheasant deliciously.When a ninja is on a mission, Bingliangwan is one of the necessary items, and Kakashi certainly has it with him-but if he lets Rika eat Bingliangwan, the daimyo will definitely send the guardian ninja twelve to hunt him down.must!

Bingliangwan is simply poison to ordinary people.Even if you are a ninja, eating too much will have side effects.

Li Xiang stood beside him, her face bathed in the sun finally looked much better than last night.Maybe there was something that made her feel a little more at ease.

"Too bad." She cursed suddenly.

Kakashi glanced up at her suspiciously.

Li Xiang looked at the morning sun in the distance with puffed cheeks, and said angrily, "I have to spend the first day of the new year in such a ghostly place!"

In previous years, during the Chinese New Year, Daming Mansion must have a scene of singing, dancing and peace with gongs and drums.

After she said this, Kakashi remembered that today is the beginning of a new year.Unlike Rika, Kakashi actually has no expectations for the New Year, and even the memories of participating in the New Year Festival with his parents are blurred because of the age.Since I became a ninja, especially Jonin, many times I went out to perform missions years ago, and it will be the next year when I come back.

——Children are looking forward to the New Year.Kakashi smiled nonchalantly.

"Don't complain, princess. We have to go on after we've had our fill."

Li Xiangxin sat down unwillingly: "Let me tell you first, no matter what, I don't want to live in the wild tonight, especially this kind of gloomy cave!"

"Yes, go straight ahead, and you should be able to reach the nearest village in the evening."

In the barren mountains and ridges where there is no carriage or sedan chair, the only thing you can rely on is a pair of legs.

"...You carry me on your back."

"...Don't be willful in this case."

The silver-haired ninja stretched out the grilled pheasant leg in front of her, and Rika bit it down with a bitter face.

"...My hands are not chicken legs, princess!"

***

There were bumps and bumps along the way, and when Lixiang was tired from walking, she repeatedly cheated and tricked a certain silver-haired young man into being her human flesh driver.In fact, Kakashi mobilized Chakra to shuttle through the woods behind her back, which was much more efficient than walking slowly by herself.

Finally, before dusk, I saw the smoke rising from the houses in the village ahead.

Lixiang suddenly remembered something: "When there are other people around, don't call me a princess."

Kakashi understood that the disappearance of Princess Rika had to be kept a secret, and the dead fish blinked: "What's that called? Lily of the Valley?"

"You want to die?"

The first technician who needed a beating quickly apologized with a dry smile. There was already a clearly visible tooth mark on his left wrist, and he didn't want his right wrist to make a pair too.

Kakashi would never joke with Rika like this before.In just a few days since finding Rika, Kakashi felt that this princess was slightly different from before.How should I put it——probably because the arrogant arrogance of relying on my noble status before has subsided a lot.

There is no harm in growing up by suffering a little bit.

I don't know if this counts as a blessing in disguise.

When Rika said, "When you leave tomorrow, go buy a carriage from the villagers, I will never walk again", Kakashi's big hand suddenly covered the top of her hair.The silver-haired ninja's crescent eyes smiled as if somewhat relieved, and interrupted her: "You've grown up, princess."

Li Xiang was stunned for a while, then stretched out her hand to reach the top of her head—it was still only as high as his shoulders, and said, "No."

Kakashi smiled, but didn't intend to explain, just said: "Well, it's not about height."

Rika cast him an inexplicable look.

Speaking of buying a carriage—Kakashi suddenly remembered a very serious problem—in the vortex of the Songyang River last night, many things in his ninja bag were washed away by the river, including the head portrait of the previous generation's daimyo The country of fire banknotes, and the Konoha bank card that has saved his wages for more than ten years of missions.

In other words, these two people—the Princess of the Fire Country and the First Technician of Konoha—are now completely penniless and poor.

Kakashi's steps faltered, and the ends of his hair were blown by the cold wind.Li Xiang actually thought of this at the same time, and turned her head to look at him with wide eyes in horror.

"...I don't care, anyway, I don't want to sleep in the wild. If you don't have money... you should find a way!" The princess of the Fire Kingdom pouted and said willfully.

"...Let me try." The number one technician, who had always had troubles recently, sighed resignedly, and led the girl beside him towards the house 100 meters ahead.

Although the carriage cannot be bought, the two of them will not have to sleep in the wild again.They were taken in by an old couple who had passed their sixtieth year.The old man was hale and hearty, with an extremely kind smile on his wrinkled face, and he easily listened to the silver-haired ninja's nonsense, "I passed by here to bring back my sister who ran away from home. My sister is weak and can't stand the cold in the wild, so Asking for a night's stay" is an obviously inaccurate statement.

When hearing the description of "sister who ran away from home", Rika secretly glanced at the young man beside her. ——Her true elder brother Xiude will be able to maintain the demeanor of a handsome nobleman even if he is reduced to penniless, how can it be compared with this poor ninja who is so clever at fooling people!

Kakashi gave her a dead fish eye - and didn't even look at who he traveled thousands of miles to get to this point.

Rika turned her head and hummed almost inaudibly.

The old couple's house is not big, a little plain, but it is very clean and tidy.Vegetables are grown in the back garden, and a simple pergola is set up with a few sparse vines wrapped around the pergola.The most incredible thing is that a swing was actually built on an open space in the garden.The surface of the swing is smooth and clean, and it can be seen that it is often used by people.

Obviously there is no one else in this family except the two old people.The old man said just now that they have no children, only their wives and themselves depend on each other. ——It sounds miserable and lonely, but in fact the old couple don't think they have any misfortune.

After dinner, Lixiang sat on the swing and swayed continuously, facing the sunset and watching it sinking into the horizon bit by bit.Rika really wanted to look in the direction of Damingfu, even though she couldn't see the distant capital at all.It's a pity that she couldn't even tell the difference between southeast and north, so naturally she didn't know which direction to look.

——It’s hard to let go of starting a new year in a place like this.

This village is not close to the nearest town. The villagers grow their own vegetable fields and raise poultry. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset, as if isolated from the world.

Even during the Chinese New Year, there is no lively and festive atmosphere.

Li Xiang thought, if she were to live here for the rest of her life, she would probably suffocate to death.

The old woman staggered from the house to the back garden, and while watering the vegetable field, she looked at Lixiang with a smile.

Li Xiang felt her gaze, and still swung on the swing as if nothing had happened, letting her look at her.

As the princess of the country of fire, she has long been accustomed to the various eyes that others cast on her.

"Little girl." The old woman said with a smile, "That's not your brother."

Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat, and she was just about to pretend to retort calmly, but she heard her rambling on as if she was recalling some beautiful past.

"Don't look at me as an old bone, I can be sure. You guys, just like me and Anada back then."

"You guys actually eloped, right?"

Lixiang was almost thrown off the swing.

Holding the strong sling tightly in his hands, the corners of his lips curled up uncontrollably. ——Leaving aside whether the person is right or not, what is certain is that this old woman is definitely old-eyed and dizzy.

Li Xiang was noncommittal: "How did you find out?"

"Little girl, you look like the eldest lady of a rich family. That young man is always accommodating to you. He must be working in your house, right?"

Li Xiang smiled and narrowed her eyes: "He is my new gardener."

The old woman gave a "I knew it" smile, turned around and walked back to the house at a snail's pace.

Li Xiang's legs were swinging on the swing, her mood suddenly brightened, and her laughter was like a bell.

When Kakashi arrived, he saw such a picture.

"Is there anything to be happy about?" the silver-haired ninja asked.

Li Xiang tilted her head and looked at him smiling very maliciously, a big question mark suddenly appeared above the young man's head.

"Mr. Gardener."

"?"

Rika told him the conversation with the old woman intact, Kakashi's dead fish eyes became listless: "...don't make up such a strange lie."

Li Xiang curled her lips, and squinted at him in disgust: "It's not because your rhetoric is so bad that you can't even fool two old people."

"Your ones aren't much better, don't tell me they really believe it."

"I believe it."

"..."

Li Xiang added another sentence: "So you look like a gardener."

"...don't say any more." =_=#

In the early morning of the next day, Kakashi and Rika bid farewell to the two kind-hearted old men and continued on their way.After taking two steps, Rika died, and the girl started to cry tired, and she irritated unreasonably by the way: "Look at you, what is the number one Konoha technician who is famous in the ninja world, and you can't even get a carriage!"

The small village where they stayed last night was full of poor families, and there was only one carriage shared by the whole village.As a ninja taught by Konoha White Fang and Golden Flash, Kakashi couldn't do such a bad thing as hitting the only carriage.

In fact, Li Xiang also understands his difficulties, but the journey is long, so she must find something to pass the time.

Kakashi-sama shrugged as if he didn't remember a child's past, and said perfunctorily, "Yes, it was my fault."

Rika squirmed her lips and was about to say something when the silver-haired ninja stopped abruptly and reached out to stop her.Li Xiang looked at him puzzled, only to see that his eyes were serious.

Two seconds later, the figures of three other village ninjas appeared on the branches of the trees in front of them.One of them held a thin booklet in his hand, looked down, then looked up at the silver-haired ninja and said, "That's right, it's Konoha Hatake Kakashi who is known as the COPY ninja."