CHAPTER 142: [BONUS 3] DRUGGED FOOD

"Is this Tateshina? We shouldn’t be here yet."

Yahiko stood in place, looking at the scene before him in disbelief.

The Tateshina before him was completely different from what he had imagined. The peace and tranquility of Kikyogahara had given him naive fantasies about Tateshina.

Tateshina, with its rich resources of herbs and poisons, should have been much better developed than Kikyogahara. But the Tateshina before him was dilapidated to an unimaginable degree.

There were ruins everywhere, with an occasional building that was barely habitable standing amidst the debris. The ground was covered in trash and rubble, and among the lime, one could see the remains of weapons like shuriken and kunai.

"Let’s go." Haruki said to Yahiko.

It was completely dark now, and there wasn’t a single soul on the street.

Yahiko came to Haruki’s side. A chill emanated from Tateshina at night.

He rubbed his arm and asked, "Haruki, why is it like this?"

"Herbs and poisons are resources needed in war. Tateshina, without ninja protection, naturally became a target for plunder." Haruki explained.

Yahiko pursed his lips and fell into deep silence.

"If it were another country, even with resources, it wouldn’t be plundered. Because their country is strong, and besides that, they have their own ninja to protect them."

"Therefore, establishing a ninja village is necessary, and making the Land of Rain strong so it won’t be wantonly bullied is also necessary."

Haruki’s voice echoed in the ears of Yahiko and the two others.

Everything Hanzo had done so far had significant meaning.

Yahiko turned to look at Haruki, nodding heavily. "You’re right. But from now on, we will, in another way, make war disappear completely."

Yahiko clenched his fists tightly, his eyes sparkling with light.

Haruki maintained a smile. He nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Our Akatsuki exists precisely to eliminate war through peaceful means."

Yahiko’s solemn face brightened with a smile once more.

"There seems to be an inn up ahead."

Konan’s voice was soft. She pointed to a two-story building with lanterns lit in front of it, speaking to Haruki and Yahiko.

"Let’s go, we’ll check it out." Haruki led the way in that direction.

The small building was quite old. The walls and the steps in front of the door showed signs of age, and the lanterns were tattered. A broken wooden board with prices written on it was placed at the entrance.

"So expensive!"

Konan gasped when she saw the prices listed.

She rarely stayed in inns, but she knew this inn’s prices were much higher than those of ordinary inns.

"This area has suffered greatly from war, so higher prices are normal."

Haruki was not short on money. Besides the fixed allowance Hanzo gave him, his biggest source of money came from plunder. By taking money from the ninjas he killed on the battlefield, his wallet quickly grew fat.

Konan and Yahiko nodded. They followed Haruki into the inn.

Behind the counter, there was only a middle-aged woman. The woman looked very kind.

"Oh? Are you here to stay? Where are you from? Do you have money?"

Before Haruki and the others could speak, the owner asked incessantly.

The owner’s gaze darted back and forth over Haruki and the others.

Haruki looked at Yahiko and the two others beside him, not answering the owner’s questions, and simply said, "We’d like one room, and four dinners brought up."

He took out the money marked on the wooden board and placed it on the counter.

A hint of surprise flashed in the owner’s eyes. She reached out, gathered all the money from the counter into her pocket, and nodded to Haruki. "No problem, follow me."

She came out from behind the counter and led Haruki and the others up to the second floor. Near the stairs, she opened the first room. She stood at the doorway, not moving, and looked at the four of them.

"You can stay here. I’ll go down and prepare your dinner."

She turned and walked downstairs.

The four of them entered the room, and Haruki closed the door tightly.

"Don’t eat the food when it arrives."

After inspecting the room, Haruki lowered his voice and said to Yahiko and the two others.

Yahiko and the others nodded first, then asked why.

"The owner will drug the food."

"Have you forgotten? This place is rich in herb and poison resources, and most people can make some simple poisons." Haruki explained.

The scene the crow had witnessed had confirmed his suspicions.

The owner had put medicine in the food.

"Then why would she want to harm us?" Konan asked, puzzled.

Haruki shook his head and said to them, "After the food comes, we’ll pour half of it into the restroom, pretend to pass out, and see what she intends to do."

Yahiko and the others nodded without hesitation.

Knock knock knock—

Konan’s heart tightened.

Haruki glanced at Konan, his eyes conveying reassurance.

Konan took a deep breath, and her tension eased considerably.

Haruki stepped forward and opened the door. The owner, holding a tray, smiled at Haruki.

"Dinner is ready."

Haruki stepped aside, allowing the innkeeper to enter.

The innkeeper placed the four dinners from the tray onto the coffee table and smiled at them. "Please enjoy your meal."

She slowly exited the room.

Haruki closed the door and glanced at Yahiko and the others.

Yahiko and the others nodded simultaneously.

The owner glanced at the room behind her and walked downstairs step by step. The smile on her face cooled, her eyes were numb, she closed her eyes, and counted silently in her mind.

One, two, three...

Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two...

Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.

The owner took a deep breath and turned to walk upstairs. She stood at the door of the first room, bent her knuckles, and knocked on the door.

"Guests, I’ve come to clear the dishes."

No sound came from the room.

The owner repeated herself twice, but still no sound came.

Creak—

The wooden door let out an old groan, and the owner’s footsteps fell silently onto the floor inside the room.

On the tatami in the room, four children lay unconscious on the coffee table, in various postures.