The Grass Ninja continued, "Age?"
Sasori paused briefly before replying, "...17."
"17?" The Grass Ninja seemed momentarily surprised by this response.
Sasori observed his reaction with a hint of speechlessness. After all, age shouldn't have been a significant concern. There was no need to hide it. He wondered why they were inquiring about such a seemingly irrelevant of which, it was his weathered appearance, combined with his extended wanderings in war-torn regions and his youthful countenance, made him appear somewhat disheveled.
As he contemplated this, he couldn't help but recall his reasons for coming to this land. He had seen signs of peace gradually returning to various parts of the ninja world, leading him to anticipate the eventual end of the brutal war. This had motivated him to travel to the Land of Rain, which had been embroiled in chaos for an extended period.
However, upon arriving in the Land of Rain, he intended to have a simple meal and rest in a dilapidated house while gathering information about the current state of affairs in the region. Since he planned to stay for an extended period for his Red Secret Technique training, acquiring basic intelligence was a crucial first step.
However, he hadn't anticipated that, as he bit into his dry rations, a sudden knocking on the door, accompanied by enthusiastic shouts, would disrupt his meal. "Fellow Resident, please open the door!"
"Fellow Resident?" Sasori couldn't help but wonder. Who would address someone in such an enthusiastic manner in this dilapidated area? His immediate thought was, 'Has Sunagakure discovered my secret and come to arrest me?'
He contemplated the boldness of this supposed arrest operation, as they had made an obvious mistake and shouted with such fake enthusiasm.
Ready to put his plan into action to assert his toughness, Sasori was taken aback as the door was forcefully broken open. Three or four shinobi from the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass barged in, exclaiming, "Don't be afraid, We mean no harm. There's an aid station up ahead. Please come with us."
They even smiled and gently pulled him along, reassuring him, "Don't worry, peace is coming. Peace is coming to the Land of Rain!"
This situation left him thoroughly bewildered. Initially, he had thought that Sunagakure might have discovered his secret, but the presence of Rain and Grass Shinobi in front of him contradicted his earlier guess. So, he decided to continue concealing his identity and follow them to gather information, but he hadn't expected this outcome.
Seeing the large gathering of ordinary people, particularly refugees from the Land of Rain, who had been brought together by the Grass and Rain Shinobi, he found it perplexing. He wondered about the reason behind the gathering. Were these Rain and Grass Shinobi planning some sort of experiment on these civilians?
After careful consideration, he opted to keep his true identity hidden and merged with the crowd of civilians, leading to the current situation.
At this moment, while Sasori was lost in thought, contemplating the Grass and Rain Shinobi's intentions, the registration ninja in front of him asked another question, "Which village are you from?"
Sasori, breaking out of his daze, replied after a brief pause, "I... don't know."
"Don't know? That's alright, It happens often. Looks like you're an orphan? It's truly amazing that you can survive until now." the Grass Ninja raised an eyebrow, replying in a casual manner and expressing a bit of surprise at how an orphan like Sasori had managed to survive for so long.
Sasori couldn't help but stare blankly at the Grass Ninja's reaction, as if silently asking, 'Are you serious?'
"I'm sorry, I said too much. What I meant was that it doesn't matter if you're an orphan. Don't worry, with Lord Akihiko and Lord Hanzo here, the Land of Rain will definitely welcome peace. You don't have to wander anymore!" The registration ninja, a Grass Shinobi, offered Sasori an apologetic smile and continued, "Do you possess any unique skills?"
Upon this question, Sasori fell silent once more. Special skills? Ninja abilities like poisons or puppets? That wasn't something he could openly disclose. After a brief pause, he raised an eyebrow and replied, "None."
"None?" The registration ninja glanced at Sasori again, then proceeded to fill out the form. "That's perfectly fine. You can work at the construction site or in the factory, tightening screws. You're still young, and if you work diligently, you might have the opportunity to enroll in literacy classes later."
Caught off guard by this new term, Sasori wondered what it meant. As he pondered, the registration ninja handed him a small piece of paper torn from his notebook and said, "Take this. It's your identification here. If you lose it, you can request a replacement, but it may affect your status. Don't worry; someone will explain everything to you later. I'm sure you're hungry after enduring the war. Head over to the line next to us; you're up next!"
Sasori, still in silence, accepted the small piece of paper that contained his basic information. It was a square piece of paper. His eyebrows raised slightly as he found everything quite perplexing. Could he really use this to get food like a regular person? But it wasn't a currency. What was happening in this Land of Rain?
On the other hand, his stomach was audibly growling. He had been just about to eat some dry bread when he was brought here. So it was no wonder that he was famished.
Sasori furrowed his brow, quietly murmuring to himself, "Very well, I'll observe what's happening in this Land of Rain with the Grass and Rain Villages. After all, I'll be staying here for a while. This strange scene does make me quite uneasy!"
Approaching the dining area, he found himself drawn to the delightful aroma emanating from it. It was far more appealing than the dry rations he'd been eating. Many people, including children, were gathered here, sharing a meal. Sasori concluded that there likely wasn't much danger here.
Following the given instructions, he hesitated briefly, then picked up a plate from the side and joined the line as directed.
Sasori's turn came, and as he beheld the diverse array of dishes before him, he was once more taken aback. The generosity displayed by the Land of Rain puzzled him. Weren't they supposed to be in dire straits due to the ongoing war? He couldn't help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive behind their seemingly benevolent actions, like perhaps using these people for experiments. The situation felt incredibly suspicious.
"Hey, kid, what are you staring at? Bring your plate over here!" shouted a portly chef in a cook's uniform upon noticing Sasori lost in thought. "Don't you see the others waiting behind you?"
Extending his hand, the chef made Sasori tense up, thinking the chef might have sinister intentions. However, the chef simply took his plate, spooned a generous portion of food and meat onto it, and returned it in front of him. He yelled, "What are you waiting for? If you want rice, it's at the back; go serve yourself. Now, hurry up!"
Sasori, still in silence, filled his plate to the brim with food and poured himself some soup. He then located an empty spot to sit down. Staring at the assorted dishes on his plate, he remained expressionless.
What could be the Land of Rain's true intent? Was there something amiss with this food? Could it be poisoned? Sasori inspected the food for any signs of foul play but found nothing suspicious. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took a cautious bite.
The surprising thing was that Sasori found the meal to be truly delicious, far superior to the dry rations he had been surviving on since leaving the Hidden Sand Village. He hadn't enjoyed a proper meal like this in a long time.
He continued to eat in silence, relishing every morsel. Under the cover of his tattered cloak and a simple yet effective umbrella fixed above his table that kept him dry in the rain, Sasori indulged in the peaceful atmosphere, accompanied only by the soothing sound of rainfall.
Eventually, he finished his plate and emitted a small burp. Once more, he was left in contemplation, gazing at the empty plate before him, uncertain about the next steps.
Then, it seemed like he heard a voice instructing, "Place your empty plates from the meals over there!"
He glanced in the direction of the voice, which instructed, "Place the empty plates from your meal over there!"
Sasori furrowed his brow at the sound and shifted his gaze to the designated area. Sure enough, a pile of used plates was accumulating there. After a brief pause, he placed his empty plate on the stack.
Subsequently, another voice reached his ears, "If you haven't showered yet, please go to the left. If you don't have clothes, don't worry; we've already prepared them for you!"
"Shower?" Sasori raised an eyebrow, considering the idea. He lowered his gaze and subtly inspected his tattered cloak. He hadn't had a proper bath in quite some time. Well, now that he'd eaten, he thought, he might as well explore this shower option.
But even as he made his decision, the question that had been lingering in his mind persisted: "What is the true agenda of the Land of Rain?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
You can read +5 chapters ahead of everyone on my Patreon
p@treon.com/Kaiszer
(replace ' @ ' with ' a ' for the link