"I must kill that old bastard! Let go of me, or I'll chop you up too!"
"If you're not afraid of being chopped into pieces and fed to the fish, you can make your move now."
Hidan's tone froze, seeming to finally remember that he couldn't beat the other party now. He gritted his teeth and said, "You're tough. What do you want?"
"Stay here for one night, and we'll leave tomorrow."
"Fine, but I will kill that old man sooner or later!"
Smack!
"Chop, chop, chop. All you think about is chopping! Are you proud of picking a fight with an old man who can barely walk?"
Hidan immediately covered his head and glared, shouting, "Bastard! You and that old man are dead!"
"You? If you keep talking, I'll cut out your kidneys tonight and stir-fry them!"
"You! You...!"
"Hmm?"
Hidan instinctively shut his mouth, covering his waist, clearly not fond of the idea of his kidneys being stir-fried, especially his own.
Seeing Hidan finally cooperating, Shinsuke felt relieved.
Even though he had joined the Cult of Jashin, he had his own principles. He wouldn't harm ordinary people or slaughter villagers for no reason. Of course, if someone meant him harm, he wouldn't be merciful either.
The concept of killing was once distant to him, but now he had to prepare himself mentally for it. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
Without enough strength to protect himself, he might die one day without even knowing who killed him or why. No one would seek justice for him either.
Soon, Shinsuke and Hidan followed the old man back home.
"Grandpa, hug!"
As soon as they entered, the old man gently picked up his grandson, who was hopping towards him, and his face lit up with a smile.
"Lift me up!"
"Alright, up you go!"
"Higher, higher!"
"Flying!"
"Grandpa, the food is ready... Who are these two?"
The old man was enjoying the moment so much that he almost forgot about Shinsuke and Hidan at the door.
"Oh, right. These two young men are passing through our village. Prepare two more sets of utensils and clean up the spare room for them. They'll stay for the night and leave tomorrow."
"Okay, Grandpa, I understand."
The daughter-in-law seemed shy and quickly went back to the kitchen.
"Make yourselves comfortable. There's water and cups over there," the old man said, then continued playing with his grandson.
Seeing this scene, Shinsuke wondered if the old man was hinting at something with his previous words.
"Take care of your brother. There are many women and children in the village..."
Was he worried Hidan might harm his family? Hidan didn't even glance at the women, gulping down the cool well water, possibly because he was genuinely thirsty or maybe his brain was dehydrated and needed replenishing.
Soon, the woman brought out the food.
The dishes were simple: stir-fried eggs with green peppers, wild vegetable soup, and pickled radishes. There was no meat, and it seemed the stir-fried eggs were prepared just because they had guests.
The rice was also scarce, and cooking more would take too long. Luckily, Shinsuke and Hidan had some dry food with them, which they could use to supplement their meal.
It was evident that the family's living conditions were modest. While they weren't starving, they were just getting by. As someone with emotional intelligence, Shinsuke understood that they were offering the best they had and felt grateful rather than picky.
However, Hidan didn't share the same sentiment. He poked around the dishes with his chopsticks and lost interest, his expression turning sour as if to say, "Is this what you expect me to eat?"
"I want pork chops, not this crap... mmmph!"
Shinsuke quickly covered Hidan's mouth and said with a smile, "Sorry, my foolish brother has a brain disorder and often talks nonsense."
"Mmmph... mmmph!"
(You're the one with the brain disorder! Do you want me to kill your whole family, bastard!)
"What's he saying?"
"Oh, he just bit his tongue because the food is too delicious."
"Mmmph... mmmph!"
(Nonsense! This is pig food, and Hidan-sama won't eat it!)
The old man nodded, "Your unfortunate brother doesn't seem too bright, but at least he has some taste. Ayako's cooking is famous in the village. Even the so-called master chefs ask her for help during big feasts."
"Enough, Grandpa. That's all in the past," the woman said, blushing shyly.
With the attention off him, Shinsuke whispered in Hidan's ear, "Don't cause trouble. Once we get to the Land of Waves, you can kill as much as you want."
"Hmph!"
Hidan shook off Shinsuke's hand but didn't act up again. Perhaps it was true that everyone has their match.
Shinsuke then asked curiously, "Grandpa, where is your son?"
The old man and the woman's actions paused, and the old man sighed deeply.
"He's gone. A few years ago, two groups of ninjas fought in our village. A huge fireball hit our house... my poor son didn't make it out in time..."
"It's my fault. If I had run faster, Shota wouldn't have... sob..." The woman started to cry quietly.
"It's not your fault. You were pregnant at the time. It's just our fate," the old man said, his expression sad as he put down his chopsticks and went back to his room.
This kind of misfortune could happen to anyone, and there was no one to blame. Even those ninjas who fought didn't care about the villagers caught in the crossfire.
Since the last Great Ninja War ended a few years ago, times had been better, but back then, lives were worth nothing. Now, at least they were alive and had food.