Chapter 31: The Sorrow of Xiaguang Town
A gaggle of children clamored rowdily, but they were far too young for Genma, Kurenai, or Rittō to consider teaching them a lesson. Simply driving them away wouldn't work, either; these stubborn kids wouldn't budge.
Thus, with little choice, the trio had to walk further around to a different restaurant.
They moved quickly and soon lost the pursuing children. The three dashed inside a new eatery and swiftly ordered their meals.
Because the seating was along the wall—a row of tables pressed against it—there was no space for someone to sit next to them on the side. Rittō sat across from them, while Kurenai and Genma sat side by side, effectively shielding Rittō's face from view.
Three large bowls soon arrived—each an egg fried rice dish, but featuring different meats.
Though the menu looked plain, the portions were generous, and each dish came with a small bowl of clear green-onion soup.
They breathed in the aroma of egg and rice and immediately dug in with their chopsticks.
"Excuse me—sorry to interrupt, but may I join you three to eat?"
A gentle-sounding voice rang out. But for the trio—who had just been besieged by those local kids—the unexpected greeting felt almost more jolting than a wild beast's roar.
"Pft—!"
Rittō nearly choked, spraying rice. At the last second, he tried to contain it by clamping his mouth shut, but the rice ended up bursting out through his nostrils, bringing tears to his eyes.
Since Rittō liked "extra spice," his dish was loaded with hot peppers. The sting in his sinuses made him tear up even more.
"Cough, cough!"
Kurenai and Genma also hacked violently, though they managed not to spatter any rice.
Alas, Genma, sitting directly across from Rittō, was unlucky—his egg fried rice was now thoroughly… contaminated.
And the one who caused this uproar—a middle-aged man—stood there, stunned.
"Is my voice really that scary…?"
The man's words trailed off, watching the scene in befuddlement.
Spotting the mess, Genma's anger rose, but he also recognized how naive Rittō was. "Tch," he muttered to himself.
Kurenai wiped her mouth, eyes blazing, while Rittō, seeing Genma's ruined food, tried to apologize. But Genma's glare locked onto the older man:
"Tony-ossan, why are you here?"
Kurenai asked in bewilderment, still chewing her food, cheeks puffed up.
"Tony-nii," Genma said bluntly, "you might not've meant it, but my food's ruined. You'll be taking responsibility, right?"
It was typical of Genma not to stand on ceremony when demanding compensation.
Seeing Genma direct no personal blame his way, Rittō felt a bit guilty. Meanwhile, Tony looked shocked, then contrite. "Yes, this was my mistake. Let me buy you another… maybe you should move to a different table?"
Tony seemed unconcerned about paying for them. In fact, his courtesy only increased. Rittō, impressed by the unexpected good fortune, shoveled a few more mouthfuls of fried rice into his mouth.
Genma was certainly willing to accept free food, but he couldn't decide for everyone. He glanced at Kurenai and Rittō.
Rittō needed no prompting—he was obviously on board, giving big nods while still munching.
Kurenai, however, seemed hesitant, her expression troubled.
"All right," Genma said, "I'll skip this ruined portion. Rittō might still eat another serving. So, please get us two more egg fried rice and… I'll have a bowl of zhi-fish soup."
Zhi-fish is a unique freshwater species in the Naruto world. Small and often schooling in groups, it's said to have a "spritely" taste, free of the typical fishy smell—making its broth extremely savory. But because you need a decent quantity of them, and they're fairly rare, it's an expensive dish.
And with Xiaguang Town being relatively sizable, the local rivers presumably provide a decent supply of zhi-fish. Nevertheless, it's not cheap, which suited Genma just fine—Tony had plenty of money to burn, apparently.
Without a hint of concern about the cost, Tony simply nodded and smiled. "Of course. Let me talk to the waiter. Also, let's get you a seat at another table."
He set down his own food at the next table and walked off. Rittō stood there, lips curling into a mischievous grin.
Seeing Rittō's pleased expression, Genma realized he was grateful for how Tony was fussing over them—and apparently clueless that he himself had caused the fiasco.
Meanwhile, Kurenai couldn't help but notice Tony had singled them out for extra kindness. That man's all smiles, but why exactly is he so generous?
Once Tony had gone, Genma said quietly, "He's not suspicious from a normal standpoint—but man, is he weird. Just can't figure him out. Let's stay alert."
Kurenai nodded, while Rittō stared blankly, wanting to eat more.
Shortly, Tony returned with a cheerful face. Seeing them all standing, he paused in mild confusion but quickly spoke up: "Please, have a seat. The food will arrive shortly. I'm well acquainted with the owner here."
Tony retained a friendly smile, so the three had no real reason to refuse. They sat down again. This time, Genma and Kurenai sat next to each other, while Rittō and Tony shared the opposite side.
Tony began casually finishing his meal. The presence of an "outsider" made the trio a bit self-conscious, and the conversation died.
After a moment, with nothing else to do, Genma decided to ask Tony what had brought him here: "Tony-nii, might I ask why you came specifically to eat at our table?"
"Ah, it's nothing special. I just wanted to spend more time with you honored customers."
Pffft—
Rittō almost sprayed rice again but realized that Kurenai was right in front of him, so he clamped his mouth shut in time.
Kurenai, recalling the earlier fiasco, grabbed her bowl and slid half a meter away from Rittō. Genma, seeing Rittō's near-miss, felt a surge of frustration, then turned a cold eye on him.
"All right, Rittō… switch seats with me."
His tone was final, carrying a hint of icy authority. Rittō paled, hastily rose, and swapped positions with Genma. He dared not protest.
Whether Tony felt unsettled or not was none of Genma's concern. He's the type who can keep smiling through anything, Genma reasoned.
After sorting their seating, the trio resumed their meal… or in Genma's case, waited for the new order of fried rice. Bored, and noticing the odd tension around Xiaguang Town, Genma decided to pump Tony for info again.
He pinned him with a direct look: "Tony-nii, are children here always this hostile to outsiders, or do they specifically loathe ninjas?"
"Loathe ninjas…?" Tony repeated, glancing among the group. Sensing their keen interest, Tony lowered his gaze awkwardly. "They never used to be like this. I think it started recently…"
"Oh? Something must have happened to make so many kids hate ninjas."
Since Kurenai and Rittō weren't well acquainted with Tony, Genma took the lead again. Tony seemed quite well-disposed to Genma, and he answered readily.
It turned out that, indeed, shinobi had begun appearing on Colorful Fog Mountain. They were rather arrogant, and a few days earlier they came to town to intimidate the mayor, killing several samurai.
Tony also provided his personal speculation: these ninja may have a sensor or mind-reading technique, because any warrior sent to gather information ended up captured or killed. The ninja thus learned about the town's plan to attack the mountain.
Thus, Xiaguang Town—having faced an assault by real shinobi—became both terrified of, and resentful toward, all ninja. Children, being straightforward, were the first to show open hostility.
Having heard Tony's explanation, Genma and Kurenai both zeroed in on Rittō. So the villagers fear ninjas? Rittō, with his flashy style and lack of subtlety, must have worn his forehead protector plainly.
"All I did was ask them about tasty food, and they refused to tell me," Rittō insisted. "They got mean; I just flaunted my pork knuckle a bit, that's all…"
Genma shot him a glare. "If so, next time keep a low profile—take off your headband outside the village."
"Rittō," Kurenai added, "you need to think more carefully."
Both directed disapproving stares at him, like scolding an errant child. To Rittō, it felt like a double blow—one from each half of a couple, hitting him with dogfood-level affection, though in negative form.
He felt mortally wounded. So humiliating…
Genma turned his attention back to Tony. "So, Tony-nii, you saw these mountain ninjas yourself? Any concrete details?"
Tony hesitated briefly but seemed to trust Genma enough to speak freely, lowering his voice. "I personally didn't witness them, but Xiaotao told me about it. She's quite well informed. She said there are four ninjas at Colorful Fog Mountain: two use swordsmanship—swift blades, reminiscent of a 'flash-draw' style. From her account, they're around chūnin-level. Another two supposedly use Water Release and Earth Release—someone saw jutsu similar to Water Collision Waves and Earth Spear. Overall, they appear to be mid-chūnin level. Their forehead protectors bear slash marks, indicating they're probably rogue ninja."
End of Chapter 31