Chapter 41: The Storyteller

When Hotaru brought up the topic—

Sōsen picked up the newspaper and shot back a question.

The once quiet caravan suddenly erupted with noise. Everyone on the wagons began voicing their theories and guesses.

One after another.

Voices overlapped.

In no time, the caravan became lively and buzzing with conversation.

Recently, all the major and minor shinobi villages had caught wind of Konoha deliberately releasing a wanted notice about a rogue Uchiha team.

The intel shook the entire ninja world.

No one yet knew exactly what had happened inside Konoha, but every ninja could guess—something big must have gone down!

Regarding the rogue team of eleven Uchiha—

Konoha had issued a sky-high bounty.

This also meant there were now eleven pairs of Sharingan scattered across the ninja world—free for anyone to try and seize. And such a rare dojutsu bloodline was considered a supreme treasure by every major village.

After more than a decade of relative peace in the shinobi world—

The Uchiha's defection was like dropping bait into a pond teeming with fish… or a bomb that had suddenly exploded, stirring up turbulent undercurrents and reigniting storms across the land.

Aside from Konoha, the other four great villages had already begun their own manhunts for the squad.

This Uchiha team had become the hot topic of every village, rogue ninja, bounty hunter, and bandit gang—the focal point of the entire shinobi world's attention.

For a moment, it seemed like everyone wanted to find them and cash in on that unimaginable fortune.

More than the name Uchiha Yu, Sōsen preferred to call him "Walking 50 Million Ryo."

Unfortunately—

Anyone designated as S-rank would obviously be terrifyingly powerful—not someone a small-time escort group like theirs could ever deal with.

Still, even if he couldn't hunt them down, a rogue ninja of such fame had other uses for someone like Sōsen.

For example, using his name in front of outsiders to boost his own image and make it easier to get hired!

After all, someone at that level wouldn't bother chasing down a nobody for name-dropping.

When Sōsen responded to her question, the naïve Hotaru nodded. She just hadn't expected how massive the public interest had become.

These caravan members had been discussing it all day—and at night, even more enthusiastically.

It was as if they were personally involved in the hunt for the rogue Uchiha team.

But truthfully, their concern had a good reason:

Rumor had it this very rogue Uchiha squad was heading toward Mount Katsuragi!

With such an unimaginably dangerous factor potentially nearby—

How could they not be invested?

Sōsen tucked the newspaper back into his coat and stood boldly in the center of the wagon bed, raising his voice in high spirits:

"This newly classified S-rank rogue from Konoha, Uchiha Yu, assassinated village leaders, slaughtered civilians, committed countless atrocities—his infamy is well-earned.

But when it comes to S-rank rogues—

It's not like I haven't dealt with that level of person before!"

Hotaru's indigo eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Sōsen.

"Huh?"

Even the Tsuchigumo Clan's elder shot their hired escort captain a surprised look.

"That can't be true."

The white-haired elder scrutinized Sōsen from head to toe, his weathered eyes full of doubt.

This man in the green robe with short brown hair—he looked like someone with a slick tongue at best. He didn't look like someone who'd ever faced off with an S-rank rogue.

Back in the market town—

The elder hadn't wanted to hire this escort group at all. But since the young lady insisted, he reluctantly agreed.

And at that moment, on the other wagons—

The temporary guards that Sōsen had recruited at a bargain all turned to look at their supposedly "hidden expert" of a captain, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Could he really be that strong?

But the two girls by Sōsen's side knew exactly what this guy was about to do. They immediately turned their heads toward the forest, pretending not to hear him.

If they weren't on the same wagon—

They'd have already walked away.

"Ahem, ahem…"

Sōsen raised a fist to his mouth and coughed twice, feeling the weight of everyone's stunned, expectant gazes.

Locking his deep eyes on the young, inexperienced Hotaru, Sōsen continued:

"Everyone, you've heard of another S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha, right? Orochimaru?"

Hotaru's gemstone-like eyes trembled slightly. Of course she knew that name—one of Konoha's former Legendary Sannin, now a feared S-rank rogue ninja.

The moment Orochimaru was mentioned—

The elder of the Tsuchigumo Clan narrowed his eyes. That name symbolized extreme danger in the shinobi world.

The rest of the Tsuchigumo and hired guard members on the caravan all grew grim-faced.

People in this line of work loved a good story.

Seeing the group fall silent—

Sōsen calmly began to speak in a low, steady voice, recounting a tale from the time Orochimaru defected from Konoha as an S-rank rogue. Back then, Sōsen claimed, he was a wandering adventurer who bravely pursued and fought the heavily injured Orochimaru in a one-on-one duel.

Sōsen's storytelling was vivid and theatrical.

He didn't just boast about himself—he made sure to highlight Orochimaru's overwhelming power, painting himself as a brave rookie who somehow managed to survive the encounter by battling the weakened Orochimaru to a draw.

Whether true or not, the story was told so well it was hard to tell.

When it was over, everyone—whether Tsuchigumo or hired guards—fell into silence.

"…This…"

Hotaru exchanged a glance with the clan elder beside her. She looked delighted, feeling like she'd struck gold. The elder, however, was half-skeptical, unsure what to even say.

Hotaru suddenly felt a twinge of regret—regret for not striking up conversation with this Captain Sōsen earlier. Who knew he had such heroic tales to tell?

She couldn't help but admire him deeply.

After all, girls admired heroes most of all.

The elder of the Tsuchigumo Clan furrowed his brows tightly, watching Sōsen get more and more carried away. Inwardly, he scoffed:

"Bullshit! If you could fight Orochimaru to a draw, would you really be here scraping by as a hired guard?"

Still, the elder didn't call him out. Letting the man save face was the least he could do.

"Heh heh!"

Seeing everyone fall for his story, Sōsen quickly turned to his two female companions and whispered urgently:

"Don't just sit there! Say something! Stir up the mood a little. If you want to land jobs out here, you need a reputation!"

The two female guards gave half-hearted nods:

"Yeah, exactly!"

They still had some pride, after all.

"…" — Sōsen.

Seeing Hotaru's expression light up with admiration, Sōsen tossed his green cloak dramatically and declared, righteously:

"Miss Hotaru, there's no need to fear.

Even if the rogue Uchiha team is right nearby—

You've got us protecting you!

Uchiha Yu?

Heh…

He won't leave here alive!"

Hearing this, Hotaru's face lit up with joy. Just knowing there was someone nearby who could supposedly go toe-to-toe with one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, filled her with reassurance.

The rogue Uchiha team…

Suddenly didn't seem all that terrifying.

As the caravan chatted idly, they made their way through the forest and arrived at a clearing.

But the farther they walked, the more uneasy everyone became.

The clearing was littered with wood shavings, and the air was thick with the rich scent of tree resin.

"It looks like the trees here were broken down by a dense concentration of wind-nature chakra,"

said the Tsuchigumo Clan's elder as he jumped off the wagon, crouching beside a plant covered in fine wooden dust to examine it closely.

With his vast experience, he instantly sensed something was off.

"Hmm? This is… the smell of barbecue!"

Sōsen's eyes lit up. Amid the scent of resin, he caught a whiff of roasted wild boar drifting in from not far away.

He swallowed hungrily.

While the others were busy examining the clearing, Sōsen looked up and scanned the area.

To his surprise, in the northwestern direction beyond the forest, on the open plain, a small but obvious campfire was burning.

A mischievous idea popped into Sōsen's head, and he grinned:

"Everyone, looks like some drifters are roasting meat over there. A few of you, come with me—we'll go 'borrow' some roast pork for a midnight snack. And while we're at it, we can ask them what's been going on around here."

The moment they heard food—

Ten guards immediately stepped forward.

Sōsen led the group in high spirits toward the distant bonfire.

---

[Side Quest]: Disguise

[Option]:

1. Infiltrate the Tsuchigumo caravan as part of the guard.

[Reward]: Ninja Tool Pouch

By the campfire, Uchiha Yu's mind suddenly flashed with a side quest prompt. He instantly perked up.

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.