After snapping back to reality, Konan struggled to break free from Lin Yu's embrace. Clutching the bread, she looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes, particularly at the ninja headband hanging around his neck. Her pale face was a mask of terror.
"Please... please, I beg you, let me go. I just want to live, please let me leave..." Konan's voice was humble, trembling.
Hearing Konan's weak, submissive words, a strong wave of melancholy washed over Lin Yu and Jiraiya.
In this poor little girl, they saw endless suffering and sorrow. At about five years old, she had clearly endured so much due to war.
Lin Yu took a shallow breath, calming himself. He knew more. He knew Konan's entire life: orphaned by war, later meeting Yahiko and Nagato, founding the Akatsuki, quietly supporting them from behind, upholding their beliefs, and finally perishing while protecting Nagato's body.
She was a woman who worked tirelessly behind her comrades, always supporting Yahiko and Nagato's dreams. Despite her limited appearances and tragic end, Lin Yu remembered her deeply, and it wasn't because of her aloof, elegant beauty, he swore!
Lin Yu looked at Konan's tense, frightened pale face. He wanted to reach out and ruffle her hair, but his hand stopped mid-air. He forced a smile he thought was bright and said gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. Do you remember what happened just now?"
"Mmm... you're the little brother who saved me just now!" Konan nodded her small head, thinking. She remembered that this little brother seemed to have saved her before she fainted, but she remained wary.
"Hey, hey, we're together. What you're implying is that I'm the bad guy." Jiraiya stared at Lin Yu with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Can't say for sure. With your white hair, it looks like you've been... uh... overdoing it in certain areas."
"You little brat, what do you mean by 'certain areas'!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You figure it out yourself." Lin Yu pouted, his gaze drifting downwards.
"Pfft..." Although Konan didn't understand what they were talking about, she couldn't help but giggle, pursing her lips as she watched them bicker.
Seeing Konan chuckle, Jiraiya shot Lin Yu a triumphant glance, as if to say: *Kid, your old toad hermit is cooperating well, right?*
Lin Yu gave him a "keep it up" look and tentatively reached for Konan's small hand.
Konan flinched as Lin Yu reached for her, but she didn't pull away. She let Lin Yu guide her to a chair.
A tempting aroma wafted into her delicate nostrils, and her stomach rumbled audibly. Her face flushed red, and she averted her gaze, trying desperately not to look at the feast spread across the table.
"Eat up. This is all prepared for you," Lin Yu said softly, pulling Konan to sit on a chair.
Konan swallowed hard, her head bowed. "I... I can't eat this..." she murmured.
"Ah, my dear little ancestor, I'm starving! Please take pity on me and start eating!" Jiraiya's saliva was practically dripping at the sight of the spread.
"I..." Konan clutched the hem of her clothes with her other hand, biting her lip. She took a deep breath of the aroma, her face still flushed, and whispered almost inaudibly, "If... if it's okay, I'd like to take my portion home to eat..."
"No problem. Waiter, please pack everything on the table. Bill it along with the other order." If Lin Yu hadn't had good hearing, he wouldn't have heard Konan's shy whisper.
"Wait! Let me have a bite first!" Jiraiya shouted in bewildered protest.
Lin Yu ignored him, took the packing boxes from the waiter, and pulled Konan outside, saying, "Uncle behind us, remember to pay the bill."
"Damn it! You infuriating brat! Spending my money to hit on girls, how shameful!" Jiraiya stomped his feet in anger, gritting his teeth.
However, he dutifully took out his wallet and paid. After all, he had encountered quite a few ninjas on his journey, and his personal savings were still substantial.
With a dark expression, he followed the two small figures ahead.
Konan looked up at the gentle, refined boy beside her, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Um... my name is Konan."
"My name is Uzumaki Lin Yu."
...
"Yahiko, Nagato, come out quickly! Look what I brought back for you!" Konan, carrying a packed lunch box taller than herself, ran excitedly into their secret base. It was a cave in a secluded forest outside the town, and it seemed the three had been living there for some time, as evidenced by the signs of modification and reshaping.
Yahiko and Nagato were inside discussing their "survival strategy," though it was mostly Yahiko talking while Nagato listened and nodded.
"Hmm? Konan's back."
Yahiko beckoned Nagato to come outside, and they saw Konan excitedly holding the enormous packed lunch box.
"Wow, Konan, where did you find so much food? It smells amazing!" Yahiko hurried to Konan's side, his eyes wide with surprise at the lunch box that towered over him.
After handing a portion to Nagato, Yahiko opened the box. "Wow, this is Shuxiang Pavilion's signature scallion chicken, this is boneless shark fin, and fried rice! Konan, you're amazing!"
Konan twisted her small feet and mumbled, "Actually... actually, a little brother gave this to us..."
*Crack!*
The sound of a twig snapping echoed from outside. Yahiko quickly put down the rice box and shielded Konan and Nagato behind him, his gaze fixed intently on the two figures slowly approaching.
"Sigh, I told you to be careful, but you still stepped on a twig," Lin Yu complained to Jiraiya.
*It was you who stepped on it! When did I become the scapegoat? I'm not Danzo, wait, why did I mention Danzo?* Jiraiya grumbled inwardly, his gaze then falling on Nagato, specifically his red hair. He frowned slightly: *A descendant of the Uzumaki clan?*
"This food is yours, for Konan, right? We haven't eaten yet. We'll return it to you. Please leave." Yahiko forced himself to suppress his hunger, closing the lunch box and gently placing it at Lin Yu's feet.
Lin Yu looked at the orange-haired boy before him. Despite his body trembling, he was still shielding Nagato and Konan behind him. A hint of admiration flickered across Lin Yu's face.
Although his future ideals might be naive, it was alright. He was still young, and change was possible. Raising children had to start from a young age!
Lin Yu looked up, his face obscured by his hood, and said softly, "There has never been a case where I took back something I gave away."
"We don't need your things, please... Huh? You're the Guardian God!" Yahiko found the young man before him somewhat familiar. After a moment's thought, he exclaimed in surprise.
*What's going on? Guardian God? Now it's Lin Yu's turn to be confused. Did he mistake me for someone else?*
"Then the white-haired person behind you is the Toad Guardian?" Yahiko asked excitedly, looking at Jiraiya standing beside Lin Yu.
"What Toad Guardian? You little brat, I am the great Toad Sage!" Jiraiya jumped up and struck a standard pose.
"Yes, that's the pose! You really are the Toad Guardian!" Yahiko's eyes, now sparkling like stars, were filled with excitement, as if a fan had finally met their idol.
Konan looked from Yahiko to Lin Yu, her small head tilting back and forth. Suddenly, a light bulb flickered above her head. "Oh! I know! You two are the 'Heroic Duo' who have been acting righteously and helping refugees in the Land of Rain."
Lin Yu suddenly understood. He had a vague recollection; someone had indeed referred to him and Jiraiya that way. But what was this Guardian God business?
Yahiko's eyes were filled with fervor as he stared at Lin Yu. "You saved refugees and punished rogue ninjas in the Land of Rain, bringing hope to the war-torn nation. Aren't you a Guardian God sent from heaven? And you," he turned to Jiraiya, "are the Toad Guardian sent to protect the Guardian God!"
"I'll say it again! I am the Toad Sage, not this kid's guardian!" Jiraiya shouted furiously.
"I didn't realize I was so famous," Lin Yu mumbled, stroking his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Then, will you give us the food back?"
"Of course not. This is food bestowed upon us by the Guardian God. We finally have the Guardian God's protection, sob sob." Yahiko quickly distributed a lunch box to Nagato and Konan, then buried his head in his food, weeping as he ate.
Beneath the tough exterior of a five-year-old boy lay a fragile heart. He, too, longed for protection.
Ever since he heard from other orphaned refugees like himself about the two ninjas who went around helping the needy and punishing evil, Yahiko had regarded them as his faith and his goal.
"Nagato, why aren't you eating?" Nagato held his lunch box without opening it. His gaze, hidden beneath his red hair, was fixed on the headband around Lin Yu's neck. He remembered the ninja who had killed his parents wore such a headband!
Lin Yu sensed Nagato's intense stare at his headband and spoke, "Not every Konoha ninja is evil. Sometimes, what your eyes see isn't always accurate. You have to feel it with your heart. I consider myself a good person!"
Seeing that Nagato remained unmoved, Lin Yu helplessly pushed back his hood, revealing his flowing, fiery red hair.
"Na-Nagato, the Guardian God's hair is also red, just like yours!" Yahiko, his mouth greasy, looked between Nagato and Lin Yu, his eyes wide with surprise. *Could they be related?*
"That's right! You and I are both orphans of the Uzumaki clan. In a way, you are one of my few 'relatives'." Lin Yu looked at the silent Nagato and sighed inwardly. He wasn't wrong. Perhaps Nagato's mother was one of his distant aunts!
Thinking about it, the future leader of the Akatsuki would be his nephew. How impressive would that be to boast about! He could imagine himself putting an arm around Hiruzen Sarutobi's neck and saying, "See that Akatsuki leader causing chaos across the Five Great Nations? He's my distant nephew, and I'm his uncle. Who would have thought!"
Ahem, got carried away.
*Relatives. I actually have relatives!* Nagato stared blankly at Lin Yu's fiery red hair, the same color as his own. A sense of kinship blossomed within him.
He desperately wanted to cry out loud, but he held back, burying his head in the lunch box and eating ravenously to mask his surging emotions.
Konan watched the two of them devour their food. A smile grew wider on her delicate face. Her beautiful eyes glanced at the boy, who was not much older than her. A strange thought arose, and a blush spread across her cheeks, making her look adorable and captivating.