Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 304 Narcissus Palace Ghost Pill

Hearing this, the woman trembled slightly. She knelt down, pulled her coat collar tighter, and wrapped the boy up warmly. "If you feel cold, you should go home first. Mom will wait a little longer."

The boy hesitated for a second, nodded, turned around and walked back along the beach. After a few steps, he looked back again. The woman was still standing on the beach, her back to him, the hem of her clothes fluttering in the wind.

The boy continued walking, and after walking about a hundred paces, he heard a sound behind him.

It wasn't a scream, it wasn't a cry, it was very soft, like a stone falling into water, making a splash, and then nothing more.

The boy froze on the spot. He didn't turn around. Tears streamed down his face silently, one drop after another, falling onto the beach and being absorbed by the sand.

He continued walking forward, his pace quickening until he was running.

He ran across the beach, across the rocks, and onto the path leading to the village.

He kept running and running, as if he was running away from something, or as if he could leave everything behind if he ran fast enough.

We can pretend nothing happened, and believe that our mother has just come home and our father has just gone out to sea to fish.

Just treat it as a dream. Once you wake up, today will be just like yesterday, with your father and mother still here.

It was completely dark when he ran into the village.

Before he could even step into his house, a group of people surged out of the alley and blocked his way.

The seven or eight men in front of him were his uncles who had visited his house before. They were all wearing similar short jackets and had short knives at their waists. The leader was a short, stout middle-aged man with a mole on his chin and a toothpick in his mouth.

"Hey kid, where's your mom?"

The boy looked up, eyeing the group warily, but did not answer.

"I'm asking you a question!" another person shoved him.

The boy was pushed to the ground, his knee hitting a stone, and blood immediately flowed down his skin. He bit his lip, not crying out, but just shaking his head repeatedly.

"Boss—"

A man ran back from the beach and whispered in the short, fat man's ear, "That woman jumped into the sea. What about our money...?"

The short, stout man pushed his subordinate aside, squatted down, grabbed the boy's face, and swayed it from side to side: "Not bad looking. Send him to a geisha house, train him for a while, and he should barely break even."

He was also furious about the woman's death. After all, that woman was pretty, and with a little dressing up, she could be sold for a good price. Usually, his brothers could go there for free, but she was dead!

There was no other way; the brothers needed to survive too. Their money was borrowed from a wealthy landowner, and if they couldn't repay it, they would lose arms and hands. They even heard that some ninja masters might choose them and sell them elsewhere—a terrifying prospect they dared not even imagine.

Although he is a boy, he is good-looking and young, which is not a problem. Some people like this kind of thing, and if he is raised well, he can even be sold for a high price.

"Take him away!" He stood up and clapped his hands.

In an instant, seven or eight adults surrounded the boy. He knew he couldn't run away, but he didn't give up.

He stared intently at the group, and soon seized an opportunity, kicking one of them in the groin. As the man writhed in pain, he used the opening to turn and escape.

"Hey, you little brat, don't run away!" The man clutched his groin and rolled on the ground. The others immediately chased after him.

The boy ran frantically, ran frantically, until he reached the seaside, until he reached the place where his mother had jumped into the sea.

He didn't resent his father for borrowing money to buy the boat, nor did he resent his mother for abandoning him. At the same time, he never regretted jumping into the sea with his mother to their deaths, because he wanted to live...

"Don't come any closer, or I'll jump! You'll get nothing!"

"Little bunny, jump!"

The boy stood on the rock, his legs trembling. He spoke toughly, but as the waves crashed in, and his father and mother disappeared into the sea, he instinctively resisted.

After a long silence, he said, "I want...I want to negotiate!"

Yes, he eventually gave in because he wanted to live.

"What are your conditions?" The leader stepped forward and asked as the people on both sides made way.

"I want to go to school, I want to eat well, sleep well, and live a good life for ten years, no, eight years!"

Do you think you're worth that price?

"I believe I deserve this kind of training."

Just then, the gangster said, "Alright, come down now. I agree to your request."

"Boss, how could you..." a subordinate said repeatedly.

But the gang leader reached out to stop them, telling them not to speak. The boy jumped off the rock, his legs still trembling.

But before he could even reach the gang leader, the gang leader's expression changed, becoming even more ferocious, as if he could fly into a rage at any moment.

The boy sensed something was wrong, turned around, and backed away: "You, didn't you already promise me? You broke your promise!"

"You want to keep your word with us? We're starting to wonder if you're smart or stupid!"

"Go, teach him a lesson, break his arms and legs, and sell him to a beggar's den."

A subordinate said, "Boss, the princess is kind-hearted and can't stand seeing poor people. The royal family is currently clearing out beggars."

The gang leader paused for a moment, then said, "Then you should give him a good beating. Remember, don't hurt his face, leave him alive." After saying that, he turned his head to the opposite side and lit a cigarette.

"You, you stay away!" The boy tried to jump back to the beach, but his path was blocked, and the group of people had already surrounded him.

At that moment, a swarm of insects crawled onto the men and instantly gnawed them down to their bones. Then they coalesced into a person wearing a cloak.

"You said you'd be willing to sell ten years of your life, as long as you're well-fed and clothed?"

The boy had never witnessed such a terrifying scene before. He was terrified and swallowed hard, forcing himself to suppress his fear as he said, "I still want to study!"

"No problem, you can read as much as you want. Besides that, you'll also need to learn ninjutsu. Come with me."

Aburame Shisei's clone led the way, but the boy's legs were already out of his control.

Finally, he managed to move a step by prying his legs apart with his hands, and his body's instincts were released, slowly easing.

Once the terror had completely subsided, he went to the skeleton of the gang leader and kicked his head away with all his might.

"Aren't you in pain?"

The boy grinned and said, "Sir, it's alright."

Upon entering the cave, Aburame Zhicheng covered his body with insects, cleaning away the filth and tattered clothes. She then casually tossed him a garment, asking, "What's your name?"

The boy took the clothes, snapped out of his daze, and replied with a smile, "Yūkimaru!"

Aburame Shisei suddenly smiled; he hadn't expected that he would actually steal Orochimaru's man.

"From now on, you will stay here."

After saying that, he turned and left.