Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

At the village entrance, the sight of a large group of Rain ninja gathering sent a wave of tension through the villagers.

Kaito, however, seemed like an outsider to the whole affair. He walked right up and took a look at the wounded.

The Rain ninja's own medic seemed to have been caught in an explosion; half of his body was a bloody mess, and he was groaning in pain. The other two had superficial wounds, which had been wrapped in bandages, though the bleeding hadn't been stopped very effectively.

"It's manageable. I can treat them," Kaito said, turning to the lead Rain ninja. "What should I call you?"

"My name is Ise," he replied, his brow furrowed. "Enough talk. Can you just heal them quickly?"

"I can, but as I recall, I said my treatment wouldn't be free."

"What do you want?"

"Grain, of course." Kaito ticked off the points on his fingers. "I'm a fair man. The two with light injuries won't take much effort, so let's say one hundred pounds of grain each. The heavily injured one is more complicated—it will likely take a lot out of me, so the price is a bit steeper. One thousand pounds."

"A thousand pounds? You might as well just rob us!" one of the other Rain ninja couldn't help but yell.

"Silence!" Ise barked before turning back to Kaito, his expression serious. "We don't have that much grain. The most I can give you is three hundred pounds. In addition, we can help you hunt a few deer."

"Fine." Seeing his firm attitude, Kaito decided not to press his luck and nodded. "Seeing as you're my first customer, I'll give you a discount. Leave them here, and go get the grain."

"Done."

Ise led his subordinates away without a moment's hesitation, earning a measure of respect from Kaito.

Kaito then used Heal Bell to treat the three wounded men who had been left behind. In less than two minutes, the lightly injured ones were fully healed. They stared at Kaito in disbelief. "What an incredible medical ninjutsu."

Heh, you've just never seen a real master healer, Kaito thought with a slight shake of his head, continuing to treat the last, more severely wounded man.

By the time Ise returned with the grain, he was greeted by the sight of three men on their feet, full of life.

"As promised, I've brought the grain."

"Excellent. Goods for the men, men for the goods."

The transaction went smoothly. Kaito looked at Ise with some surprise. "I half-expected you to go back on your word."

"I'm not capable of such a thing."

"Hah. So there are still ninja like you in the world. You're welcome back anytime."

"No, it would be best if we never saw each other again." Ise turned to leave. "Let's go!"

Watching the Rain ninja depart, Kaito patted the sacks of grain in front of him and let out a slow breath. "Well, this should last us a little longer."

The food shortage had always been a massive problem hanging over the sanctuary.

Fortunately, after some time had passed, a civilian who had heard the news and come seeking refuge brought with him some flour-potato tubers. The villagers were finally able to start planting them again. Although the harvest was still half a year away, there was, at last, a glimmer of hope.

As for the cultivation methods, the villagers knew far more than an amateur like Kaito, so he didn't need to worry about it. In addition, they began to raise chickens, ducks, and fish to increase their meat supply.

In the village, the collapsed houses had been cleared away, and Kaito was now busy overseeing the construction of a school, though the main labor was, of course, handled by Yamabiko Yuto. Kaito was merely providing a few small suggestions regarding its scale and style.

Notably, Jiraiya had sent word back: the Third Hokage had agreed to his proposal, but with the conditions that Yamabiko Yuto could no longer use his own name or face and was forbidden from leaking any of Konoha's secrets.

So, Kaito had arranged for Yuto to "disappear" for a few days, having him return to the sanctuary wearing a demonic mask and operating under the codename "Yamabiko"—the Mountain Ghost.

Just as everything in the sanctuary was starting to look up, two small figures appeared at the village entrance.

"Hey, Nagato, hurry up! We're almost there!" an orange-haired boy yelled, waving his arm vigorously at the person behind him.

A few dozen meters back, a red-haired boy was walking slowly, his slightly-too-long hair obscuring his eyes and making his expression unreadable. Both boys carried large packs on their backs, covered with waterproof cloth to keep out the rain.

The red-haired boy, "Nagato," was clearly exhausted. His pace slowed until the orange-haired boy couldn't stand it any longer and ran back to push him along.

"Thank you, Yahiko."

"Nagato, your stamina is terrible. You really need to train more."

"Mm."

Supporting each other, the two arrived at the village entrance, where a tall tower loomed before them.

Just as they were wondering what to do, Kaito leaped down from a third-floor window, landing right in front of them.

Seeing the two boys with their distinctive features, he offered a sincere smile. "Are you here to join the Spark Sanctuary?"

"Yes," Yahiko said, stepping forward to look Kaito right in the eye. "We heard that if you join, you get food and a place to live. Is that true?"

"Not entirely. To get food and shelter, you have to work for it. That applies even to kids like you."

"Work? No problem!"

Behind him, Nagato nodded in agreement.

"Alright. In that case, please follow me." Kaito led them into the tower and pointed to Shiori, who was sitting behind a desk. "Go over there to register."

"Oh."

Yahiko pulled Nagato over to the desk and said boldly, "Pretty lady, we'd like to register."

He glanced at Konan, who was sitting next to Shiori, and gave her a brilliant smile. Unfortunately, Konan was completely absorbed in the paper crane in her hands and paid him no mind.

"Of course~" Who doesn't love an adorable boy? Shiori's face was all smiles as she spoke gently, "What are your names?"

"I'm Yahiko, and he's Nagato!"

"Are you two brothers?" Shiori didn't ask where their parents were. In situations like this, the answer was obvious: they were either orphans or had been abandoned. Either way, she had no desire to reopen old wounds.

"That's right, he's my little brother!" Yahiko said, affectionately ruffling Nagato's messy hair. The gesture seemed to startle Nagato, leaving him looking completely bewildered.

Watching them silently, Kaito was lost in thought. So these are the other two I've been waiting for. Brothers, huh? It seems their bond is much stronger without Konan in the picture.

After a few simple questions, their registration was complete. Shiori gave each of them a card with their name and registration number on it.

"This is your proof of membership in the sanctuary. Make sure you keep it safe."

"Okay!"

After running through a few more important points, Shiori looked up at Kaito. "Lord Kaito, should I take them to that place?"

"It's fine, I'll take them." Kaito placed a hand on each of their heads and gently pushed them forward.

"Eh?" Shiori watched in surprise as the three of them disappeared through the doorway. "When did the master get so much free time? Could it be that he feels sorry for those two children? Mmm, that's very likely. Lord Kaito is so kind."

In stark contrast to the deserted village entrance, the village proper was bustling with activity, the streets filled with people hurrying about their business.

But Yahiko noticed that no matter how busy people were, whenever they passed the tall young man beside him, they would stop to greet him with a respectful bow.

"Mister Kaito, are you a high-ranking official?"

"Hmm, you could say that. I'm the one in charge of this sanctuary."

"Hiss~" Yahiko was in awe, though he didn't fully grasp the implications.

"Alright, here we are. This is where you'll be living from now on."

Yahiko looked up and saw a two-story building before them. A wooden plaque hung above the door, and he could just barely make out the characters written on it.

"Start...ing Point?"

"That's right." A smile played on Kaito's lips. "I hope this place can become a new one for your lives."