Rin nodded, walked to that woman, activated Mystical Palm Technique, and brushed over various parts of her body, quickly healing her injuries.
Because they still needed the woman to earn money, the shopkeeper had been very measured with his men's actions. Her injuries weren't serious, especially her face, which had no wounds at all.
She stood up somewhat awkwardly and came to the side of the one who saved her, Kakashi, and called out, "Sir."
She didn't know what her fate would be next, but inside, she actually let out a slight breath of relief.
'These ninjas don't seem so bad. Serving them is better than serving those disgusting customers in the shop.'
Kakashi didn't know what to do for the moment and could only say, "Follow us. Don't speak. Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask."
The woman respectfully replied, "Yes."
Then she sensibly stepped back, putting some distance between herself and the group, standing silently in place to wait.
Kakashi came in front of Obito and said in a low voice, "Why did you still negotiate with that shopkeeper?"
Obito asked in return, "Then what would you have done? Killed him? In a few days, another shopkeeper would've come to replace him. The status quo wouldn't change."
"Even if you caused a big scene and made it so these shops couldn't go on, have you thought about this question, how will those women who rely on these shops to survive live?"
"As tragic as it is, a cruel reality is, sometimes too much sense of justice only brings even greater tragedy."
"That's why I say, Kakashi, don't think about doing some naive thing, unless one day you become Hokage and can create a shelter specifically for these people. Otherwise, it's meaningless."
Kakashi couldn't respond, because what Obito said was the truth.
He suddenly understood why Obito still gave money to the shopkeeper.
Because if the money wasn't given and the shopkeeper suffered losses, he might bear a grudge and try to make it up elsewhere.
The pain would just transfer from one person to another.
He looked seriously at Obito and said, "Thank you."
Obito revealed a slight smile, "Actually, this way is better, at least we can still live like humans."
"In my past life, I became even more committed to the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan because I saw too many helpless realities. Such tragedies, even someone like me who lived in hell would be moved, let alone you."
At this moment, Rin walked over.
As a woman, this scene actually moved her even more.
Brothels weren't rare in the ninja world. In fact, they were everywhere.
She had never directly encountered one before, so she couldn't imagine what kind of life the women inside led.
But from what she saw, many probably weren't willing, they were just forced into this line of work by life's pressures.
She no longer had any interest in continuing to wander and 'experience the exotic charm' Obito had spoken of.
"Obito, let's find a place to stay."
Obito nodded, "Then let's go to Akatsuki. It's late anyway. We'll stay there for the night, and the rest, we'll talk about tomorrow."
After he spoke, Obito looked at Minato, who had been silent at the side the whole time, "Minato-sensei, you don't mind, right?"
Minato smiled, "Of course not. I also really want to see my junior disciples."
Just like that, the group set off, heading toward the Akatsuki headquarters located in District 7. During this time, the woman Kakashi saved followed behind them from a distance, not daring to inquire about anything, just keeping her head lowered, looking heavily burdened.
———
Not long after, the group arrived at the Akatsuki base. Having sensed their approach in advance, Nagato was already waiting in the main hall.
This was the first meeting between Minato and his junior disciple, and he witnessed the legendary Rinnegan.
Before Nagato could speak, Obito already pointed at the person who had followed them. At this point, her makeup had been ruined by the rain, her hair disheveled, looking quite miserable.
"Nagato, get a female member to take her down to wash up and arrange a place for her to stay. As for the rest, we'll talk later."
Nagato nodded and was just about to make arrangements when he noticed the woman staring at his hair.
He couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"
The woman hesitated a bit but still asked, "Sir, are you by any chance from the Uzumaki Clan?"
Nagato thought for a moment and said, "My mother was, but I no longer have anything to do with that clan."
The woman respectfully said, "I understand, sir."
But Obito saw that she seemed to be hiding something and asked, "You seem to care a lot about the Uzumaki Clan, but from your hair color, it's black, you're probably not an Uzumaki, so why do you care so much?"
The woman bit her lip, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
In the end, she only shook her head and said, "Sorry, sir, I can't say. Even if you kill me, I can't say."
At that, Obito became interested. This woman he saved casually, she seemed to be hiding some secret.
He smiled, "Actually, there's no need to be afraid. There are no bad people here. If you have any burdens you can't speak of, say them, maybe we can help you resolve some difficulties."
The woman hesitated for a long time. Finally, she made up her mind, gritted her teeth, and suddenly knelt before Nagato.
"Sir, I beg you, please save your clanswoman, my lady."
Nagato was stunned, 'All of a sudden, why is she kneeling?'
He asked, "Your lady, she's also from the Uzumaki Clan?"
The woman nodded and pleaded, "I'm her maid. She saved me when I was a child, so I've followed her ever since, we rely on each other."
"When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, my lady and I were both still young and didn't understand anything. We wandered around and ended up in the Land of Rain searching for relatives."
"But we didn't find any relatives. Instead, we ran out of money. Watching my lady go hungry and cold, I sold myself and gave all the money to her."
"But this isn't a long-term solution. I beg you, sir. Just like you took me in, please take her in too. She's also your clanswoman."
Nagato was stunned, "Looking for relatives, what's your lady's name? Who is the relative?"
The woman said, "My lady's name is Uzumaki Kana. Her relative is her grandaunt, Uzumaki Kasui. But we searched for a long time and never found her, maybe she already died in the chaos of war…"
As she said this, her emotions grew heavy.
But Nagato felt a surge of unspeakable emotion, because his mother's name was Kasui.
The woman's story might really be true. This Uzumaki Kana could very well be his cousin.
He asked urgently, "Where is Uzumaki Kana now?"
The woman didn't bother with changing clothes anymore. She grabbed Nagato's hand and said, "I'll take you to her."
Then the two hurried out the door.
Obito watched this scene, and in his heart, he was a little surprised. He hadn't expected that the Uzumaki Clan had more than just Nagato's family scattered in the Land of Rain.
He had never heard about this before.
'Uzumaki Kana, huh?'
He didn't expect that one act of saving someone would end up connecting to the big sister's clanswoman.
'That big sister has always missed her clanspeople. Maybe this can be a chance to bring her to meet Nagato and Uzumaki Kana someday…'
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 40 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y