The Land of Waves.
No wonder this place was so impoverished…
Akira nodded in understanding.
“Young master, there is nothing interesting around here.
Unless you have important business, I sincerely advise you to leave as soon as possible,” Tazuna said earnestly.
Although his words sounded like he was trying to drive Akira away, his warning came from genuine goodwill.
Extreme poverty could drive people to terrifying acts.
There was no telling what those who had been pushed beyond desperation might do.
Even Tazuna himself had to admit that when he first saw Akira, an improper thought had briefly surfaced in the depths of his heart.
However, when he remembered that his own grandson was around the same age as the boy before him, his conscience suppressed that wicked impulse.
Unfortunately, Tazuna’s concerns soon proved well-founded.
The surrounding villagers began approaching them almost involuntarily.
Every pair of eyes was drawn toward the expensive golden ornaments adorning Akira’s body.
Greed gradually began to consume their hearts.
“Hehe…” Akira gave the crowd a dazzling smile, appearing like an innocent child who had never encountered the evils of the world.
In truth, however, he possessed the continuously active Noble Phantasm—Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star.
It allowed him to perceive the truth of all things beneath the heavens, including the hearts of men.
Whether they harbored kindness or malice made no difference.
Before the king, it was all merely a performance staged for his amusement!
Smiling faintly, Akira produced a pouch filled with gleaming gold and silver ornaments from seemingly nowhere.
“Whoa!” The villagers’ eyes widened instantly, like starving wolves discovering a helpless lamb.
They had never seen such treasures in their entire lives!
A savage green light of greed seemed to shine within their eyes.
“Young master…
What are you doing?!” Tazuna asked, utterly bewildered.
Had no one ever taught this child not to flaunt his wealth while traveling?
“This is a gift bestowed by the king.
It would be dreadfully unsightly for the first land upon which the king has set foot to remain so pitifully impoverished.” Akira’s eyes curved with his bright smile.
Then, under the villagers’ intense gazes, he casually tossed the gold and silver ornaments into the air as though he were scattering candy.
Clink!
Clatter!
The falling treasures struck the ground with a series of enchanting metallic chimes.
The next instant, the villagers could no longer restrain their desires.
They surged forward in a frenzy, scrambling to seize the gold and silver scattered across the ground.
“You must not be greedy when accepting the king’s gift.
Each person may take only one item,” Akira instructed with a smile.
“Oh, and since you’re a good man, old-timer, I’ll grant you special permission to take two.” “I…” Tazuna no longer knew what to say.
Only a damn fool would leave free money lying on the ground!
He immediately joined the treasure-gathering crowd.
Still, as someone who had lived long enough to become shrewd and cautious, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.
This young master who called himself a king did not seem like a brainless idiot, no matter how Tazuna looked at him.
As a renowned bridge builder from the Land of Waves, Tazuna frequently traveled far from home in search of work.
His experiences had allowed him to see far more of the world than an ordinary villager.
Ten years ago, while constructing a bridge in the Land of Fire, he had been fortunate enough to encounter the famous Third Hokage.
At first glance, there had seemed to be nothing extraordinary about him.
The Third Hokage had appeared to be nothing more than a kindly old man much like Tazuna himself.
Then an accident occurred.
The Hokage was attacked by a massive group of enemy shinobi numbering more than a hundred.
Tazuna had found himself deeply worried for the elderly Hokage.
The outcome, however, had left him completely stunned.
The seemingly gentle and aged Hokage had intimidated the entire enemy force with his presence alone before launching a devastating counterattack.
In the end, he had slaughtered more than a hundred enemies entirely by himself!
It was the first time Tazuna had personally witnessed the terrifying power of a shinobi.
That day, he had learned an important lesson.
There were people in this world who could never be judged by their outward appearance…
Today, as he looked at Akira, Tazuna could not help recalling the Third Hokage once again.
A kindly, harmless-looking old man.
An innocent, harmless-looking child.
It was that same subtle sensation that compelled Tazuna to obey Akira’s command almost instinctively.
He picked up exactly two gold and silver ornaments and refused to take anything more.
Aside from Tazuna, however, none of the other villagers paid the slightest attention to Akira’s words.
After stuffing one treasure into their clothing, they immediately reached for a second.
Soon, several villagers began fighting one another over the scattered valuables.
“It’s mine!” “These all belong to me!” “Anyone who tries to steal from me today is dead!” “Stay back!
Don’t think I’m someone you can push around!” “Get the hell away from me!” Neighbors who had once enjoyed friendly relationships now fought like mortal enemies over the gold and silver before them.
Greed had turned their eyes bloodshot.
The slightest disagreement immediately erupted into violence.
“Hey, do you think that brat might have even more money on him?” A small number of villagers even turned their malicious gazes toward Akira, who stood off to the side enjoying the spectacle.
“Ahahahahahaha!” Akira raised a hand to his forehead and arched his brows, releasing a clear, bell-like laugh.
“Excellent!
With such an amusing performance, you have successfully entertained me!” “However, disobeying the king’s command is forbidden by law, you know~” Akira’s lips curled into a grin as a cruel, icy gleam flashed through his crimson eyes.