It had been four days since Rin had brought Haku to train by climbing trees. During this time, he had encouraged Haku to openly display her Ice Release ability, without the need to hide it.
Although Eiji and Keiko were initially shocked, they relaxed after seeing Rin’s unwavering support and affection for Haku. To prevent any tragic events like in the anime, Rin even asked the village chief, Kouichiro, to bring some influential villagers to witness Haku’s abilities.
Except for Kouichiro, the villagers’ faces turned pale upon seeing Haku’s power. Rin, remaining calm, simply said:
“Haku is my sister. If anyone has any strange ideas, remember what happened?”
The mention of Kaje’s brought fear to the villagers, recalling the devilish actions of the boy before them. After this slight intimidation, Rin believed the villagers would not easily act foolishly.
Over the next four days, Rin resumed training, constantly adjusting his body in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Given Rin’s approval, Haku’s talent flourished. Within four days, she could climb halfway up a tree, albeit shakily.
At this moment, on the snow-covered tree trunk, Haku’s small figure was cautiously moving upward, using both hands and feet for stability.
Regarding chakra control, Haku had no problem reaching the top of the tree. However, her body’s limited chakra prevented her from climbing higher. After all, she was only three years old, with no systematic physical training. Her core strength was insufficient, forcing her to climb using all four limbs.
Rin, watching from below, saw Haku stop climbing and knew her chakra was nearly depleted. He called out softly:
“That’s enough, Haku. Climbing this far is good for today.”
Haku turned to look down, and beside her, Pikachu poked its head out, also looking at Rin.
“Brother, you have to catch me,” Haku called down softly, her voice tinged with expectation.
Pikachu, excited, echoed her call.
“Pika Pika!”
Sighing, Rin responded:
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll catch you!”
Since Rin had caught Haku after accidentally falling once, she seemed to enjoy descending this way.
Taking a deep breath, Haku let go, her small body falling through the air.
“Pika!”
Pikachu, smiling, jumped onto her shoulder. Rin quickly moved forward, channeling his remaining energy into his arms.
With a soft thud, Haku, bundled in thick clothing, landed in Rin’s arms.
“Oww—”
Her face, red from the cold, blushed as she snuggled into Rin’s embrace like an ostrich. Pikachu, mimicking her, happily burrowed into Rin’s arms, finding it fun.
Not letting them play around too much, Rin had become stricter with Haku after she started chakra training. After all, she might face battles in the future, and all current training was to equip her with self-protection skills.
Lifting them both by their collars, Rin set them down on the ground.
“Since you can’t train your chakra anymore today, let’s go home and rest. Kuroro will take you back.”
As Rin wanted to continue his training, he arranged for Kuroro to escort them home. However, before they could leave, a shout came from a distance.
“Lord Rin, are you here?”
As the voices drew closer, Rin saw Kouichiro and a group of villagers approaching, panting.
Frowning initially, Rin quickly realized what this was about and relaxed. When they reached him, Kuroro, who had been on a nearby tree trunk, also joined them.
Seeing the slightly breathless group, Rin spoke calmly first:
“Judging by your looks, you’ve gathered the necessary people?”
Taking a deep breath, Kouichiro respectfully replied:
“Yes, Lord Rin. As per your instructions, I have gathered all the useful people from the village. This is just a portion; the rest are on standby in the village, totaling 34 people.”
Hearing this, Rin glanced at him and said softly:
“There’s no need to be so formal, Chief Kouichiro. You should be aware of my plan. I called the villagers not to risk their lives but to help bring back some supplies.”
Startled, Kouichiro quickly explained:
“But, how can we let you fight while we enjoy the spoils?”
Rin chuckled, shaking his head.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Thanks to everyone’s help, this is a way to repay the villagers.”
Blushing, Kouichiro remembered how he had forcibly ordered families to give their best items to Rin.
Not giving him much time to think, Rin waved his hand, speaking firmly:
“It’s decided. Since we have the necessary people, we should move quickly. Those bandits haven’t heard from their scouts in days. If they choose to attack us now, we will suffer losses.”
Understanding the urgency, Kouichiro led the way back to the village.
Despite extracting information about their hideout from the captured bandits, Rin and Kuroro needed villagers familiar with the surroundings to guide them.
That’s when Rin considered the issue of supplies.
Undoubtedly, the bandits had stockpiled winter supplies despite planning to rob others. In this impoverished, war-torn era, Rin wouldn’t let such resources slip by.
This was why he had instructed Kouichiro to organize manpower.
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