The Shopkeeper of Konoha

25. Crushing the pride



John didn't believe her at all and just continued pointing his Valerian Longclaw at Arya.

"John.. It's me. Arya. The one who grew up with you. The one who used to practice swordsmanship with you. The one who you taught archery... The one who was the most rebellious... Mother didn't used to like you but I never saw you in any bad way.. Don't you know me?" Arya said.

John was visibly shaking with each passing sentence. He had been in the Nights Watch for so much time and at the end it kind of warps the minds of the people around. Now John was suffering a bit from that but he couldn't be blamed. Arya loved new things bit John was bit more traditional.

He thought something took his away from Nights Watch and made him look at things that was only possible when one was hallucinated.

"Arya..!" John asked now slowly putting his sword on the ground. Arya nodded her head and slowly approached her brother. She made sure that her brother sees her hands so that her brother doesn't think that she was the enemy.

After a few seconds they stood next to each other and then she proceeded to hug his brother who she thought she might not see again. After a small pause, John hugged Arya tightly. Like her, he too missed his sister. After a second they broke apart and looked at her face.

"What is going on?" John asked.

"Didn't you get the information in your head?" Arya asked.

"I did. But I thought this was witchcraft." John said.

"It isn't. He is the summoner." Arya said. John looked at Aoto with vigilance.

"So you are the one with witchcraft?"

"Think whatever you like. But whatever you came to know is real." Aoto replied trying to be as calm and commanding as possible. He couldn't show weakness here and hoped that his own system would give him protection from his own summons.

"Then can you send us back?" John asked.

"No." Aoto shook his head. The system didn't give him any such functions.

John looked a little dejected hearing the words of Aoto. He slowly accepted that whatever had happened to him was real.

"Is this the world?" John asked while glancing the white space around. There was nothing here to begin with so he was a little disappointed.

"Of course not. This is just the space that my 'witchcraft' allows me to have sometimes. The world where I live and where your next life will be is different. It's vibrant, its beautiful and the most dangerous thing you will see in your life." Aoto said.

"What can be more dangerous than Night Walkers and dragons?" Arya asked as she thought that there was no way anything could ever top that. She also held the belief that humanity were more dangerous than any other thing.

"Here people can take down dragons single handedly." Aoto replied in a very bland tone.

"What?"

"You must be joking right?"

"This is impossible."

All of three cried out instantly. But Aoto just looked at them with the same bland and calm eyes. His silence spoke a thousand words. The three people wanted Aoto to say that it was a joke but he didn't say any such words. All three of them gulped down their throats.

"Then your witchcraft can kill those people?" Arya asked.

"Hot Pie, tell them the reason I brought you here." Aoto said.

"He summoned us to bake bread for him." Hot Pie replied as he hung his head in shame. Arya and John were dumbfounded hearing that. They couldn't believe.

"But you don't have to worry. There are laws here. As long as you follow the laws here it will be safe for you. Right now I am living in a village. And you will work with me in a shop until I can see if I can get you a better work. Since the village had strict policy, I will send you outside the village and with the help of the directions you will come to the place I live. Your documents are already served in the gates of the village so it will be very easy to get in. Later I will explain things in detail." Aoto said.

John, Hot Pie and Arya were still confused by the words of Aoto but still nodded their heads.

'System, send them outside the village and please make sure they find their way to Konoha.'

[

Command accepted.

]

*swoosh*

With a sound all three of them vanished from the spot and he was back into the real world. It was still early so it would be quite safe for the trio to find their way to Konoha.

"Oh shit! I didn't give them the dress of the times. Hope they don't feel awkward." Aoto suddenly remembered.

"Whatever! Let them step their feet here."

Aoto didn't decided to reopen his shop and just took went out heading towards the gate. The trio would probably be confused after their take their steps so he needed to be the guide. At the end of the day Hot Pie would be the baker so he needed to take care of his summon too.

Aoto after few minutes of walking saw the huge gate of Konoha. The gate was wide open and few people were going in and out. Those who came in were checked by the border patrol and unlike the times in the anime, the border patrol now was based on Uchiha clan.

He stood on the side of the road and looked at the border and gate patrol. Every single one of them had the clan crest behind their back. Aoto had never seen so many Uchiha's at a single moment so he couldn't feel but a little sad looking at them. Though many of the Uchihas were arrogant, not all of them were bad. It's just the society had made them feel neglected.

Whatever Konoha did to them was unfair which led to their ultimate downfall. Aoto stood there in a daze swimming through his intricate thoughts when he saw three people walking toward the gate from outside.


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