The villagers looked up from their rice paddies. Some thought they heard a ghost. Some thought they heard rain. An old woman, blind in one eye, whispered: “A true shinobi.”
Shinobumonogatari emphasizes that Shinobu is essentially starting a "second life" through her bond with Araragi. The tragedy of her past (the loss of her first minion) is juxtaposed with the hope of her present situation. It reinforces the idea that Araragi saved her not just physically, but emotionally. shinobumonogatari
It clarifies the relationship between Shinobu and her creator, Deathtopia. The villagers looked up from their rice paddies