Chapter 27: A Land Full of Lament and Blood

[Eliminated the Evil Wolf squad, Old Seventh, Third, Fourth, Fifth. Total soul fragments gained: 270.]

[Current soul fragments: 580.]

Ryosuke stepped over Old Seventh's corpse, untied the reins of the carriage, led out a horse, mounted it, then turned back and said to Sasuke and Rei, "You two stay here. I'm heading to the county town."

Terumi Mei grabbed his arm.

"Didn't you hear what he said just now? Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are coming!"

"I know."

"It's not just them. There are also samurai, ninja, guards in the county town… Are you planning to directly assault a whole town?!"

"I know."

"You know, my ass!"

Terumi Mei yanked the reins hard and snarled, "Who do you think you are? The legendary Hashirama Senju?! If you go today, you're dead!"

"You don't want me to die?"

"Of course not!"

"Why?"

"Because..."

Terumi Mei was momentarily speechless. She didn't know how to say it. Just a month ago, she had taken a mission to kill Ryosuke, that's why she'd tracked him down all this way.

Seeing her fall silent, Ryosuke instead smiled.

"Because you see me as a friend."

"Ryosuke!"

Old Blade's voice called out. He came running with a broadsword as tall as a man slung over his shoulder. There wasn't time to make a sheath, so he followed Samehada's old method and wrapped it in layer upon layer of bandages.

"Catch!"

Old Blade swung with both arms and hurled the massive sword.

Ryosuke reached out and caught it one-handed. The handle was heavy, cold.

But it suited him well.

"Doctor Ryosuke."

The village chief trembled as he approached, followed by a group of elderly and weak villagers.

The chief handed him a thick cloak and a bundle full of food. His lips parted, as though he had many words he wanted to say, but not a single one came out.

What could he say?

He had lived long and seen much of human warmth and indifference.

Let alone Ryosuke, who had no ties to Snowy Village, just a fleeting encounter by chance, even the villagers born and raised here wouldn't risk death to throw themselves into danger.

What Terumi Mei had said wasn't wrong. This was reality.

But outside of reality, when faced with desperation, people… always birthed a trace of hope from deep within.

The hope that a hero would descend from the heavens.

Ryosuke took the bundle, tied it to the saddle, then swung the cloak over his shoulders. He gently patted the hand Terumi Mei had on the reins.

"It's time I go."

Terumi Mei couldn't understand, "Why must you go?"

Among the people who were kidnapped, none were Ryosuke's family.

Though the situation had something to do with Ryosuke at the beginning, the root of the issue was still the brutality of Magistrate Senmura.

The so-called tax was merely his excuse for extortion and murder. What he said was law. Ryosuke had no responsibility to take on that burden.

Ryosuke quietly met Terumi Mei's gaze. He had thought of many reasons. In the end, he said only one sentence, "A land full of lament, a land full of blood, all it takes is one thought to save the people… I want to go and see."

Such a simple sentence, yet many present did not understand it.

Terumi Mei was one of the few who did. She stared blankly at Ryosuke, not even realizing when she let go of the reins.

At that moment, she thought of the tragedy of the "Village of the Bloody Mist," of Yagura's increasingly mad policies in recent years. A surge of emotion rose in her heart, she wanted nothing more than to follow this man into battle, to fight by his side.

But just one step forward, and Terumi Mei had to stop.

She couldn't go.

Their opponent was a magistrate appointed by the Daimyō of the Land of Water, one of Kirigakure's upper echelons, a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Going with Ryosuke would mean betraying her village, her country.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder. Ryosuke gave a slight shake of his head, "Don't make it hard on yourself. Take care of them for me."

Ryosuke looked around at everyone, snapped the reins. The horse neighed.

One man, one horse, charging into the snowy night. In a blink, they were gone from sight.

Terumi Mei gently touched the shoulder where Ryosuke's hand had rested. The warmth slowly faded, leaving her feeling lost and empty.

"In the world of the wandering, one has no control over themselves. Terumi-sensei, you don't have to blame yourself," Sasuke said.

Terumi Mei snapped out of it and stubbornly said, "Who said I'm blaming myself? Didn't Ryosuke tell you? I was actually sent by another organization to spy on him."

"But Ryosuke, he's not afraid I'd kidnap you all and use you to threaten him?"

Sasuke folded his arms. "No, he's not, Terumi-sensei. You're not that kind of person. While you're watching others, others are watching you. Brother Ryosuke said it's called 'When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you', Ow!"

Terumi Mei flicked Sasuke's forehead hard. "You talk like a fortune cookie. Shouldn't I be calling you 'sensei' instead?"

———

The sound of hooves trampling snow echoed through the night. Trees on both sides of the road whooshed past.

Ryosuke gripped the reins tightly, transmitting Ripple energy into the horse.

The horse let out a sharp neigh. Ryosuke leaned low to reduce wind resistance and pushed the speed even higher.

He raced from night into day, from day into night again, never stopping for a moment.

The Evil Wolf Squad had taken five days to come slowly from the county town to Snowy Village.

Then they spent three days escorting the villagers back.

But Ryosuke, had taken less than twenty-four hours.

Clip-clop~ Clip-clop~

The horse's hooves stepped onto the edge of a cliff. The final rays of sunset painted the county town below in a bloody hue.

The sun vanished. The world fell into a brief darkness.

But very soon, the county town lit up.

Only one light.

The source of light came from the very center of town, a massive, ornate mansion.

Brilliantly lit. Faint sounds of singing and laughter drifted out from the mansion, forming a stark contrast with the deathly stillness of the rest of the town, where not even a single window was lit in the commoners' homes.

Ryosuke understood, he had found the right place.

———

Inside the magistrate's mansion, a feast was underway.

Four people sat at the banquet. On the left were Magistrate Senmura and Evil Wolf. On the right were two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, sent to track Ryosuke.

He had long green hair, thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, and his upper body was wrapped in bandages.

Momochi Zabuza, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō.

He had short black hair, no eyebrows, sharp teeth, a cross-shaped scar on his face. His ears and neck were wrapped in bandages, and his lower face had red markings.

The two sat cross-legged, their ninja swords within reach. They drank and ate meat while admiring the dancing girls.

Momochi Zabuza actually managed a rare smile.

In recent years, the Mizukage Yagura's policies had grown harsher and harsher.

Although he had the title of "Seven Ninja Swordsmen," he alone knew how hard life really was.

Many in Kirigakure had already defected. Zabuza had once thought of doing the same, he'd heard a group called "Akatsuki" was gaining traction.

But after his recent contact with Magistrate Senmura, his thinking began to change.

Why become a missing-nin?

Why not skip the village and work directly for the Daimyō of the Land of Water?

Magistrate Senmura was shrewd. Through their conversations, he had sensed Zabuza's intentions.

He kept pouring Zabuza drinks, promising rewards. Evil Wolf praised him nonstop.

Zabuza's face glowed with excitement. He tightly grabbed the magistrate's hand, "I've drifted alone half my life. I only regret not meeting a worthy lord sooner. Magistrate Senmura, if you don't mind, when the time is right, I'll gladly offer my humble service."

Who says Zabuza is cold-blooded and ruthless? When it comes to personal gain, how many can truly stay indifferent?

As for "when the time is right", of course, that meant when Magistrate Senmura rose from this backwater to become a favored official of the Daimyō.

Only the weak invest in others during their lowest moments.

A strong man like Zabuza? He only needed to step in when success was guaranteed to claim his share of the pie.

All of this, everyone present understood without needing to say it out loud. They simply exchanged knowing smiles.

The dance ended. The singing girls gathered around, throwing themselves into their arms. Zabuza didn't refuse, he spread his arms and took two, one on each side, closing his eyes and squeezing soft, snowy skin.

Only Kurosuki Raiga had no girl in his arms.

Magistrate Senmura quietly asked, "Is it that there's no one to Lord Raiga's taste? Shall I call in another batch?"

Zabuza chuckled, "My brother here… he prefers men."

At those words, the magistrate froze. Evil Wolf froze. Even the dancing girls in their laps froze.

"Pfft~"

One of the girls let out a quiet laugh.

Before the sound even landed, the banquet turned to dead silence.

Before she could beg, her neck was twisted.

He tossed her corpse to the floor, bowed ninety degrees.

"I'm sorry, Lord Raiga. I spoiled your mood."

Raiga waved a hand, it didn't bother him.

Even as his men came to drag the girl's corpse away, not one person gave it a second glance.

"Speaking of men…"

Evil Wolf recalled something and said, "Among the people I brought back from Snowy Village, there was a boy named 'Haku', quite good-looking. Don't know if Lord Raiga might be interested."

Raiga raised his eyebrows slightly.

Seeing the change in expression, Magistrate Senmura urged, "What are you waiting for? Bring him up here."

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