Two days later.
After a long and arduous journey, Shiratori and the others finally arrived at A.
The village was the sa as when they had left it, broken walls and ruins, desolate and empty.
Even so, the A ninjas' eyes welled up with tears. No matter how dilapidated the village was, it remained their sacred ho.
After all, this was the land they had shed blood and laid down their lives for.
Shiratori stepped down from his broom. He didn't harbor any special feelings toward A. Especially when the village was in such ruins.
And yet, his expression looked more stirred than anyone else's.
That was the brilliance of his acting.
His gaze conveyed a deep nostalgia for the village.
This sight of his stirring emotions fell into Hanzō's eyes.
His gaze softened.
No matter how strong Shiratori was on the battlefield, it couldn't hide the fact that he was still just a child.
"Sensei!"
"We've finally co ho."
Tears glimred in his eyes as he lifted his head, staring at the ruined A before him.
Ho, a word so warm and tender.
Sothing in Hanzō's heart stirred. His eyes shifted from Shiratori to the village. His gaze softened as he murmured: "Yes... we're ho."
Suddenly, a chilling aura spread outward from Shiratori's body.
Hanzō's eyes narrowed, his muscles tensed, and his wary gaze swept around.
He noticed a purple vortex swirling beside Shiratori, and realization struck him, his eyes moved back to the boy.
Shiratori turned to him with a smile.
"I want to bring them ho."
His words made Hanzō freeze.
The ninjas, who had been on full alert, also stiffened at once.
A heavy silence fell.
Before their eyes, a massive claw erged from within the vortex.
Then, the entirety of its enormous body stepped through.
A terrifying aura engulfed the entire village.
A chill rose from the ninjas' feet, spreading through their bodies.
They stared wide-eyed, unblinking, at the colossal monster.
They recognized it.
They had witnessed this creature's birth with their very own eyes.
Even knowing it had been born from the corpses of their fallen comrades, they could not suppress the instinctive fear it evoked.
The aura it exuded was too strange, too unfathomable, they had never encountered such an existence before.
And yet, in contrast to their fear, Shiratori stood by the monstrous being without fear, only closeness.
He reached out a hand and gently caressed its black mist-shrouded body.
"Shiratori..."
"Shiratori... protect Shiratori..."
The monster's guttural roars rang out.
But under his soothing touch, it gradually quieted.
Tears glimred in his eyes as a smile spread across his face: "Rain, we're ho... Do you still rember? This is our ho..."
Hanzō's heart clenched, his vigilance slowly lting away.
Yes... he had seen with his own eyes how this curse was born, hadn't he?
This curse... was born from the A ninjas who had died on the battlefield.
"There is peace now... there will be no more war... we are ho..."
Tears spilled from Shiratori's eyes. A hand rested gently on his shoulder.
He turned slightly, eting Hanzō's gaze, a gaze filled with sorrow and compassion.
[Affection detected: Hanzō 5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 18.8%]
He gave Hanzō a tearful smile. "I've brought everyone back to A!"
Hanzō's eyes stung. He took a deep breath and nodded. "...Mm."
[Affection detected]
[Multiple sources: 1000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 32,000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 22%]
The ninjas watched his figure.
How could they possibly feel fear?
That was their comrade! The comrade he had never once forgotten. Shiratori had never once forgotten his promise to bring them ho.
"Ho..."
"Go ho... with Shiratori..."
The cursed voice echoed around them, repeating the sa few words.
Looking at the curse stubbornly repeating itself, Shiratori silently sighed inside. Though he had indeed intended to use it to harvest emotional energy, he had, in a sense, truly brought it back ho.
The purple vortex once again swallowed Rain's figure.
That suffocating aura above their heads gradually dissipated.
The ninjas all breathed out faint sighs of relief.
Though they knew well how the curse had been ford, its oppressive presence was overwhelming.
It was a physiological reaction they could not suppress.
As Hanzō led the way deeper into A, Shiratori gradually began to notice traces of human presence.
So it seed the village wasn't entirely empty after all.
A crow beat its wings, soaring high above the village.
No one would bother to drive away such an ordinary bird of on.
Its black eyes shifted, capturing every shadowy figure hiding behind broken walls and rubble.
"Shh."
An old woman hiding behind the ruins quickly covered her granddaughter's mouth.
They were refugees, sneaking into A to search for food while the ninjas were away fighting.
They knew the risks were great, but there was no other road left for them. Either they ca to steal food from the village, or they starved to death. Yet before they could take any away, the ninjas had returned.
If discovered, neither she nor her granddaughter would survive.
She was already nothing but skin and bones, death no longer mattered to her.
But her granddaughter was only five years old. She couldn't die yet!
And it wasn't just them. Other refugees also hid in various corners of the ruins.
As the footsteps of the ninjas drew closer, every refugee's heart pounded as though it might leap from their chest.
The girl, Yuki, felt her palms slick with sweat.
The round loaf of bread slipped from her grip, rolling down the rubble-strewn slope into the center of the path.
Her pupils dilated.
Her bread!
She instinctively chased after it.
The old woman failed to react in ti. Her granddaughter had already broken free of her grasp.
She hadn't eaten properly in so long, how could she possibly restrain the child?
"Yuki..."
The old woman's eyes widened, as though plunged into icy water, her whole body trembling.
She knew. They were about to be discovered. But Yuki stubbornly chased after the bread.
A hand reached down, picking it up before she could.
Yuki froze.
Her gaze lifted to the owner of that hand.
Shiratori carefully brushed the dust off the loaf, then held it out to the girl.
"Your bread."
Yuki blinked in surprise. She stared blankly at the boy before her, his face glowing with a brilliant smile.
The ninjas frowned, their wary eyes locking sharply onto Yuki.
Under their blade-like gazes, the girl shrank back, not daring to reach out. Instead, she looked timidly at Shiratori.
"Take it."
"Isn't this yours?"
Shiratori noticed the girl's fear and unease. He gave her a warm smile, his eyes free of malice, his presence carrying no hint of hostility.
He extended the bread toward the girl, his eyes full of expectation.
Yuki stared fixedly at Shiratori, not even blinking.
Her gaze slipped past him and landed on the ninjas behind him. She took a step back, her eyes filled with deep fear.
As a refugee of the Land of Rain, she had once witnessed the battlefields of the ninjas and other ninjas with her own eyes.
The blood-soaked scenes had left her with lasting scars.
Whenever she saw ninjas wearing headbands, she couldn't help but recall those terrifying images.
"Don't be afraid!"
"We won't hurt you."
Shiratori knew it would not be easy to change the common folk's view of the A ninjas overnight.
He stepped forward, pressed the bread into the girl's hands, gently wrapping his own hand around hers, the smile on his face never fading.
Looking straight into her eyes, he said seriously, "We've won the war. From now on, the Land of Rain will never again suffer from war, nor will it be reduced to another nation's battlefield. Everyone in the Land of Rain will no longer be displaced, we can all live peacefully in our own hos."
Although his words were directed at the girl, his voice rang out loudly and clearly.
The ninjas gazed at his back, their expressions softening.
Hanzō's eyes rested on him, filled with pride.
Yuki stared blankly at Shiratori in front of her.
The vigilance and fear in her heart gradually lted away.
She couldn't help but want to believe him. He was nothing like the ninjas.
The ninjas were never this gentle.
"I am Hanzō."
Hanzō stepped out from behind Shiratori.
His voice echoed through the quiet village.
The refugees hiding in the shadows, of course, could not escape his gaze.
"The war is over. From now on, no ninja from other villages will set foot in the Land of Rain. You no longer need to live in flight. The ninjas of A will protect the Land of Rain."
Hanzō's words resounded with power.
Shiratori cast him a look of admiration.
His smile grew even brighter as he told the girl, "Hanzō-sensei is right. We will never deceive you! He is the hero who ended the war, the hero who brought peace to A!"
His eyes sparkled with light as he looked at Hanzō.
[Affection detected: Hanzō 10,000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 23%]
[Reminiscence detected: Hanzō 5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Developnt progress: 56.2%]
Hanzō straightened his back, his gaze soft as it fell on Shiratori. The one who truly brought fortune to A... was him.
Yuki instinctively wanted to believe Shiratori's words.
His hand was so warm!
She looked down at her own hand held gently in his.
"Yuki!"
A trembling shout, filled with boundless fear. An old woman rushed forward, yanking Yuki behind her, her eyes wary as she stared at Shiratori.
"You're here to kill us! Don't touch her!"
She glared at them with hatred.
The ninjas frowned deeply at the old woman's stubbornness, their faces darkening.
At that mont, Shiratori turned his gaze toward Hanzō: "Sensei, let escort them out of here."
He guessed that once they returned to A, reconstruction would soon begin. Before the village was rebuilt, it wasn't suitable for people to live there. And these people would hardly be comfortable settling here anyway.
They might even think they were being imprisoned. It would be better to send them away first, ti would prove everything.
Hanzō glanced at the grim, intimidating ninjas behind him. If they were the ones to escort the refugees, it would only terrify them even more.
"Very well. Be careful."
He nodded in reminder.
"Mm!"
Shiratori smiled. "Don't worry!"
He turned his gaze toward the refugees' hiding places. "Co out, all of you! I'll take you away from here."
The hiding refugees exchanged glances.
The old woman shielding Yuki was still wary, but compared to the ninjas, her suspicion toward Shiratori was far less.
"We won't harm you. It's who will escort you away."
No matter how strong he might be, in the eyes of these refugees, he was still just a boy. Compared to the ninjas, he seed far less threatening. Most importantly, they couldn't keep hiding here forever, otherwise they truly would be in danger.
With no path of retreat, the refugees had no choice but to step out of hiding.
One after another, emaciated figures appeared before his eyes.
He greeted them with a warm, approachable smile.
"Co with !"
"I'll escort you to safety!"
Shiratori waved to them enthusiastically.
The refugees, like skittish stray cats, flinched at every movent, following him cautiously, their eyes still fixed on Hanzō and the ninjas behind, always ready to flee.
He led them all the way to the muddy road at the edge of the village.
"Take care, everyone!"
"From here on, we'll rebuild A!"
"Once it's rebuilt, you'll be able to live here again, no more wandering as refugees!"
He told them.
The refugees exchanged glances. They found his attitude kind enough, but still couldn't completely lower their guard.
They nodded slightly, without speaking.
He waved them off with a smile. "Goodbye! From now on, you can live peacefully. As A ninjas, we'll protect the Land of Rain!"
The refugees lowered their heads, pretending not to hear.
Protect?
They would never truly believe such words from those cruel, war-loving ninjas.
"Yuki, stop staring. Let's go."
The old woman tugged at her granddaughter's hand.
Yuki reluctantly pulled her gaze back.
"I believe him."
She said softly to her grandmother.
The old woman looked down at the glowing light in her granddaughter's eyes, montarily at a loss for words.
"He won't lie to us."
Yuki herself didn't know why she felt so certain.
The old woman patted her head, saying nothing.
Shiratori watched the group leave, then turned back toward the village. He hurried to catch up with Hanzō and the others.
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