Reiji's gaze swept over Onoton's rigid corpse. Without a word, he rose and stepped out of the blood circle at his feet.
He removed his straw cloak, then the cape beneath it.
Silently, Reiji approached the naked woman, wrapped her trembling body in the cloak, and gently said,
"Sorry… that our village harbored such filth."
The woman weakly turned her head. Seeing Reiji's youthful face, she shook her head with effort.
"It's not your fault, child."
Reiji looked away, saying nothing. In that moment, he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.
He reached out and lifted the barely breathing woman, carried her over to the man still tied to the chair, gently laid her down, and began to untie the ropes.
The man's body was cold and stiff, his joints locked in a seated position.
Reiji sighed and forced the man's limbs straight, laying him beside the woman.
Once he finished, he no longer looked at the two lying side by side. He stood, walked over to Onoton's body, and carried it out of the house.
He would give the woman a moment to say goodbye.
After all, her life was nearing its end too.
Inside, the woman slowly turned to face her husband, staring at the eyes that would never close. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks like a small stream.
Her red, swollen hand reached out—slow, unshakable—and finally gripped his. She held it tightly, never to let go again.
Outside the house, Reiji moved with a cold expression as he dealt with the aftermath.
He would make sure the world knew: this massacre was the doing of Amegakure.
He dragged the mutilated, tortured corpses of the villagers out of each house and laid them neatly in the center of the village.
He bent Onoton's knees, forcing the man who had caused this tragedy to kneel before his victims.
He did the same with the other four corpses, lining them up in a row on their knees.
Tearing off their upper garments, Reiji pulled out a large senbon.
Using it as a pen, and Onoton's back as a canvas, Reiji began to write with grim focus.
"Onoton, Jōnin of Amegakure, under the command of Kandachi.
Secretly executed Hanzo of the Salamander's covert plan, assisting Aron in infiltrating Kirigakure.
Led three subordinates in the brutal slaughter of 103 villagers in the Land of Hot Water. Their actions were cruel beyond measure and defied all sense of justice."
The moment he finished writing, Reiji's tongue suddenly seared with heat. The curse seal activated!
In an instant, countless black threads burst from his tongue, piercing his skull in a storm of tiny holes.
Even after shooting through his head, the threads continued flying outward in all directions until they vanished into the darkness.
No one knew how long had passed when Reiji, teeth clenched in silence, finally lifted his head. His expression was twisted in agony, his face a horrific mess of holes.
He wiped the brain matter from his nose and glared at Onoton's back.
"Damn it, that hurt like hell! So this is what it feels like to have your brain scrambled… I'll remember this, Hanzo of the Salamander! Kandachi!"
Even so, trembling, Reiji picked up the fallen senbon and struggled over to Aron's back.
"Aron, covert agent of Amegakure, age twelve.
As part of the covert operation, infiltrated Kirigakure in the Land of Water under the guise of a war orphan.
Participated in massacres, defilement, and the burning of villagers and villages."
Reiji went on to write every detail of the plan, naming all the culprits and the numbers involved, across the backs of the remaining three.
He wanted the entire ninja world to know exactly what kind of monsters Hanzo of the Salamander and Kandachi from Amegakure were.
Even if it meant greatly increasing the risk of exposure, even if it meant triggering the curse seal again and suffering unbearable pain—he would do it.
Because if he didn't, he would never be able to live with himself.
He was a transmigrator, after all—he had his own boundaries and conscience. He couldn't turn a blind eye to such inhuman atrocities.
After everything was done, Reiji got up. Using the ninja knowledge Mizukuma had taught him, he calmly erased all traces of his presence. At last, he returned to the house that still weighed heavy on his heart.
Inside, quiet sobs echoed—full of confusion and despair.
Reiji paused, then pushed the door open.
With a faint creak, the crying stopped. Inside, a child covered in soot suddenly turned his head. His tear-filled eyes were wide with fear and suspicion.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
The child clutched a kunai he must have picked up somewhere, holding it awkwardly in front of himself. He bared his teeth like a wounded animal, trying his best to appear fierce.
"Rie, no… don't be rude to our savior."
The woman, lying on the ground, struggled to lift her arm and press down on the child's.
Reiji paid no mind to the tense child. He strode forward and quickly crouched beside the woman.
In the dim firelight from outside the door, Reiji's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
By all rights, this woman should've been dead already. Yet—somehow—she was still alive.
If Reiji's survival was thanks to his unique constitution, then this woman had survived purely through sheer willpower.
Seeing this, Reiji fell silent.
"Savior… what's your name?"
Her hoarse voice pulled Reiji's drifting thoughts back to her.
"Reiji. My name is Reiji."
Upon hearing that, the woman's stiff expression softened into a faint smile.
"Reiji… do you have a family name?"
Without thinking, an image flashed through Reiji's mind—Mizukuma.
It was from the first time they met.
With a serious expression, Mizukuma had pointed to the Amegakure headband on his forehead. His mature face bore a rare gravity.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mizukuma Sakuhō, Special Jōnin of Amegakure. You can call me sensei, or just Mizukuma."
Thinking of that moment, Reiji instinctively blurted out,
"Sakuhō! My surname is Sakuhō—Reiji Sakuhō. Pleased to meet you!"
The woman gave a barely visible nod, then reached out and took the child's hand, her gaze filled with love and deep reluctance.
"Rie… my child. From now on, your name is Rie Sakuhō."
With that, she placed Rie's hand firmly into Reiji's.
"Reiji, this is my daughter, Rie. Please look after her."
As she spoke, the light in her eyes began to fade, leaving Reiji no chance to hesitate or refuse.
...
On a small hillside outside the village, the warm afternoon sun poured down, and the breeze stirred the tall grass.
Before a modest grave mound, two figures—one big, one small—stood silently.
"Go on. Say goodbye to your father and mother."
Reiji gently pushed Rie's shoulder.
Rie nodded and carefully placed a small bouquet of red-and-white wildflowers before the grave. Her eyes, rimmed red, brimmed with unshed tears.
After a long silence, Reiji stepped forward and gently ruffled Rie's hair.
"Let's go."
Little Rie nodded obediently. She reached out her soft, pudgy hand and held Reiji's, glancing back every few steps as they walked into the distance.