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Hayato just wanted to live a quiet life. But sadly, when the tree wants peace, the wind doesn't stop blowing. In times like this, in a place like this, wanting a peaceful life is a luxury—not everyone can afford it. Not even Hayato.
After wiping out the Black Tiger Gang, things did calm down for a while. As time passed, the population in the area that used to belong to the Black Tiger Gang started to grow.
With no gangsters around to stir up trouble, no one demanding protection money, and no one bullying the weak, life—although still tough—was actually better than most parts of the Rain Country. So, naturally, more and more people started moving in.
But this sudden change didn't go unnoticed by other gang-like groups in the surrounding areas. Once they found out the Black Tiger Gang was gone, well, the rest was predictable.
The small gangs nearby saw this territory as a juicy piece of meat and wasted no time trying to carve it up.
Pretty soon, several small factions moved in and took over different parts of the streets. The area where Hayato lived ended up under the control of a group called the Black Dragon Society.
Unsurprisingly, the Black Dragon Society wasn't much different from the Black Tiger Gang. They immediately started collecting protection money and harassing people. And just like that, it was only a matter of time before they came knocking on Hayato's door.
"Hey, kid. You live here all by yourself? Huh? Not bad, the place looks decent!" Three guys from the Black Dragon Society were standing there all casual and cocky, eyeing Hayato's house.
It looked kind of old on the outside, but inside, it was tidy and clean. The furniture was basic but complete—compared to the rest of the neighborhood, it was probably the nicest spot around. That made the three gangsters look at it with greedy eyes.
Hayato glanced at them coldly. "Leave. I don't want to kill anyone."
"Huh?" The three of them paused for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Yo, Number Three, did you hear that? Did you hear what this little punk just said? He said—he actually said—he doesn't want to kill anyone! Hahahaha!"
"That's hilarious. What the hell was the Black Tiger Gang doing before? Letting punks like this act all high and mighty?"
"No wonder they got wiped out! Hahahaha!"
The three of them laughed like they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Then, the guy in front suddenly kicked over a basket Hayato had placed on the ground. Vegetables and fruit spilled all over the place.
"Oh? You've got fresh veggies and fruit? Damn, kid, you living large or what? In that case, you better cough up a thousand taels every month for protection—or else…" He gave a nasty grin.
"Eating fruit, huh? Might as well eat sh*t instead!" As he said that, he raised his foot and stomped down hard, smashing an apple with a loud splat.
Anger flickered across Hayato's face. Ever since he took out the Black Tiger Gang, it had been about a month, and no one had dared act like this around him. In fact, most people were too scared to even talk to him. Even when he went out to buy food or supplies, no one dared to take his money.
That kind of life felt a little awkward to Hayato, but he got used to it. He never expected some so-called Black Dragon Society to show up and ruin his peace—worse yet, they had the nerve to mess with him.
With a slight push of his foot, Hayato launched forward with a whoosh, his fist slamming straight into the guy's face. Instantly, the thug found out why roses are red.
Over the past month, aside from eating and sleeping, Hayato had been constantly training. Since his body had changed, his growth during this period was incredible.
His strength had already reached the level of a proper Genin (junior ninja), and his raw power was easily double what most Genin could manage.
That punch painted a bloody flower across the guy's face—he was nearly dead from that one hit.
"....."