The wooden door of the thatched hut creaked open with a "squeak~".
A shaft of sunlight illuminated Yugao and her mother.
Looking at the man standing at the doorway, the mother and daughter wore expressions filled with terror.
They had clearly heard the screams from outside moments ago. Obviously, the Grass Ninja Village's shinobi had encountered a powerful enemy.
The Grass Ninja had nearly a hundred shinobi, yet now they were helpless before this man.
That could only mean one thing...
The Grass Ninja had been defeated!
Although those Grass Ninja treated them merely as tools, at least they wouldn't harm their lives.
Now that the Grass Ninja had fallen back, they had no idea what fate awaited them next...
"What are your names?"
Hearing the man's voice, Yugao's mother bravely spoke while suppressing her fear: "My name is Xingzi."
"This is my daughter... Yugao."
"We're useful. Please don't kill us."
Xingzi begged on her knees.
Whether she lived or died didn't matter much to her, but Yugao must not die like this.
Her life hadn't even begun yet...
Looking at Xingzi's terrified expression, Mirai Uchiha calmly said, "I came to rescue you after hearing about your plight, so there's nothing to worry about."
"I've already dealt with the Grass Ninja. Come out first."
Upon hearing Mirai Uchiha's words, Xingzi was stunned.
Hearing about their situation?
How was that possible?
Those Grass Ninja had forbidden them from leaving the hut in order to prevent their information from leaking...
As if seeing Xingzi's doubts, Mirai Uchiha added, "I accidentally overheard two Grass Ninja talking, which is how I learned about you."
"My name is Mirai Uchiha."
"Mirai Uchiha..." Xingzi murmured to herself, then suddenly asked, "You're a Konoha ninja?"
Mirai Uchiha nodded.
After receiving confirmation, Xingzi revealed a bitter smile on her face.
Back then, the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed because Konoha remained indifferent and did nothing.
If Konoha hadn't broken their alliance pact, she and her daughter wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation.
Xingzi harbored resentment toward Konoha's ninjas.
Yet unexpectedly, the person who rescued them turned out to be a Konoha ninja...
"Mirai-sama is a noble-hearted and compassionate person. He won't harm you at all."
Hydrangea's bright voice rang out clearly.
Seeing Hydrangea's cuteness, Xingzi snapped back to reality and immediately said, "Thank you for rescuing us. We'll come out right away."
Xingzi led Yugao out of the thatched hut.
Xingzi and Yugao hadn't seen sunlight in so long that they couldn't help but squint their eyes, slowly opening them after adjusting for a moment.
But the next second, both of their mouths fell open in shock.
As far as the eye could see, Grass Ninjas lay strewn about in chaos, each one brutally sliced straight down the middle.
Near the hut stood a newly grown thick tree.
Covered entirely in thorny vines lined with sharp barbs, it held dozens of Grass Ninjas dangling in midair.
Blood dripped continuously from their bodies, pooling on the ground into a river of crimson.
Combined with severed limbs and dismembered remains scattered below, the scene was horrifyingly gruesome.
Yet this hellish sight caused Xingzi to cry from overwhelming joy.
How many times had such a scene played out in her dreams? She had endlessly dreamed of making those Grass Ninjas suffer so much that they wouldn't even deserve a burial.
Only unfortunately, dreams remained just dreams.
Every time she woke up, all she found was endless exploitation.
But now…
The very Grass Ninjas who once oppressed her relentlessly had finally received the punishment they deserved.
Their pitiful deaths brought nothing but pleasure to Xingzi's heart.
She didn't know what fate awaited her in the future, but witnessing this moment while still alive was more than enough!
Mirai Uchiha silently watched as Xingzi sobbed uncontrollably in Yugao's arms.
Xingzi's hair was dry and brittle, her skin pale and ghostly. The visible parts of her body were covered in countless deep bite marks.
Just seeing this small glimpse revealed clearly how much torment she'd endured over the years.
Now that she had finally escaped from hell, letting her release some emotion seemed only fair.
Meanwhile, Hydrangea stood beside them, quietly shedding tears along with Xingzi.
She had originally thought her own experiences were already tragic enough, never imagining someone else in the ninja world could have suffered a thousand times worse than herself.
———
After quite some time, Xingzi finally stopped crying.
Kneeling on the ground, she and Yugao bowed deeply before Mirai Uchiha: "Lady Mirai, thank you for avenging us."
Mirai Uchiha said calmly, "Stand up. From now on, you'll live under my protection in Konoha."
Upon hearing this, Xingzi hesitated slightly.
She was a member of the Uzumaki clan; if her identity were discovered in Konoha, it could cause serious complications.
Perhaps even worse…
Konoha ninja might decide to kill them both to protect their secrets.
Seeing Xingzi remain silent, Mirai Uchiha continued, "With your special physiques, wherever you go, people will always hunt you like prey."
Hearing those words, Xingzi's heart sank.
So it was as she feared…
Her and Yugao's special physiques had indeed been discovered.
This way, what awaited her would surely be the same hell as before.
Xingzi, having experienced far too much, had completely lost faith in people.
In her eyes, the man willing to rescue them was undoubtedly just lusting after their special physiques.
Still, if she wanted to survive, even if the path ahead led into the abyss, she had no choice but to push forward.
Just then, a hand gently touched Xingzi's shoulder.
Her entire body trembled, and an intense wave of fear surged within her.
Was he going to test her abilities first?
As Xingzi lost herself in anxious thoughts, a warm current began spreading through her body.
Thanks to this warmth, Xingzi felt indescribably comfortable.
Her once dull red hair regained its shine and vibrancy. The scars covering her skin vanished rapidly, and her body's internal organs began to regain their vitality...
In just a short moment, Xingzi seemed like an entirely different person.
"I... I... my body..."
Xingzi stared in disbelief at her hands, arms, hair—every visible part of her.
She could clearly feel it: all the vitality she had lost had returned!
It was just like when she had first arrived at the Grass Ninja Village (Grass Village). Her body overflowed with energy and vitality.
"Mirai, who exactly are you?"
Xingzi murmured while staring at Mirai Uchiha.
She had already dropped all her guard against him and no longer thought he would treat her and her daughter like the Grass Ninja did.
How could someone who casually restored her vitality even want her insignificant strength?
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