Nagato stared at his hands.
What had he done?
What exactly had he just done?
Why was he frozen in place?
What was he afraid of?
Haruki observed Nagato, who seemed to be in an unusual state. Nagato's pupils twitched nervously, and his hands trembled incessantly. Nagato's face at this moment was a mix of tears and laughter. His face seemed to be pulled into two halves. It looked exceptionally grotesque.
"Nagato…"
Looking at it this way, Nagato's psychological problems were quite severe. Haruki decided not to push him over the edge.
"Nagato."
Haruki's hands landed on Nagato's shoulders. He looked at Nagato firmly and said, word by word, "Nagato, calm down. I am not blaming you."
Nagato's trembling pupils moved. He looked at Haruki in front of him and helplessly raised his hands.
"I know, I just…"
He was blaming himself.
"Nagato, there's still a long time. We'll have a chance to overcome this slowly."
"Drowning in self-blame is useless." Haruki said, staring earnestly at Nagato.
Konan and Yahiko looked at Nagato with concern.
The night was silent, with only the sound of the night wind and Haruki and Nagato's voices echoing in the night sky.
Under Rika's watchful eye, the ninjas remained motionless. Their gazes darted between Rika and Haruki, searching for an opportunity to escape. Unfortunately, whenever their fingers moved slightly, that chilling gaze would fall upon them.
"Nagato, trust us. We will all help you." Haruki patted Nagato's shoulder.
He turned around, his gaze falling upon the ninjas.
Yahiko stood beside him, glaring at these ninjas with burning rage.
"Do you guys have any conscience left?" Yahiko took a step forward, unable to restrain himself from shouting at the ninjas.
Conscience?
The ninjas exchanged glances. A hint of sarcasm flashed in their eyes simultaneously.
How could one survive in this era with a conscience?
If they had a conscience, they would have died long ago.
How could they have lived until now?
What right did a brat who hadn't experienced the horrors of war have to stand on a moral high ground and condemn them?
Hatred and anger intertwined in the hearts of the ninjas.
"You stand with those black-hearted merchants, helping them kill innocent people. Do you deserve to be ninja? Did you learn Ninjutsu just to be running dogs for those black-hearted merchants?"
A hint of disappointment appeared in Yahiko's eyes.
Ninjas with great power should use their power to do something meaningful. Not stay in the chaotic border, waiting to die.
Hearing Yahiko's words, the sarcasm on the ninjas' faces became even more apparent.
A ninja scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Haruki and the others, then landing on Yahiko.
"We can't even save our own lives, so what time do we have to worry about others?"
"Have you ever been to a battlefield?"
"Do you know what a battlefield is like?"
"We just want to live. What did we do wrong?"
"Aren't we just taking money and doing things for others?" The ninja retorted.
He stared intently at Yahiko, his pupils faintly red.
Were they willing to be driven by those vulgar fat pigs?
Did they have any other choice?
"I haven't been to a battlefield, but Haruki has. After he left the battlefield, he didn't fall into depravity like you." Yahiko spoke with conviction.
Haruki beside him was the best proof.
"Heh heh."
Hearing Yahiko's words, the ninja couldn't help but sneer.
The ninja's brows darkened. "Is Haruki an ordinary ninja? No! He is Hanzo's student! He is a famous genius, the hero of the Land of Rain. But how many geniuses can be born in the entire Ninja World? Most of them are ordinary ninja. Do you know the consequences of ordinary ninja going to the battlefield? Only death!"
"No ordinary ninja who miraculously survived the battlefield dares to return to their village or rejoin the battlefield. They all hide in unknown small countries, allowing their former names to enter the casualty list."
"We can't go back to our country, we can't go back to our village, and we don't want to go back to the battlefield, so we can only stay in countries where there is war, so we won't be driven away."
"The victory of the Land of Rain once again compressed our living space. We can only hide in Nibi no Utsu like rats, and to eat and sleep, we can only work for those money-grubbing merchants."
The ninja chuckled. "Falling into depravity? No, we are just looking for a chance to live."
"Great ideals only belong to those ninjas who are well-fed and have no worries about survival. We certainly didn't learn Ninjutsu to remove the thorns in the eyes of those merchants, but all of this must give way to survival."
"You are very lucky but not everyone can be as lucky as you."
Yahiko stared at the ninjas in front of him, his expression complex.
[Ding!]
[System detected Rōnin A's killing intent value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Samurai A's killing intent value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Samurai B's killing intent value +3000]
[Ding!]
...
[Currently collected killing intent value totals 12000. Your Slaughter Curse growth value has increased to 6.3%]
"Go to hell!"
"Stop putting on airs in front of us!"
"You brats can't understand our pain at all!"
"..."
Blades intertwined into a single mass. Four figures leaped up, appearing above Haruki's head. Four pairs of scarlet eyes stared intently at Haruki.
Bang—
The ninjas and samurais' eyes widened simultaneously.
Their weapons struck a pale giant hand. It was as if they had struck steel and bone. Not a single trace was left.
"Roar…"
Rika let out an angry shriek. Her other hand slammed down towards the ninjas and samurai.
Boom!
The ground beneath Haruki and the others was smashed into a deep crater. Dark red blood flowed in the deep pit.
[Ding!]
[System detected Rōnin A's fear value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Rōnin B's fear value +3000]
[Ding!]
...
[Currently collected fear value totals 9000, your Cursed Spirit Hanami's Rank has increased to 92.46%]
The scent of blood permeated the air, seeping into the bodies of the remaining ninjas and samurai. They stared in shock at the colossal creature before them, gaining an even deeper understanding of its power once again.
(End of Chapter)
100 PS = 1 BONUS CHAPTER