In the age of wars,The four great nations were locked in a horrific war, each ruled by an emperor thirsty for the blood of the others.
Thousand upon thousand of soldiers and elite samurais died fighting until their last breath. One emperor hungered for land and loot from his neighbors, while another fought desperately to save his people, his land, and his wealth.
Greed and ambition burned across the world, leaving villages like Namuko looted, burned, and destroyed—just one among many swept away by the chaos.
But far from this endless war, near the mountains where beautiful waterfalls spilled into clear rivers and fertile fields, there was a place untouched by bloodshed.
This village was called Ouchi-Juko.
Smaller and less populated than most of villages of that time, it was shielded by the barrier of mountains, hills, rivers, and forests. Hidden away and protected by nature's walls, Ouchi-Juko had not been drawn into the horrors of war, its people living quietly, unaware of how long their fragile peace might last.
In this village there is a orphan Named Kuro he is just 9 year old .
he served as a humble worker boy in his master's household. His tasks were simple—fetching water, chopping wood, cleaning floors—but his heart was restless.
One evening, as the sun dipped behind the forest canopy, he went out with an axe to gather firewood.
In the quiet, a scream pierced the woods.
A little girl's cry.
Kuro dropped the bundle of wood and ran. His small body trembled, but his legs did not stop. In a clearing,
he saw it—a white leopard, its fangs glistening, claws ripping through the earth as it cornered the girl.
Without thinking, Kuro screamed and rushed forward, waving his axe to distract the beast.
The leopard turned, furious, and pounced on him. Its claws tore across his face, burning him with pain that would never fade.
Kuro thought it was the end. His vision blurred, blood dripping into his eyes. But in that final heartbeat, his hand closed around the small knife tied to his belt.
With every ounce of strength, he drove it into the beast's neck.
The leopard roared, thrashed, and then fell silent.
Kuro lay broken, his face scarred forever—but alive. The girl lived too, thanks to his courage.
Yet from that day, whenever people saw his disfigured face, they recoiled in fear.
Children mocked him. Adults pitied him.
The village Ouchi - Juko seems like" perfect " place to live it had everything beautiful falls ,river , good agricultural land , having natural barriers of nature to prevent invaders to attack but the heart of the villagers were was not kind they couldn't understand the pain of 9 year old kid .
It defines that there is nothing in this world which can be called perfect !!!