Two Tomoe

The cruelty of the Warring States period wasn't confined to the world of shinobi.

Ordinary people had it even worse. There was no sound system of laws or social order, and being weak was an unforgivable sin.

To survive, people found ways to sell off everything around them, including their children and wives.

Once they returned to their village, they could make up some lie, saying that bandits had killed their children and wives while they were away.

The masked sellers from earlier were mostly people like that.

They hid their faces not out of shame, but because they feared their reputations would spread. Then they wouldn't be able to marry and have children, and continue repeating the same cycle.

So when Scarface saw Sosuke riding a packhorse, he mistook him for someone planning to sell his little sister or child bride for a low price.

"Hurry up, kid. You're taking forever," the man complained.

He didn't notice the murderous looks the two people on the horse were giving him.

Back in his previous life, when Sosuke had just started elementary school, a cute girl his age lived next door.

They were close and played together every day after school. Then one day, he arrived late and watched helplessly as an old woman tricked his friend into climbing into a van.

Little Sosuke shouted and chased after the van with all his might, but there was no way he could stop those inhuman kidnappers.

The incident hit him hard, and for a long time, little Sosuke couldn't get over it.

Later, the family next door moved away. He heard they were going to search for their missing child.

He never forgot what happened. Even as he grew up, he would ask his parents about that family from time to time.

He always held on to a sliver of hope. Even if his childhood friend had been kidnapped and sold, perhaps they would find her again, and the two of them might meet once more.

Then, one day after the college entrance exams, his mother told him hesitantly that the girl had actually been found five years earlier.

At a recycling yard, the girl had been left there like a broken doll, her legs sawed off and her eyes gouged out.

It was hard to imagine the abuse that the girl, whose smile had once been as beautiful as a flower, had endured all those years.

After hearing what had happened, Sosuke locked himself in his room for an entire day, then resolutely changed his university application.

He wanted to study law and make sure every kidnapper received a harsh punishment. It might have been a ridiculous goal, but over the years, he hadn't let a single captured criminal off the hook.

He hadn't expected that even after coming to the Hokage World, he would still have to face this scum.

Feeling the boy tremble, Mito looked up in surprise, seemingly astonished by his fury.

"So you do have a heart after all."

When the boy didn't answer, Scarface's patience began to wear thin. "Hey, are you deaf? I'm talking to you. Did you hear me or not?"

"Back then..."

"Huh?"

"Is this how you treated her?"

Before the enemy could react, Sosuke used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Scarface. He reached out with his index and middle fingers and gouged out the man's eyes.

"Ah!!!"

Ignoring the man's screams, Sosuke lowered his stance and swung his blade in a horizontal slash. The next second, the man's legs were severed at the knees, the cuts perfectly clean.

He plunged his sword through the man's abdomen, pinning him to the ground. With one foot on the hilt, Sosuke stared at the others present, his scarlet eyes fixed on them as two black tomoe spun rapidly.

"So you can feel pain too."

Not long afterward, two guards from the Uzumaki Clan arrived at the scene.

On the woman leading the group, they spotted the Princess's token and a letter in Mito's own hand.

The contents were simple: she instructed the two of them to take these poor people back to the Land of Whirlpools. From then on, they would be citizens of the Land of Whirlpools.

Aside from a few unlucky ones, most of them had actually been sold to the kidnappers by their own families.

If they were sent back, they would simply be sold again.

Rather than add to their suffering, it was better to send them directly to the Land of Whirlpools. That was the solution Mito had come up with.

The letter also said that she was going with the boy to destroy the enemy's hideout. Once the matter was settled, he would naturally let her leave.

Reading the letter, the two powerful shinobi exchanged bewildered looks. They had no idea what had happened.

After a moment's thought, the stronger of the two, a middle-aged man, decided to follow them alone. His companion would lead the poor people to the docks.

The Princess's orders could not be disobeyed. Though they were still worried, the two chose to carry them out as instructed.

Meanwhile, Sosuke was racing through the forest, while the ponytail beside him gritted her teeth and struggled to keep up.

By then, the Princess's handcuffs were long gone. In other words, she was already free.

Yet Uzumaki Mito stubbornly refused to leave. She insisted that those people were her subjects now, and that as a princess, she had to help them get revenge.

"Come on, you didn't have to do this. I'm already grateful you're looking after those people," Sosuke said with a wry smile, trying to persuade her.

Why was this little girl like a plaster? Once she stuck to him, he couldn't shake her off.

I told you to leave, but you won't. Once I run out of patience, I'll drag you back to the clan and make you have a bunch of little Uchiha.

"Hmph." The Ponytail Princess turned her head away haughtily and replied coolly, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this for you."

"Fine. Just remember to run if you're in danger."

"Ha. You should worry about yourself."

After that, silence fell between them again.

As she watched the boy beside her, Uzumaki Mito couldn't help wondering what had caused such a strong emotional reaction in him.

What had he been through?

Before she knew it, she had grown deeply interested in this powerful, talented young boy.

After a brief silence, Uzumaki Mito moved until she was running abreast of him, then smiled and held out her hand. "Let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Uzumaki Mito."

"...Uchiha Sosuke."

Their hands clasped for the first time.

From then on, the barrier between them vanished completely. As they traveled toward their destination, their conversation filled the road.

Of course, Mito did most of the talking while Sosuke listened in silence. Whenever he did speak, he always said something that made the girl look at him in a new light.

"You know a lot for someone so young."

The Ponytail Princess was about to say more when the boy beside her suddenly gestured for her to be quiet.

Mito's heart skipped a beat. She quickly closed her mouth and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Not far ahead, the entrance to a cave came clearly into view. Several guards stood lazily at the entrance.

According to Scarface, the trade was taking place inside that cave.

"Finally found you." Sosuke's gaze was filled with terrifying killing intent.