The Thing Desired

"Are you a Ninja, sir... pretty big sister."

A soft, girlish voice sounded from behind Hyuga Rei.

A delicate little hand reached out and tugged lightly at Hyuga Rei's clothes a few times.

"Eh?" Hyuga Rei turned around in surprise.

The next second, a small, thin girl with no flesh on her cheeks appeared in her line of sight. She opened her mouth timidly, and her large, supposedly bright eyes were clouded with a gray mist.

"Ninja sister... I'm so hungry... can you..." the girl said timidly, lowering her head, afraid to meet Hyuga Rei's gaze.

Hyuga Rei was flustered by her words, clearly unaccustomed to such a situation.

Seeing this, the group stopped in their tracks. Aburame Keiichi turned his head to glance at the suddenly appearing girl. After a brief scan, he remained silent, simply waiting.

"I..." Hyuga Rei turned to Aburame Keiichi for help, but he gently shook his head, signaling her to handle it herself.

"Grumble grumble~" A low rumble came from the girl's stomach, and the hand holding her clothes trembled and let go.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... to have bothered you, sir Ninja, I'll leave now." A pallor appeared on the girl's gaunt face, and she swayed as if to withdraw.

Seeing this, Hyuga Rei felt an inexplicable pang in her heart and quickly reached out to stop the girl who was about to leave.

"Wait a moment." Hyuga Rei said softly, her eyes filled with tenderness.

She quickly fumbled in her purse and pulled out several large denomination bills, intending to press them into the girl's hand.

"Take this money and buy something to eat. Don't run around the streets, it's not safe," the girl said to herself.

She didn't notice the change in atmosphere around them at all.

On the dead silent and deserted street, the people passing by in tattered clothes all turned their gazes. Their dazed, numb eyes all shifted, fixating on the silver coins in the girl's hand.

Things fueled by desire were burning, gradually transforming into the fruit called "evil."

Aburame Keiichi, who had been watching closely, frowned and sighed softly. He shifted his body, about to do something.

The next moment, Uchiha Kai beat him to it.

The young man quickly stepped forward and grasped the girl's arm, the one holding the money, and with a gentle nudge, stopped her actions.

"Kai?" the girl turned her head, looking confused.

But she saw the young man shake his head, his stern face showing little emotion.

"Rei, you'll harm her like this," the young man explained softly.

He turned his head to gesture for Hyuga Rei to look around at the "people" with red eyes, staring blankly at the silver coins.

Upon seeing this, the girl suddenly gasped, covering her mouth as she clearly realized she had done the wrong thing in her haste.

"Wh-what should we do?" the girl asked subconsciously, somewhat at a loss.

Uchiha Kai patted her hand.

"Leave it to me, I'll handle it," the young man said in a deep voice, his confidence soothing Hyuga Rei.

The young man took a step forward, not speaking to the girl first.

Instead, he lifted his hand, and Zhulu, unsheathed from his waist, flashed with a dazzling cold light. He raised his eyelids, revealing icy eyes.

His blade-like gaze swept over them, and the surrounding "jackals" were suddenly startled. Under the shadow of death, even the greatest greed was useless.

"Gulp~" Someone subconsciously swallowed. This immediately triggered a chain reaction.

Seeing the surrounding crowd disperse, Uchiha Kai sheathed his weapon and walked towards Morino Kei, who was carrying a pile of bags.

"Kai?" the tall, strong young man asked, looking confused.

"Get some dry rations. It's just a small gesture. We can't fix everything, but we can do our best," the young man said with a grim expression.

Morino Kei's expression was also grim. He nodded and quickly pulled out a large bag of dry rations, mixed with some jerky.

Uchiha Kai took it and returned to the girl's side. Looking at the thin girl who was subconsciously swallowing, his eyes twitched involuntarily.

"These rations should last you for a while if you're careful. Keep them safe," he said, handing over the bag.

The girl timidly raised her head, looked at the bag, then at the young man's face, but dared not move.

"Take it. It's just a small token from us," the young man said softly, offering a passable smile.

"Th-thank you, little brother. You're a good person."

The girl said timidly, her hand slowly reaching out to take the rations, clutching them tightly to her chest.

The young man's gaze trembled, as if lost in thought.

The next second, he reached into his side pocket and pulled something out. He opened his palm and placed it before the little girl.

They were some beautifully packaged candies, their wrappers of various colors, representing different flavors, glistening.

The girl's eyes lit up, her gaze completely fixed on them.

"Are we friends now?" the young man asked out of the blue.

"Ah... little brother, you've given me so many things," the girl replied, startled.

"If you wish... we are friends."

Uchiha Kai's lips curled upon hearing that.

"If we're friends, then let me treat you to some candy," the boy said, pushing his hand forward.

The girl's eyes glazed over, and she instinctively took it.

"Since we're friends now, can you do me a favor?" the boy tilted his head and asked softly.

"Y-yes, please tell me."

"If you ever meet a friend worth sacrificing for in the future, will you treat them to candy?" the boy chuckled, his handsome face imprinted in the girl's mind.

"O-okay!" the girl stammered in agreement.

The next second, to everyone's astonishment, Uchiha Kai pulled out another item.

"Similarly, when you encounter a damned villain..."

The boy paused, revealing the kunai in his hand.

"Use this to slit his throat and let him die in regret."

Uchiha Kai's tone remained gentle, but his words were a stark contrast.

The bewildered girl stood frozen, her body's instincts preventing her from acting.

But as her gaze fell upon the weapon resting in the boy's palm, something long suppressed, hidden deep within her memories, began to stir.

They were calling to her, urging her on, and her arm slowly moved, tightly gripping the kunai the boy offered.

In that instant, the girl felt as if she had grasped something, not the cold blade in her hand, but something more special, something unseen.

She had grasped "struggle."

Uchiha Kai turned and walked back to his team, without any hesitation.

"Hmm..." Aburame Keiichi, who had been watching the entire time without a word, rubbed his chin and suddenly broke into a smile.

"Sorry, I lost my composure," Uchiha Kai said, rubbing his face and apologizing in a low voice.

Morino Kei blinked, unsure of what to say, and simply patted Uchiha Kai's shoulder.

Beside them, the girl Hyuga Rei suddenly broke into a bright smile, covering her mouth.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Uchiha Kai asked, confused.

"Nothing," the girl said, putting her hands behind her back.

She suddenly leaned close to Uchiha Kai's face, her beautiful eyes staring intently.

"You're so gentle... Kai-kun."

"What?"

The boy asked in confusion, but Hyuga Rei turned away, humming a little tune and ignoring him.

And so, in the strange silence, Keiichi's squad waited for their pre-booked fishing boat to arrive.

Taking advantage of the interval, Aburame Keiichi pulled out the mission briefing and began to explain it to everyone, which gave Morino Kei a headache.

During the short wait, Uchiha Kai had disappeared, no one knew where he had gone.

However, the occasional screams of agony could be heard from the alleyways around the fishing village.

In the future, this area would gain many more grotesque beggars with severed tendons in their hands and feet.