Unavoidable Suffering

"On what grounds!" the woman's dirty face contorted, and she lunged at Hyuga Rei without hesitation.

The young girl, taken aback, began to turn her body, seeing the blade getting closer and closer.

Shuriken arrived first, embedding themselves in the frenzied woman's lower abdomen, causing her to pause and her movements to slow slightly.

However, it did not stop her, but instead intensified the madness in her eyes.

"Aaaaah—"

At the last moment, Hyuga Rei swiftly spun around, avoiding a fatal blow but still sustaining a slash to her left arm.

"...No... it's not like this..."

Failing to achieve her goal with one strike, the woman hastily dropped the blade in her hand, her expression panicked.

"Gagagagaga... Haaah!"

The man, Ding Hong, who was being stepped on by Hyuga Rei, let out an infernal laugh. Blood and foam flew from his mangled mouth as it opened and closed.

The laughter echoed in the girl's ears, sounding incredibly harsh.

"Rei!" Uchiha Kai instantly appeared before her, his gaze fierce.

"I'm fine..." The girl flicked her hand, pressing down on Uchiha Kai, and turned to stare expressionlessly at the woman.

"No... he forced me, I didn't... I didn't mean to..." The woman stammered, trying to conjure an ugly smile.

"Bang!"

Her slender palm swung out, and an invisible shockwave struck the woman's chest, caving in her entire ribcage.

"..."

The woman collapsed onto the ground in shock, her vision spinning, her form and voice gradually fading.

Blood splattered high, smearing Hyuga Rei's beautiful cheek. The eerie crimson contrasted with her pure white eyes, creating a peculiar beauty.

"Ugh... yue—" Hyuga Rei felt a churning in her stomach, an oppressive discomfort that made her want to vomit. She covered her mouth helplessly, her eyes turning red.

"I was trying to save her—"

A gentle pat came from her back, and Hyuga Rei couldn't help but ask.

"It's not your fault." Uchiha Kai said softly, wiping the blood spatter from the corner of her eye.

"What happened? Rei, you're injured!?"

Morino Kei rushed into the cave, his eyes immediately falling on the wound on the girl's left arm.

"It's fine, it's already resolved." Hyuga Rei shook her head and replied.

"The wound is still bleeding! How can it be fine?" Morino Kei quickly stepped forward, took the girl's arm, and casually stomped on Ding Hong, who lay on the ground in a horrific state.

Morino Kei's expression turned grave as he began to channel his Chakra. Soon, his hands were enveloped in a vibrant green Chakra, radiating a vigorous life force.

It was clearly the A-rank medical ninjutsu—Mystical Palm Technique, a high-difficulty medical ninjutsu that, in the original story, only elite ninja could master.

Under the green Chakra, a warm current flowed into Hyuga Rei's wound, and it began to heal, albeit slowly.

"Mmm... Kei, your medical ninjutsu needs more practice." Hyuga Rei grunted, frowning.

"I've never heard of anyone's medical ninjutsu hurting this much..." the girl said faintly. "At this speed, it's only good for minor injuries. If the wound were more serious, it would be completely useless..."

Morino Kei's expression was awkward as he focused his Chakra.

"Hehehe... it's enough, as long as it's enough, take your time."

Seeing the healed wound, Morino Kei stopped the Mystical Palm Technique and scratched his head.

"Now, how do we deal with this beast?" Morino Kei looked down at the half-dead Ding Hong, his tone complex.

"And those hostages..." Hyuga Rei turned her head, looking at the group of women before her, scantily clad and covered in wounds.

"Kei, stop his bleeding and keep him barely alive." Uchiha Kai commanded with a sharp gaze.

"What? Why save him?" Morino Kei was stunned, then retorted.

"Dying like this would be too easy for him." Uchiha Kai's tone was icy.

Morino Kei blinked, then understood, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah... you're not getting off that easily." Morino Kei crouched beside Ding Hong.

Listening to their conversation, Ding Hong, whose consciousness was already fading, twitched again. However, with all four limbs broken by Hyuga Rei, he couldn't move much.

He writhed on the ground like an invertebrate, whimpering unintelligibly, his expression filled with terror.

"From now on, death will be a distant blessing for you..." Morino Kei lowered his head and whispered near Ding Hong's ear-like appendage.

A vast amount of Chakra was mobilized and burned, transforming into a large mass of green energy that wrapped around Morino Kei's hand.

"I have quite a lot of Chakra, so you better keep up."

Under Morino Kei's frantic output, immense Chakra surged into Ding Hong through his numerous wounds. It felt like an itchy, stinging sensation that clung to him like a leech, tormenting him.

As vitality increased and wounds healed, the pain naturally escalated.

"Waaahhhhhh!"

Five minutes later, something barely recognizable as human was rolling on the ground, its body covered in scabbed wounds, some of which dangled precariously from the flesh.

The horrifying sight sent shivers down one's spine.

"Plop--"

Dinh Hong was thrown into the crowd by Uchiha Kai, surrounded by women with vacant eyes and numb expressions, like corpses.

Everyone stiffly turned their heads, looking at Uchiha Kai with eyes like stagnant water, showing a hint of confusion.

"Ding--"

Several kunai were tossed, landing on the ground in front of the crowd, clashing against each other with a metallic sound.

"I'm handing him over to you. You can do with him as you please," the young man said in a deep voice.

But the people present didn't budge. Some lay down, some slumped over, their eyes long devoid of any light.

"Hehehehe Hahahahaha--!"

Dinh Hong, thrown into the crowd, let out a horrifying laugh, not like a human but a grotesque demon.

"You!" Morino Kei, enraged, moved to step forward but was stopped by Uchiha Kai.

"Most of those who humiliated you have already been killed by me. Now only this bald donkey remains. Handing him over to you is my small gesture of goodwill," the young man said in a deep voice.

"If you no longer have the courage to even draw your swords, then I will have to do it for you."

Uchiha Kai took two steps forward, his hand resting on the short sword at his waist.

"It's alright. It's normal if you can't face it. This isn't your fault."

The young man's voice was low. Just as he was about to draw his short sword.

"N-no, don't move. I-I'll do it." A haggard woman spoke up. Though her face was grimy, her posture and features hinted that she had once been beautiful.

Her child had been hung from an iron hook in this cave three days ago.

Since then, she had become like dead flesh, unmoving. Everything outside the world was irrelevant to her. Scolding or humiliation had no effect.

She had thought she would die like this, until the appearance of these three, and the thing that had been hidden deep within her.

The thing called "hate" became fuel, supporting her battered body once more.

"Don't touch him... I'll do it... I want to—" Her eyes were drowned in overwhelming hatred, and the woman grabbed the kunai the young man had thrown.

"I want to tear him to shreds!!!"

With a frenzied cry, the woman lunged at Dinh Hong like a wild beast.