Suffering That Could Not Be Avoided

"Why!" The woman's filthy face twisted as she lunged at Hyuga Rei without hesitation.

The girl began to turn around in shock, watching the blade draw closer and closer.

A shuriken arrived first, embedding itself in the frenzied woman's lower abdomen. Her body jolted, slowing her by a fraction.

But it failed to stop her. Instead, the madness in her eyes only grew more intense.

"Ahhh—"

At the last possible moment, Hyuga Rei spun around and dodged the blow to her vital organs, but the woman still cut her left arm.

"...No... That's not how it was..."

When her attack failed, the woman hastily dropped the blade, her expression panicked.

"Gagagaga... Hahaha!"

Dinghong, pinned beneath Hyuga Rei's foot, let out a demonic laugh. Blood sprayed from his mangled mouth as it opened and closed.

The laughter echoed in the girl's ears, grating and piercing.

"Rei!" Uchiha Kai used the Body Flicker Technique to rush over, his gaze fierce.

"I'm fine..." The girl flicked her hand to stop Uchiha Kai, then turned to stare at the woman expressionlessly.

"No... He forced me to do it. I didn't... I-I didn't mean to..." The woman stammered excuses, desperately forcing an ugly smile.

"Bang!"

Her slender palm swept out. An invisible shock wave slammed into the woman's chest, crushing it completely.

"...?"

The woman fell to the ground in shock. Her vision spun, and sound and sight gradually faded away.

Blood sprayed high into the air, spattering Hyuga Rei's lovely cheek. The eerie crimson against her pure white eyes created a striking beauty.

"Ugh... Blegh—" Hyuga Rei felt her stomach churn. The discomfort pressed in on her until she wanted to vomit. Helplessly covering her mouth, she felt her eyes redden.

"I was only trying to save her..."

A gentle pat came from behind. Hyuga Rei couldn't help asking,

"This isn't your fault," Uchiha Kai said softly, wiping the blood from the corner of the girl's eye.

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

Morino Kei hurried into the cave and immediately spotted the wound on the girl's left arm.

"I'm fine. It's taken care of," Hyuga Rei replied, shaking her head.

"You're still bleeding! How can you say you're fine?" Morino Kei hurried over, took the girl's arm, and casually stepped on Dinghong's battered body as he lay on the ground.

Morino Kei's expression turned serious as he began directing the Chakra within him. Before long, his hands were wrapped in emerald-green Chakra, radiating vigorous vitality.

It was none other than the A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, Mystical Palm Technique—a difficult healing art that, in the original story, only elite ninja could master.

Under the emerald-green Chakra, Hyuga Rei felt warmth flowing through her wound. It began to heal, though rather slowly.

"Mm... Kei, you need to train your Medical Ninjutsu more," Hyuga Rei said with a frown and a muffled groan.

"I've never heard of anyone's Medical Ninjutsu hurting this much..." the girl said faintly. "At this speed, it's fine for a minor injury, but it'd be completely useless if the wound were any worse..."

Morino Kei looked awkward and focused on controlling his Chakra.

"Hehehe... It's enough. Enough is all that matters. We can take it slowly."

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

"Now, what do we do with this beast?" Morino Kei looked down at the barely breathing monk Dinghong, his tone conflicted.

"And the hostages..." Hyuga Rei turned to look at the women before them, their clothes in tatters and their bodies covered in wounds.

"Kei, stop his bleeding and keep him alive," Uchiha Kai ordered, his gaze sharp.

"What? Why save him?" Morino Kei asked in surprise.

"Dying just like that would be letting him off easy," Uchiha Kai said coldly.

Morino Kei froze, then understood. His lips curled into a smile.

"Right... Don't even think about getting off that easily." Morino Kei crouched beside Dinghong.

Hearing their conversation, Dinghong, his consciousness already growing hazy, began twitching again. But with all four limbs broken by Hyuga Rei, he couldn't move much.

He writhed on the ground like an invertebrate, making incoherent whimpering sounds as terror spread across his face.

"From this moment on, death will be a distant blessing to you..." Morino Kei lowered his head and whispered beside what might have been Dinghong's ear.

He drew on his immense Chakra, igniting it into a mass of blue-green energy that coiled around his hand.

"I've got plenty of Chakra. You'd better hold on."

Under Morino Kei's relentless efforts, vast amounts of Chakra seeped into Dinghong through the countless wounds covering his body. An itching, stinging agony tormented him like a parasite burrowing into his bones.

His vitality increased, his wounds healed—and naturally, his suffering intensified along with it.

"Gaaahhhh!"

Five minutes later, something barely resembling a person began rolling on the ground. Its body was covered in scabbed-over wounds, some of the blood scabs barely clinging to the flesh.

The horrifying sight made everyone's scalp tingle.

"Thud—"

Uchiha Kai tossed Dinghong into the crowd. Around him were women with vacant eyes and numb expressions, like walking corpses.

They turned their stiff faces toward Uchiha Kai, their eyes as still as stagnant water, showing a hint of confusion.

"Clink—"

Several kunai were tossed down, landing in the dirt before them and clashing against one another with metallic clangs.

"I'm leaving him to you. Do whatever you want with him," the young man said gravely.

But no one there moved. Some lay down, others were sprawled on the ground, and the light had long since gone from their eyes.

"Heh... Hehehe... Hahahaha!"

Dinghong, tossed into the crowd, let out a terrifying, maniacal laugh. He was less like a human than a hideous demon.

"You!" Morino Kei was about to storm forward in anger, but Uchiha Kai stopped him.

"Most of the people who abused you are already dead. This is the only one left. I'm handing him over to you as a small gesture of goodwill," the young man said gravely.

"If you don't even have the courage to draw a blade anymore, then I'll have to do it for you."

Uchiha Kai stepped forward and placed his hand on the short sword at his waist.

"It's all right. It's normal if you can't face him. None of this was your fault."

The young man spoke in a low voice. Just as he was about to draw his short sword—

"No... Don't touch him. I-I... I'll do it." A haggard woman spoke up. Though covered in grime, her build and features still hinted that she had once been beautiful.

Three days ago, her child had been hung from an iron hook in this cave.

From that moment on, she had become nothing but a lifeless shell. Everything in the outside world had ceased to matter to her, and beatings and humiliation could no longer move her.

She had thought she would die like that, until the three of them appeared—and the thing buried deep inside her stirred.

The thing called "hatred" had become kindling, once again propping up her battered body.

"Don't touch him... I'll do it... I want to—" Her eyes were swallowed by overwhelming hatred as she picked up the kunai the young man had tossed her.

"I want to tear him limb from limb!!!"

With a frenzied scream, the woman pounced on Dinghong like a wild beast.