Who's There?

Late at night, in the bedroom of an opulent mansion in the center of town, a richly dressed middle-aged man knelt on the tatami, kowtowing incessantly.

"Lord Ninja, please spare me. Don't kill me, I'm begging you. I'll give you all my money, I'll give you my wife, I'll give you my daughter, I'll give you everything I have. Just let me go, Lord Ninja. Sob, sob, sob..."

Watching this scene, Zabuza Momochi felt only disgust. He said coldly, "What a pity. The mission specifically requires you to die, so I'll take your money—but you still have to die!"

The massive blade of the Kubikiribōchō carved a flash of steel through the night, then vanished in an instant.

"No, don't kill me... Aah!"

The miserable scream had barely escaped before it dissolved into the night. A fine head was blasted into the air by a spray of blood, only to be caught in Zabuza Momochi's hand.

On the tatami, a middle-aged woman knelt there, trembling like a quail. She did not even dare utter half a word of plea.

Zabuza Momochi glanced at her and slowly lowered his blade. "Hand over all the money!"

"Ah? Y-Yes."

As though she had seen a sliver of hope, the woman scrambled to her feet and rushed to the side. In a fluster, she pulled a wooden box from a cabinet, then dropped to her knees and raised it high with both hands.

Zabuza Momochi had already sealed the head into a scroll. After taking the wooden box, he raised the Kubikiribōchō high—but after a long while, he ultimately did not bring it down.

Hmph. This was really irritating!

Zabuza Momochi snorted disdainfully. He did not know whether he was irritated that this woman had not dared show the slightest hint of vengeance after