So Heartless

The girl from Huan's memories—the introverted, reclusive child who always stayed alone in the village—was gone, having broken free from the cage that was the Kusanagi Clan.

What stood before her now was someone powerful and mysterious, her eyes filled with a restrained, quiet confidence.

Seeing that Yura had no intention of answering, Huan spoke.

"Are you here to take revenge on the Kusanagi Clan?" Huan asked. "Are you looking for me because you want the Hero Water?"

"How about it? Will you leave the Hero Clan and come with me?" Yura replied.

Huan shook her head slowly, stating firmly, "I will not leave the village. This is the treasure my father gave his life to protect."

"You..." Yura narrowed her eyes, her tone dangerous. "Do you want to try dying once?"

"Then let's try it," Huan said, staring at Yura. "If you do, you will never be able to obtain the Hero Water. The method and location for opening that barrier are known only to my father and me."

And so, the problem became thorny.

Yura looked at Huan with interest and said, "Let's end the haggling here. As ninjas, let's make a deal the ninja way: I will resolve your resentment, and you will pay me with the Hero Water."

"First, I need to confirm one thing," Huan said solemnly. "Will you act against the village?"

"Still clinging to such a village even now?" Yura remarked. "You aren't one of those fools who believes in the rhetoric of the God of Shinobi, are you?"

Huan shook her head. "The Hero Water can be yours; it isn't actually that precious. Without the God Tree to produce it, it is a non-renewable resource. If you intend to leave the village, I can provide you with a long-term supply of Hero Water in the future. That is my bargaining chip."

Yura asked, "What do you mean?"

A cruel, frenzied smile curled the corners of Huan's mouth. "As my father's daughter and the leader of the Hero Clan, dying as a hero is my birthright and duty. I do not mind dying as a hero."

Yura nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"However, I absolutely cannot tolerate being used and fooled, only to die a meaningless death."

"The Hero Clan was originally a clan that sheltered everyone. We took in orphans and civilians displaced during the Warring States period, taught them how to survive, and united to fight our enemies and protect our home."

Huan gritted her teeth as she spoke. "Following the actions of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, the Warring States period was brought to an end. To survive, our clan was forced to unite with three monsters! They were completely different from our clan! The most terrifying thing is that my clan was gradually polluted by the ideologies of those three."

Yura nodded. The Kusanagi Clan was a cold-blooded group; if they could have been easily reformed, they wouldn't have spent the long years of the Warring States period locked in a bloody struggle with the Hero Clan.

"Many clansmen no longer identify with the ideals of the Hero Clan after tasting the power it provides."

"The Hero Water is a power meant to protect everyone, not a power meant to send them to their deaths!"

"My father's death was meaningless," Huan said. "When capturing the Seven-Tails, I watched with my own eyes as he was forced by the four clans to drink the Hero Water. Beyond that, the forced distribution of large quantities of Hero Water has led to the deaths of many innocent ninjas in the village. If this continues, the Hero Water will become standard combat equipment for every Takigakure ninja—it will become a lethal poison!"

"How can I not hate this!"

Yura's eyes lit up, and she summarized, "So you hate Senju Hashirama as well?"

Huan was stunned, then nodded. "Idiot! What God of Shinobi! He's just a big idiot! Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to the plan to assassinate him!"

So, you were part of that stupid plan too, Yura thought, clapping her hands. "Right, great minds think alike. However, even if Hashirama dies, the ninja world won't return to the Warring States period. The moment the God of Shinobi dies, that will be the moment the Great Ninja War begins."

Hearing this, Huan's breath hitched.

"The village's strategy is correct. Actively preparing for war and increasing our strength is the consensus of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."

Huan shook her head. "The geographical location and hidden nature of Takigakure dictate that as long as we hold our ground securely and do not provoke any factions, we can safely survive any ninja war. Conversely, actively participating in the current conflicts of the ninja world is a path to self-destruction."

You're right; Amegakure is a prime example of self-destruction through excessive development that drew the vigilance of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Yura clapped her hands. "You are truly clever and clear-headed, but pinning your hopes on the mercy of your enemies is far less important than strengthening yourself."

"Arguing about this is unimportant. I agree with your ideas, but I absolutely do not agree with the village's methods," Huan said in a low voice. "When my father was alive, he could still suppress them. Since his death, my seniority is too low to command respect. For the past year, my power has been curtailed by the village, and I have lost control over the Hero Clan. I have become powerless, forced to watch as the village rushes headlong in a direction we do not want to go. At some point, I will likely die quietly in a corner where no one knows."

Huan glanced at the corpses of her two companions. "If you hadn't suddenly appeared, I would have already died on the road."

Yura smiled faintly. "In other words, there are others in the village who know where the Hero Water is."

Realizing she had let something slip, Huan gritted her teeth and insisted, "No! Absolutely only I know!"

"Let's just assume only you know," Yura said with a light smile.

Huan let out a sigh of relief. "As a member of the village, you should also be able to feel that the village is gradually turning into a monster that devours lives. In just three years, my clan has lost more people than in the entire Warring States period! It's so ridiculous!"

"No..." Yura shook her head. "I can't feel it. That's something only the higher-ups would know. Lower-level ninjas, like Senior Kakuzu, would still foolishly return to the village."

If this were the future, the moment a mission failed, the first reaction of a ninja from the Five Great Shinobi Villages would likely be to defect on the spot.

Hearing the name Kakuzu, a complex look appeared in Huan's eyes. "Regarding the mission to assassinate Senju Hashirama, I am very sorry."

"Have you had contact with Senior Kakuzu?" Yura asked.

Huan shook her head. "No, my people didn't have time to rescue Kakuzu."

"So that means..." Yura said thoughtfully, "Mochizuki Gen is also one of your people?"

Huan looked deeply at Yura and said, "Lord Gen supports my approach."

Yura clapped her hands. That explained the suspicious points she had noticed in the village recently; it was the key to how Kakuzu was able to slaughter the village's high-ranking officials.

Yura looked at Huan. "We've talked enough. Let's get to the point."

After taking a deep breath, Huan said with burning eyes, "I'm afraid you won't dare to act against the village."

Yura nodded and smiled faintly. "It's just a matter of convenience."

"Very well," Huan said. "Yura-kun, please, assist me in slaughtering all the high-ranking officials of the village—those rotten, filthy old men from the Warring States period!"

"Cut the chatter and give me the Hero Water," Yura said.

"In the name of the village..." Huan said in a deep voice, "I am issuing your final mission. It is S-rank, with the Hero Water as payment. From this moment on, the village will erase all records of your existence!"

Looking at this seemingly rustic village girl, Yura said, "You truly live up to the name of a hero... you certainly know how to say the right things. I accept."

Poor Kakuzu, still kept in the dark, being played like a puppet by the village. Once this was over, he would inevitably be branded a rogue ninja by the village, though they likely wouldn't waste the manpower to hunt him down.

With the deal struck, Yura released her hold on Huan.

The moment she regained her freedom, Huan did not check her own injuries. Instead, she stared intensely at Yura and said, "To escape with your life from the God of Shinobi, to fake your death and deceive Kakuzu, and to remain hidden in the village for so long—you must be incredibly powerful. Yura-kun, if it were you, you would surely do better than I ever could."

Yura waved a hand and laughed, "No, no, no need for such false modesty. A terrifying woman like you is a rare sight even in the ninja world."

Huan's breath hitched, and she brazenly continued to ask, "Yura-kun, can you not leave the village, or leave me?"

Yura glanced at Huan sideways and let out a soft huff.

"Are we that close, Huan-kun?"

"How heartless," Huan said. "Regardless, I tested your chakra nature, taught you the Three Basic Jutsu, and even bought you meals. The Earth Style: Earth Spear is quite useful, isn't it?"

This woman was clinging to her with practiced ease.

A flicker of disgust appeared in Yura's eyes.

"Such a heartless woman..." Huan muttered, pitifully gesturing for Yura to look at her wounds.

"Shut up, you terrifying woman," Yura said with a faint smile.