Heard Someone Wants to Kill Me?

Raiga Kurosuki had two peculiar quirks.

The first was a fondness for holding funerals for his friends and comrades.

The act of recalling the past with friends during a funeral, feeling both the bitter tears and the profound sorrow, left Raiga Kurosuki intoxicated.

Yagura's policy of the Village of the Bloody Mist happened to satisfy this strange quirk of his, making him one of the few ninjas who had no desire to defect from the village.

His second quirk was a penchant for young men.

Raiga Kurosuki had a wife and a daughter, but it was precisely because he had them that he realized he had no interest in women at all; he had merely followed the tide to marry and procreate.

Upon hearing that there was an incredibly beautiful young boy, Raiga Kurosuki immediately became interested and waved his hand.

"No need for the trouble, I shall go see for myself."

With that, he set down his wine cup and stood up.

Seeing this, County Magistrate Senmura took the initiative to lead the way.

The four of them walked toward the side courtyard where the villagers of Snowfall Village were being held.

Snow was falling from the sky, and over forty people were sitting in the open-air courtyard, covered only by thin straw mats that were barely thicker than paper.

Many of them were pale, their hands and feet turning purple, clearly suffering from the effects of the freezing cold.

Haku's family of three sat huddled together, using their body heat to keep each other warm; the man, acting as the father, took off his own clothes to drape over his wife and daughter.

"I'm not cold, dear, you should wear it."

Haku's mother said, and she truly was not cold.

Deep within her body, she harbored a power far colder than the wind and snow.

Haku's father insisted on draping it over her, his eyes filled with concern: "No, you've just recovered from your illness, it cannot relapse... Don't worry, we will definitely be able to go home."

Hearing the words "go home," a glimmer of light appeared in the eyes of the villagers, who had been drifting in and out of consciousness under the torture of cold and hunger.

"Can we really go home?"

Even the most foolish among them had guessed the fate they were about to face by this point.

"We definitely can."

Haku clenched his small fists: "Big Brother Lin Qing will definitely come to save us."

Lin Qing.

Upon hearing this name, a flicker of hope flashed in the villagers' eyes, but—

"No one can save you."

"Who said that?" a villager asked subconsciously.

"I did."

County Magistrate Senmura walked into the side courtyard.

He had never practiced ninjutsu; he was short, plain-looking, and did not deliberately make a ferocious or terrifying expression, yet as he swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes carried a soul-shaking power. Not a single person dared to meet his gaze, and they all lowered their heads one after another.

The villagers did not know what this power was.

Biwa Juzo, walking behind him, knew.

It was the power of authority.

Truly enviable, Biwa Juzo thought, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until it quickly locked onto Haku.

He didn't need any extra reminders; he could tell at a glance that this was the incredibly beautiful boy the Dire Wolf had spoken of.

Never mind a pervert like Raiga Kurosuki, even Biwa Juzo felt a half-second of attraction.

However, upon remembering that the boy was male, Biwa Juzo shrugged and lost interest, glancing to the side—

Raiga Kurosuki's eyes were shining, as if he had discovered a rare treasure.

"Not bad."

He licked his lips and said again, "Very not bad."

Raiga Kurosuki strode over, reaching out to grab Haku's shoulder.

"What are you trying to do to my child?!"

Haku's mother shouted.

County Magistrate Senmura scolded: "You shrew! Get lost, don't ruin Lord Raiga's mood. This is a matter of great honor for your family. If you serve Lord Raiga well, I might consider letting your family go."

"No! No one is allowed to touch him!"

Raiga Kurosuki's gaze gradually turned cold.

The Dire Wolf rushed over and slapped Haku's mother across the face.

"If you're really looking for death, I'll kill you right now!"

Raiga Kurosuki let out a cold snort and grabbed Haku without a word, but just then—

Shards of ice erupted from the body of Haku's Mother.

The ice forced Raiga Kurosuki back, and Biwa Juzo, standing behind him, raised an eyebrow.

Kekkei Genkai?

It seemed... not weak at all?

"I said, no one is allowed to touch my child."

Biwa Juzo placed a hand on the hilt of his Kubikiribōchō, while County Magistrate Senmura offered an apologetic smile and gestured for everyone to stay calm.

"Madam, you know that within the Land of Water, possessing a Kekkei Genkai in private is a grave crime, right?"

Haku's Mother's complexion was ghastly; she had suppressed the power within her for too long, and its sudden eruption placed an immense burden on her body, as if her blood vessels, muscles, and bones were all being frozen stiff.

But what truly caused her pain was not her body.

It was the way her husband and the villagers were looking at her—like she was a monster.

Under the policies of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, those who possessed Kekkei Genkai were ruthlessly suppressed.

Only a very small number of ninja were permitted to wield the power of a Kekkei Genkai; others, especially those outside of Kirigakure, often faced inhumane liquidation the moment their abilities were exposed.

This liquidation was not just directed at the individual or the family.

It extended to the entire village.

"If one person hides a Kekkei Genkai, the whole village must be buried with them; that is the rule."

County Magistrate Senmura drew a katana from the waist of a guard beside him and tossed it in front of Haku's Father: "But I am naturally soft-hearted and cannot bear to see rivers of blood.

If you kill your wife and voluntarily hand over your son, I will think of a way to help you suppress this matter.

After all, this is within my jurisdiction, and as your official, I truly do not want to kill you all."

He looked down at Haku's Father and chuckled: "One person dying, or an entire village dying—you should be able to make the correct choice, right?"

Haku's Father picked up the sword from the ground and slowly stood up.

The villagers stood behind him.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at his wife no longer held care or affection, only deep-seated disgust, as if the moment Haku's Mother used her Kekkei Genkai, she had transformed into a man-eating monster.

"Father!"

Haku shouted loudly, trying to wake his father from his trance.

Haku's Father raised the sword and walked toward his wife.

"Don't blame me; just as Magistrate Senmura said, these are the rules."

He raised the sword high in his hands.

The Ice Release, a Kekkei Genkai capable of forcing back the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, could not be unleashed against her own husband, and Haku's Mother stared blankly at the raised blade.

"Go to hell, monster!"

This was the roar of Haku's Father.

"Go to hell!"

These were the shouts of the villagers.

County Magistrate Senmura opened his folding fan to hide his smile, his eyes filled with contempt.

Ignorant peasants are always ignorant peasants.

Raiga Kurosuki seemed to have immersed himself in the scene; a trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes, but beneath that sorrow was an even more intense sense of pleasure.

Only Biwa Juzo let out a "tch."

If you want to kill someone, just do it; he was a straightforward man who disliked this kind of drawn-out torture and useless waste of time.

The cold light of the blade descended.

BOOM—

The wall collapsed, and a black shadow came whistling through the debris, severing the hands of Haku's Father at the very last moment before the blade could strike.

"AAAHHH!!!"

Blood sprayed from his severed arms as Haku's Father screamed and collapsed to his knees.

However, no one paid him any attention; everyone was looking at the spot where the black shadow had landed.

It was a sword without a scabbard, wrapped in bandages.

A sword of terrifying size!

The Kubikiribōchō was already massive, but the blade before them was even thicker and heavier.

The great sword had smashed through the wall and severed a pair of arms, yet its momentum remained, driving it deep into the brick and stone floor.

To be able to wield such a heavy blade was already a sign of a powerhouse, but to be able to throw it like a kunai...

Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki exchanged glances, a flicker of wariness flashing in their eyes.

What kind of power is this?

"Who is it?!"

They whipped their heads around to look in the direction from which the broadsword had flown.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

The rapid sound of hooves approached from afar, like the thunderous beating of war drums.

Lin Qing galloped in from the end of the street, and upon reaching the shattered wall, he yanked hard on the reins.

The horse let out a high-pitched whinny and reared its front legs high; the cloak behind Lin Qing fluttered, shedding fine, settled snowflakes that poured down like liquid silver under the moonlight.

Hermit Purple coiled around the hilt of the broadsword and pulled with force, sending the blade flying back at an even greater speed.

Lin Qing caught it with one hand, his gaze sweeping over the people in the courtyard.

"I am Lin Qing."

"I heard someone wants to kill me?"