All Beings Suffer

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Zhuang decided to return to town to rest and wait until nightfall. The journey was uneventful. When night arrived, Uchiha Zhuang brought a fishing net to the lakeshore, lying in wait not far from the grassy shallows. The moon was bright and the stars sparse when a slender, spindly figure slowly emerged from the water onto the bank; it surely never expected that a human would dare approach the lake at night. A large net descended from the sky, tangling the Kappa firmly. Uchiha Zhuang immediately stepped forward, kicked the Kappa over, and dragged it into the woods. The Kappa struggled inside the net, screaming in terror, and even spat out human speech: "Let me go! You hateful human! I'll feed you to the fish sooner or later!" "Heh, so that fish is something you raised, then?" Uchiha Zhuang stared straight at the Kappa with his Sharingan activated. The Kappa roared loudly: "That's right, I raised that fish! I'm going to kill everyone on the shore, you wretch! Temiyaro, baka yarou!" Seeing the Kappa's emotions becoming increasingly agitated, Uchiha Zhuang slashed off one of its legs. With a shriek, the Kappa clutched its leg in agony and roared in fury: "You bastard, I'm going to kill you." As it spoke, a green light flashed; the Kappa tore a large hole in the net and crawled toward Uchiha Zhuang. "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!" He released several flame bullets in succession, striking the Kappa. Having grown up in the water, the Kappa could not withstand the power of the flames and was instantly beaten to the brink of death. Uchiha Zhuang walked up, looked down at the Kappa, and said: "If you are willing to tell your story and the reason you did this, I might spare your life, Kappa." The Kappa, whose eyes had been dimming, immediately perked up at these words, lying on the ground with its eyes closed as it said: "I am an avenger. You cannot know how deep my hatred is; I would even give everything I have just to kill everyone in that town." Tears streamed from the corners of the Kappa's eyes. "It all started five years ago. Back then, I lived with my parents in Mount Okura, not far from here. We lived in peace, never appearing before humans, and humans never discovered us. Until that day, a group of bald men led a large troop of soldiers into our home. Those bald men could track our location; there was no escaping their pursuit in the mountains, streams, or ponds. In the end, my parents died at their hands for my sake. I watched with my own eyes as those monks chatted and laughed, talking about medicinal ingredients and suppressing demons. I fled for my life, eventually reaching this Great Marsh Lake, and only then did I escape. From that day on, I swore that I would kill every human here, and eventually find those bald humans and kill them all." Looking at the hideous, twisted face of the Kappa, Uchiha Zhuang sighed inwardly; it had fallen into the path of evil through slaughter, and it was hard to save. "What about that catfish?" The Kappa's expression gradually calmed, a hint of a smile appearing on its lips as it said: "That is my partner, Baka. It is my best friend. We have already killed many who came to eliminate me, including those most hateful bald men!" "Why kill the innocent townspeople? They did nothing to you." "No, they are all accomplices, all damnable humans! Ichidemo shinai (they must all die)!" Looking into its reddened eyes, Uchiha Zhuang knew there was no saving it; it was time to send it on its way. "Finally, I will keep my promise. Call Baka out. If you win against me, you can live; otherwise, you die." "That is what you said, and I like your integrity, but you are a human, so I must still kill you!" With that, the Kappa blew a sound to summon Baka. The shimmering surface of the water was broken by a massive wave, and the giant catfish revealed itself.

The Giant Catfish exposed its massive head, slowly crawling onto the shore with its front limbs. Uchiha Zhuang could see it clearly now: the front limbs were thick and sturdy, while the hind limbs appeared underdeveloped and thin, though they were already capable of supporting the Giant Catfish's movement. It resembled a crocodile, but the Giant Catfish's mouth was much wider than a crocodile's, and its skin was extremely smooth; cold weapons would likely have little effect on it. The Giant Catfish crawled toward Uchiha Zhuang, its giant mouth opening and closing. Uchiha Zhuang leaped onto a nearby giant tree. The catfish approached the Kappa, and the two monsters seemed to converse in murmurs before the Giant Catfish carefully swallowed the Kappa into its mouth. "Not good, they're trying to run!" Uchiha Zhuang grew anxious and immediately unleashed the Great Fireball Technique, striking the slow-moving catfish. Having taken magical damage, the catfish didn't linger; it stumbled toward the lake. If it reached the water, it would escape. Uchiha Zhuang hardened his heart and threw a dozen Explosive Beads in the path of the Giant Catfish to block its retreat. Then, his chakra surged: "Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!" A massive fire dragon charged straight at the Giant Catfish. Having already taken the Great Fireball, the catfish took this second hit from behind and let out a tremendous cry of agony before collapsing with a crash! The defeat of the Giant Catfish was so swift that Uchiha Zhuang had even prepared himself for a struggle in the water. Uchiha Zhuang observed from the tree for a while to ensure it wasn't playing dead, then quickly jumped down and ran toward the catfish. Inspecting it at close range, he found the catfish's injuries were severe; the skin on its entire back was charred to carbon, the meat cooked through, and its mouth hung open powerlessly. The Kappa crawled out from the Giant Catfish's mouth with great difficulty; it seemed that even inside the catfish's mouth, it hadn't escaped its fate! Looking at Uchiha Zhuang's expressionless face, the Kappa said, blood bubbling from its lips: "Please, don't turn me into a medicinal ingredient. I want to go back to Mount Okura and be with my mom and dad." With that, the light in its eyes slowly faded and finally went dark. Looking at the tragic state of the Kappa and the motionless, massive body of the Giant Catfish, a heavy feeling washed over Uchiha Zhuang. Could humans and monsters not coexist peacefully in this world? Was his previous thinking wrong? They, too, should have the right to survive! Why must humans claim everything? In pain, Uchiha Zhuang leaned against the body of the Giant Catfish and watched the dark clouds gathering in the sky. Ah, it was going to rain. It looked like a storm. Was it seeing them off? Or was it weeping for their tragedy? Beside the Giant Catfish, Uchiha Zhuang's figure looked so ordinary and thin from a distance. This transmigrator, who had once killed without blinking, now appeared so lost and pale. Perhaps when people grow up, everyone is a master of words, but when they truly encounter scenes that shake their hearts, everyone becomes that crying child again.

"What a damnable weather, this thunder is truly loud!" "Keep your voice down, you fat fool, the God of Thunder will get angry if he hears you!" "Ah, I was just saying it casually. I had planned to sell some herbs and buy a gift for my daughter in town in this weather!" On a rainy night, under the warm, orange light of the izakaya, people were gathered in small groups or burying their heads in their cups, a lively scene. The shopkeeper wiped glasses and dishes without a word, while the chef and his apprentice were busy preparing food. "Ah, I wonder how that young man is doing? In the end, he was just a child. Although he had the attire of a samurai and a great sword, he was too young after all. Maybe he was eaten by the monster. Sigh, what a pity for such a good youth. There are so many adults here, yet no one dared to eliminate the monster, all preferring to shrink in town waiting for a so-called hero to appear. What terrible adults they are!" The shopkeeper mocked himself inwardly, hope rising and then being extinguished again and again. The shopkeeper always kept a straight face in the noisy crowd, while his mind was filled with rich, wandering thoughts. The noren curtain fluttered, the wooden door was pushed open, and the patter, patter of footsteps sounded jarringly loud in the bustling izakaya. Everyone stopped in unison and looked toward the entrance. They saw a youth drenched from head to toe, his lean, dark muscle lines showing through his wide robes from time to time. Most surprisingly, he was carrying a monster! To be precise, it was a Kappa—a dead Kappa! Heavens, they had only heard the elders speak of such things; no one had ever seen one in reality! This was a real monster! Now he could brag to his family and neighbors!

Ignoring the slightly tipsy patrons, Uchiha Zhuang walked slowly to the counter, holding the dead Kappa, and stared at the shopkeeper's face. "This is the culprit from Great Marsh Lake!" Seeing the shopkeeper's look of disbelief, he continued: "As you can see, it is a Kappa, a monster. Five years ago, it was hunted by humans from Mount Okura and fled into Great Marsh Lake. Later, it began to take revenge on humans. The dead townspeople, the samurai who went to subdue the demon, the monks, and so on—all were killed by it and its partner, a giant catfish over six meters long, and their corpses were all fed to the catfish!" The shopkeeper's mouth hung open in shock, unable to speak for a long time. This, this, this... is this true? A catfish over six meters long! "Shinjirarenai (Unbelievable)!" Ignoring the shopkeeper and the patrons who were looking at him as if he were a god, Uchiha Zhuang turned and walked toward the door, saying faintly: "The Giant Catfish has been killed by me. Its corpse lies on the grassy bank of Great Marsh Lake. I hope you can go and verify it quickly so the corpse doesn't rot and pollute the lake!" Having said this, he rushed out the door without looking back, heading into the pouring rain toward the distant mountains and forests.