Uchiha Zhuang kept moving as he reflected on what he could have done better the night before. The main problem was that he was too young and inexperienced in combat. This time, he had faced bandits who were only vicious against ordinary people. If he had faced enemies who could use chakra, the situation would have been far more dire. And even though the bandits were no more than common thugs, if a group of them had rushed him and fought desperately at close quarters, Uchiha Zhuang might well have died under their assault. He remembered how, in the original story, Zabuza Momochi had fought off dozens of Gato's thugs with a kunai clenched between his teeth, even after both his arms had been crippled and he was completely exhausted. Thinking back on it now, Zabuza really was strong! The strongest force in the Shinobi World was chakra-wielding ninja. After them came all sorts of others: monks, those who wielded spiritual power, master swordsmen, monsters, and people with exceptional physical strength. Putting aside those stray thoughts, Uchiha Zhuang grew even more determined to train and grow stronger, because the weak were utterly defeated.
As Uchiha Zhuang continued on his way, he passed several villages that looked like little more than heaps of ruins. Somehow, many villagers still survived in those crumbling homes. The barren fields were overrun with weeds, though in the corners, a few green shoots that might have been crops were barely visible. The leaves had been stripped from some of the trees nearby, probably picked and eaten by starving villagers. Sensing the villagers hiding among the rubble, Uchiha Zhuang stopped. He was tired from traveling today anyway, so he might as well rest in this village. The villagers watched the swift-moving man with a sword almost as tall as he was slung across his back, and couldn't help but worry. They prayed he would hurry up and leave. There was no food here. Uchiha Zhuang understood that there was almost nothing to eat nearby. The wild animals must have left this ruined village long ago, and there would be no fish or shrimp in the river. After all, a group of people who had even eaten the leaves off the trees had no chance of finding game nearby. Uchiha Zhuang was waiting for some foolish bandits or robbers to show up so he could spread his wings like a great roc and gobble them all up!
Watching the sun slowly sink in the distance, Uchiha Zhuang felt as though he were sinking along with it. In this turbulent world, most commoners had no decent clothes and barely enough to eat. Perhaps only powerful lords and nations could protect the people under their rule from the suffering of war. As for the countless ordinary people of the Shinobi World, with no one to rely on and no luck to speak of, their lot was truly tragic. A tragedy of the times! Peace was always built on force. Perhaps the fellow who said you needed one bag of rice to carry you up several floors, one bag of rice to carry you up to the second floor, had been right: peace depended either on force or on faith. Only after violence had brought peace could benevolent rule slowly take hold. After a moment of reflection, Uchiha Zhuang found himself thinking of Akihime's delicate little face and her innocent gaze. A wave of happiness welled up inside him. He forcibly suppressed his hormones, took a deep breath, and reminded himself what mattered most right now: strength!
Turning toward the villagers who watched him timidly, Uchiha Zhuang said nothing. He quietly entered one of the cleaner-looking houses and pushed open its half-shut door. Inside was a family of five: a young couple who looked like the parents, two scrawny little girls whose large eyes seemed to shine with some indescribable light, and an old woman lying nearby beneath a threadbare blanket. When Uchiha Zhuang entered, the man shielded his wife and children, then shuffled forward on his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor. Choking back tears, he said, "My lord, I am terribly sorry. I should have welcomed you sooner. I deserve to die. Please wait a moment, and I'll bring you something to eat." He carefully raised his head and looked up at the silent Uchiha Zhuang. Seeing Uchiha Zhuang's gaze move from his wife to his children and back, the man cried out, "My lord, I deserve to die, but please don't be angry! Please wait, and I'll bring you food. If my wife pleases you, please feel free to have your way with her. I'm terribly sorry, but my daughters have caught an epidemic, and I'm afraid they might infect you. Please spare them! I'm so sorry!" After he finished speaking, the woman obediently began to loosen her loose-fitting clothes. Her two flat, withered breasts sagged, as if lamenting the loss of her beauty.
"Yamero." Uchiha Zhuang stopped the woman before she could go any further. He walked over to the man, grasped his shoulders, and helped him sit up. Then he looked him in the eye and said, "I'm not interested in your food, and I won't touch your family. I want to ask if there are bandits around here." The man stared at him in disbelief. His heart pounded so hard that his ears began to ring. He shook his head vigorously, then slammed it against the floor with a thud and cried out, "My lord, there are bandits nearby! So many bandits! Robbers, even monsters! Many people in the village have been killed by them, and their bodies were eaten. Please, my lord, please save us!" His voice broke into a sob. "Whose vassal were you?" "My lord, I used to serve as an official under the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers. But then war spread everywhere, and even the Daimyo's household was in danger. The Daimyo dismissed many of his retainers and kept only his closest confidants and generals. I had no choice but to take my family back to my hometown. Life grew harder and harder. For the first few years of the war, we could still manage by working the fields during the day and locking our doors at night. But then more and more robbers and bandits started breaking into the village, killing and looting. Many people died at their hands, and not one of the women escaped their abuse. My lord, please save us! I'm willing to give you my life. Please save my family!" Watching the man sob uncontrollably, Uchiha Zhuang said nothing. He turned to look at the few women, their faces gaunt and sallow. If the man's wife had been able to take good care of herself, she would probably have been quite beautiful. The two little girls wore clothes like torn sacks and were filthy, their hair tangled and unkempt. The old woman in the back had not moved once. If Uchiha Zhuang hadn't seen her chest rise and fall faintly, he would have thought she was dead. "What's your name?" "My lord, commoners in these chaotic times don't deserve names. To spare my family name from disgrace, please call me Funu." Uchiha Zhuang's heart stirred. From noble to commoner, this man must have endured unimaginable hardship to reach such a state of mind. "I'll grant your request, but I won't take this old woman with me. She's close to death. Also, from now until nightfall, I need you to take me around and survey the terrain. Tonight, you'll act as bait and lure the bandits into a trap. Can you do that?" The man's kneeling body trembled. Then he said hoarsely, "Funu is willing to die for you, my lord. Please make sure you stay safe. These three women will be your property from now on." After bowing to Uchiha Zhuang, the man left the house and waited outside. Uchiha Zhuang looked at the tears in the woman's eyes and the helpless gazes of the two children. "You heard him. Your husband gave everything to save your lives. Gather whatever you need to take and leave at once. Head toward the Land of Fire, and be very careful in the forest. I'll take care of things tonight and catch up with you. I'll do my best to keep your husband alive. But I don't want you getting any ideas. I may well die too while trying to get you out of this hell and into the Land of Fire. I hope you understand your situation." His cold, merciless words made the woman tremble. Then she bowed down before him. Uchiha Zhuang took a bundle from inside his clothes and tossed it to her. He turned away and closed his eyes, his own eyes growing slightly damp. They were all wretched people. I'm willing to save you, but I'm sorry—I've truly done everything I can.
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