"Swish!" "Swish!"
Several faint sounds sliced through the air. Two dark figures flashed beneath the pale moonlight, then vanished in an instant.
A few stray dogs roamed the village. They were skin and bones, but the green gleam in their eyes made it clear they had tasted human flesh.
They didn't disturb them.
Sosuke slipped into a house. It was pitch-black inside, and nothing could be seen, but through his senses, he could "see" the two people in the bed.
A man and a woman were sleeping soundly, their breathing steady. They had no idea danger was drawing near.
Sosuke glanced at the furniture around him, then carefully gathered a little chakra. He channeled it through his network of pathways and down into his feet. The chakra-covered soles adhered firmly to whatever they touched.
He walked upside down along the ceiling as though it were level ground!
He had discovered this little trick for using chakra a long time ago. It was very practical, and now it was coming in handy.
Without making a sound, he reached the spot directly above them and hung there upside down.
Looking at the sleeping pair, he quietly drew Kyoka Suigetsu. Its blade was as white as a mirror, reflecting his image. Beneath the deep-blue Ghost Mask and behind his glasses, his gaze was cold.
Holding Kyoka Suigetsu, Sosuke stared coldly at the sleeping pair before him and swung without hesitation!
At that moment, the lives of the two people sleeping below rested in his hands. Their fate depended on a single thought.
Just as Kyoka Suigetsu had once said:
"Killing someone is very simple. All it takes is a casual swing to erase their existence."
"Vmm..."
The faint ring of the blade echoed softly through the darkness.
And then!
Kyoka Suigetsu stopped just beside the neck of one of the people in the bed, a mere centimeter away!
If it moved even a fraction farther, the sharp blade would take his life.
But Sosuke stared coldly at the sleeping pair and halted his movement with mechanical precision.
He slowly sheathed Kyoka Suigetsu, then turned and left the house.
The two people in the bed remained asleep, still lost in their dreams, unaware that they had just come within a hair's breadth of death.
Beneath the mask, Sosuke's face no longer wore its usual smile. Instead, it was cold. Thinking back on what he had just done, he felt a faint sense of absurdity for some reason.
There was no distinction between despicable and respectable ants. They were only ants, and no one would stop to spare them a glance. Their place in the world determined their status. A butterfly might leave behind only a fleeting flutter... but... that wasn't the choice I wanted to make...
Sosuke quietly pushed open the door and stepped onto the streets of the village, which was full of bandits.
Beneath the mask, his expression was grim as he carefully considered why he felt this way.
Behind his dark glasses, the feeling buried deep in his heart gradually welled up.
That was right. He hadn't spared the two of them out of compassion. He had simply found it pointless.
Just as no one felt any sense of meaning in crushing an ant, killing these defenseless ants stirred nothing in him.
If he wanted to climb to the top of this world, then his opponents couldn't be too weak. Otherwise, the throne would be utterly meaningless.
Now he understood clearly why he had stopped himself.
It was all beneath my stature. I simply couldn't be bothered.
Having thought it through, Sosuke's confident, gentle smile returned.
In a lush, vibrant palace filled with life.
The magnificent palace no longer felt so cold and imposing. Instead, it was filled with countless plants and fresh green grass, making the whole place seem alive.
On the palace's high throne, flowers of every color surrounded All Things in the Universe.
There, a girl dressed in a black kimono patterned with vivid cherry blossoms reclined on the throne, which no longer seemed so cold.
Her pale, delicate face was adorned with eyes as black as the stars, their gaze icy. Her vivid red lips gave her an alluring charm. One slender hand rested at her side, while a pair of pale legs was faintly concealed beneath the split hem of her kimono, leaving much to the imagination.
She was Kyoka Suigetsu. At that moment, she looked like a young empress, reclining lazily. But as though she had sensed something, her languid eyes suddenly narrowed, then opened slightly. A moment later, they widened, and she murmured,
"Sosuke... Such a powerful feeling... As expected of Lord Aizen..."
In the outside world.
Sosuke continued slowly along the village road.
His white Shinigami Robe stood out beneath the moonlight. Kyoka Suigetsu remained tucked at his waist. This situation was not worthy of her—not yet.
Beneath the deep-blue mask, Sosuke's gaze behind his glasses was clear, though a smile glimmered in his eyes.
Well, this is what I chose, isn't it? If I have to act so furtively in front of a pack of beasts no better than ants, then my stature is too small... I said they'd be my whetstones... They should at least look the part...
Suddenly, a man who had just finished drinking and was wandering around the village spotted Sosuke.
The sight of Sosuke's unmistakable shinobi outfit instantly sobered him up!
"You! Who are you? Someone, help!!! A shinobi has infiltrated the village!!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs and ran off, still yelling.
Sosuke remained where he was, simply watching him flee and call out to the entire village. He made no move.
Under the night sky, the man's shouts broke the village's silence, and all sorts of commotion began rising from different places.
Shouts erupted from many of the houses.
"What!!! Shinobi are attacking! Wake up, hurry!"
"What! Shinobi! Hurry! Find the boss! Go report to the boss!"
In a large, rather filthy building.
The creaking of wooden boards rose and fell.
Several men were wantonly violating a number of women.
The women had long since run out of tears. Their bodies were covered in bruises, and their eyes were filled with despair.
These were the crimes committed by the bandits. With such an overwhelming difference in strength, the bandits held their lives in their hands and did whatever they pleased, arrogantly enjoying it all.
But now, their good days were over.
"Thwip!" "Thwip!"...
A few sharp sounds pierced the air, and kunai went through their hearts. Their writhing bodies immediately went limp, and blood slowly seeped onto the floor.
Their eyes still clung to this world, brimming with the desire to live! But now, the life in them was gradually fading.
When the women, who had already given up hope, suddenly saw this, they didn't scream!
Instead, a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes, one by one!
They sprang up in fury. Ignoring their nakedness, they grabbed whatever weapons they could find and smashed them into the bandits' heads!!
Once! Twice! Three times!!
The corpses were soon reduced to bloody pulp. Only when they saw the sight before them did the women truly understand that their nightmare was over.
They clung to one another and wept.
No matter what, their hope had finally arrived.
Far from the large building.
After casually killing a few bastards, Shimura Kazumi frowned as she watched lights gradually appear throughout the village and wondered to herself:
What is that guy Sosuke doing? I haven't even gone to find him yet, and he's already alerted the whole village. With that kid's strength, could he have run into a formidable opponent!?
Inside a room that looked like a secret chamber.
Several figures were frowning as they listened to the commotion outside!
A middle-aged shinobi in the seat of honor spoke in a low voice.
"Are they shinobi from Konoha!!"
"It seems we've been discovered. We can't stay at this outpost any longer!"
"Hurry up and pack. Get ready to evacuate. Avoid fighting Konoha's shinobi if possible. Since they've sent people here, they must be formidable. Don't rush into battle. Our priority is to retreat!"
"Yes!"
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