True Bonds (Part 1)

"Actually, you're not even as good as rats..."

"Damn you!" Such blatant insults and contempt from the young ninja ignited fury not only in the hot-blooded Yahiko and his friends but even in the usually indifferent Yuehua Ai.

This guy was truly going too far!

The boys gritted their teeth. Yahiko's hidden, clenched fist loosened, then tightened once more.

"What do you want from us?" Yahiko exhaled, struggling to keep his emotions in check, and asked in a relatively steady tone. Although he was furious inside and longed to smash that disgusting, smirking face with a single punch, he was no hot-headed fool who would act recklessly in a fit of rage. He understood the current situation all too well: the person standing before them, radiating malice, was a ninja of unknown strength. Regardless of anything else, he had to first determine the man's intentions and goals.

"Oh~" Seeing that the boys hadn't been provoked into charging at him by his words, but had instead quickly regained their composure to question him, the young ninja's expression became even more intrigued. These children weren't the typical hot-headed fools. That made it all the more interesting; as for the process, the mental breakdown and torture were far more amusing than simple physical destruction.

"What do I want? Actually, nothing much..." The young man's mouth stretched into a wide arc, revealing a sunny smile to the boys. Then, his smile vanished, he stuck out his tongue, and feigned a look of suffocating agony. Finally, he placed his palm against his throat and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I just want to kill you all."

Seeing the boys' expressions shift drastically, the young man let out a burst of hysterical, neurotic laughter.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you all at once. I will let you taste the fear of death little by little. Every time I see your futile struggles, it always gives me a special sense of being moved. Torturing you—that is my hymn to life and death!"

If this scene were in a television drama from his past life, the young ninja's self-indulgent monologue would have been quite laughable. But in this reality, Yuehua Ai couldn't find a shred of humor in it. His hands were trembling uncontrollably. Yes, fear—a tremor born from his body's instincts, the dread of facing a powerhouse who could dictate his life.

The group did not doubt the young man's words. The unmasked cruelty and killing intent in his eyes were certainly not feigned.

"Why? Why do this? Aren't you a ninja from our Amegakure?" Nagato asked, unable to believe it as he looked at the four-striped rain-patterned forehead protector tied around the man's head.

One had to understand that most ninjas came from hidden villages, and the establishment and maintenance of these villages were inseparable from the trust and support of their nations. Beyond deterring foreign enemies, the existence of a hidden village held even greater significance.

Hidden villages and their nations were strategic allies that complemented each other. The nation provided financial and material support to keep the village running, while the village trained ninjas to protect the nation and its people.

Although Amegakure had been reduced to a battlefield for the Great Nations, only ninjas had come from those lands. This war was a conflict between ninjas; other nations hadn't even sent regular armies into the Land of Rivers. Any ordinary person appearing on this land in Amegakure was, without a doubt, a villager of Amegakure.

Nagato didn't believe the young ninja hadn't considered this. Moreover, from the moment the man appeared until now, he hadn't even bothered to ask about their origins. There was no doubt: the man had long since abandoned the ninja code of protecting civilians.

Nagato bit his lip, staring blankly at the four rain stripes on the opponent's forehead protector. Those stripes had long been a symbol and a faith for the people of Amegakure and the Land of Rivers. Yet, in Nagato's eyes, that rain-streaked protector now overlapped with a pattern he had always viewed as a nightmare. They were truly so similar.

"Why can't I attack you?"

The young man retorted to Nagato's questioning with utter indifference.

"Ordinary people like you are just like mediocre ants. Even if you try your best, you only create a tiny bit of insignificant value. In times of war, you lose even that small value. And so, having lost your value, you have also lost your meaning for existing."

"You should be grateful to me. Providing me with amusement is the meaning I shall bestow upon you next. It is I who affirms your existence. As for a ninja like me who can dictate your fate, you shouldn't offer pointless resistance—you should worship me and accept my will."

What a moron. Yuehua Ai despised guys like this who were always so self-righteous, constantly talking about bestowing fate upon others.

Why was this world always so full of trouble? Why did so many tragedies happen here? It was precisely because there were too many people like this guy—people who had a little power and loved to force their own consciousness onto others.

As for continuing to communicate with him, the boys basically gave up after hearing his words. This was simply a self-righteous lunatic.

"You guys run first, I'll hold him off!" Yahiko stepped to the front, shielding the others behind him. He had no confidence in holding the man off; after all, the guy was a ninja. Even if he were only a Genin, the four of them would be no match.

Though the hope was slim, Yahiko stood his ground firmly. He couldn't retreat now, and as he stepped forward, he had already steeled himself for what might come.

"How could we ever leave you behind!" Nagato and Konan grabbed Yahiko. Setting aside whether Yahiko could block the man, they simply couldn't bring themselves to abandon a companion and flee alone.

Although Yuehua Ai didn't feel as deep a bond with his companions as the others did, he stayed honestly behind the group, with no intention of running away alone.

Stealing a glance at Nagato, Yuehua Ai's worries lessened significantly. As for safety, he knew there was no place safer than this.

"This is no time for heroics!" Yahiko shouted back.

"We all have the resolve to fight to the death, but rather than being hunted down and killed one by one, it's better if we stay together from the start." Konan was also clear about their side's capabilities. She displayed a strength that contrasted sharply with her gentle temperament; she had always been a girl who was soft on the outside but firm on the inside.

"...Alright." After a moment of hesitation, the determination in everyone's eyes finally left Yahiko with no choice.

"Clap, clap, clap..." A round of applause rang out.

"What a touching bond. Seeing your friendship, I suddenly have a wonderful idea..." The young ninja smirked.

"What?"

"The feelings of ants are also quite moving. I suddenly want to leave a way out for some of you."

"Some of us? What do you mean?" The group frowned.

The young man narrowed his eyes. "Actually, it's nothing much. My meaning is simple. There are four of you, right? As long as one of you kills a companion, I will allow that person to live. How about it? Isn't that interesting?"

"What did you say? Damn you, you deserve to die!"

The expressions of Yahiko and the others changed drastically, and fury burned in their eyes. The "way out" he offered was to kill a companion. While their bonds and reason would naturally prevent them from slaughtering each other, the man's suggestion was truly venomous.

The moment the young man spoke, Yuehua Ai's heart tightened. His body actually trembled uncontrollably. Kill a companion to survive? He couldn't help but ask himself: if faced with a certain death, and he had the ability, what choice would he make...

He shook his head to cast the thought away. In the end, Yuehua Ai had no answer.

"Don't play any more tricks. We won't let you manipulate us."

Since they couldn't escape, they chose to take the initiative. Yahiko made his decision in an instant, shouted, pulled out the kunai he carried, and charged forward first.

Seeing the brats not only defying his will but daring to attack him, a flicker of annoyance crossed Xiangyuan's eyes. As ants, shouldn't they be grateful for being given a way out? What he hated most were people who didn't follow his rules of the game.

The boys' refusal to play by his script ruined Xiangyuan's mood for toying with them, and even his initial interest in playing cat-and-mouse vanished. He decided to let these boys know the consequences of defying him; he would show them what true fear was.

Watching the incoming kunai, a heavy sneer flashed in Xiangyuan's eyes. Ordinary people were, after all, just ordinary people. Their resistance lacked even the slightest threat.

He grabbed Yahiko's wrist, and the kunai stopped a fist's distance from Xiangyuan's face. No matter how hard Yahiko pushed, the man's hand was like an iron vice, preventing the blade from advancing even a fraction.

Xiangyuan twisted Yahiko's wrist hard. The boy let out a cry of pain and could no longer hold onto the kunai, which clattered to the ground.

"Let Yahiko go!" Seeing Yahiko instantly subdued, Nagato and Konan realized the man's strength was far beyond their imagination, but they didn't retreat. They charged forward like moths to a flame, leaving only Yuehua Ai standing where he was. It wasn't that Yuehua Ai didn't want to do anything, but at only five years old, he truly couldn't think of what he could possibly do.

"Interesting." Seeing Nagato and Konan charge forward bravely even after realizing the gap in their strength, a hint of surprise flashed in Xiangyuan's eyes.

The surprise in his eyes was quickly replaced by disgust. What Xiangyuan hated most was this kind of reckless behavior driven by emotional bonds. Bonds were nothing but shackles on the human heart; they were meaningless, serving only to make people weak!