The Scapegoat

"What?!"

It wasn't just Yahiko and the others who were shocked. The bandits kneeling and begging for mercy were even more horrified. They couldn't imagine that a child who looked so delicate and adorable could have such a ruthless heart.

"No! That's too cruel. They're still more than a dozen human lives!" Even Yahiko, who had always supported Yuehua Ai when it came to handling things, opposed him this time.

"Ai, I think we should leave them to the village to deal with. What do you think?" Konan struggled with the decision for a long time, but in the end, she felt she couldn't bring herself to kill them.

"Ai, killing people isn't a game. You're still young. When you're older, you'll understand." Nagato was kindhearted. He had once been tormented by guilt after killing someone without meaning to, so when Yuehua Ai said he wanted to kill all the bandits, Nagato put himself in their shoes and tried to talk him out of it.

Hearing his companions' pleas, Yuehua Ai hadn't even opened his mouth when the bandits, sensing that things might take a turn for the better, immediately began wailing and making tearful excuses.

"Ninja-sama, we were forced into this! You know how things are these days. If we didn't become bandits, we'd starve to death!"

"That's right, that's right! I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and little children at home who are still nursing. If I didn't bring them food we'd stolen, my whole family would have died in the streets..."

"Who would want to be a bandit if they could live a decent life? But our home was destroyed, and we had nowhere else to go. We had no choice but to take this road!"

Watching the bandits shed tears and describe their misfortunes as if they couldn't be more pitiful, Yuehua Ai felt nothing. He had already decided to kill them. Even if they spoke with silver tongues and could conjure flowers from the ground, they wouldn't change his mind. They had done such cruel things to a group of helpless women, so they should have been prepared to bow their heads and die when faced with someone stronger.

There was no denying that these bandits were old hands at life, each one a first-rate actor. They could summon tears of regret at will. If not for their vicious faces, their aggrieved expressions would have made them look like mistreated wives.

Yuehua Ai wasn't about to listen to any of their bullshit about repenting and turning over a new leaf. If people could simply make their past misdeeds disappear by sincerely regretting them, then what would be the point of order? What would be the point of conscience?

Yuehua Ai was unmoved by the bandits' performance, but Yahiko and the others were still young and inexperienced. Seeing how sincerely and miserably the bandits seemed to regret their actions, they couldn't help feeling a little sympathy for them.

Yahiko and the others thought Yuehua Ai's decision to kill all the bandits was too cruel. They couldn't bring themselves to do it, and as his companions, they didn't want Yuehua Ai to become so cold-blooded at such a young age.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan exchanged glances. They felt they had to change Ai's mind.

Seeing his companions all looking at him, Yuehua Ai understood what they were thinking. In the end, they were still just children. They knew too little about the darkness in people's hearts.

If you had to name the most loving creature in the world, there was no need to think twice: it was humanity. Human society drew its strength from compassion and love. Human affection was everywhere: love for companions, family, partners, animals, possessions, and all sorts of other things. Their profound intelligence gave them rich emotions, and those emotions gave rise to love.

Love and cruelty had always existed side by side. Intelligence gave rise to love, but it inevitably gave rise to cruelty as well. Humans were the most loving creatures, but at the same time, they were also the cruelest.

Even in peacetime, there were always a few deranged people around. And in the midst of war, humanity's ugliness was magnified without limit.

War was a catalyst that turned people into beasts. Under the pressure of bloodshed, death, and survival, negative emotions and intense desires that had long been suppressed deep inside were suddenly unleashed.

Once people could no longer control their desires and were instead ruled by them, they lost any claim to being human. Though they still had human bodies, those whose actions were ruled by desire were no different inside from beasts. In fact, they were even more heartless and cruel than animals!

And Yuehua Ai wanted nothing less than to kill every one of these beasts wearing human skin!

Though Yahiko and the others didn't understand what he was thinking, Yuehua Ai wasn't upset that they were trying to stop him. They had endured plenty of hardship while wandering, but they still knew too little about the evil in people's hearts.

Maybe it was time to let them see a harsher reality. Yuehua Ai thought to himself. Perhaps there was no point in continuing to hide what he'd kept from them. Once they became ninja, they would have to face it sooner or later. The sooner they experienced it, the sooner they would understand.

As for whether they could withstand the psychological shock, that wasn't something Yuehua Ai needed to worry about. If they couldn't even bear the sight of something cruel, then they shouldn't talk about becoming ninja. Ninja couldn't afford to be weak.

Before Yahiko and the others could start lecturing him, Yuehua Ai rolled his eyes and began explaining of his own accord.

"Yahiko, do you really think I'm the kind of person who kills people on a whim?"

After spending so much time together, how could Yahiko and the others not know Yuehua Ai's temperament? His question made them realize something. The Ai they knew wasn't heartless, someone who didn't care about human life. They hadn't thought of that before, but his decision to kill all the bandits had stunned them.

"Of course not!" They all shook their heads.

"I had a reason for saying that. You can't accept my decision because you still see them as people. I understand that."

"Remember when I sensed what was happening here from outside the cave? You asked what I'd found, but I didn't answer you directly."

Thinking back to Yuehua Ai's unusual expression when he sensed what was happening, Yahiko and the others all nodded. They had asked Ai what he'd discovered, but he hadn't given them a clear answer.

"Ai, you made that decision because of what you found earlier, right?" Konan connected Yuehua Ai's earlier behavior with his decision now.

As expected of the sharpest thinker among them, Konan had guessed correctly. Yuehua Ai nodded.

"Then... Ai, what exactly did you find?" Nagato asked.

Yuehua Ai gave a couple of little snorts. "I didn't want you to know because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it. But you actually doubted me, a kindhearted young man who wouldn't hurt an ant and shielded moths from the lamp. So I'll tell you. You'll run into things like this sooner or later anyway."

Yahiko and the others were speechless at Yuehua Ai's self-praise. He had the nerve to say he wouldn't hurt an ant or shielded moths from lamps! Why didn't he add that he never fished when there were fish in the pond and always freed birds from their cages? Everyone knew who among them had gotten tired of Jiraiya's grilled fish and spent every spare moment hunting for something else to eat. Worse still, sometimes he even secretly caught frogs and roasted them without telling Jiraiya. And every time, he dragged the rest of them into it. If they hadn't kept it a secret, Jiraiya would have found out that Yuehua Ai had eaten his favorite frogs and tried to kill him.

Seeing the disdainful looks from everyone, Yuehua Ai's little face flushed. It's not my fault. It's this world's fault. What else is there around here besides fish, toads, and frogs? Eating the same thing every day isn't just boring—it'll kill you!

The four of them chatted as if the bandits weren't even there, but their captives stayed on their knees, not daring to make a move. They had already experienced firsthand how strong these four young ninja were. Fight back? That was out of the question!

Not wanting them to bring up his many misdeeds, Yuehua Ai hurriedly cleared his throat to draw their attention elsewhere. Thinking of what he was about to tell them, he could no longer keep a lighthearted expression.

"If you want to know why I made that decision, come see what I found. It's in a rocky patch about forty or fifty meters west of the cave entrance. If you go look, be prepared."

"Outside the cave?!"

Be prepared? Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan exchanged glances. What could be out there that had made Ai take such an extreme position?

As Yahiko and the others wondered about Yuehua Ai's words, all the bandits who had been kneeling and begging for mercy began to tremble when they heard him mention the rocky patch west of the cave entrance.

They finally understood why the youngest ninja had wanted to kill them all from the start. Damn it! This time, they really might be finished!

After hearing Yuehua Ai's words, the bandits had no heart left to beg for mercy. Still kneeling, they stole sideways glances at one another, silently communicating through their shifting expressions.

For a moment, the only sound in the cave was the fire crackling. Not a single other noise could be heard.

Seeing the bandits' reaction, Yahiko and the others knew there had to be more to the story. They were even more curious about what Yuehua Ai had found.

"You can all go over together. I can handle things here by myself."

"How can we do that? They—"

Konan hadn't finished speaking when Yuehua Ai cut her off. "Konan, you know I never do anything unless I'm sure I can handle it. There are only a few bandits here. They're already injured, and even if they weren't, what would it matter if there were twice as many?"

"That still won't do. I can't leave you here alone. Besides, Yahiko and Nagato can take a look outside first. I can go after they're done!"

Yuehua Ai shrugged and laughed. "You should go with Yahiko and the others. There's strength in numbers."

When Konan looked ready to say more, Yuehua Ai continued, "If there's danger, I can get away. They're a bunch of weaklings. How could they possibly hold me here?"

Seeing that Konan was still hesitating, Yuehua Ai moved close and rose onto his toes to whisper in her ear. "The main reason I'm sending you all out is to test their reaction and see if any of them are worth letting live. Be good, my Konan!"

The warmth of Yuehua Ai's breath tickled Konan's ear as he whispered. When she heard the teasing way he called her "my Konan," her face instantly turned bright red.

Her face burned, and her body had stiffened a little. She forgot what she'd meant to say. Her lips parted, but she could only stammer silently.

He actually said something like that! Ai's such a little rascal. He'll definitely grow up to be a pervert!

Ai didn't used to be like this. It must be Jiraiya-sensei. He's changed a lot since meeting him. Damn it, Jiraiya must have corrupted him!

At that moment, Jiraiya, who was drinking in some tavern, suddenly sneezed. "Who's talking about the peerless hero Jiraiya-sama? Could it be a lovesick young lady? Heh heh heh..." he chuckled lecherously.

"Ai, be careful!" Men's thinking and their trust were simple. Yahiko and Nagato were sure that Ai's strength meant he'd be fine, so they called to Konan and headed toward the place Ai had mentioned. They were dying to know what had made him act so mercilessly.

Konan covered her warm cheeks. The firelight kept the others from noticing anything unusual. Hearing Yahiko and the others call to her, she quickly steadied herself and hurried after them.

Watching Konan hurry away, Yuehua Ai felt his face flush too. When he'd leaned close to whisper in her ear, he'd caught the girl's scent and seen her gleaming earlobe. For some reason, that last remark had slipped out.

He'd regretted it as soon as he said it. He'd been far too flirtatious. Just as he was reproaching himself, he saw that the girl looked a little bashful but not angry, and he felt a wave of relief. Yuehua Ai was quietly congratulating himself on her reaction, utterly unaware that his flirtatious behavior had already landed a certain white-haired man in plenty of trouble.

Not long after Yahiko and the others disappeared, a glint reflected off a weapon and flashed across Yuehua Ai's eyes.

"Hmph. Stubborn to the end. You're asking for it!" Yuehua Ai snorted, his expression instantly turning cold.