The Black Pot

"What?!" Not only were Yahiko and the others shocked, but the group of bandits kneeling and begging for mercy were terrified as well; they truly could not imagine that this child, who looked as delicate as if he were carved from jade, could have such a ruthless heart.

"No, that's too cruel. After all, those are over a dozen human lives!" Regarding Yuehua Ai's words, even Yahiko, who had always supported him in handling matters, chose to oppose him this time.

"Ai, I think we should just hand them over to the village to deal with, okay?" Konan struggled internally for a long time, but in the end, she felt she simply could not bring herself to kill.

"Ai, killing isn't a game. You're still young; you'll understand when you grow up!" Nagato was kind-hearted. He had once suffered great psychological torment from accidentally killing someone, so when Yuehua Ai spoke of slaughtering all the bandits, he thought of his own experience and chose to persuade him otherwise.

Hearing their companions' pleas, Yuehua Ai hadn't even opened his mouth yet, but the group of bandits, sensing a potential turn of events, immediately began to wail and sob, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

"Ninja-sama, we were forced into this! You must understand, in this world, if we didn't become bandits, we would have starved to death!"

"That's right, that's right! I have an eighty-year-old mother above and children waiting to be fed below. If I didn't bring back stolen food, my entire family would have died on the streets..."

"Who would want to be a bandit if they could live a good life? But our homes were destroyed, and we had no other choice but to walk this path!"

Watching the bandits weep and paint such a miserable picture of their circumstances, Yuehua Ai felt not a single ripple in his heart. His intent to kill had already been set; even if the other party possessed a silver tongue and could make flowers bloom from the ground, he would not change his mind in the slightest. Since they were capable of committing such cruel acts against a group of weak women, they should have been prepared to bow their heads and be slaughtered when facing someone stronger.

It had to be said that this group of bandits were seasoned veterans of life; their acting skills were at the level of movie stars. Those tears of regret came on command, and if not for their hideous faces, their aggrieved expressions would have made them look like young wives being abused.

Yuehua Ai wouldn't listen to a single word of their "turning over a new leaf" or "reforming" nonsense. If one could simply wash away past deeds by claiming sincere regret after doing something wrong, then what would be the point of order? What would be the point of human conscience?

Yuehua Ai remained completely unmoved by the bandits' performance, but Yahiko and the others were still young and inexperienced. Seeing the miserable, seemingly repentant appearance of the others, they actually began to feel a sense of compassion.

Regarding Yuehua Ai's decision to kill all the bandits, Yahiko and his friends felt it was too cruel. It wasn't just that they couldn't bring themselves to do it; as his companions, they didn't want Yuehua Ai to become cold-blooded at such a young age.

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

Watching the looks his companions were exchanging, Yuehua Ai naturally knew what they were thinking. When it came down to it, they were still just children, and they knew far too little about the darkness in the hearts of men.

If one were to ask what the most loving creature in the world was, there would be no need to think: it was undoubtedly humanity. Human society possessed cohesion precisely because of compassion and love. Human love could be found everywhere—love for companions, family, partners, animals, objects, and all sorts of other things. Because humans possessed profound wisdom, they had full, rich emotions, and thus, love existed.

Love and cruelty had always existed in opposition. While wisdom gave birth to love, it inevitably gave birth to cruelty as well. Humans were the most loving creatures, yet at the same time, they were the most cruel.

Even in times of peace, there were always some deranged individuals, and now, in the midst of war, the ugliness of humanity was magnified infinitely.

War was a catalyst that turned people into beasts. Under the pressure of blood, death, and survival, the negative emotions and intense desires that were usually suppressed deep in the heart were suddenly triggered.

Once humans could no longer control their desires and were instead dominated by them, they undoubtedly lost the qualifications to be human. Those driven by desire, aside from retaining a human exterior, were no different from beasts inside. In fact, their actions were even more heartless and cruel than those of beasts!

And for these beasts wearing human skin before him, Yuehua Ai felt only that they deserved to die!

Although he saw that Yahiko and the others didn't understand his intentions, Yuehua Ai felt no dissatisfaction with their attempts to stop him. While they had experienced their fair share of the world's coldness while wandering, they still lacked an understanding of the ugliness within the human heart.

Perhaps it is time to let them recognize a more cruel reality! Yuehua Ai thought to himself. Perhaps there was no need to keep hiding things from them. After becoming ninjas, these were things they would have to face sooner or later. The sooner they experienced them, the sooner they would awaken.

As for whether they could withstand that kind of psychological shock, that was not something Yuehua Ai needed to worry about. If a ninja couldn't even endure a cruel scene, then they shouldn't talk about being ninjas at all. Ninjas did not need weakness.

Without waiting for Yahiko and the others to start lecturing him, Yuehua Ai rolled his eyes at them and began to explain proactively.

"Yahiko, do you think I'm the type of person who likes to kill indiscriminately?"

Having spent so much time together, how could Yahiko and the others not know Yuehua Ai's temperament? Hearing his question, they suddenly realized something. The "Ai" they knew was definitely not a heartless person who disregarded human life. They hadn't thought of this before because they had been stunned by his decision to kill all the bandits.

"Of course not!" Everyone shook their heads.

"The reason I said that has a cause. The reason you can't accept my decision is that you still see them as human beings. I understand that."

"Do you remember when I was sensing the situation outside the cave earlier, and you asked me what I found, but I didn't answer directly?"

Thinking back to the strange expression Yuehua Ai had worn while sensing the area, Yahiko and the others nodded one after another. They had asked him what he found, but he hadn't given a clear answer.

"Ai, the reason you made that decision is because of what you found earlier, right?" Konan connected Yuehua Ai's previous behavior with his current decision.

As expected of the sharpest mind among them, Yuehua Ai nodded in confirmation to Konan's question.

"Then... Ai, what exactly did you find?" This was Nagato's question.

Yuehua Ai hummed twice. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it, so I didn't want you to know. But since you actually suspect that I—a loving youth who fears stepping on ants and cherishes moths near lamps—am a killer, I won't hide it anymore. You'll encounter such things eventually anyway."

Yahiko and the others were speechless at Yuehua Ai's self-praise. You have the nerve to talk about fearing to step on ants and cherishing moths? Why don't you also mention that you don't fish in the pond and often release birds from cages? I don't know which one of us got tired of Jiraiya-sensei's grilled fish and started hunting wild game every day. Even worse, you sometimes secretly caught frogs to grill and eat behind Jiraiya-sensei's back, and you never forgot to drag the rest of us into it every time. If we hadn't been covering for you, Jiraiya-sensei would have fought you to the death if he knew you were eating his favorite frogs.

Looking at the disdainful gazes of the group, Yuehua Ai's face flushed slightly. It's not my fault; it's this world's fault. Who told this godforsaken place to have nothing but fish, toads, and frogs? You have to understand, eating the same thing every day isn't just a matter of being tired of it—it's a matter of life and death!

The four of them talked as if no one else were around, right in front of the bandits. However, the bandits remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to make a single move. They had already experienced the strength of these four young ninjas; resisting was impossible!

Not wanting to bring up his own checkered past, Yuehua Ai quickly cleared his throat to divert everyone's attention. Thinking of what he had to say next, he couldn't maintain a relaxed expression either.

"If you want to know why I made that decision, go take a look at the place I found. It's in the rock thicket forty or fifty meters to the west of the cave entrance. If you go to look, be prepared!"

"Outside the cave!?"

Be prepared? Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan looked at each other. What exactly was outside that made Ai make such an extreme decision?

Just as the three of them felt suspicious and uneasy about Yuehua Ai's words, the bandits who had been kneeling and begging for mercy all trembled uncontrollably the moment they heard him mention the rock thicket to the west of the cave entrance.

They already knew why the youngest ninja had wanted to kill them all the moment he arrived! Damn it, this time, it seems we're really finished!

After hearing Yuehua Ai's words, the bandits didn't even have the heart to beg anymore. Kneeling on the ground, they stole glances at their companions with the corners of their eyes, exchanging silent communication through their shifting gazes.

For a moment, there was no sound in the cave other than the crackling of the campfire.

Seeing the bandits' reaction, Yahiko and the others knew there must be a hidden story. They became even more curious about what was at the place Yuehua Ai had mentioned.

"You all go over together. I'll be fine here by myself."

"How can that be? They..."

Before Konan could finish her sentence, Yuehua Ai interrupted, "Konan, you know I never do anything I'm not sure about. With just these few bandits, let alone the fact that they're already injured—even if they were in perfect condition, what would it matter if there were twice as many of them!"

"That won't do either. I can't leave you here alone. Besides, let Yahiko and Nagato go check the outside first; I can go over after they've taken a look!"

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

Seeing Konan about to protest, Yuehua Ai continued, "If there's any danger, I can definitely get away. Do you really think a bunch of weaklings like them could stop me?"

Seeing Konan still hesitating, Yuehua Ai leaned in close, standing on his tiptoes to whisper into the girl's ear, "The main reason I want you all to go out together is to test their reactions and see if any of them are still worth keeping alive. Be a good girl, my Konan!"

The warm breath from Yuehua Ai's whisper made Konan's ear itch, and when she heard him call her "my Konan" in such a teasing tone, her face flushed bright red in an instant.

Her face burned fiercely, her body stiffened, and the words she had intended to say were instantly forgotten. Konan parted her lips slightly, but she only stammered, unable to make a sound.

To think he'd say something like that. Little Ai is such a little rascal; he's definitely going to be a pervert when he grows up! Konan thought, feeling both shy and annoyed.

Little Ai wasn't like this before. It must be Master Jiraiya. Ever since he met Master Jiraiya, Little Ai has changed quite a bit. Damn it, he must have been corrupted by Jiraiya! Konan laid the full blame for Little Ai's previous flippancy on the head of a certain lecherous old man.

At that moment, Jiraiya, who was drinking at a tavern, suddenly sneezed. "Who is thinking of the peerless and talented Lord Jiraiya? Could it be some young maiden in love? Hehehe..."

"Take care of yourself, Little Ai!" Men's way of thinking and trusting is simple; Yahiko and Nagato felt that with Little Ai's strength, there would absolutely be no problem. So, they called out to Konan and began walking toward the place Little Ai had mentioned. They were truly curious about what could have made Little Ai reach such a heartless decision.

Konan covered her burning cheeks; thanks to the glow of the fire, the others didn't notice anything unusual. Hearing Yahiko and the others call for her, she hurriedly steadied her emotions and quickened her pace to follow them.

Watching Konan's hurried figure, Yuehua Ai also felt a bit flushed. When he had leaned in to whisper in her ear earlier, smelling the girl's scent and seeing her translucent earlobe, he had been possessed by some strange impulse to blurt out that last sentence.

In truth, he regretted it the moment he said it; his words had been far too flippant. Just as he was secretly annoyed with himself, he saw that while the girl's reaction was a bit shy, she wasn't angry, which made him breathe a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart. Seeing Konan's reaction, Yuehua Ai, who was secretly rejoicing, had no idea that because of his flippant behavior, a certain white-haired old man was already shouldering quite a large scapegoat for him.

Not long after the figures of Yahiko and the others disappeared, a flash of light reflected from a weapon swept across Yuehua Ai's eyes.

"Hmph, stubborn and foolish. You're truly courting death!" Yuehua Ai let out a cold snort, his expression instantly turning indifferent.