The Truth

The first light of dawn appeared in the distance, and sunlight spilled over the quiet little town, bathing it in a faint golden glow.

At last, this remote little town in the Land of Lightning had returned to peace and quiet.

The streets bustled with people. Their faces were a little pale, but smiles still shone through. They were full of energy again, ready to face a new day.

They had forgotten what it was like to become "demons." It was as if they had merely dreamed a strange dream, and now that they had woken up, they were carrying on with their daily lives.

In their memories, the "demons" who had died were people who had succumbed to a terrible illness. It was sad, but it did not otherwise affect their ordinary lives.

Once Senju Kyogawa's system had completely reclaimed the virus, all the innocent people infected with the "Evil Demon Virus" returned to normal. Of course, this applied only to innocent people who had nothing to do with the virus and had never harmed anyone.

The "demons" who had retained their awareness while transformed and deliberately hurt people to grow stronger had vanished into thin air the instant the virus was reclaimed.

The "demons" who had hurt people without realizing it also returned to normal, but after death they would still have to atone in the Yellow Springs.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops and dappled the ground. Birds flitted between the trees, chirping, while butterflies danced among the flowers, tracing one graceful curve after another through the air.

It was a scene brimming with springtime and vitality.

Senju Kyogawa sat back comfortably beneath a large tree by the town gate, basking in the dappled sunlight that fell across his fair cheeks. A gentle breeze brushed his hair.

Senju Kyogawa was waiting for Senju Chenghe, who had gone to buy provisions for their return journey. Senju Kyogawa had wanted to go with him, but Senju Chenghe had said he'd been hurt too badly the day before and needed to rest. He had refused Senju Kyogawa's request.

After the shock wave knocked Senju Kyogawa unconscious yesterday, Madara had picked him up and carried him away from danger.

Just how powerful had that shock wave been?

In fact, it had blasted through the three separate passageways where the three of them were trapped.

At the moment the passageways were blown open, Senju Chenghe was sinking into a sand pit, with the sand nearly covering his mouth and nose. His limbs were pinned tightly by the sand, and the wounds from the hidden weapons were bleeding nonstop. The coarse grains scraped against his bloody cuts, making them ache and itch, while numbness spread from his fingertips throughout his body.

Senju Chenghe had already prepared himself to die. He hadn't expected the wall to suddenly blow apart, sending the sand scattering and saving his life.

As for the powerful shock wave, the sand had protected Senju Chenghe, so he hadn't been badly hurt.

Madara hadn't been in any danger, but he hadn't been able to get out either. The sudden blast through the wall had conveniently opened a way out.

The only "harm" Madara suffered was the fright the exploding wall gave him. It had nearly made his eyes pop out like a rabbit's.

After stepping through the shattered "Gate," Madara spotted a child lying on the ground.

The child was face-down, as if he'd been soaking in a pool of blood. His whole body was stained red, covered in wounds from the explosion. His short white hair was disheveled, his face smeared with blood, and blood was still trickling from his mouth.

When Madara stepped closer, he realized the person blasted into a rag doll was Senju Kyogawa.

Madara hurriedly pulled Senju Kyogawa out of the rubble. Then, to Madara's astonishment, Senju Kyogawa called him "Mom."

Senju Kyogawa hadn't made a sound, but Madara's eyesight was much sharper than most people's. He'd been watching Senju Kyogawa closely and had seen his lips move. Madara had thought he was trying to tell him something important, but instead, he'd called out "Mom."

Suppressing a shudder, Madara hastily staunched Senju Kyogawa's bleeding, then met up with Senju Chenghe, who had escaped through his passageway.

The blast had been so powerful that much of the underground passage had collapsed. The whole tunnel was on the verge of giving way, and plenty of rocks were falling from above.

Madara carried Senju Kyogawa as he and Senju Chenghe hurried upward.

Why carry him? Because the rocks were falling too fast and too thickly, and Madara was afraid Senju Kyogawa would get crushed if he stumbled.

And why was twelve-year-old Madara carrying Senju Kyogawa instead of seventeen-year-old Senju Chenghe? Naturally, because Senju Chenghe had also been badly hurt. He could still move, but he'd lost a frightening amount of blood.

So Madara carried his "burden" and led the wounded Senju Chenghe to safety.

Once outside, Madara discovered that the "monsters" in the town had turned back into people. He was astonished, and quickly surmised that Senju Kyogawa must have done something to save their lives.

As for how Senju Chenghe had held Senju Kyogawa and prayed for him to stay alive after they made it out, that's a story we'll leave aside for now.

In any case, the three of them were happy to have solved this strange case.

After Senju Kyogawa woke up, Madara told him what he had learned from the murals in the passageway.

It turned out that the virus had come from the noblewoman's father. The old man's wife had died in childbirth while giving birth to the noblewoman. Unable to accept what had happened, he had, by chance, obtained the "Evil Demon Virus" from a cult.

The cult members told him they needed a five-year-old boy and a thousand people as sacrifices, and the boy had to be descended from his deceased wife.

The noblewoman had been brainwashed by her father from a young age and was just as determined to bring her mother back to life. So she went to great lengths to give birth to a boy, fed him the "monster virus" every day, and raised him to be a suitable sacrifice. When he turned five, he would become the true offering.

The boy, Xiao Xi, had eaten the "monster virus" for so long that his mind gradually grew dull, leaving him slow-witted and vacant.

After hearing the story, Senju Kyogawa could only sigh over what had happened. The poor child had become a sacrifice and been bled to death.

Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi... His name held the word "hope," so why had his life been nothing but despair, without a trace of hope?

Senju Kyogawa remembered how Xiao Xi had stopped the noblewoman from offering him a pastry in the carriage. He had been such a kind-hearted child.

Because he had the system, Senju Kyogawa knew a little more.

He knew that the cultists had actually been deceived across worlds by the "Demon King" from another world. The Demon King had been reduced to nothing but a piece of flesh, so it needed a suitable sacrifice to serve as an anchor to cross between worlds. The part about needing another thousand people was pure nonsense. The Demon King simply wanted to infect more people with the "Evil Demon Virus" so it could rule over them.

If the Demon King had truly descended upon the ninja world through Xiao Xi, this place might have become another hell.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help shuddering at the thought. He could only be grateful that the system had stopped the Demon King from crossing worlds.

[System, that child named Xiao Xi...] Senju Kyogawa couldn't help asking.

[Kind souls are rewarded in the end...] the system replied gently.