A Pregnant Man

"Brats from the Uchiha Clan, huh."

Hearing the other's utterly disrespectful address, Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. This guy was already hiding his face, yet he still dared to speak so rudely.

Had he never died before?

"What about these villagers?"

Izumi asked worriedly. She had clearly realized that if a conflict suddenly broke out, innocent people would inevitably be dragged into it. They could simply dust themselves off and leave, but these people might...

Mm.

Itachi nodded as well. That was precisely what concerned him.

"It's only a deer. Your clan head might even know me. Why make such a big fuss over it?"

Itachi's voice remained neither servile nor overbearing, but there was already a terrifying anger between his words. Forget this deer of yours—even if it were the Nara Clan head's deer, he would kill it all the same.

They had brought death upon themselves.

"It really is just a tribute, but this young master is interested in you. How about we trade a few moves?"

Seeing that the old man supported him, Negishi Hanbei became even more arrogant. Their lord's excessive regard for these ninjas had long made him furious. They were all human, yet ninjas fussed over so much nonsense, while samurai were bold and uninhibited. And yet the daimyo valued ninjas alone while looking down on their samurai clan.

When he thought about it, he truly wished he could smash all their heads open.

Still, it had been a long time since he had dragged people through the streets behind his horse. Perhaps ninjas could survive a little longer?

Maybe that would make it even more fun.

"So what if you're from the Uchiha Clan? Doesn't the Blood Dragon Eye Clan have the same eyes as you? What a pity. Just because a woman from the Blood Dragon Clan, as the king's consort, interfered in internal affairs, the outcome was obvious. The entire clan was wiped out. As watchers, the Uchiha Clan must have heard of it too, right? I wonder if you feel that sorrow of rabbits dying and foxes grieving, of creatures mourning their own kind."

Negishi Hanbei wore a mocking expression as he recounted this old story.

Izumi Uchiha had never heard such strange tales before, and her whole body shuddered. Fear filled her eyes. As for the teammates beside her, most merely wore amused expressions.

So this clan really was as disgraceful as the rumors said.

Killing their own kind?

But it didn't matter. It was their own business, after all. A few words had actually caused the team Itachi had painstakingly built to fall apart completely.

Then again, Itachi and the others merely sympathized with the weak. That didn't necessarily mean these ninjas felt pity for ordinary villagers.

"Why don't we just forget it?"

Hinata Bai pouted. He didn't want to stir up more trouble, and there was dissatisfaction in his tone, as though he were complaining about something.

After all, if the main family learned that he had caused trouble outside, they would probably skin him alive.

One couldn't always do as one pleased in the world.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Negishi Hanbei felt thoroughly pleased with his verbal attack, and he was immensely smug.

Did they really think they had turned from chickens into phoenixes?

"Are you so certain I'll hold back just because I'm a ninja?"

Itachi's voice remained as calm as ever, but he slowly stepped forward. In the darkness, no one could see his expression.

"Or are you relying on someone else's power, thinking that black-robed expert behind you lets you do whatever you want?"

"Or do you think that noble status of yours can protect your worthless life?"

An invisible pressure spread outward. Along with the sound of stones cracking, every step the boy took shattered the dirt and rocks beneath his feet into several pieces. Like a spiderweb, the cracks spread through the surrounding ground, exploding with dense, terrifying sounds.

What kind of strength did it take to produce such overwhelming force with the sole of one's foot?

Even the fine horses could not help whinnying uneasily, shifting about and leaving the samurai on their backs trembling with fear.

Was this really a child? He didn't even look that old.

Could he be some monster disguised as a child, here to bewitch them? The moment they thought of that, fear continuously spread through the samurai's hearts. Even though they had dozens of men on their side, they were still deeply unsettled.

Damn it.

"So what exactly do you want, bastard? Are you trying to offend me?"

Negishi Hanbei felt an inexplicable pressure, but he still forcibly drew his samurai sword and slashed it toward the bastard's head. At worst, they could kill this group of ninjas and cover the matter up afterward.

So many people died here every year anyway.

A few more bastard corpses would make no difference.

"Young master, watch out!"

The black-robed old man cried out. He had not expected Negishi Hanbei to do something so foolish. This boy was at least Chunin level, perhaps even close to Jonin. If he charged in like this and anything went wrong, the old man's own head would be forfeit as well.

"Whoosh."

He leaped up first and shielded Negishi Hanbei. The Kunai in his hand collided directly with Itachi's, scattering sparks.

"Ninjutsu: Lightning Strike!"

Electric sparks immediately crackled along the Kunai. Itachi felt a slight numbness in his hand and abruptly leaped backward.

A Lightning Release expert? He was channeling his chakra into his strength, but unfortunately...

"Earth Release: Earth Prison Cage!"

In an instant, the ground churned. Four enormous stone slabs rose directly from the earth and crashed down upon Negishi Hanbei and his men, abruptly imprisoning them like a cage.

There were no hand seals, no warning at all. The black-robed old man was startled and barely dodged in time, but screams immediately rang out from within the stone slabs, with blood faintly seeping through.

Each stone slab weighed several hundred pounds. Those tall horses had been reduced to pulp in an instant.

"You bastard! Do you know what you've done?"

The black-robed old man tore open his restrictive robes, revealing crimson armor underneath. Yet compared to the outer armor, the protection beneath his dreadlocks looked more like instruments of torture branded onto his body in an incredibly cruel manner.

Even more terrifyingly, faint traces of Curse Mark formations could be seen upon it. Black ink and incomprehensible characters rose and fell across its uneven surface along with his breathing.

"What's going on?"

Itachi frowned as well, watching everything as if facing a formidable enemy.

Was this some kind of pregnant man?