Blood Land

The Kirigakure Ninja was incredibly fast and had already appeared in front of Miao. He swung the Tachi in his hand viciously at Miao. "Die!!!!"

A Kunai slid from the sleeve of Miao's right arm, and he seized it tightly. At the same time, his eyes changed instantly. His Black pupils turned scarlet, three Black Tomoe slowly spinning within them, sinister and mysterious like the Scythe of the God of Death.

"What!! Those eyes are!!!" The Kirigakure Ninja froze when he saw Miao's eyes. Then his entire body shuddered and stiffened in place, the hand holding the Tachi halted in midair.

"Th-this is the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!!! I can't move!!!" The Kirigakure Ninja's face changed drastically. His body trembled, but he could not move no matter what. He tried to say something else, but a Cold Light flashed across his neck like lightning.

The Kirigakure Ninja's eyes widened. Feeling the searing pain in his neck, he made a choked whimper, as though something had blocked his throat. His Line of Sight gradually sank into darkness.

Miao was already behind him, his Kunai stained with threads of blood. Not a single drop of blood marked his clothes. He showed no change in expression as he looked at the house, now grotesquely bloody from the spray of blood behind him, then rushed out through the door.

The moment he emerged and saw the scene outside, Miao's expression changed. Those Villagers had not retreated. Instead, they had surrounded Haku and Shunzi. Shunzi was already injured, her abdomen soaked red with blood. Haku's father's sickle was also stained with fresh blood. Clearly, he had done it.

"Damn it!!!!!" Miao's face darkened. He had not expected Haku's father and the Villagers to be so bold. They knew he was a Ninja, yet they had still dared to remain outside the house. That was why he had told Haku and Shunzi to leave first.

"Mother, Mother!!!" Haku shook Shunzi's body as tears streamed down her cheeks. By now, Haku had cried herself into a tearful mess.

Shunzi was barely breathing, her face devoid of Color of Blood. She was clearly on the verge of death. If she had been a Ninja, such an injury, though serious, would not have been fatal. But Shunzi was only one of the Ordinary People; her body could not compare to that of a true Ninja.

"We finally killed that monster!!! Next is this little monster!!!!" Fear and savagery still lingered on many Villagers' faces. Killing someone was indeed terrifying to them, but after doing it once, they no longer felt much psychological burden doing it a second time.

Haku's father's sickle trembled slightly, and his face was blank with confusion. Earlier, he had regarded Haku and Shunzi as monsters and desperately wanted to get rid of them for his own safety. Yet personally killing the wife who had shared his life had clearly shaken him deeply, and he had yet to recover.

At that moment, a Villager nearby, his face twisted and eyes bloodshot, swung his Tachi at the still-crying Haku. "Oh no!!!!" Miao's expression changed sharply. Just as he was about to act, something unexpected happened.

Haku stared blankly at the gleaming Tachi descending upon her, her eyes hollow as if she had lost her mind. Yet a strange ripple spread from her body. "This is...!" Miao halted, staring at Haku in astonishment.

"Clang!!!!" The Tachi struck an Ice Wall that had appeared in front of Haku at some unknown moment, scattering shards of ice without breaking through it.

"Wh-what is this!!!!!" The Villager holding the blade had regained his senses. He stared at the Ice Wall in terror. The Villagers behind him, including Haku's father, all paled dramatically and trembled as they retreated.

"A monster!!!!" The Villagers' terror seemed to have reached its peak. How could Ordinary People like them have ever witnessed anything so bizarre?

The Ice Wall shattered instantly, turning into countless Ice Spikes that shot toward the fleeing Villagers like a storm. "Puff!!! Puff!!! Puff!!!!" The sounds of flesh being pierced rang out in succession, accompanied by endless screams.

Miao stared in shock at the horrific scene before him. Aside from a few exceptions, everyone—including Haku's father—had their bodies directly pierced by the Ice Spikes. Brilliant scarlet blood had long since dyed the Snowfield red.

The one or two surviving Villagers stared at Haku in utter terror. It was as if something had clogged their mouths. They wanted to say something, but could only make whimpering sounds.

A Cold Light flashed, and a Shuriken sliced across both their necks. "Puff!!!" Blood sprayed out as the two men, their eyes rolled white, slowly collapsed. Miao had acted. He intended to eliminate the roots entirely; if he let those two leave, they would certainly provide information to the Kirigakure Ninja. They absolutely could not be allowed to leave alive.

Miao slowly walked over to Haku. She was gradually coming back to her senses, but her tear-filled eyes were full of confusion. Did her Kekkei Genkai erupt on its own in response to danger? It seemed Haku still could not control this power at all. Miao thought to himself.

"Mother!!!" Haku recalled what had just happened. Seeing her mother on the verge of death, she hugged Shunzi's body and began to sob bitterly. Miao watched Shunzi with a grave expression as well.

Shunzi seemed to still have one breath left. She slowly opened her eyes and gave the weeping Haku a gentle look, then turned to Miao, who stood behind Haku. As though using the last of her strength, she softly said, "Haku... I'll leave Haku to you."

"I understand. I'll take good care of her." Miao lowered his eyes slightly, his voice deep. He had seen too much death and could fully keep his emotions in check.

"Mother!!! Mother!!!" Haku also knew that her mother was gone. Her crying grew ever more sorrowful. At some unknown time, snow had begun to fall from the sky. White snowflakes gradually buried the bloodstained Snowfield, and an atmosphere of grief spread through the air.

After a while, the crying gradually stopped. Haku lay motionless beside Shunzi's corpse. Miao stepped forward, lifted Haku, and checked her. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and grief, she had fainted. Miao slowly picked her up, then looked over the small village filled with corpses and blood and sighed. Who could have imagined that the quiet, warm village of yesterday would become such a devastated ruin today?

Just then, a figure instantly appeared behind Miao.