"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…"
The quiet noise of swift movements echoed through the alley.
In the dim light from lanterns carried by the ninjas outside, Kaito Fujiwara saw seven or eight figures vanish into thin air, their movements so fast they appeared as afterimages.
It seemed these Rain Shinobi were highly skilled, their awareness of potential enemies sharp in the darkness.
The leader of this group was a Rain Shinobi, tall and strong, wearing a large raincoat and a special breathing mask. Kaito's sharp eyes caught sight of a distinctive black birthmark on the man's face, stretching from his forehead down to his cheekbone.
The sight of this ugly, unique face made Kaito instinctively shrink his neck and place his right hand over his chest.
The massive wounds on his chest and abdomen had finally healed, with the membrane tightly attached to his sternum, making him look malnourished and gaunt. However, as long as his stomach was undisturbed, no one would know there were no internal organs beneath the membrane.
Relieved that the hideous wounds had healed, Kaito took a quiet breath. The secret of his immortality had to remain hidden.
Determined to stay calm, he struggled to stand, using the wall for support.
Suddenly, a sharp blade appeared from nowhere, pressed against Kaito's neck.
"Don't move!"
Kaito froze, his hands slowly lifting in surrender.
"Alright! I won't move. Please, big brother, hold the knife steady. I'm afraid of the pain!"
His words weren't loud, but they caught the attention of the leader.
Holding a lantern to shield himself from the rain, the man with the ugly face strode toward Kaito. Once he reached him, he looked Kaito up and down.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Kaito smiled thoughtfully and replied, "Sir, my name is Kaito Fujiwara, and I'm an orphan."
Kaito wasn't about to tell these Rain Shinobi his real name. After all, he couldn't be certain whether there was a scroll containing his details on Isamu Ino's body. If that were the case, being imprisoned again—or worse—would be highly probable.
Sure enough, one of the Rain Shinobi searching Isamu's body found a peculiar seal with a strange symbol painted on it under the man's arm.
The experienced ninja dipped his thumb in the blood of Isamu and smudged it on the seal.
"Bang~" A burst of white smoke appeared, and a large scroll materialized in the ninja's hands.
Kaito watched this happen out of the corner of his eye while continuing to answer the ugly-faced man's questions.
"As for why I'm here, it's simple. I was captured by the evil cult, but I found an opportunity to escape yesterday. I thought I'd be safe here in Amegakure, but I didn't expect to be caught again by the evil cult."
He pointed to Isamu's body.
"Did you kill him?" the ugly man asked sharply.
Kaito nodded. There was no need to lie—after all, the traces of battle were too obvious. A ninja with experience could easily deduce how the fight had unfolded.
"How did you kill him?"
"Uh..." Kaito was momentarily taken aback, then answered, "Body Replacement Technique, traps, detonating talismans, and a little trick."
The ugly-faced man's lips tightened slightly as he looked over Kaito and Isamu's bodies, his expression filled with disdain.
It seemed he considered Kaito's tactics insignificant—and even more so, Isamu's defeat by a child.
At that moment, the ninja who had finished inspecting the body hurried to the leader, covering his mouth with one hand and leaning in close to whisper in his ear.
"Master Shen Da, we've confirmed the identity of the deceased. He's the evil cult's envoy, Isamu Igen, with a 20 million tael bounty. The scroll on him can't be opened for now."
Upon hearing this, the man named Shen Da glanced at the body with contempt, then asked in a low voice:
"How did he die?"
"The deceased's legs were first blown off by an explosive talisman, and his chest and abdomen were destroyed by another explosive talisman at close range.
As for who killed him, it's likely the child in front of you. The pit in the ground is an imprint of the Earth Style·Heart Decapitation Technique. The depth matches the child's height. There's also a wooden stake in the pit, likely used during the Body Replacement Technique, performed just when the Earth Style hit. The timing was precise."
After hearing this, Shen Da looked at Kaito with surprise, his eyes shifting between him and the body.
"By the way, how much is the bounty on this trash?"
"Twenty million taels!" the ninja replied in a hushed tone.
Shen Da's lips curled into a small smile, a plan forming in his mind.
"Take this child back to the village for custody. Since the body can't be identified, dump it into the river to feed the fish."
With that, he signaled to the ninja beside him. The ninja, who had been working with Shen Da for years, understood the silent command immediately. He nodded and turned away.
Kaito, despite his hands being bound, remained calm. He hadn't heard the entire conversation, but he could tell from the gleam in Shen Da's eyes that the man had something devious in mind.
However, Kaito wasn't worried. After all, there was an adult soul in his seven-year-old body. And he understood something fundamental: when living under someone else's roof, you had to bow your head.
The most important thing was, no matter what, he looked like a child. He had no value, and he consumed more food than he should.
But this man tried to swindle 20 million taels over two heads. That grievance was something Kaito wouldn't forget. When he became stronger, Shen Da would be the first to pay.
With that thought in mind, Kaito memorized the distinctive face of the ugly-faced man and pretended to be weak, helpless, and pitiful as he was escorted out of the alley.
---
That night, Kaito slept soundly in the dark and damp prison cell.
The next morning, dim sunlight filtered through a small window, already brightening the room.
Kaito whistled, sitting cross-legged against the cell wall, drawing symbols with a kunai in hand.
"Even though I've been caught again by the Rain Shinobi, it's not so bad. I feel good today."
He scribbled this on the wall. Despite his capture, Kaito was confident he would soon be released, as he believed the Rain Shinobi had no serious intentions to keep him imprisoned.
This cell wasn't so bad—it had a small window letting in natural light, and the ninja who locked him up had only conducted a hasty search, even leaving Kaito's kunai untouched.
All of this told him that Rain Shinobi didn't take him seriously, or perhaps they simply didn't care about a child who had killed one of the evil cult's envoys.
They were likely just keeping him for the reward, and once they collected the bounty, he'd be free to go.
Kaito didn't care much about the 20 million taels bounty on Isamu Igen. He would make sure to deal with Shen Da personally once he was strong enough.
After finishing the bland prison meal, Kaito sat back, knowing it was only a matter of time before he'd be set free.
---
Soon enough, one of Shen Da's underlings arrived at Kaito's cell, opening the door without a word.
"Boy, come with me."
"By the way, don't take anything you shouldn't."
With that, the ninja led Kaito through the maze-like corridors of the building, until they finally arrived at a door engraved with the Rain Shinobi village emblem.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A deep voice came from within. "Enter."
The lackey opened the door and led Kaito inside.
A large, imposing desk stood at the center of the room, papers neatly stacked on top. Behind the desk sat a tall, powerful young man, wearing a special mask with tubes extending from the back and a Rain Shinobi forehead protector.
Kaito quickly lowered his head, taking in the surroundings. On the wall behind the man, a large map hung with arrows marking various points.
He didn't want to seem too curious, so he avoided looking at the map.
The young man spoke with a calm and authoritative tone. "Sit."
Kaito sat quickly, his head still lowered in respect. The man, who introduced himself as Hanzō of the Salamander, began speaking.
"I know about you, Kaito Fujiwara. You escaped from the evil cult, killed their envoy Isamu Igen, and now you're here."
Kaito nodded and answered honestly. The truth about Isamu's death was too obvious to hide.
Hanzō, impressed by Kaito's honesty, offered two options. The first was for Kaito to take the bounty on Isamu's head, though deductions would be made for damages to the village.
The second was for Kaito to become Hanzō's disciple.
Before Hanzō could finish, Shen Da interjected.
"Master Hanzō, this child is not qualified to be your disciple!"
But Hanzō silenced him with a raised hand, then turned to Kaito with a serious expression.
"You can join Rain Shinobi and become my disciple, and no one will bother you from the cult again."
Kaito, pretending to think carefully, shook his head.
"What bounty? I don't care about the money. I just want to join the warm family of Rain Shinobi Village."
Hanzō smiled, clearly pleased with Kaito's answer.
In that moment, Kaito felt the weight of his decision. He might be joining the village for now, but he had bigger plans for the future.
---