15. Ideal

Yuhi: "*sigh* Then you can just stay here. Don't go anywhere!"

Hinata: "Yuuki-kun, I made some rice balls. Please eat these rice balls while waiting for us. I left some water here too."

Yuuki: "*nod* Thank you."

I never thought that even shinobi are doing jobs like this. Is there any monk or priest in this land?

I lit firewood while waiting for Yuhi and Hinata. I really want to go to the village tavern and drink some local sake now. Unfortunately I don't have money at all.

Yuuki: "*sigh* Maybe it's better to throw some pride and borrow money from Hinata later.. I am not samurai anymore. I need to live as a shinobi and learn to become more 'clever' like that black-bellied man."

I was mourning my condition when I heard a child scream. I was planning to check it but unexpectedly I saw a little girl with blood stains and tattered clothes running to my direction.

Yuuki: "Little girl, are you okay? What happened? *checking little girl body*"

Girl: "*crying* Big brother, please help me!"

Yuuki: "Drink this water and calm down first."

I felt pity when I saw this little girl. It's not common to see children like her in the Sengoku era. Children and women were kidnapped, abused, and killed like an animal. Even if they screamed no one heard them.

Meanwhile, we samurai love to fight on the battlefield. Just betting our life for glory and honor. We are not fooled, deaf or blind. We just closed our eyes and pretended to not see these people sorrow.

But who knows that at the end, nothing left for us. I couldn't even buy sake with glory and honor in the afterworld. Our glory and honor only bring destruction.

The girl drank my water slowly. After waiting for a while, she finally stopped crying. I let her sit in front of the firewood. I also give my rice balls to her.

My heart became softer when I saw her eating manners. Her small fingers grab the rice ball tightly like a small squirrel. She really looks small and fragile.

World without pain it's impossible but at least everyone can laugh and live peacefully. This is my new ideal now. I have been given a second chance, so just use this time to attone my past. I need to become strong to achieve this ideal. But now, let's just help this little girl.

Yuuki: "Little girl, tell me your name. *caress girl hair*"

Miya: "Miya.. Big brother, can you help me?"

Yuuki: "Sure, I will do my best to help you. What happened?"

Miya: "I have been kidnapped along with my friends by bad people. They brought me in dark places and torture us! A long hair uncle cut our bodies and injected us with weird water. My friend died one by one. I also couldn't bear the pain anymore, but fortunately I could run away from them! *tears*"

Yuuki: "*smile* I see.. Don't worry, leave them to me. *pat Miya head*"

I ask Miya to tell me the place they held her before. After getting all the information I needed, I told Miya to go inside the mansion to find Yuhi and Hinata. She will be fine as long as she sticks close to Yuhi and Hinata.

I release my lightning to make me run faster. I hope that I can save the remaining children.

After running for an hour, I arrived at a small cave. I can see five men guarding the cave. Two of them are wearing head protectors.

Yuuki: "Two shinobi and three mercenaries? Let's knock them off to ask some questions. I need to make sure that Miya didn't lie to me first."

I use Shadow Clone and Clone technique together. My clone will distract the mercenaries while my shadow clone will stop one of the shinobi.

I move quickly and attack them. I was planning to knock them off but after feeling their thick killing intent, I changed my mind. Only a sinner like me could have a killing intent like this, I use all of my strength to kill them. I also coating my wooden sword with lightning to make sure it becomes sharp enough to cut them.

I was surprised when the three mercenaries changed to 'demon'. Their skin becomes darker and horns appear in their head. They also become stronger than normal humans. They knock off my clone easily. I made light of them after I saw that they were not shinobi. What a blunder.

I am really grateful that I already remember some ninjutsu that my 'parent' left for me. I hope that my chakra will be enough to perform them.

I use body replacement technique and clone technique as a feint to trap them in my water prison. I let my shadow clone cut their head. But unfortunately these two shinobi use body replacement to deceive me. This is why I really hate to fight shinobi!

After struggling for 30 minutes, my body is full of injuries. Broken ribs and internal bleeding. My body also became like a porcupine, at least 20 kunai stabbing my body.

Fortunately my injuries made me become more 'energetic'. My blood also rushes faster than before. I can feel that the Sanzu river boundary is very near me.

I remember my uncle's words, 'The closer you are to death, the stronger you become. So don't hold it. Release everything. Forget everything. Pass your limit. Be a demon. Bring a real fear to your opponents.'

Shinobi 1: "*fear* You are crazy! Why are you still not dead?!"

Shinobi 2: "*fear* No! He is not human! He is a demon!"

Yuuki: "Let me show you, the real demon! *laugh* Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

—

Meanwhile Yuhi and Hinata finish their exterminated quest. Actually the quest is simple, the village head asks someone to clear the altar inside the mansion and make some offerings there. Salt and tea are believed to be able to make the ancestor spirit calm. Unfortunately Yuuki was snapped off before Yuhi had a chance to explain it to him.

Yuhi and Hinata found a small campfire but couldn't find Yuuki. The water and rice balls are also still there. Yuhi and Hinata were worried about Yuuki but after Yuhi saw that there was no fight trace they felt relief.

Suddenly they saw some fireflies fly in their direction. The fireflies surround them for a while before flying back to the forest slowly. At first they just thought that the fireflies were pretty but after the fireflies flew back to him and back to the forest three times, they realized something weird. It looks like the fireflies want Yuhi and Hinata to follow them.

Yuhi decided to investigate the fireflies. She left her clone before they left to follow the fireflies. The clone will inform Yuuki to follow them when he come back.

—

After using all of my strength and chakra, I finally killed these shinobi. With these heavy injuries, I am really on the verge of dying now. I use a broken branch as a walking stick and enter the cave slowly.

I was surprised when I saw that the cave was already 'empty'. Only blood traces and medic tools are left. I also found a corpse on the bloody bed. I don't know why but I felt familiar when I saw this corpse.

I get out from the cave and sit on a broken tree. I couldn't move anywhere. Staring at the night sky while waiting for my 'time' to come. I hope i don't meet my father and uncle in Sanzu river later or they will lecture me again.

Miya: "Big brother, I am sorry.. I just want someone to find me.. I-"

Yuuki: "So, it's you.. *smile* Don't worry. Just stay here with me."

Miya: "*surprised* Is it really okay for me to stay with you, big brother?"

Yuuki: "Of course it's fine. Let's go to the Sanzu river together."

Miya: "*happy* Thank you, big brother! *tears* *hugging Yuuki* Then, I will go to the Sanzu river with my big brother later!"

Yuuki: "*smile* Good kid.. *close eyes*"

—

Meanwhile Yuhi and Hinata were surprised when they arrived in front of the cave. The trees had fallen and scattered in front of the cave. The ground is wet and red. They also found dismembered bodies.

When they wanted to investigate the cave, they saw Yuuki sitting against the fallen tree. His body is full of injuries and blood. There were also some kunai stabbing his body. Beside him, a small girl is hugging Yuuki.

Yuhi, Hinata: "Yuuki-kun!!"

Miya: "*look at Yuhi and Hinata* Finally you came. I leave my big brother to you. Please help him. *smile*"

Miya becomes transparent and looks like entering Yuuki's body before disappearing. Yuhi and Hinata were surprised but chose to leave it aside.