Under the wavering lamplight, the old woman recounted the village's story to Sasuke.
A year ago, she said, every man in the village—young and old—had been taken away for forced labor. The fields lay fallow, untended. With no one to hunt, the surrounding forests grew wild, and packs of beasts roamed unchecked; no one dared venture near.
Bit by bit, the village was cut off from the outside world. Even proper merchants stopped coming.
With no way to produce or buy goods, those left behind could do nothing but wait to die.
Anyone able to leave had long since fled. Only a handful of solitary elders remained, clinging to their homeland, unable—or unwilling—to abandon it.
Sasuke frowned. "Normally, only serious criminals are sent to forced labor. The villagers here haven't done anything wrong—why were they taken?"
The old woman chuckled. "You're still green, boy. You don't understand this country at all. People like us—we're 'outcasts.'"
She explained that the Land of Lightning had always enforced a rigid caste system:
Royalty. Nobles. Commoners. Outcasts.
The daimyo and his kin were royalty.
Those who served the daimyo directly, and their families, were nobles.
Anyone who could provide long-term, stable service or tribute to royalty or nobility was a commoner.
Everyone else was considered an outcast.
As for where ninja fit in? It was obvious.
Only the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud—those who served the daimyo directly, or the rare few granted the honor of personally protecting the daimyo—were nobles. The rest were subordinates of the Raikage, and counted as commoners.
In short, even though the Hidden Cloud boasted the highest military budget of the Five Great Ninja Villages, its standing within the country was still low.
To put it bluntly, they were little more than guard dogs, scraping by for a meal—no different from the mutt lying in the old woman's yard.
And outcasts? They weren't even worth as much as a dog.
The lamplight flickered.
Sasuke pressed further. "With such a cruel caste system, hasn't anyone tried to overthrow it?"
The old woman answered candidly, "Of course. The Land of Lightning is famous for its fierce spirit. There's never a shortage of people willing to rebel. But they all vanish—gone without a trace, not even a ripple."
"And if someone does manage to make a splash, the royal family is quick to offer amnesty. One minute you're an outcast, the next you're a noble. Who could resist that kind of temptation?"
"..." Sasuke fell silent.
The Land of Lightning was the wealthiest nation, but all that wealth was hoarded by a select few.
After a long pause, Sasuke said, "Let's get everyone out of this village. I'll find a way to resettle you."
The old woman smiled sadly. "If I wanted to leave, I'd have done it long ago. But after guarding this home for half a lifetime, it's not so easy to let go… Besides, I'm still waiting for the children to come back. I keep the light burning so they can find their way home."
"To be honest, when you knocked, I had a glimmer of hope. But alas…"
Sasuke asked, "Can you tell me where the labor camp is?"
She replied, "Young man, I advise you not to waste your effort…"
Sasuke: "You know what I plan to do?"
The old woman: "You're a ninja, aren't you?"
Sasuke: "!?"
The old woman: "That fan on your back—I've seen another man carry one. He was a ninja…"
Sasuke: "Who are you, really?"
The old woman: "Who I am doesn't matter. I'm just telling you, don't waste your energy. Even if you succeed in rescuing them, you'll only turn them from outcasts into wanted criminals, with even less of a future. At least in forced labor, they get a meal. If you save them, you're just pushing them into The Abyss."
Sasuke: "I can resettle them!"
The old woman: "But there are thousands, tens of thousands, just like them. You can't save everyone. In the end, it's just self-satisfaction…"
Sasuke clenched his fists. "Then what if I take down the root of it all—the daimyo of the Land of Lightning?"
The old woman: "The daimyo represents an entire class's interests. Could you topple that whole class? Even if you succeed, as long as this culture is ingrained in the people, everything will repeat itself…"
Sasuke: "So there's no way to change things?"
The old woman: "I'm just an old woman waiting to die. I don't have the answer."
Sasuke: "Thank you… for telling me all this. At least let me do what I can."
The old woman: "Why are you so determined to help strangers? You have no reason to do this, and you don't seem like the type to be overflowing with sympathy."
Sasuke: "Honestly… After I finished what I set out to do, I suddenly lost my purpose. So now I want to find direction through experience. This village is my first stop. I don't want to just drift through life. Even if it's something small, let me help. Think of it as payment for broadening my horizons."
The old woman: "Very well. Go chop some firewood for me—I need it for cooking and to keep warm through the winter."
Sasuke: "That's enough?"
The old woman: "If you think it's not, then when you leave, take that dog in the yard and find it a good home."
Sasuke: "Alright."
So Sasuke went out to split firewood.
Inside, the old woman picked up the cat Sasuke had left behind.
"Meow…" The cat trembled.
The old woman smiled. "Don't be scared. I'm not going to eat you. The Uchiha's Cat Lady was an old friend of mine…"
Zzzt!
Her left eye suddenly transformed—Mangekyō Sharingan, with a clover-shaped pattern!
During the wars, there had been a legendary Uchiha woman, a peer of Mito Uzumaki.
The Uchiha, once obsessed with power, had abused Izanagi, plunging the clan into civil war—nearly to the point of destruction.
It was this woman who created Izanami, single-handedly turning the tide.
Her name was… Chiri Uchiha.
After Madara left Konoha, the Uchiha were left leaderless. Chiri foresaw the clan's decline, so she too left the village, changed her name, and went into hiding in the Land of Lightning.
Her right eye had gone blind from using Izanami, but her left eye remained intact.
She sighed, "Who would have thought, in my old age, I'd meet my descendant like this? Maybe this is fate's arrangement…"
Crunch!
She gouged out her own left eye.
Peeling away the cat's bandage, she replaced its left eye with her own.
Then she re-bandaged the cat's eye.
"I hope this power helps you when you need it most…"
…
Half a month passed in quiet.
The White Snake Sage was about to set out on his journey. On the cliffside, Indra's bloodline was stirring hearts across the land!
But in a hidden corner of the ninja world, a storm was brewing.
Since parting ways with Sasuke, Kabuto Yakushi had vanished—until now.
He had once declared there was something he absolutely had to accomplish.
"I've wondered countless times—what is the meaning of my existence?"
"I found the answer: to surpass the one I admired, Lord Orochimaru…"
"I once thought I could achieve that through Sasuke-kun…"
"But I became entangled by emotion, unable to hijack his life as planned."
"So I got lost again, not knowing who I really was…"
"If this kept up, I'd only be holding myself and Sasuke-kun back."
"So… I hardened my heart and left him behind. Only then could I move forward without hesitation!"
"Good or evil, I won't let anything bind me again!"
"If I can't be remembered for greatness, then let me be infamous!"
"I'll cause a scene so grand, the world will never forget!"
Kabuto emerged from the depths of his bunker, clad in a black cloak, snake tail dragging, glasses glinting with cold light. His aura of menace—greater than ever before.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous footsteps echoed behind him.
In his wake, a sea of shadowy figures in green uniforms—an endless army!
—"With this army of twenty thousand Might Guy clones, I'll make the whole shinobi world remember the name Kabuto Yakushi!!!"
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Congratulations to our dear reader 'Dream~Farewell' for claiming the top reward on August 26th!
Thank you to—what should I say—User30308575, White Song of Lament, Hu Zanxin, Best Signature, Zuojia Dragon Scroll, Wandering Dou, Anonymous, Old Lady Yu of Gulan City, Uncle Shao Who Loves Sand Shrimp and Braised Chicken, Master Men's Bathhouse, Blood Rain Flower Explorer, and all our readers for your support!
Honestly, my favorite thing before bed is scrolling through those long lists of pages, searching for traces you've left—capsules, love letters, update reminders, razor blades, praise, "powered by love," or… whatever else. I'm not picky—whatever you feed me, I'll eat. I'm not great at saying mushy things, so… Good night, my little stinkers~
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