It had been a few days since Kaizen arrived in the Land of Fire. The city was far more alive than anything he had seen in his short, blood-soaked life. Lanterns floated in the air during the evenings, and the markets were vibrant, full of colors, scents, and chatter. For once, Kaizen had tasted a sliver of peace.
The woman who had shown him kindness—Kuina—owned a small medicine shop. She hailed from the Wind Nation, and although her eyes carried a hint of weariness, her smile was genuine. She had offered Kaizen a place to stay, gave him food, a cot in the backroom of her shop, and even clothed him with something other than torn robes and bloodied sleeves. It was the first time Kaizen had been treated as something other than a weapon or a target.
He had spent most of his days helping out—cleaning bottles, grinding herbs, even delivering medicine to customers. Kuina never asked questions about his past, which Kaizen appreciated more than he could say. In return, he offered silent gratitude. Hakiko, the other woman from the caravan, came by frequently to help, and she'd often ruffle his hair and bring him dried fruit.
Now alone in his room at the back of the store, Kaizen sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes focused.
As he closed the panel, a notification chimed in his head.
Ding!
You have successfully completed your mission.
You gained 2000 EXP.
He leaned back against the wall, quietly absorbing the moment. That mission—surviving and escaping the cult—was behind him. But the weight hadn't lifted completely.
Later that afternoon, Kaizen stepped outside the shop to get some fresh air. The city moved around him like a machine—merchants shouting prices and children laughing in alleys.
He returned just before dusk, intending to help Kuina with inventory. But what he saw stopped him cold.
Hakiko was running—her eyes wide, her hair disheveled, and her breathing frantic. She spotted him and ran straight to his arms.
"Kaizen! Kaizen—she's—Kuina's dead!"
He froze. "What?"
"They... they were ambushed!" Hakiko sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "Yesterday, they were heading back to the Wind Nation to take some more herbs. But—bandits attacked the caravan. Everyone's dead. The guards... the horses... Kuina..."
Tears streamed down her face, her voice cracking. Kaizen could only stand there, holding her arms. The wind felt colder now.
Though his heart didn't ache as deeply as hers, a wave of guilt swept over him. Kuina had shown him kindness. Fed him. Gave him shelter. And now she was dead—possibly because she had taken him in.
Ding!
You have received a mission: Hakiko's Grievance.
Details: A group killed Hakiko's friend and she seeks justice. Mission Rank: D.
Do you accept?
Yes/No
Kaizen's hands curled into fists. The cult. It had to be them. The caravan way would always be the road that will get past in the cult.
He stared at the glowing prompt and whispered, "Yes."
The window vanished. Another notification popped up.
Mission Accepted: Hakiko's Grievance
Objective: Track down and eliminate the culprits responsible.
Kaizen glanced down at Hakiko, who had slumped to her knees.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
She looked up, eyes wet with pain. "Why would anyone do this? Kuina never hurt anyone..."
Kaizen didn't answer. Instead, he stepped back into the store and gathered his things. He tightened the bindings on his Tonka dagger, checked the edge of the Kunai he had taken from the cultist.
After a week of walking, stopping only to eat, relieve himself, and sleep briefly under trees or rocky cliffs, Kaizen finally reached the edge of the forest near the cultist base. His eyes burned from fatigue, but his resolve was unwavering. Each step was a silent promise of vengeance.
As he moved carefully through the brush, he spotted several figures walking through the forest path. Instantly, he dropped to the ground and concealed himself behind thick roots and leaves.
"Ei, can you still think we can find Kaizen?" one of the boys asked. He was a lanky youth with a curved short blade strapped to his waist.
Ei, standing confidently at the center, scoffed. "That Kaizen is done for when I see him. But it's not just about that. Priest gave us orders to ambush anyone near the base. The last one we killed... when I said Kaizen's name, that woman's eyes went wide. She knew him. That means he'll hear she's dead and come crawling back here. And when he does... I'll make sure he never leaves."
Kaizen's heart pounded. So it was true—Kuina's death had been their doing. His suspicions were confirmed, and the guilt twisted in his chest like a knife. His breath slowed. He bit down on his hand, drawing blood, and used it to quietly trace a circle on the ground beneath him. [Blood Ritual] activated.
With practiced control, he extended his Basic Sensing Circle. Immediately, the enemies lit up in his mind's eye. They were within three meters.
In a flash, he threw a kunai aimed directly at Ei. But Ei reacted instantly, shoving one of the kids beside him into its path. The boy took the blade in his chest and collapsed.
"So you ARE here, Kaizen!" Ei shouted with a cruel grin. "Too bad—it's your grave."
Kaizen didn't speak. He waited, watching.
Another boy rushed toward him recklessly. As his foot crossed into the blood ritual circle, sharp crimson spikes erupted from the ground like a blooming flower of death. One spike grazed him, but another pierced through his side, ending his charge.
"What kind of ritual is that?! Did you serve another lord, Kaizen?!" Ei roared, stunned and furious. The simplistic blood circle didn't resemble anything from the Jashin rituals. To Ei, this was blasphemy.
The wounded boy charged despite his pain, blade raised. Kaizen stood still, tanking the short sword as it pierced his shoulder. Blood spurted out, but Kaizen didn't flinch. He smiled.
Just as the boy thought he had wounded Kaizen fatally, he blinked—and in the next moment, he saw his own body in front of him, headless. His consciousness faded with confusion.
Kaizen pulled the blade from his shoulder and immediately activated [Prayer]. A soft glow enveloped him as the wound healed cleanly.
Ding! You killed Jashin Follower. You gained 1000 Exp.
Ei took a step back. That wasn't supposed to happen. Kaizen... was supposed to be weak.
The remaining six cult kids didn't move forward. From their training, they knew that those inside a ritual circle couldn't be harmed without stepping in—and Kaizen couldn't step out either without deactivating it. They assumed a stalemate.
They were wrong.
[Chakra no Ami no Gi]
Kaizen whispered the words as another ritual circle bloomed under the feet of the group in front of him. Chakra threads like living serpents erupted, entangling the arms and legs of the six.
Ei leapt back with his enhanced Dexterity, narrowly avoiding the trap.
The others weren't so lucky. Their chakra flow became unstable. They tried to form hand signs, but the threads pulsed every second, disrupting their energy. Only the fastest jutsu could break it—and they weren't fast enough.
Kaizen walked forward.
He approached the first struggling kid. "You were the noisiest. Be punished."
He beheaded him.
"You were lustful toward others. Be punished."
Another head fell.
One of the cult kids cried out, "No! Don't kill me, Kaizen! I'll help you escape! Just don't kill me!"
Kaizen's face was blank. "You beg now. Be punished."
Blood sprayed.
The last three were frozen, one even wetting his pants.
"You fear the strong? Huh?"
He swung his blade, one after another. All three collapsed in a heap.
Ei stared at him, rage and horror in his eyes.
"Kaizen... let me go and I'll say nothing about the Priest," he said, voice low and trembling.
Kaizen turned slowly to face him. "Why? Scared now, Ei?"