The atmosphere in Nibi no Utsu's central plaza was fervent. Refugees queued to register their names and identification details.
Haruki entrusted the registration task to Nagato and Konan. The two of them were more meticulous.
[A total of 21,000 Faith Points have been collected. Your Cursed Spirit Suguru Geto's rank has risen to 52%.]
The system's prompt echoed in Haruki's mind.
He cast his gaze around. After the events of last night, some of Nibi no Utsu's shops had their doors tightly shut today.
Haruki knew these merchants wouldn't open their doors until he was dead. These merchants valued their lives more than anyone.
"Papa, does this mean we won't have to sleep on the streets anymore?" A scrawny child, holding his father's hand, asked curiously.
The man, who looked at least ten years older than his actual age, felt a sudden pang in his eyes upon hearing his son's words.
He nodded. "Yes, we'll have a house to live in from now on."
"Not only will we have a house, but we'll also be able to eat our fill like today." An old man with a grizzled beard said.
His deeply lined face was filled with hope.
A young man beside the elder's eyes flashed with a hint of worry. "Can we really succeed?"
Hearing him say this, the elder beside him patted his arm and said, "Young man, don't be more timid than us old folks. Sometimes, you need to have faith in the world. Otherwise, you'll never be able to change your life."
The young man paused, looking at the elder beside him, and slowly nodded. "Grandpa, you're right. Our lives can't get any worse, so why not go all out?"
The elder nodded with satisfaction. "That's the right way to think."
He looked at Haruki standing on the high platform and sighed deeply, "I've lived so many years, eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I'm a good judge of character. These people are trustworthy. They're willing to work hard for us, so what right do we have to let them down?"
Not just the young man, but everyone around the elder was stunned when they heard his words.
That's right!
If people who had no connection to them were willing to fight to change their lives, what right did they have to shrink back?
How many such people would they meet in their lifetime?
Everyone's gazes gradually became resolute.
The refugees discussed their new lives and Haruki's recent speech. They never used to discuss such things because they had no future. But now, it was different.
The refugees were filled with beautiful aspirations for their future lives. They discussed animatedly while queuing.
No one noticed the dark figures quietly appearing on the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the plaza.
Except for Haruki.
"Haruki, what are you looking at?"
Yahiko was talking to Haruki, but noticed his gaze was fixed on the distance. He curiously looked in the direction Haruki was staring. Some black dots appeared in his vision.
Yahiko's pupils constricted. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. A black dot fell from high above, incredibly fast. Then came the second, the third… the tenth.
Ten dark figures simultaneously leaped from the surrounding tall buildings. They wore dark suits, with hoods covering their faces, leaving only narrow slits for their eyes.
The ninjas adjusted their postures in mid-air, like falcons locking onto their prey, and with a flick of their arms, countless shuriken whistled as they shot towards the crowd.
The refugees slowly raised their heads. What greeted them was a sky full of shuriken.
The refugees' bodies froze in place. Their eyes were wide open, watching death approach infinitely closer.
The seemingly static scene moved in an instant.
The refugees scattered like startled birds, but had nowhere to go.
The ninjas landed lightly, their long swords glinting in the sunlight. They were terrifyingly silent, rushing towards the refugees at high speed.
"Defend!"
Kojiro, Genra, and Muramasa's voices rang out simultaneously.
Countless dark figures shot out from beside them, their weapons parrying the long swords striking at the refugees.
The shadows of the shuriken grew larger and larger in the refugees' pupils. They could feel the sharp edge approaching them.
A mother knelt on the ground, hugging her young, innocent daughter, shielding her with her body, tears falling onto her daughter's head. The daughter looked around in confusion.
The pain did not come.
The refugees opened their eyes, and were stunned by the scene unfolding before them.
Countless shuriken were suspended above their heads, not falling, as if pulled by invisible threads.
The next second.
These shuriken, as dense as raindrops, vanished from above their heads.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
The sound of shuriken embedding into walls and floors came from a distance.
The shuriken had actually appeared out of thin air above the shops opposite them. They rained down like a downpour on the rooftops, doorways, and walls of the shops.
The refugees stared at the scene in stunned silence.
Haruki lowered his hand that had been manipulating space.
That had been Takako Uro's Cursed Technique — Sky Manipulation.
"Amazing!"
Yahiko's face was blank with shock. He stared in the direction of the shops, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Haruki said to Yahiko, "Yahiko, go fight. Use your hands to protect those you want to protect."
Yahiko's pupils dilated, his figure flashed, and he unhesitatingly rushed into the fray against the surprise attacking ninjas.
Under the protection of Kojiro and the others, the refugees continuously retreated, still shaken, looking at the ninja and samurai blocking their way.
"Muramasa, why? Why did you betray Tomita? Why did you join these people? Don't you think your actions are foolish?"
The ninja fighting Muramasa struck with his sword, mercilessly, leaving a long wound on Muramasa's arm.
"Hiss…"
Pain struck, and Muramasa gasped, blood quickly soaking his sleeve. He held his sword, his eyes showing no retreat.
The ninja fighting him was a ninja who, like him, was supported by Tomita. However, the opponent's strength was much greater than his.
"Because I want to retrieve the soul I lost." Muramasa said, enunciating each word as he looked at the ninja before him.
"What's so important about that?" The ninja continued to slash at him with his sword.
Muramasa struggled to cope, accumulating more and more wounds on his body, but he never put down the sword in his hand.
"No! That is the most important thing!"
"If one even loses their soul, what's the point of living?"
"To live in ignominy?"
"Humans are creatures that need meaning and value to survive."
(End of Chapter)
Goal = 350 PS
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