Shigeo sat up, eyes sharp and fixed on the window. Arale, already awakened by the noise, reached out to shield him, her gaze locked firmly on the window and the doorway.
"Bandits are here! Everyone run!"
"Hurry, go call Iron Pot Hero, quick!"
"Hahaha, today no one's escaping. Half-Moon Town only has one entrance and exit—where do you think you can run? Men, capture them all for me…"
The shouting and cursing outside grew louder until it became a deafening chaos. Soon after, men rushed into the courtyard, surrounding Shigeo, Naoki, and Arale.
"Out! Get outside! If you don't, we'll kill you!"
The intruders—only two of them at first—brandished long blades with ferocious expressions.
"You scum, how rude!" Naoki, still reeking of wine, suddenly stood up and charged. With one swift kick, he sent a man crashing onto his back.
Arale pushed Shigeo behind her. "Find a place to hide. Stay hidden and don't come out!"
With that, she leapt forward to engage the other man. Her raw strength quickly overwhelmed them both, leaving the two "bandits" struggling to even defend themselves.
But Shigeo's eyes narrowed. The way these so-called bandits moved…
They were ninja.
At that moment, a cold blade pressed against Naoki's throat.
"Move again, and he dies! Two wandering ninja think they can cross us—the Wind Wolf Gang?"
"Help! Somebody help!"
From deeper in town, the cries of villagers rang out.
"Even if you scream your lungs out, no one's saving you tonight! Keep shouting, and I'll silence you forever!"
Half-Moon Town was small, but its location was unusually strategic—perched on the coastal cliffs of the Land of Iron's southeast shore, surrounded on all sides by weathered, crumbling precipices. Only the eastern pass allowed entry or escape.
In such a place, when bandits struck as a group, unless the townsfolk had fighters stronger than them, there was almost no chance of survival.
By the time Shigeo and Arale were driven out of the house, they saw the townspeople already rounded up in the central square.
There were forty, maybe fifty bandits.
Shigeo had never faced such a large, organized bandit force before.
But what did they want? Bandits were supposed to be after money—loot quickly and leave. Why gather everyone instead of just robbing and fleeing?
The leader, a burly man with cold eyes, stepped forward. A kunai in his hand dripped fresh blood. Clearly, he had already killed someone.
"Everyone! From this day forward, Half-Moon Town belongs to the Wind Wolf Gang. If you wish to remain here, your property will stay untouched—on one condition. You will all be our slaves. Each year, you'll pay us tribute.
"Your children will be sent to train under our gang and serve us in the future. Adults will work to produce and increase income. Of course… in return, we will 'protect' your safety. Fair enough, don't you think?"
The village elder, over sixty years old, glared at the man—Tora, the so-called Earth Wolf—with anger.
"This is our town! Why should we give it to you? Our land is scarce enough already; we barely grow enough to feed ourselves. Now you want tribute, and our children too? How are you any different from bandits?"
In truth, he bitterly regretted not preparing better. The Wind Wolf Gang had long been pirates at sea, but he had thought they would never dare attack the town directly. With Naoki and Arale, two wandering ninja, helping guard, he believed Half-Moon Town would be safe.
Besides, in the middle of the Third Great Ninja War, hiring ninja from a hidden village for protection would have cost a fortune. They could not afford it.
But tonight, the guards at the pass had carelessly drunk poisoned water given by the gang and were already unconscious. Without them, the town had no defense.
Normally, with a few guards in place, the situation would never have gotten this bad. Iron Pot Hero had trained the villagers countless times: how to secure the entrance, how to ring the alarm bell, how to mount a defense. Even if they couldn't defeat the enemy, they should have had a chance to escape into the mountain caves.
But now, the entire town—hundreds of people—was at the mercy of these villains.
And these weren't ordinary raiders. They weren't here to rob and burn. They had planned this for years, waiting to seize Half-Moon Town's strategic location as their permanent stronghold.
"Hahaha! Don't mistake us for mere bandits. We are pirates. Many of us are rogue ninja. So I advise you all—don't waste effort resisting. No one is coming to save you. As for those two wandering ninja…" His gaze turned viciously toward Naoki and Arale. "I'll behead them both tonight and hang their heads for all to see. That'll teach everyone the price of defiance!"
His words made the villagers shudder.
The Wind Wolf leader's rage was especially directed at Naoki and Arale. If not for them—and that nearly impregnable pass—the gang would have taken Half-Moon Town years ago.
Now, finally, it was theirs.
And those two ninja would become the warning example to keep the townsfolk obedient.
"Bring all the children!" he barked.
At once, the bandits surged into the crowd, yanking terrified children from their families.
Naoki, Arale, and the handful of strong villagers capable of fighting were all tied up with ropes, helpless to resist.
Shigeo stood close to Arale, his own wrists bound tightly. Arale glanced down at him, then exchanged a silent look with Naoki. Slowly, the two tried to maneuver, hoping to hide Shigeo away.
It was deep night, the sky blanketed in black clouds. Though torches burned in the square, the light was weak.
But before they could move further, one pirate rushed in, seizing Shigeo and hurling him into the group of children.
"Trying to pull tricks, are you? I'll tell you this—if it were any other day, you'd already be dead!"
The Wind Wolf Gang wanted Half-Moon Town as their base, to strengthen themselves. They couldn't just massacre the villagers—not yet. They needed manpower, resources, and children to train.
And so, though they ruled with cruelty, they would not kill needlessly.
Not for now.
(End of Chapter)
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