"I don't want to go back to the Land of Snow!" As if sensing her fate, Koyuki Kazahana whispered through her tears.
Shigeo reached out, gently taking her fingers. He comforted her softly:
"Don't worry, I'll save you."
Two men in black cloaks walked over, reaching out to grab Koyuki. Shigeo blocked their way.
"You want money, right? My family has plenty. Just name your price, and I'll have them prepare it for you. So please—don't hurt us."
The men's faces were hidden under their cloaks, but their shaking shoulders showed they were laughing.
"With those ragged clothes, broken shoes, and you still dare claim you're rich? I'd say you're just some abandoned brat. Someone, drag him to the mines and make him work!" one said, reaching for Koyuki.
Shigeo kicked the man's arm away. If his body were fully recovered, he would have destroyed their whole operation already. He didn't know exactly what they were, but one thing was clear—they weren't good people.
"Oh? So you've got some fight in you?" One of the men lunged, kunai in hand. Shigeo dodged and flipped, then produced a bar of gold in his hand.
"Brother, I don't want to mine. My family really is rich. I only snuck out to play. Write them a letter and they'll come for me. Please, believe me!"
If he couldn't fight just yet, he would use other means. No way would he let himself be humiliated.
The gold glimmered brightly, and everyone was stunned. The wagon driver especially regretted not searching Shigeo more thoroughly earlier.
"Hah, smart kid. So—who's your family? Where do they live? Someone, fetch paper and ink! We'll make him write a ransom note…"
The attacker took the gold bar, weighed it greedily, and grinned.
"Lord of Martial City in the Land of Rivers, the Butō family…" Shigeo spouted nonsense casually.
Meanwhile, others interrogated Koyuki. She broke down crying, shaking her head, until finally she screamed:
"Just kill me! I don't want to go back to the Land of Snow! I'd rather die a miner than return there!"
Though the men in black cloaks didn't know the details, they still prepared a ransom letter and sent it off.
Shigeo thought that after paying them with gold and writing the letter, they would leave him and Koyuki alone. But instead, they were shoved into the group and sent to a mountain mine.
Along the way, Shigeo pieced it together: these cloaked men were from the Kurotsuchi clan of Kirigakure.
He only knew of Kurotsuchi Raiga—a defector who became one of the first generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Raiga later roamed with a boy named Ranmaru, tyrannizing a mine in the Land of Fire. A twisted man obsessed with funerals.
But that happened years later, when Naruto was already a teenager. Could this really be the same clan, already in control of mines this early?
Inside the cavern, one of the black-cloaked men cracked his whip and barked orders:
"From today, you're all miners. Each pair must dig one hundred baskets of ore daily. Meet the quota, you eat. Fail, you starve. Pair up now, then start!"
There were dozens of captives already, not just the dozen from Shigeo's wagon.
Hearing this, everyone scrambled to find partners. One hundred baskets wasn't easy—it meant they had to work with someone strong, or they'd die.
The children were left struggling. Adults quickly formed teams, but no one wanted to pick the small kids.
The overseer sneered:
"Don't stall. Even if you work alone, that's fifty baskets per head. You'll never finish, and you'll die starving!"
Even fifty baskets was impossible for a normal child to carry.
A few older boys teamed up. But little girls were left aside, and no one chose Shigeo either, since he still looked weak and feverish.
"What do we do?" Koyuki asked nervously, clutching her fingers.
Shigeo stepped up, took her hand, and said:
"We'll be a team."
"But…" She looked at him with tearful, timid eyes. But then, after hesitating, she nodded.
"Okay. We'll pair up."
The men had already sent word to the Land of Snow. She knew Doto Kazahana would come for her eventually. And that would mean her death. Nothing she did could change that reality. So even if Shigeo was weak and sick, she chose to stay with him. If they starved together, so be it.
Shigeo saw the light fading from her eyes and tried to reassure her.
"Don't worry. I won't let you go hungry."
"…Mm." She nodded, blinking back tears.
"Good girl. Stop crying. A pretty girl like you shouldn't ruin her face."
"I don't care about being pretty. I'm just afraid I won't survive…"
"Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
Nearby, two older boys sneered.
"Protect her? You can't even protect yourself."
"Shut up! Get to work!" the overseer barked, cracking his whip. Agonized cries echoed as lashes struck.
Soon, everyone was handed pickaxes and baskets, then driven into the dark tunnels to dig.
Shigeo's body still hadn't fully recovered. His cursed mark burned with feverish heat as he worked, cursing Orochimaru under his breath.
(End of Chapter)
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