These two wooden puppets were created by Bai Yu through imagination. Though possessing basic mobility, their functions remained extremely limited.
They lacked intelligence, operating only on simple logic and an instinct to obey commands.
Yet this sufficed. Having these puppets construct a stretcher would enable his escape from this area.
Bai Yu then manipulated puppet Xiao Bai and puppet Xiao Huang. The names were chosen purely based on their wooden materials' coloration.
He had deliberately selected these fine woods while avoiding dark timber. His aversion to black hues stemmed purely from personal preference.
Xiao Bai and Xiao Huang were genderless, their obvious artificiality apparent to any observer.
Nevertheless, this didn't hinder their practicality.
The stretcher they crafted proved quite comfortable, allowing Bai Yu to traverse the forest in relative ease.
Forest mist gradually dissipated as sunlight poured down like molten gold, the sky now fully bright.
"Finally reaching the outskirts."
Bai Yu lay on the wooden plank, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. Light filtered through his fingers, dancing across his cheeks.
A sudden crack of snapping branches echoed ahead.
Both puppets immediately halted, joints creaking with friction.
Bai Yu's fingers silently closed around the Kusanagi Blade's hilt.
Twenty meters away, shrubs shook violently as a small figure caked in mud emerged.
It was a boy of about seven or eight, his ragged hemp clothes torn to shreds by thorns, dark red scabs crusting his knees.
The boy's wide eyes constricted at the sight of the puppets, his grimy face instantly draining of color.
Stumbling backward, he tripped over protruding roots and fell, his hands sinking into decaying leaves with a moist squelch.
"Child, this place..."
Bai Yu pushed himself up on the stretcher, catching his breath as sharp pain shot through his ribs.
Before he could finish, the boy scrambled backward on all fours, fingernails digging into soft humus. Turning to flee, he collided with a tree trunk, shaking dew droplets that pattered onto dead leaves.
Frowning at the panicked retreating figure, Bai Yu noticed the boy's left straw sandal was missing, his sole crisscrossed with bloody cuts from sharp stones.
"Am I truly so frightening?!"
Though perplexed, Bai Yu felt no urgency, observing the footprints on the ground.
He simply directed the puppets to continue carrying him, following the trail left by the child.
Clearly, despite running, the boy moved far slower compared to the tireless puppets.
"Stop!"
A childish voice trembled: "What... what monsters are you?"
The previously fleeing boy now stood three meters away, clutching a rusted short knife. His slender body shook slightly in the wind, yet he stubbornly straightened his posture.
Sunlight gleamed on his disheveled hair...
Bai Yu signaled the puppets to halt, slowly raising his upper body.
"First, I need to explain that I'm not a bad person..."
"Liar!"
The boy took half a step back, his short knife cutting an arc through the air: "Those wooden figures can move! Mother said only devils can command lifeless things! Only devils possess such incredible power!"
The sea wind suddenly grew fierce, rustling the surrounding treetops.
A withered leaf spiraled down and landed on Bai Yu's knee. He noticed the boy's bare right foot was still bleeding, with mud and blood caked all over the instep. Clearly, running barefoot through the forest hadn't been a wise choice.
"If I were a devil,"
Bai Yu softened his tone and pointed to his own wound, "do you think a devil would bleed? I've sustained quite serious injuries here."
After a pause, he asked, "More importantly, why are you in such tattered clothes and covered with so many wounds yourself?"
Perhaps sensing that Uchiha Bai Yu carried no ill intent, the boy gradually relaxed his tense posture.
The boy's Adam's apple bobbed several times as he lowered his short knife slightly, though his grip remained tight.
"I... I'm Toby Toby, from the fishing village nearby."
The boy's voice sounded dry, clearly from not having drunk water for some time.
"Three days ago, pirates attacked our village..."
He unconsciously touched a bruise on his neck, his eyes darting nervously.
"Everyone was captured. Only I managed to escape by hiding in the cellar."
A gust of wind blew, lifting Toby's ragged clothes to reveal large purple bruises around his waist.
He hurriedly pulled his clothes tight, but the movement tugged at a shoulder wound, making him grimace in pain.
Bai Yu's gaze swept over the boy's arms, covered with numerous small cuts and several fresh scratches still oozing blood.
"So you've been hiding in the forest all this time?"
"Yeah..."
Toby Toby nodded, his dirty little face scrunching up.
"I'm too scared to return to the village. I barely managed to escape from the cellar and get away from two pirates. The pirates probably haven't left yet, but..."
Suddenly, his stomach emitted a loud gurgle, immediately turning his ears red with embarrassment.
Bai Yu gently patted the Puppet's shoulder, its wooden joints emitting soft creaks.
Toby Toby instantly tensed up again, raising his short knife once more.
"Don't be nervous."
"Right now, we both need food and water. Do you know where we can find clean water sources and huntable game nearby?"
Toby Toby warily eyed the two motionless Puppets, hesitating for a moment before speaking: "There's a stream to the east, and plenty of fruit trees..."
"That's good. Allow me to introduce myself."
Bai Yu nodded toward Toby Toby and continued, "I'm Uchiha Bai Yu. You can call me Brother Bai Yu. As you can see, I'm an adventurer who encountered pirates and storms at sea, sustained some injuries, and ended up on this island."
Toby's throat moved again, his chapped lips trembling slightly.
"So you might have encountered the same pirates who attacked our village?"
"Not exactly!"
Uchiha Bai Yu shook his head. He remembered that in this world, particularly on large islands like this, there should be marine garrisons.
"What about the marine garrison stationed here?"
Bai Yu asked with some confusion.
Toby Toby's eyes suddenly dimmed, his knife-holding hand trembling slightly.
"I heard pirates are causing trouble... Most of the navy uncles... went out on patrol last week. Mom said they won't be back for half a month..."
"Take me to the water source. With water and food, let me treat my injuries. Then I'll see if I can kill these pirates and save your village."
Toby bit his lower lip and hesitated for a few seconds, finally putting down the short knife and nodding.
"Follow me..."
The boy turned and disappeared into the bushes, his thin figure quickly vanishing among the branches and leaves.
Bai Yu signaled for the Puppet to follow, its wooden joints crushing dried branches with crisp snapping sounds.