After the Hidden Steam Village completely collapsed, the fortress of the nobles was easily breached by the Ghouls. A young noble boy was nailed to the wall. Of course, he was not the only noble to be nailed to a wall or executed. The reason he gained attention was that this teenage noble boy seemed to possess something quite extraordinary.
Courage.
He watched with his own eyes as his parents and relatives were killed and even devoured by these monsters amidst their prayers. However, he did not choose to bow to the enemy. Even while nailed to the wall, he used his spit to mount his own counterattack.
"Heh, I didn't expect to find someone with a backbone like yours among these nobles. I thought you were all just cowards who only knew how to kneel and beg for mercy."
As Mori Shiraishi's personal guard, Ajō naturally held a certain status among the Ghouls. He extended one palm, fiercely gripping the blonde boy's mouth, while his other hand took a pair of pliers from a subordinate to clamp onto the boy's fingernail.
Ajō spoke with a voice full of mockery, "Sorry, young master. We are merely giving you a taste of the pain we once endured ourselves."
The blonde boy struggled to open his eyes. Before he could spit, Ajō acted, using the pliers to pry the boy's fingernails off one by one.
"AHHHHH!!!!"
As the pliers twisted and yanked, the boy's agonizing howls almost reached the heavens. Compared to the boy's agony, Ajō appeared to be enjoying himself immensely.
"Listen to that. What a beautiful song. Please, let me enjoy it a little longer."
Having said that, he dipped a rag in salt water and gently wiped the blood from the boy's fingers. The boy nearly crushed his teeth. Using the last of his strength, he let out a beastly roar. "You monsters... if you have the guts, then kill me..."
"Otherwise... one day..."
"You will all die by my hand."
Clearly weakened, the boy's eyes still brimmed with a terrifying killing intent.
"Heh."
"Haha, hahahahaha!"
Ajō let out a cold sneer before finally bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
"Monsters? Since you hate us monsters so much, then let's have you try feeling like one yourself."
"What are you going to do?"
A trace of panic finally surfaced in the blonde boy's eyes. However, Ajō had already picked up a dagger to cut open the boy's arm and violently stuffed a Kakuhou inside.
"AHHH!!!"
Countless slender tentacles instantly burrowed into his flesh. The blonde boy gritted his teeth hard, yet he could not stop himself from letting out muffled groans of pain. Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. As the Kagune gradually merged with his body, his eyes began to turn crimson.
"As I thought, we've arrived a step too late."
The appearance of this voice startled Ajō and the other Ghouls.
"Who is it?"
They scrutinized their surroundings as a figure wearing a green flak jacket suddenly appeared before Ajō. Ajō did not hesitate to sprout two Koukaku to smash down heavily at the figure in front of him. Unfortunately, it was merely a Clone Jutsu.
The clone hit by the Koukaku instantly vanished into smoke, and the real enemy had already appeared behind him. Lightning flared as a sharp kunai, wrapped in Lightning Style chakra, easily pierced the Ghoul's neck.
"Leaf Style Swordplay: Dance of the Crescent Moon."
Three afterimages flashed before the Ghouls' eyes, followed by a brilliant blade light that finished them all off. In just one encounter, the Ghouls who looked like demons a moment ago were easily dealt with.
"Captain, how should we handle this kid?"
Hayate Gekko was dressed in the standard Hidden Leaf flak jacket. His head was wrapped in a black bandana, and he wore a forehead protector engraved with the Leaf symbol. He was indeed the reinforcement sent by the Hidden Leaf to the Hidden Steam Village. As for the captain he mentioned, it was naturally Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi's face was half-hidden by a mask, and even of his two remaining eyes, one was covered by a slanted Hidden Leaf forehead protector, making him look quite mysterious. The silver-haired man glanced at the blonde boy with his exposed eye.
"Forget it. He is a son of a noble, after all."
Kakashi used a kunai to cut the nails pinning the boy down and said coldly, "Brat, wait for us here. Someone will come to pick you up later."
With that, he vanished with a Body Flicker Jutsu, heading straight for the village center. The other Hidden Leaf ninjas followed Kakashi's orders, rushing toward the center at full speed.
To ensure the mission's success, they had deployed a total of three squads. They were led by Kakashi and two other Jonin—a total of three Jonin. Their goal was to annihilate these monsters and protect the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers. As long as the Daimyo lived, the Land of Fire could utilize him for many maneuvers.
Kakashi was unwilling to overthink these matters. Compared to politics, he preferred executing missions cleanly. This was also a rare instance of him performing a mission as a Hidden Leaf ninja; usually, he worked for the Anbu.
Mori Shiraishi, standing atop the last remaining high-rise in the Hidden Steam Village, also sensed the arrival of the enemies. To be precise, Mr. Crow sensed them.
"Caw caw! Shiraishi-kun, the reinforcements from the Hidden Leaf have arrived."
"Coming at this specific time... it seems Shiraishi-kun has been used as a tool by the Hidden Leaf, caw."
Hearing Mr. Crow's words, Mori Shiraishi sighed softly. His snow-white hair fluttered slowly in the bloody breeze.
"You are Mr. Shiraishi, correct?"
The Hidden Leaf group was fast. It took only a few minutes to cross half the village and arrive before Mori Shiraishi. Because almost all the Ghouls were currently immersed in their own desires, no one cared if enemies were invading. Thus, Kakashi and his team reached this place easily.
Mori Shiraishi's gaze swept across the forehead protectors on Kakashi's team.
"If I'm not mistaken, you all are ninjas of the Hidden Leaf."
Kakashi nodded and said straightforwardly, "We were commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers to aid the Hidden Steam Village."
Looking at the ruins of the Hidden Steam Village, which had turned into a sea of fire, Kakashi looked at Mori Shiraishi and said emotionlessly, "Since things have come to this, I'll have to ask Mr. Shiraishi to come with us."
Mori Shiraishi stared at the opposing Hidden Leaf ninjas. Suddenly, a crazed smile surfaced on his indifferent face. His expression became distorted as he violently brushed back his white hair with one hand, his eyes erupting with terrifying killing intent.
"Hahahaha!"
"Come with you?"
"Where were you Hidden Leaf ninjas when the Sakamoto Company murdered my parents?"
"Where were you when the Hidden Steam ninjas burned down our village?"
"Where were you when we were hunted and our lives were at stake?"
"And now you want me to come with you..."
"It's simply hilarious."