Chapter Thirty-Four: Clarity

“We don’t need you in our village anymore—get out!” “Leave our village at once!”

Amidst these voices, Yu Higashino noticed the strange expression growing ever more distinct upon Kohei Matsuzuki’s face.

Yu read that expression—it was not anger, but rather a kind of mockery, as if he saw before him a swarm of ants making a noisy fuss, and found it utterly ridiculous.

“Get out of our village!” Perhaps because Kohei Matsuzuki had yet to respond, someone grew even bolder, thrusting his face close to Kohei’s as he shouted.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the man who had just been shouting was sent flying five or six meters, slamming heavily into the ground.

The moment the noise faded, all the commotion vanished; silence fell over the crowd, thick and absolute.

The villagers stared at Kohei Matsuzuki in terror, then at the man lying motionless on the ground, his fate unknown after having been struck by Matsuzuki.

Yet Kohei Matsuzuki seemed untouched by the events, the same playful, sardonic look lingering on his face.

“How amusing, truly,” Matsuzuki said with a laugh, wiping spittle from his cheek.

“Is it because I’ve hidden my true nature from you all for so long that the scent of blood has faded from me?”

No one answered; the silence deepened, and it felt as though the very air had grown heavier.

“To be honest, I rather liked it here. I’d planned to settle down and live out my days in peace, even going so far as to play along with your little charade. But now? All for nothing.”

He paused, the playful look vanishing, replaced by reluctant resignation.

“Why must you force my hand to slaughter you all?”

As he spoke, Matsuzuki drew two short blades—one in each hand.

At the same time, a strange and inscrutable aura began to ripple outward from his body.

Yu Higashino suddenly realized that in this world of ninja, there truly was such a thing as murderous intent—a palpable killing aura.

Assailed by this presence, the villagers remembered Yuta’s tales of corpses in the mountains, remembered the villager lying on the ground—perhaps already dead—and panic began to set in.

“Lord Kohei, it was we who spoke out of turn. He has already paid the price—please, for the sake of old times, could you—”

“I’m sorry, but that’s no longer possible.” Matsuzuki cut off the village chief’s plea without mercy, and with it, extinguished the villagers’ last hope.

Their gazes turned to Yu Higashino.

“Lord Yu, please save us!”

“Lord Yu!”

“Lord Yu!” The cries grew more urgent with each repetition, but Yu’s face remained cold and detached. He was pondering a question:

Why hadn’t he thought to use an alias back then? Well, it couldn’t be helped. He’d use one from now on—surely there would be no consequences from just this once.

A cold laugh rang out from Matsuzuki.

“You’re pinning your hopes on him? How laughable!”

“Since I’m already planning to kill you all, I might as well reveal the truth: I’m not some wandering ninja. I’m a rogue from Kirigakure of the Land of Water, and before I defected, I was almost of jōnin rank.”

“Do you know how vast the gulf is between a trained ninja from one of the great villages and a wanderer? And he may not even be a ninja.”

He turned to Yu Higashino. “You’re a samurai, aren’t you? I visited the Land of Iron while on the run. The people there are just like you—no ninjutsu, only blades, just as you did yesterday. They call themselves samurai.”

Yu shook his head. “No, I’m a wandering ninja.”

He was out gathering material for a book, after all, so naturally he had to inhabit the role of a wandering ninja.

“Suit yourself,” Matsuzuki replied with a dismissive laugh.

Hearing all this, the villagers’ hope all but evaporated. Was there truly no escape from death?

At that moment, Yu Higashino grew curious.

“You know, you could have simply left just now, without all this talk. No one would have exposed your identity, and you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Perhaps savoring the moment, Matsuzuki seemed almost playful. “It’s no trouble. This way, the risk is even lower—and besides, I’m not entirely unprovoked.”

“Any more questions? If not, prepare to die.”

Yu suddenly thought of another question. “Since you’re a rogue ninja, why don’t you wear a slashed headband?”

“Isn’t that just advertising my status as a rogue? Only an idiot would do that.”

“No more questions, then,” Yu replied, turning to the village chief.

“I’m a wandering ninja, available for hire. Would you like to place a request?”

The chief was dumbfounded, having never imagined Yu would say such a thing at this moment.

“Would you like to request my services?” Yu asked again.

“If you are able to save us, we would be grateful beyond words—we would repay you in any way we can,” the chief said, as if grasping a lifeline.

Kohei Matsuzuki, watching from nearby, couldn’t help but laugh. “You really think you’re my match? You clearly have never faced a real ninja. Instead of running for your life, you’re thinking of taking commissions?”

Yu didn’t even spare Matsuzuki a glance. He continued speaking to the village chief:

“The commission fee is ten thousand ryo. Are you sure you want to hire me?”

The chief couldn’t fathom why Yu kept confirming this, but he responded quickly, “Yes, agreed.”

“Very well. I accept your request.”

With that, Yu turned to Kohei Matsuzuki.

“Yesterday, I thought I ought to show restraint in such matters. Turns out you were only pretending. So—are you ready to die?” His voice remained cool, betraying no emotion.

“You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?” Matsuzuki was clearly provoked, gripping his twin blades as he prepared to attack.

But in that instant, Yu moved.

A clear note rang out as the blade was drawn, like a mountain brook trickling over stone.

The flash of the blade was dazzling, sparkling like water droplets thrown into the sunlight.

The villagers shielded their eyes from the brilliance. They glimpsed a shadow, or perhaps nothing at all—the entire world seemed filled with that single stroke of light.

As the light faded, clarity returned. They saw Yu Higashino standing behind Kohei Matsuzuki, slowly sheathing his sword.

Matsuzuki stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide. He still gripped his short blades, but the killing aura had vanished—he would never kill again.

A red line traced his neck; blood began to well, then poured forth faster and faster.

A dull thud as the body crumpled to the earth.

Yu completed sheathing his sword, then turned to the village chief.

“The commission is complete,” he said calmly.