It was the only house in the village that was not engulfed in flames.
With a thunderous crash, the wooden door exploded into splinters, revealing the horrific scene inside. Rinto's expression, already dark, twisted into something even more sinister.
"Beast... beast... beast!"
The interior was in utter chaos—shattered furniture, collapsed walls, and blood smeared across every surface. In the middle of the room, a shirtless man stood, his body covered in fresh wounds and his face twisted into a perverse grin.
In his hands, a naked woman—bruised, bloodied, and barely alive—slipped from his grasp. Even in her broken state, she was breathtakingly beautiful, but her shallow breaths suggested she wouldn't last much longer.
A few feet away, a man sat tied to a chair, his civilian clothing soaked in blood. His lifeless eyes were wide open, his tear ducts ruptured, staining his face with streaks of red. Though his body bore no external wounds, it was evident—he was dead.
The perverse man turned and smirked. "Hey~ isn't this Kaito Fujiwara? Long time no see. Lord Shen Da sends his regards. Hehehe~"
With a cruel kick, he sent the woman sprawling across the bloodied floor.
Rinto remained silent, his body trembling as rage gnawed at the edges of his sanity. A dark energy coiled around him. Then, like a whisper in the abyss, a cursed technique surfaced in his mind.
His lips curled into a twisted smile. "You arrived just in time."
Before the perverse man could react, a shadow darted behind Rinto—Shun.
With a flick of his wrist, a kunai plunged straight into Rinto's heart.
Pain.
Rinto hadn't felt pain in a long time.
The heart he had only recently regrown was pierced once again.
Shun withdrew a step, twirling the kunai playfully. "Kid, seems like you still haven't learned Hanzo-sama's true teachings."
Blood trickled from Rinto's lips. Slowly, he turned, his mouth stretching into a grin, teeth stained crimson. "Is that so? Then... you... teach me. What is Hanzo-sama's true essence?"
His staggering steps sent an unnatural chill through the room. Shun instinctively prepared to retreat but hesitated. Rinto was dying—stabbed through the heart. He couldn't possibly pose a threat.
Shun scoffed, toying with his kunai. "You're Hanzo-sama's disciple? What a disappointment. Let me show you mercy before you die. Listen carefully—Hanzo-sama's greatest strength isn't just his power. It's his ruthlessness. When dealing with weaklings like you, he leaves no chance for survival!"
His voice dripped with arrogance. But his eyes remained locked onto Rinto's shadowed face.
Then, curiosity got the better of him. He reached out, wanting to see Rinto's expression up close. Just as his hand neared—
A streak of silver flashed.
Shun barely managed to evade the kunai that slashed toward him. A deep gash appeared on his cheek.
Reappearing in the center of the room, Shun's grin vanished. He slowly touched his bleeding wound. His eyes darkened, his bloodthirsty grin stretching unnaturally wide.
"You... you made me bleed! Ehehehehe!"
His manic laughter echoed through the burning village.
"A Genin-level weakling actually wounded me?!" His eyes glowed with twisted excitement. "Come on! Struggle for me! I love watching the dying struggle!"
Rinto's low chuckle joined the crackling flames.
He coughed, a mouthful of blood splattering onto the floor. His head lifted, revealing his sinister, bloodstained grin.
As he staggered forward, a crimson formation took shape beneath his feet. A circle, drawn with his own blood, enclosing a three-pointed star.
Raising his hand, he dragged his tongue along the bloodstained kunai.
Shun's laughter abruptly stopped. A terrifying realization dawned on him—a link had formed between their bodies.
"Shit!"
Instinct took over. Shun started forming hand seals for the Body Flicker Technique, but—
A sharp pain tore through his left wrist. Chakra flow—halted.
His gaze dropped to his hand. A deep gash bled profusely.
Across the room, Rinto drove a kunai into his own wrist. His voice was chillingly calm.
"Curse: Death by Blood."
Panic flashed in Shun's eyes. "You little shit! I'll tear you apart and feed you to the dogs!"
Desperation overrode caution. He lunged at Rinto with a wild swing of his kunai.
But he never reached.
Blood spurted from his heels. His body crashed to the floor with a dull thud.
Shun's wide eyes darted down—torn tendons. He turned, his horror reflected in the bloodstained grin across the room.
Rinto sat cross-legged on the blood-drawn circle, methodically slicing into his own tendons.
Shun's bravado shattered.
"Kaito-kun... spare me! We're both from the Rain Village! For Hanzo-sama's sake—"
"Shut up." Rinto's sneer deepened.
Shun's pleas were cut short as he desperately hurled a kunai at Rinto's face.
Rinto barely flinched, raising his arm to intercept it. The blade sank into his flesh.
Calmly, he flicked the handle—mocking Shun's earlier arrogance.
Across the room, Shun clutched his bleeding arm, his screams growing more desperate. The dying woman lifted her head, her bloodied lips trembling. Her eyes, once full of despair, now burned with satisfaction.
Rinto's gaze softened. "Don't worry, I—"
His words were drowned out by Shun's renewed howls.
"Damn, can't you just stop screaming?" Rinto grumbled.
With a flick of his wrist, he drove the kunai into his mouth, twisting it viciously.
"Pah!"
Both Rinto's and Shun's tongues hit the floor.
Silence.
Shun's body convulsed, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly, his agony reduced to muffled gasps.
Rinto retrieved his severed tongue, shoving it back into his mouth.
The woman, still trembling, lifted a bloodied hand and whispered hoarsely. "His... fingers."
Rinto nodded. "Like this?"
A clean slice—Shun's five fingers tumbled to the floor. Blood gushed from the stumps.
The woman's lips curled slightly. Revenge.
Rinto swallowed a pill, reattaching his own fingers effortlessly. "Continue?"
The woman's gaze shifted downward.
Rinto immediately shook his head. "Nope. That's off-limits."
The woman wavered, her strength fading. "Forget it... just kill him."
"Gladly."
Without hesitation, Rinto plunged the kunai into his own heart.
Shun's body jerked violently.
Then silence. Absolute silence.
For the first time that night, the world felt clean.
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