Chapter 162: Torn Consequences (3)
Chapter 162: Torn Consequences (3)
As one would expect, Bandits have their teams of guards on rounds as the tunnel widens and divides further into different sections. Team 6 quietly observes the pattern by hiding behind a large rock to use the shadow to their advantage.
The tunnel divides into three forks and two gruff, barely equipped bandits would return to the entrance of these forks in an average of 4 minutes. By now, Team 6 has counted 11 bandits, each of them chatting about different things from what to expect from a dinner... or who to do after dinner. The contents of their conversation clearly angered the trio but thinking about what they have to do, their anger is swept by cold ruthlessness.
Or rather, this anger sparks cold ruthlessness...
Or that they WANT their anger to create such a reaction. But Team 6 wouldn't question their mindset at such a moment.
"Gahahaha," They hear a loud guffaw 5 minutes later as two more guards walk out of the right tunnel. Seeing them, Konan and Shizune rouse to action while Kurenai keeps to herself behind the rock. They DID decide on their plan while waiting here and... Kurenai 'won' the prize. Hence, she gets to stay for the moment.
"Man, I tell you boys and girls scream the same!" One of the two bandits wearing a dirt-matted tunic with a larger and snugglier coat snickers and his partner slaps his own head while laughing loudly, "You said it right, Lil Bro! Too bad we have to sell all of em, ya know"
Two strips of paper fly out at an extraordinary speed and cover the mouths of the two bandits at this moment, cutting their laughter short.
*Puchi*
Three Senbon needles pierce one of the bandits through his neck, heart, and skull from behind while the relatively thinner bandit has his head sliced apart by multiple shurikens made out of origami.
The two bandits fall to the ground but a large number of strips of paper begin to cover them and absorb every bit of blood from their corpses.
For a moment, Shizune and Konan just look at the covered corpses with numb expressions and Konan hurries forward. Instead of berating them for wasting time which she would have done usually, Kurenai just tugs on one of the corpses and begin to pull it away.
This snaps Shizune and Konan out of their stupor and they look at each other. Noting genuine confusion in each other's gazes as... they have yet to 'feel' anything bad from committing murder, the duo forms a simple seal, and a plume of smoke bursts around and covers the duo.
In the next second, transformed into the bandits they killed, Shizune and Konan help Kurenai set away the corpses.
Looking at the three forks, Kurenai speaks softly, "The left one is the storage room and the right one is the pit."
Focusing on the central tunnel, Kurenai nods and her teammates instantly twist Kurenai's arm behind her back and bring her ahead in the central tunnel.
"Hey, what you two got here, eh?" The two guards standing in front of the wooden door at the end of the tunnel instantly recognize the two transformed guards and their gazes linger on Kurenai.
"We caught her snooping around," Konan speaks while trying to imitate the mannerism of the bandits, "She... Boss will like her!"
It's hard speaking these things while fighting off the suffocating stench escaping the gaps of the wooden door in front of them as Kurenai instantly struggles, "Let me go! My sensei and teammates will kill all of you!"
"Hehe, young kunoichi, huh? First time seeing one. Go on, as Boss said, every captured rookie shinobi is for him."
The two guards open the door as the heavy, congested scent of blood mixed with many different smells hit the trio and Kurenai instantly purses her lips while dangerously close to vomiting.
As they enter the cavern, one of the guards behind suddenly calls out, "Don't take too long, yeah? Those three stuck-up bastards don't like when we leave our posts and then the boss makes things worse for us a lot."
This takes the trio by surprise but they nod regardless of things and move ahead. As they walk past a dirtied cage that still has fresh blood on the metal railings and filth of various kinds, the trio feels their stomach churn.
"There could be other Shinobi..." Shizune whispers.
"We prioritize escape if they are too strong..." Kurenai whispers back but they cannot really form a complete plan on the go as they are already at the slightly well-built section of the cavern. The number of bandits increases drastically alongside the space of the room as the trio already hears the laughs and boisterous shouts of bandits. The scent of well-cooked food mixed with the congesting scent of filth does not make things better but for bandits, the dining hall is equivalent to a paradise.
As the trio enters the wider, natural hall, they count a dozen bandits at a glance. But by including the guards before and a proper count of the hall, the trio understands that the Bandit group has 23 members including the boss.
"Oh, lookie here! You've got another lucky one to raise, eh?" A bandit laughs while smacking one of the middle-aged women's butt. The woman whimpers in pain but holds her tray close to her torso and walks away. The situation is pretty much the same but the trio fails to find any supposed children that these bandits kidnapped. Aside from eight women, of which four of them are serving one particular thin middle-aged man on a private table, there is not a shadow of any kid in the area.
"Hoh? You caught someone interesting. Bring her here," the man sitting alone and surrounded by four slaves snickers, "Let me have a good look at her."
Kurenai struggles against Konan and Shizune's grip as the two 'men' almost hold her up in a manner that her feet dangle slightly above the ground.
"Hmm, she's a pretty one," the leader instantly has his hand squishing Kurenai's face as she is brought forward and he laughs, "Let me guess a rookie genin? They said it won't be long till a team of shinobi cunts arrive! Heh, boys, good news ta ya'll! She won't be given to our partners. We keep her. She's young, sure, but you men are gonna make a woman out of her, right?"
The leader laughs as Kurenai is already pale. In fact, Konan and Shizune have already loosened their grips but... Kurenai cannot move.
"Look, she's scared already!" The leader guffaws and raises his hand to smack Kurenai in the face. Yet, the leader's hand looks especially slow. Kurenai's thoughts wander. She thinks of the torture these men want to inflict on her. She thinks of what these women and children would have suffered...
'They are humans and my mission.' Shizune's previous claim resounds in her mind but more than that, the words of her father bring her to senses "The world outside is not for children. Don't think about it, don't feel anything. Just be a Kunoichi."
Freeing herself from Konan's and Shizune's hold, Kurenai pulls out her kunai while her other hand instantly grips the leader's wrists.
As they decided before... Konan and Shizune get to kill the guards. Kurenai 'won.' She gets to kill the leader.
And the next instant, her kunai lodges into the leader's head from under his chin as blood squirts out on Kurenai's hand.
"Eh?"
The quickest to react is one of the nearby slaves but before she can scream out loud, Konan and Shizune launch volleys of paper shuriken and senbon, too... They feel too nauseous at this point and it affects their ability to attack precisely but they make up for it using a larger number of weapons or better quality of them.
For Konan, it's obviously more paper shurikens while Shizune uses the explosive needles her Sensei created for her.
*Boom*
Chunks of flesh blew all over as the slaves scream and huddle aside.
---
"P-please! I won't ever hurt anyone ever again"
*Chhk*
Konan looks at the guard whose leg blew up due to Shizune's needles and stomps on his neck squarely, killing him instantly.
By now, their hands and clothes have splatters of blood while the faces have a distinct lack of it and the trio looks as pale as a sheet of paper.
"This was the last one," Konan mutters and looks at Shizune, "We should move. There are enemy shinobi, too. We need to return to Sensei."
The remaining duo clearly looks out of their elements. And even Konan realizes why she did not feel 'anything' when she killed the guard previously.
As it turns out, killing from behind is extremely different from doing the same through the front.
"Hey let go!" Shizune gasps, alerting Kurenai and Konan as one of the slaves latch onto the girl, screaming, "Please! Kill me! Save me!"
The other seven women shudder in fear as the woman begs, "Please! I don't want to live! They killed my husband! They sold my daughter! Please, just kill me!"
"Let go!" Shizune shouts frantically as she is unable to use force on the woman and tries to pry herself out of the woman's grip as she continues to hug Shizune's leg.
"Please! Just do the same to me! It's easy for you to kill, right? Just kill me, too!"
Shizune's eyes widen and her lips quiver while Konan and Kurenai feel their knees weaken.
"We need to leave," Konan reminds the duo once again as the woman bawls louder, her face marred with tears and snot, "Please save me! Please! I have nothing to live for!"
The corner of Shizune's eyes prickles with tears as her nose sores up. She shakes her head quietly and anxiously while finally using enough force to push the woman aside but the woman does not give up. She crawls forward and begs, "Please, just one swing! Why won't you kill me?!"
She screams loudly, "Just once! Kill me! You hateful bunch, why can't you save me? You aren't saving any of us now! We have nothing to live for! We will never get married again! I'll never see our children again!"
Shizune stops in her tracks. Looking back with tears flowing down her cheeks, she shakes her head, "I'm sorry..."
"Then what about you! Please! Stab me with that blade!" The woman turns to look at Kurenai who lowers her head and moves ahead, not feeling any better and on the brink of collapse herself.
"Konan?"
Kurenai looks at the bluenette who doesn't move despite being the one to remind them that they need to move.
With quivering shoulders, Konan looks at the woman with bloodshot eyes and bites her lower lip.
"If... If it would save her..."
Holding a paper shuriken, Konan begins to breathe deeply as her gaze fixates on the woman, "I- I will... save you..."
Konan raises her hand to attack but... her hand doesn't move forward at all.
"You can't save her," a soothing voice informs calmly, "And even if you do kill her, it's just another nightmare waiting to make your sleep worse."
Kurenai and the crying Shizune look at Kai standing behind Konan as the bluenette looks back while crying as her voice cracks, "S-Sensei..."
Taking the paper shuriken away, Kai lets go of Konan as she feels all her strength leaving her, and she collapses on her knees. Her hand presses onto the wet ground drenched with blood and begins to sob quietly.
"You! Kill me"
The woman falls unconscious as he looks at the remaining seven women, "Take her away. Your village is sorted out. The new village head will make things clear for you."
Looking back at Kurenai and Shizune, Kai adds with a plain expression, "The mission is complete, well done."
"Sensei, there might be other shinobi"
"There aren't," Kai interjects and extends his hand to pat Konan for the first time in a long time, not adding any other words of comfort or encouragement as even Kurenai walks toward them alongside Shizune and hugs Kai's leg while crying out loud.
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Title: Kai's Crying Angels
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A/N: I hope I didn't butcher their characters to a great degree...
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