KAGE

— Hmm, that group of people… are they bandits? — Hikari asked curiously, full of expectation.

— Yes. It’s better to leave them alone... — Before I could finish speaking, my dear fiancée abandoned me and decided to become a hero.

— What the hell are you doing?! A group of men who, instead of contributing to society, are here intimidating people who are honestly trying to survive. Aren’t you ashamed?

Everything and everyone stopped after hearing what Hikari said. The silence was so complete that you could hear a pin drop.

Hahahahaha!

The entire group of delinquents burst into long laughter. From their reactions, it seemed that they found Hikari’s words genuinely amusing, and that was when I stepped forward and joined her.

— Who is this girl? Where did you come from? Little girl, don’t you know who we are? We are the Mukade (百足), — he said while showing his arm, where the characters were tattooed alongside the image of a centipede.

After hearing their name, I noticed the people in the market shrinking back. Apparently, they were quite famous in this region.

The bandit who spoke looked disappointed when he realized we did not react the way he expected. He was used to intimidating his prey with the name of his group, making his future actions easier, but that did not happen today.

Apparently, either they had a serious reputation, or we were foreigners.

I hoped it was the second option.

— And who exactly are these Mukade? What right do you have to take advantage of honest people in broad daylight? Where is the police? Are there no guards protecting this market?

— Hahahaha, police? Girl, you really are naive. What can the police even do against us? Do you know who our big brother is?

While they were speaking, I looked at each of them and activated the Eye of Perspicacity.

Name: Fujimoto Kaito

Rank: None

Bloodline: None

Talent: Low

Name: Hoshino Mei

Rank: None

Bloodline: None

Talent: Very Low

Name: Tanaka Daichi

Rank: Genin (Medium)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Medium-Low

Name: Kirisawa Yuna

Rank: Genin (Initial)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Medium

Name: Moriyama Kenji

Rank: None

Bloodline: None

Talent: Low

Name: Shimizu Akari

Rank: None

Bloodline: Frozen Flame

Talent: High

Name: Hayashi Riku

Rank: None

Bloodline: None

Talent: Very Low

I had to admit, this group surprised me.

Two Genin, but unfortunately the most talented one had not even become a ninja yet, despite possessing a Kekkei Genkai.

What a waste of talent.

If we were in Uzushio, I would have recruited her.

— Our big brother is someone that even the police do not dare to offend, which is why we can do what we are doing. And honestly, we are only maintaining order in this market, so instead of arresting us, they should thank us.

Tanaka Daichi, the strongest person in the group, spoke with obvious pride in the power he held over this place.

— I see, you’re actually quite...

— Stop.

I interrupted him before he could continue down the path I already knew he was about to take.

— And who are you? — Tanaka Daichi asked, clearly displeased by the interruption of a child with a black eye standing before him.

— Who I am doesn’t matter. Personally, I don’t even care about what you are doing because I know life is terrible for everyone, and everyone has to survive however they can. But the direction your conversation was going forces me to act.

— Let me make something clear. She is my woman, my future wife. I don’t even care if you insult me. Everyone can say and do whatever they want. Insulting me would not take anything away from me.

— But I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her. If you continue down the path you were about to follow, I will definitely have to beat you in the cruelest way possible.

— After all, no one intimidates my woman except me.

After hearing what I said, Hikari’s face turned completely red with embarrassment, while the Mukade members looked at me as if another head had grown on my shoulders.

In their eyes, I was just a child claiming I would fight them.

And that was obviously hilarious.

Hahahahaha!

— Daichi, no way! This kid says he’s going to beat you up, be careful! Hahahaha!

The Mukade members laughed loudly.

Tanaka Daichi looked at the group laughing at him, then turned his eyes back to me. His expression became furious.

Apparently, what I had said was an insult to a Genin like him.

— Very good. You really have the courage to speak to me like that. As punishment for misusing that mouth of yours, I’ll break both of your arms and legs and...

Here we go, I thought.

— That woman of yours, I’ll take her and use her until I get tired of her, and when I’m tired of...

Before he could finish his sentence, I disappeared like a flash.

My fist connected with his face, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into the objects behind him, destroying the market stall they had been using to collect their extortion fees.

It all happened so quickly that none of his companions even had time to react.

When I grabbed him by the collar, he was still dazed from the impact of my punch.

— I told you what would happen if you spoke about my woman like that, but you still chose to do it.

Then I started punching his face.

Again.

And again.

With every strike, his face became more and more battered.

Only after some time did his companions recover from their shock and attempt to help their fallen brother.

But before they could reach me, a black blade appeared and stopped less than a centimeter away from Kirisawa Yuna’s throat.

— If you move even one more centimeter, I guarantee your heads will roll across this ground. So here is some good advice: do not interfere.

Kirisawa Yuna stared at the black blade that had appeared out of nowhere in the hands of the child before him.

He swallowed nervously and broke into a cold sweat.

He knew that if he advanced even slightly, his throat would be cut.

— Do you have any idea what you are doing? Do you even know who we are? — he asked, trying to intimidate me with the reputation of their group.

But at the same time, he was trying to gather courage, because he knew he could not show weakness in front of so many people despite the fear inside him.

In response, I continued punching Tanaka Daichi’s face.

— You ask me who you are?

I turned Tanaka Daichi’s body over, placing him face down, and grabbed his left arm.

He had been beaten so badly that he no longer had the strength to resist. He lay there like a discarded rag.

Then a cracking sound echoed.

Followed by a scream.

— You asked me who you are?

I repeated while grabbing his other arm.

I looked at Kirisawa Yuna challengingly.

Then I twisted Tanaka Daichi’s other arm.

— I am normally a very calm person. Earlier, I said I don’t care about many things.

— But my scale changes when it comes to my woman.

— You said earlier that you would break my arms and legs, didn’t you?

I looked at him coldly.

— So as punishment for disrespecting my woman, this will be your punishment.

— You asked me who we are?