The village did not appear on official maps.
Not because it was hidden, but because it had never been important enough to be recorded. Crooked wooden houses, fishing nets hanging as if no one had bothered to organize them properly, and a narrow river that kept everything alive through quiet persistence.
Kuro watched from a low ridge, the wind brushing against his face.
It was an ordinary place.
And it was always places like this that broke first.
They never get a choice.
Footsteps approached behind him without much care.
"So…" Yahiko said, stopping beside him. "This is it."
Kuro nodded without looking away.
Konan and Nagato arrived moments later, each from a different direction. No signals. No formation. Just the quiet habit of moving together.
Konan frowned slightly as she scanned the village.
"It's not abandoned," she said. "But no one here feels at ease."
Nagato closed his eyes for a moment.
"The fear hasn't turned into panic yet," he murmured. "But it's close."
Yahiko let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair.
"It always starts like this."
Kuro thought about answering, then didn't. Some things didn't need words.
"Let's go in," he said. "Slowly."
Yahiko smiled faintly.
"As if we had a choice."
Kuro glanced at him for just a moment.
Not to command.
To confirm.
Yahiko met his gaze.
Their presence drew attention, but not alarm. People looked too quickly and looked away just as fast. Doors stayed half-open, never fully shut, never fully welcoming.
Konan was the first to speak with the villagers. She didn't ask many questions. She didn't promise anything. She listened.
An older man, hands trembling, finally spoke.
"They came yesterday," he said. "They said they'd return today."
"Who?" Konan asked.
"Shinobi. Not from around here." He swallowed. "They said the village had to cooperate."
Yahiko clenched his jaw.
"Cooperate how?"
The man hesitated.
"Money. Supplies. And after that… who knows."
Silence settled.
Nagato opened his eyes.
"How many?"
"At least five. Maybe more."
Kuro tilted his head slightly.
Five for a defenseless village.
"They'll be back before nightfall," Kuro said.
The man nodded, as if accepting a sentence.
"They always come back."
They spread out through the village without announcing themselves.
Not to set traps.
But to be there.
Kuro walked between the houses, feeling the shadows stretch naturally along the weakest structures. He didn't force them. He let them settle.
This isn't about enclosing. It's about covering.
Konan knelt beside a woman trying to calm a child.
"It'll pass," she said, without exaggeration.
The woman nodded, trusting the tone more than the words.
Nagato remained near the well, sensing invisible pressure slowly building.
They're coming confidently. That makes them careless.
Yahiko stood at the center of the village, far too visible for someone who wanted to hide.
He knew it.
And he chose to stay.
The first scream cut through the air.
A fisherman collapsed in the main street, blood running down his arm. Three figures emerged behind him almost at once. Simple masks. Trained movements.
"Time to choose," one of them said, voice rough and practiced.
Yahiko stepped forward.
"You're late."
The mercenary laughed.
"And you are…?"
"Someone who's not leaving."
The attack came fast.
Yahiko barely dodged, feeling the blade graze his cloak. He answered without thinking, a direct punch that caught the mercenary off guard.
The man stumbled back.
He didn't expect resistance.
Konan moved next.
Paper scattered through the air and wrapped around another enemy's arm. Not cutting yet. Restraining.
"Stay still," she said, firm.
The mercenary tried forming seals with his free hand.
Konan yanked the paper hard, twisting his arm.
"I said… stay still."
Nagato raised his hand.
The ground beneath another attacker pressed down suddenly, forcing him to his knees with a dull crack. He struggled, but his body wouldn't respond.
"Don't move," Nagato said, quieter than intended.
If I misjudge this… he dies.
He adjusted the pressure.
Enough.
One of the mercenaries leapt from a rooftop, aiming for a house where a child had run moments earlier.
Kuro sensed it before he saw it.
The shadow beneath the man's feet stretched and pulled, breaking his balance midair. He crashed to the ground.
Kuro was there before he could stand.
"No," he said.
The man attacked anyway.
Kuro blocked with his forearm and drove a short удар into the mercenary's abdomen. The air left his lungs in a harsh, broken sound.
He collapsed, coughing.
Kuro didn't finish him.
There was already another threat.
One of the remaining attackers sprinted toward the well, hands forming seals.
"No!" Konan shouted.
Water surged upward, twisting into unstable blades aimed toward the houses.
For a moment, everything slowed.
Kuro raised his hand.
A shadow solidified in front of the village, dense and alive. The water struck it and exploded into violent spray.
Silence followed.
The mercenary's eyes widened.
"What are you…?"
Kuro advanced.
Not rushed.
Not angry.
"You chose wrong," he said quietly.
The shadow rose from the ground and wrapped around the man, pressing until all resistance faded.
He fell unconscious.
When it was over, the silence felt too heavy for such a small village.
The mercenaries lay on the ground. Some groaning. Some unmoving.
No villagers were hurt.
Yahiko breathed heavily, his hands trembling slightly.
It worked…
Konan stepped beside him.
"You okay?"
He nodded, still catching his breath.
"I think so."
Nagato stared at the well, eyes distant.
If I had hesitated another second…
Kuro stood still for a moment, feeling the shadows withdraw.
I intervened enough.
No more.
No less.
Yahiko walked toward the village elder.
"No one here will be charged," he said. "Not today. Not tomorrow."
The man nodded, unsure whether to thank them or simply breathe again.
Konan glanced at Kuro.
"You could have ended it faster."
Kuro nodded.
"I could have."
"Why didn't you?"
He looked around.
"Because this wasn't about me."
Nagato stepped closer.
"They'll talk about what they saw."
Kuro nodded again.
"Let them."
Yahiko turned to him.
"You stayed."
Kuro answered without thinking.
"I always do."
And for the first time, it sounded less like a promise…
And more like a choice.
Author's Note:
I'm still learning as I write this story, so feedback really helps.
If you enjoyed this chapter or felt something could be better, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I'm reading everything and trying to improve with each chapter.
Thanks for sticking around and reading.