"I want to take her away."
"At least let her live in a normal place."
As soon as his injuries healed, the young man immediately thought of a way to repay her.
Outside, heavy rain poured, an endless downpour obscuring the sky.
The young man lurked outside, while inside were the man's heavy, joyful gasps and the woman's suppressed, pained sobs.
In the heavy rain, the white-haired young man stood frozen in place.
"Should I rush in and kill that bastard?"
The young man impulsively started to rise several times, then held himself back, but he didn't retreat, only stood silently in the heavy rain.
Until dawn, when the rain stopped. The sky didn't clear; the sun was deeply hidden behind the clouds, its light dimly filtering through, making the usually blue sky look like water wrung from a dirty rag, utterly desolate.
It felt heavy, as if about to fall, a quiet oppression.
The young man crouched in an inconspicuous corner under the eaves, like a drenched chicken.
At this moment, the young man understood the pervasive gloom and sorrow that always lingered in the girl's eyes and on her face.
Yet, the girl had always smiled gently in front of him.
As if crying.
After a long while, the man emerged, holding an umbrella.
He appeared to be a nobleman, portly, swaying with each step, yet his gait was light and leisurely, surrounded by guards.
The two were strangers to each other.
But the young man decided to kill him.
It was the first time he decided to kill someone of his own will, disregarding and trampling upon the Village's rules and regulations.
His foot stomped down in anger, tiles on the roof shattering.
The young man moved like lightning, descending from the upper floor in a furious strike. The moment he landed, before the many guards could react, his white, savage fangs were bared ferociously.
The nobleman let out an earth-shattering shriek.
The first strike, his lower body's 'brother' vanished without a trace.
Followed by the second strike, the blade and hand plunged violently into the man's belly.
As he pulled his hand out, blood and intestines were torn out, spilling everywhere. The young man decisively turned and fled, evacuating the scene before anyone could react.
Leaving behind a chaotic murder scene.
When night fell again, the young man returned; he wanted to take her away.
He carefully lurked in the shop but couldn't find the girl.
Whether it was her usual resting place or her workplace, he found nothing.
Just as the young man grew increasingly agitated.
A tall man appeared before him.
On the rooftop, the two gazed at each other from a distance.
He appeared to be in his thirties, over two meters tall, his imposing figure exuding pressure. His limbs were like bronze tendons and iron bones, his body covered in numerous fleshy growths, his eyes bulging in anger, and his wide mouth revealed four exposed fangs, making him look like a demon. His voice was like a bell.
He wore gigantic hand hook-claws on his arms, known as Shinobi claws. Concealed by the night, they seemed to be one with him, like giant beast claws, with five sharp blades of varying lengths, the longest being a meter long.
What a deadly weapon.
"Kid, killing people on my Pig Helper's territory, it seems you don't have any respect for me."
The young man silently drew the short sword from his back.
His plan had been exposed.
The other party hadn't connected it to hiring someone to kill.
It was too hasty.
"Kid, I've seen many men fight over women, but a Shinobi fighting for a mere, lowly Flower Prostitutes really opens my eyes."
"What, do you like her very much?"
"But unfortunately, though she's not worth much, I won't just give her to you."
"Trying to escape from me is even more impossible."
"Kid, which Village are you a Shinobi from? You're making me laugh my head off."
"What, aren't the beautiful female Shinobi in your Village to your taste?"
"Or perhaps…"
"Shut up!!!" the young man roared, his eyes fixed on the other party, his body slightly lowered.
"Ha!?" As his giant claws rubbed against each other, a string of sparks and a harsh sound leaped out. The giant Shinobi mocked, "Honestly, these women taste really good, no worse than female Shinobi in bed. They're soft and slippery, like they're gushing. So, I let my brothers have a taste too, of this woman's flavor."
"She's probably crying now, after all, I have quite a few brothers…"
"Kid, want to join in? I'm very generous…"
"Shut up AAAAAHHHH!!!" He roared, a flash of lightning on his body, and charged out, swinging his sword at the man.
The fierce battle unfolded under the night sky.
The clash of blades was accompanied by the man's insane laughter and the young man's angry shouts.
From time to time, there were engine-like roars and the crackle of lightning.
When it ended, Sakumo lay tragically on the ground, bleeding profusely, covered in gruesome wounds. His sword-wielding right hand was broken, twisted at an unnatural angle and limp beside him.
The slight rise and fall of his chest proved that the young man was not yet dead.
The standing man was also in bad shape, covered in scorched wounds, a hideous gash on his chest a shocking sight.
This wound was the closest he came to victory, but defeat also came at this moment.
The man stepped forward, kicking him away, and in the process, cut off his Shinobi tool pouch.
This kid never threw a Kunai; his Shinobi tool pouch must contain something important.
Secret intelligence? A secret technique?
When the sharp claw sliced it open, a few banknotes and a Shinobi headband were revealed.
"Tch…" After a disappointed sound, he glanced at the headband.
The Konoha mark was imprinted in his eyes.
"So, it's a Konoha kid." The man mocked, "Speaking of which, I'm also a subordinate of a nobleman from the Land of Fire."
"Hahahahahahaha!"
At present, Konoha had just finished the Shinobi World War, fighting one against four and emerging victorious with an overwhelming triumph, a time of unparalleled prestige.
Moreover…
Pig Helper looked at Sakumo's white hair.
This kid was not an ordinary Shinobi.
Rumor had it that the Second Hokage had white hair. Was this kid a naive member of the Senju Clan, the Ninja World's foremost noble clan?
Although Pig Helper was a bit crazy, he was also very clear-headed.
It was best not to easily offend the Five Great Nations if one wasn't a Shinobi from one of them.
"For the sake of Hokage-sama, kid, get lost. Don't cause trouble on Flower Street again. The waters here are deep, and you can't handle it."
The young man watched helplessly as the man's figure departed, struggling feebly to get up.
His body did not obey his will.
No matter how furiously he roared internally, it remained useless.
"Oh, by the way, kid, to be a dog, you must have the awareness of a dog. You're not quite there yet."
"If you can't be a dog, then don't be a Shinobi."
"This is a senior's kind advice."
"Hahahahahahaha!"
"Remember my name well, Nikuruma Pig Helper."
"Perhaps you'll thank me later for the experience I've imparted."
Laughing wildly, the man gradually walked away.
When the young man woke up again, he was in the familiar Hospital.
He had been sent back.
A moment later, Hokage-sama, who was always very busy, suddenly came to the Hospital to visit.
"Hokage-sama!" The young man seemed to have found a savior.
He had many things to say.
But so did the Third Hokage.
"Sakumo, rest well for a while."
Hokage-sama stood by the window, looking at the scenery outside, and spoke in a deep voice with his back turned.
"Regarding your killing of a nobleman from the Land of Fire, don't worry, the Village will handle it for you."
"However, Sakumo, we are Shinobi. Our principle is to complete missions. Do not do anything extra outside of missions."
"This incident has had a negative impact, threatening the Village's reputation. This will cause the Village's mission volume to drop."
"Do you know what that means?"
"If this continues, the Village will not have enough money to sustain itself, and everyone will go hungry."
Turning around, looking at the young man's still tender, youthful face, the Third Hokage tried to speak as simply as possible.
"Don't be impulsive in anything. We are already doing our best just to protect ourselves; we don't have the spare capacity to save everyone."
"What we need to do is protect our comrades."
"Even achieving that is already very remarkable."
"Don't disappoint everyone in the Village."
"Your mission is to protect them."
"Forget about this matter."
His eyes gradually dimmed; the young man understood the words.
"Yes!" he replied in a deep voice.
At this moment, he truly grew up.
From then on, Konoha lost an innocent young man named Sakumo.
And gained a ruthless Sakumo, the White Fang, who struck fear into the Five Great Nations.
The young man became a dog.
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