The woman's stomach growled softly, but her expression remained flat—like a mask devoid of emotion, as if hunger could not penetrate her trained calmness.
Finally, they arrived at a large building.
The structure was quite simple, made of wood with weatherproofed walls.
The roof was fairly high, and the windows were large and tightly shut.
The building stood alone at the edge of the village, separated from the residents' homes.
"This is the place," Keito said as he pulled a key from a small pocket at his waist.
With a metallic sound, the wooden door slowly creaked open, revealing an empty space inside—a large hall without partitions, a polished wooden floor, and a high ceiling that echoed with the sounds that entered.
Reiji looked around, then nodded slowly.
As Reiji turned to face them all, he spoke in a steady yet sharp voice.
"Do you see this place?"
"For the time being, this will be your residence."
"If within a month none of your village come to redeem your freedom, then we will build a house for you."
"A permanent house."
"Until that time comes, you will all stay here."
No one answered. Only a heavy silence hung in the air.
Reiji pointed to the east. "Do you see that tall, old blue building over there?"
"That is the public bath, as well as the toilet."
"If you want to bathe, or... relieve yourselves, you can go there."
"Follow our rules."
"Don't cause trouble."
The building he referred to stood at the edge of the village, and from a distance, thin smoke could be seen rising from its chimney.
The building seemed foreign to them, too clean, too... modern.
Reiji sighed, then smirked.
A smile that was not a friendly one, but the cold smile of a general towards prisoners who did not know what awaited them.
"Well then... goodbye. Enjoy this night as best as you can... because maybe tomorrow, you will never be able to sleep soundly again."
Reiji turned away, his figure slowly fading into the night breeze.
Keito and the members of the Uzumaki Clan followed Reiji, silent but alert, like a troop escorting their leader away from the arena.
As the sound of their footsteps faded, only silence remained, and the thirty-one ninjas now stared at each other—uncertain of what to do.
Yukina, a woman with long hair and sharp eyes from Kirigakure, finally spoke.
"...Let's go inside."
Yukina stepped in first, her sandals making soft sounds on the wooden floor.
The Kirigakure ninjas followed, one by one, without saying a word.
Then the ninjas from Iwagakure and Sunagakure began to follow—some of them still glancing back at the gate, as if hoping this was all just a dream.
As they all entered, they found a vast empty room, echoing with every step they took.
There were no beds, no supplies—just a wooden floor, wooden walls, and cold air despite the sun still being high.
Without command, they began to move to different sides of the room.
Three groups.
Three villages.
Three failures.
And even though they were in the same room... they still felt distant from one another.
...
...
...
Time flowed slowly, cold and relentless, bringing the thirty-one ninjas from the attacking groups of the three great villages to settle on the Whirlpool Island.
A large building with one very spacious room, the stuffy air piercing their lungs.
The rough walls creaked under the biting sea wind, reflecting the faint shadows of figures walking wearily and tiredly.
They were no longer confident ninjas.
Their gazes were empty, staring at the cracked ceiling, contemplating the failure they had just experienced.
________________________
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