Shinji wasn't particularly interested in raising or training bears. His entire focus was locked onto the buyback price displayed at the end of the description!
For that useless system of his to actually offer a whopping twenty thousand Cursed Soul Points... this was absolutely unprecedented!
Shinji's expression instantly shifted, his eyes gleaming with a strange intensity.
His gaze burned with obvious interest as he stared fixedly at the woman's chest.
If he wasn't mistaken, she had pulled the jade tablet out from right there just moments ago.
"Maybe I should just knock her out, strip her naked, and search her thoroughly..."
A malicious and calculating look crept onto Shinji's face.
Tamamo Hotaru immediately noticed the dangerous shift in his expression. She quickly covered her chest with both hands and took several steps back, her face flushing with a mixture of shame and anger. However, despite her fury, she dared not utter a single word of protest.
In the past, she had long grown accustomed to men looking at her with this exact kind of lustful, greedy gaze.
But more importantly, this wasn't the Red Pavilion anymore. There were no rules or courtesies here to protect her.
Even if this man really did decide to do something terrible to her, she had absolutely no way to resist.
Worse still, if she ever wanted to avenge her people, she would have to endure whatever humiliation came her way and swallow her pride.
"Was the destruction of the Land of Beasts related to Kumogakure?" Shinji asked suddenly, smoothing his expression back into a neutral one.
The moment Kumogakure was mentioned, hatred flared intensely in Tamamo Hotaru's eyes.
"My country was destroyed in a joint invasion by Kumogakure and Iwagakure."
"It seems you know quite a lot about what really happened. Tell me everything."
"More than a decade ago..."
Perhaps because this heavy burden of hatred had been weighing on her heart for far too long, the young woman began to speak, recounting the story in great detail for quite some time.
Originally, the plan was for Iwagakure and Kumogakure to divide the four major clans of the Land of Beasts between them—two for each village.
But unfortunately, Konohagakure suddenly intervened, demanding a share of the spoils as well.
They threatened that if they weren't given a piece of the pie, they would send troops to protect the Land of Beasts and ensure that neither of the other two villages would gain anything at all.
After a long series of tense negotiations, the three great powers finally reached an agreement. The Inuzuka Clan would be relocated to Konohagakure, leaving the Tamamo, Fenglie, and Heipi Clans to be split between Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
This was where the problems truly began.
Splitting three 'portions' between two parties meant that one portion would have to be cut in half.
But people weren't food or objects—they were living, thinking beings with minds of their own.
Under immense pressure, the Land of Beasts had already resigned themselves to their fate. The clans were willing to join either Iwagakure or Kumogakure, provided that one condition was met: the integrity of each family and clan must be preserved, and their internal affairs were to remain strictly off-limits—even Kage-level leaders were forbidden from interfering.
Now, the great powers were planning to split one entire clan in half without even asking for their consent. This instantly sparked massive outrage and anger throughout the country.
Coupled with the fact that there were already many who strongly opposed the whole arrangement from the very beginning, the negotiations completely fell apart.
And this was when things got really interesting...
Holding onto the mentality that if I can't have it, then neither can you, both Kumogakure and Iwagakure coincidentally came up with the same idea: simply wipe out one of the clans entirely.
It would serve as a brutal warning and deterrent to the remaining clans, while also simplifying the division process perfectly.
With only two clans left, each village could take one—simple and fair!
However, because the earlier negotiations had gone so poorly and there was a deep sense of mistrust between the two sides, neither village dared to inform the other of their plans for fear of being betrayed or sold out. So, without saying a word to each other, they both decided to just act on their own.
And naturally, this led to a massive misunderstanding!
Kumogakure had set their sights on the Heipi Clan, so they secretly launched a full-scale massacre against the Tamamo Clan—the group that Iwagakure wanted most.
By sheer coincidence, Iwagakure was thinking the exact same thing: if they were going to eliminate a clan, it obviously had to be the one that Kumogakure desired—the Heipi Clan.
As a result, on the very same day, both the Tamamo Clan and the Heipi Clan were simultaneously attacked and slaughtered.
It didn't take long for both villages to realize what was happening and what the other party was doing. But by then, it was already too late to stop. There was nothing left to do but see it through to the end and pretend everything was going according to plan.
At this critical moment, the Fenglie Clan—who were known to be the most united and tightly-knit of all four clans—did something absolutely astonishing. Despite having the best chance of survival by simply staying inside their territory and minding their own business, they chose to send their entire force to aid and rescue the Tamamo and Heipi clans.
They could have survived if they just stayed put...
But they refused to bow their heads or surrender. They chose death over dishonour.
What followed was a massive, bloody battle—the combined forces of Kumogakure and Iwagakure joining hands to wipe the Land of Beasts off the map completely!
After that war, the Land of Beasts ceased to exist. The Tamamo, Fenglie, and Heipi clans were almost entirely wiped out, with nearly every single member dying in battle.
Knowing that escape was impossible and their doom was sealed, they deliberately burned and destroyed all their ancient scrolls, secret arts, and inherited knowledge, ensuring that they wouldn't leave anything of value behind for the invaders to take.
Afterwards, when the soldiers from both villages cleared the battlefield, they found virtually nothing of use apart from a few scattered fragments of documents and records.
Because the whole incident was humiliating and damaging to their reputation and prestige, Kumogakure and Iwagakure silently agreed to cooperate in covering everything up. They sealed all information about the destruction of the Land of Beasts and never spoke a word about that short, bloody war ever again.
Faced with the two superpowers acting innocent and pretending nothing happened, the rest of the world—even those who strongly suspected the truth—could do absolutely nothing about it.
And since Konohagakure was the only one who truly benefited from the whole affair, naturally, they kept their mouths shut tight and pretended they knew nothing as well.
With the three strongest nations in the Shinobi World all remaining silent, who else was left to speak up and seek justice for the fallen country?
No one. Absolutely no one.
But what Kumogakure and Iwagakure didn't know back then was that a handful of people had successfully managed to escape.
Or rather... countless brave souls had sacrificed their lives just so that she and a newborn Moonlight Fox could be secretly smuggled out of the country to safety.
As Tamamo Hotaru finished telling her story, her whole body trembled violently as she struggled to hold back her tears and emotions. It was clear that even after all these years, her pain had not faded with time. Instead, the hatred in her heart had only grown deeper and more intense, etched permanently into her soul.
She had told him everything in such detail for one simple reason—she was clinging to a faint hope that this man might feel sympathy for her plight and decide to help her. Even if he only agreed to escort her to safety and help her escape the relentless pursuit of Kumogakure, it would be enough.
After listening to her tragic tale, Shinji felt incredibly, deeply, and overwhelmingly 'sympathetic' toward her. He was positively moved!
"Miss White Fox, I truly sympathize deeply with everything you've been through," Shinji said with a solemn expression.
"Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce myself properly. I'm Akagi Shinji. I come from the Cult of the Evil God. I work as a wandering shinobi and a mercenary."
"As long as you can afford the price, we can undertake any kind of mission. That includes, but is not limited to: assassinating the Raikage, or even destroying Kumogakure Village entirely."
Having said this, Shinji looked at her expectantly, his eyes sparkling with hope that she would take him up on the offer.
Tamamo Hotaru was completely stunned, her mind going blank. Assassinate the Raikage? Destroy Kumogakure?!
If she actually believed he could do such things, she would be the biggest fool in the entire Shinobi World!
She managed to force a polite smile and replied, "If possible... I hope you can escort me safely to the Land of Vegetables."
Although it was a relatively small and weak country, the Land of Vegetables was famous for being peaceful, harmonious, and isolated from the conflicts and politics of the larger nations.
As long as she could hide there, it was highly likely she could avoid being discovered or hunted down by Kumogakure.
And more importantly... this was one of the escape routes and safe havens she had planned and prepared for herself long ago.
She owned property and houses there, and had secretly stored away a large portion of her savings and valuable possessions accumulated during her time at the Red Pavilion.
Once she arrived there, she could change her name and identity, lay low, and patiently wait for the day when she was finally strong enough to take her revenge.
"That's it? Just escorting you there?" Shinji asked, looking slightly disappointed, but quickly perked up again. "Well... it's not impossible. But the price won't be cheap. After all, not just anyone dares to provoke or get involved with Kumogakure."
And that was the absolute truth.
Noticing Shinji's eyes still fixed unwaveringly on her chest, Tamamo Hotaru's face turned bright red. She bit her lip hard, gathering her resolve, and finally nodded firmly.
"Fine. It's a deal."
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