Naruto: Blade of the Sharingan

"Later?" The bald owner gave a bitter smile. "Naturally, no one believed me. Harvesting unripe grain meant a much smaller yield…"

"Then the disaster truly struck. The villagers' entire harvest was destroyed by the torrential rain. And with no grain available to buy in town, people fell sick, starved to death. But what I never expected was them—"

Thinking of this, the bald owner's face suddenly contorted, becoming as ferocious as a demon. Heiji was startled, his hand instinctively gripping his Nichirin Blade.

He didn't notice that Ono, beside him, had a strange look in his eyes, seemingly terrified.

But when Heiji saw the sunlight shining on the owner, he silently cursed himself for being overly suspicious and lowered his blade.

"What happened after that?" Although a sliver of unease pricked his heart, the sun was out, and Heiji let down his guard.

"Later?" The bald owner sneered. "The villagers couldn't find anything to eat. Eventually, someone, I don't know who, took the lead and said that our family had grain. So they all rushed to our house like madmen, snatching every last bit of our food. Not only that, but before leaving, they called me a jinx, said it was all my fault, and then set our house on fire, leaving us homeless."

Hearing this, Heiji could only sigh. He was still young and couldn't comprehend the complexities of human nature.

"Then, Boss, how did you survive that famine?" After a pause, Heiji couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

"Survive? Hehe, my parents were burned to death by them that very night…" Under the sunlight, the bald owner's face grew increasingly strange, one side ferocious, the other benevolent.

"While the villagers were busy ransacking our house for grain, they threw me into the well. But they never imagined that those ungrateful people would later tie them up and throw them into the burning house to die with them."

"Weak and sickly as I was, I relied on them to survive that famine. What do you think I ate to stay alive?"

Hearing this, Heiji was horrified, hastily gripping his sword. "You… You?!"

However, the bald owner remained unhurried, pressing down on Heiji's hand. "Don't be anxious, customer. My story isn't finished yet. Later, weak as I was, I painstakingly climbed the mountain and found Hakuba Temple. Afraid of causing trouble for Master Hakuba, I snuck into the temple under the cover of night."

"I couldn't understand why human nature was like this, why good people didn't receive good fortune. I desperately sought enlightenment from Buddha. However, when I secretly reached Master Hakuba's room, guess what I heard?"

"Wha… What?!" Only then did Heiji realize his body was weak and powerless, struggling even to draw his sword. Sweat beaded on his forehead in panic.

Beside him, Ono, who had been feasting heartily just moments before, sat rigidly, his face already etched with despair.

"It turned out that Master Hakuba, because I had told him about my dream, knew of my ability. He knew the disaster would definitely come. So he conspired with others, disguised them as merchants, and bought up all the surplus grain in town beforehand. Then, after the disaster struck, he sold it for a huge profit."

As he spoke, the bald owner's sneering yet benevolent expression was like a being half Buddha, half demon.

"My most respected Master Hakuba was actually one of the accomplices in my family's murder! I simply couldn't understand. That night, I stumbled and knelt before the Buddha statue in a daze. Even if I were discovered and beaten to death as a jinx, I wouldn't have cared. I only wanted an answer from Buddha."

"Later, I was discovered by the monks. Then, to prevent the secret from leaking, Master Hakuba beat me to death and buried me in the woods. That's when that lord appeared."

"He said to me, 'If you can't figure it out, then keep thinking until you do. You can take a hundred years, two hundred years, even three hundred years to think.' And so, I became a demon, hahahaha—"

Speaking of this, the bald owner sarcastically touched his prayer beads. "Those ignorant villagers actually thought Master Hakuba willingly sacrificed himself to save them and avert the disaster. They didn't know he didn't save them from the natural disaster, but he orchestrated the man-made one."

"I captured all the monks and put them on trial before Buddha. I told them, if Buddha showed his divine power and spared them, I wouldn't eat them. If Buddha remained silent, then their sins were heinous."

"The result, hehe~ Buddha didn't forgive a single one of them. If I don't descend into hell, who will? So I ate them all, letting them repent within my body for all eternity—"

"Amitabha—"

After finishing his long story, the bald owner silently picked up his prayer beads and chanted a mantra, his sincere appearance like that of a high monk who had cultivated for many years.

"You… you… wh-why… are… you… not… afraid… of… the… sun…" Heiji found it difficult even to speak. Ono, who had eaten faster and more eagerly than him, had long since been unable to utter a word.

"I don't do evil deeds. With my Buddha's protection, why should I fear the sunlight?" The bald owner smiled, then deftly cleared the bowls and chopsticks from the table.

He then picked up the two men, slung them over his shoulders, and walked into the kitchen.

"Speaking of which, my ability is quite special. It must be Buddha's blessing. Other demons can't appear in the sunlight, but I can move about freely, hahahaha~~"

Because it was just dawn, and the recent disappearances had made people quite anxious, no one else saw the bald owner carry Heiji into the house.

In the kitchen, the bald owner smiled, stripped Heiji of all his clothes, and threw his Nichirin Blade and the scroll into the furnace. Then, he prayed before a Buddha statue.

After reciting a sutra, the bald owner picked up a knife. With a swift motion, Ono's head rolled onto the floor. Another swing, and Ono was dismembered into several large pieces.

He turned to look at Heiji. By now, Heiji was unable to speak, only sweat from fear and terror streamed down his face.

"You see, I've finished praying to Buddha, and Buddha still hasn't spoken to forgive you. So, you are also a sinner. My Buddha is merciful; let me send you to hell to atone for your sins!"

The bald owner, his face benevolent, raised the butcher knife in his hand, about to bring it down on Heiji's head.

At that critical moment, a call came from outside. "Boss, anyone in? A bowl of ramen, please."

"Yes, yes, customer, please wait a moment, I'll be right there."

The bald owner beamed, all traces of the high monk vanishing. He casually tossed the butcher knife aside. It landed squarely between Heiji's legs.

Pfft!!

Heiji's eyes widened, bloodshot, his face contorted in pain. Blood slowly pooled between his legs—

The bald owner, a white towel draped around his neck, looking particularly clean, walked out of the inner kitchen with a kindly expression and went to the stove outside.

The bald owner smiled. "You're quite early, customer. What kind of ramen would you like? My ramen here is a specialty, a craft honed over a dozen years."

"Hehe, any bowl will do. Chashu ramen then~"

"Alright, customer, please wait a moment, I'll make it for you right away."

The bald owner was very nimble. In no time, he had prepared a bowl of chashu ramen and presented it to the impossibly handsome young man before him.

Uchiha Nagi picked up a piece of chashu, then suddenly smiled and asked, "Boss, this chashu… it wouldn't happen to be made from R-meat, would it....."