Time rewinds to the moment when Konan escapes from the thug Xiong Er's clutches.

  Konan leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. “Huff… Huff… I managed to escape, but I’ve completely pissed him off. He’ll be after me any moment now. What should I do?”

  She looked around anxiously, trying to figure out a way out. That’s when she noticed a small wooden house not far ahead, with a middle-aged woman in a bathrobe standing in front of it. The woman had a fuller figure, and an idea suddenly struck Konan.

  She ran over quickly, panic in her voice. “Big sister, there’s this strange man chasing me. He says he’s going to drag me away, but I don’t even know him! Please, please let me hide in your house for a bit!”

  The woman’s eyes scanned Konan up and down. “Oh, what a cute little girl!” She nodded knowingly. “You’ve probably run into an old trafficker, haven’t you? Come on, dear, I’ll hide you inside.”

  The woman ushered Konan into the house. Less than a minute ter, the woman came back out and continued sweeping in front of the door.

  Moments ter, the burly thug Xiong Er arrived, scanning the area but failing to spot Konan. He walked up to the woman and asked, “Hey, did you see a little girl with blue-violet hair run through here?”

  The woman raised her eyebrows. “I’ve been sweeping here the whole time. Haven’t seen any little girl.”

  “Oh, I see. Thanks, sister.” Xiong Er scratched his head, wondering if he’d lost track of her.

  As he turned to leave, a strange feeling washed over him. Wait a minute… something was off. He squinted at the woman and suddenly his face changed. “Step aside. I’m going in to check.”

  The woman gasped. “Oh my, why are you being like this? If you go in and someone sees, how will I ever show my face again?”

  “Get out of the way!” Xiong Er shoved the woman aside with a single sp and barged into the house. He realized the woman wasn’t some random bystander—she was part of a trafficking ring, notorious for kidnapping attractive boys and girls to sell them to rich businessmen and nobles as pythings.

  He stormed into the house but found no sign of Konan. “Girl, where are you? If you’re in there, speak up. Don’t hide, your big brother Xiong Er isn’t angry anymore.” He shouted, stepping toward the inner door.

  Bang! The door was locked, and Xiong Er kicked it open with a thundering crash. Inside, Konan was lying unconscious, her hands bound.

  “Damn it!” Xiong Er cursed and picked Konan up to carry her out.

  But just as he reached the door, several men with wooden clubs blocked his path, all with shifty eyes and a dangerous air.

  “Damn it!” Xiong Er growled. “A bunch of lowlifes!” He gently set Konan down and, finding no weapons nearby, he raised his fists, ready to fight.

  …

  At the alley entrance

  Jūbēi scanned the group of people before him. “Got your weapons? There might be some unsavory rats inside. Stay alert!”

  “Of course, boss!”

  “Don’t worry, we’re all ready.”

  Jūbēi nodded, then led the group into the alley. Hayami Reina and Nagato Mihiko exchanged a look and followed.

  “Three people in a group. Spread out and search. If you find anything, don’t make a sound. Come back here to report. Anyone left over will go to the houses outside the alley for info.” Jūbēi’s voice rang out as the group dispersed.

  He gnced at the three people near him. “You three stay with me and wait for news. Don’t worry, even though they’re a bunch of idiots, they still have some skill when it comes to fighting for their lives.”

  “Woof, woof!” A small dog ran to the alley entrance, sniffing the air. It turned back and barked at the group.

  …

  Inside the wooden house

  Konan awoke, panic setting in when she realized she was bound. Her eyes darted to the side, where she saw the bruised and battered thug Xiong Er, also tied up.

  “Are you alright? What happened?” she asked, concerned for Xiong Er, whose injuries looked quite severe.

  “I’m fine. Those traffickers got the better of me for a second, but if I had a hammer with me, I would’ve smashed their heads in by now!” Xiong Er fumed, clearly frustrated. “Damn it, I should’ve brought my weapon! I didn’t expect there would be a rat hiding in this alley.”

  “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for running here…” Konan’s eyes welled with tears. She realized that Xiong Er wasn’t a bad person, but she had gotten him caught up in all this. She could imagine how worried Mihiko and the others must be by now.

  Before she could say more, Xiong Er cut her off. “It’s not your fault. Of course you ran when I was chasing you. What else could you do, stand there and wait to be caught?” He saw Konan’s teary eyes and thought she was scared, so he added, “Don’t worry, your big brother Xiong Er is here. They won’t dare touch you.”

  Even though Xiong Er looked anything but reassuring with his bruised face, Konan smiled, reassured by his words.

  He grinned and continued, “I’ve been gone too long, so the boss will probably get suspicious. When I find those bastards, I’ll cut them all down, haha!”

  Just then, a rough-looking trafficker entered, kicking Xiong Er in the face.

  “Damn it! Get off me! If you don’t untie me, I’ll make sure you’re the ones who get beaten!” Xiong Er spat blood and shouted.

  The trafficker, wiping blood from his face, turned to the woman in charge. “Sis, should we just… deal with this idiot?” He made a slicing gesture across his throat.

  The woman frowned and shook her head. “Don’t cause trouble. Leave him alive. He’s one of ‘Stone Lions,’ and if we kill him, ‘Stone Lion’ will never let us off. Just lock him up for now, and after we sell the girl, we can let him go. I don’t think ‘Stone Lion’ will make a fuss over it.”

  ‘Stone Lion’—that’s what people in the underworld called Jūbēi.

  Jūbēi was born into a merchant family. While not wealthy, his family had a modest fortune. According to his original life path, he would have become a merchant like his parents and led a simple, peaceful life, which was what they had hoped for.

  But in the chaotic ninja world, life for commoners was never stable. Even the smallest dispute between the great nations could change the lives of those in small countries. In the turmoil caused by the rger nations, Jūbēi’s parents were killed by ninja, and their property was plundered, leaving only a small plot of nd. At the age of ten, Jūbēi began a life of wandering that would change everything.

  At twelve, Jūbēi and his companions sought out an old man who taught them martial arts. Though he had hoped to become a ninja and avenge his parents, he soon realized that, unless one was born in a ninja vilge, it was nearly impossible for a commoner to become a ninja. Ninja and commoners lived in entirely different worlds.

  By the age of twenty, Jūbēi had the skills to stand on his own. He returned to his family’s home but chose not to follow his parents’ footsteps as a merchant. Instead, he gathered his former companions and a group of like-minded individuals to become a bandit.

  In just five years, he had either killed or driven out all other bandits in the area, making it his own turf. His ferocity in battle, like a lion, and his tough, spiky hair that resembled a stone lion statue, earned him the nickname ‘Stone Lion.’

  Five years ter, he abandoned his life as a bandit and, using the wealth he had acquired, established several outposts around the area. He even set up a marketpce on the nd his parents had left him, offering protection to vendors. Before the area was swept up in the war, it had become the safest and most peaceful part of the Land of Rain.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “Who is it?” The traffickers exchanged gnces, and one of them went to open the door.

  Bang! Before the door could even be opened, it was thrown open with such force that it smmed into the trafficker’s face.

  “Ah!” The trafficker fell to the ground, screaming in pain, his face bloodied and caved in.

  A tall, muscur man covered in rainwater but with hair like twisted steel wires strode in. His bloodshot eyes glinted with malice as he looked at the traffickers. The corner of his mouth curled into a cruel grin.

  In the blinding fsh of lightning, Konan swore she saw a stone lion standing tall, exuding an overwhelming aura of power.