Akatsuki Translations

The man glared at Shuou with a gaze sharp enough to kill.

His overgrown, unkempt beard and sunken cheeks made it difficult to discern, but his features were well-defined, and if one were to assess his appearance, he would fall into the category of being well-proportioned. A single mole on his chin stood out with a strange presence amidst the awkwardly grown beard, characterizing the man’s appearance. His reddish-brown short hair appeared dull and drab, covered in dust and dirt.

The limbs extending from his sturdy physique were long. Among those Shuou knew, he might be on par with or even surpass Kumokari, who boasted the largest body. On his large left wrist, something resembling a dark leather glove was fitted.

Receiving the faint, raspy morning light, the man opened his mouth while taking intermittent breaths.

“What are you? What did you do to end up in here?”

Shuou swallowed saliva to moisten his parched throat and answered in a hoarse voice.

“Lost in battle.”

The man facing him through the double iron bars furrowed his brows in a puzzled manner.

“That brown military uniform, I’ve seen it before… Are you a Murakumo soldier?”

When Shuou nodded nonchalantly, the man raised the corner of his mouth, forming a smile that was like a sharp knife.

“With that light-colored head of yours, it’s no wonder that pig monk took a liking to you for siding with Murakumo.”

Without needing to ask, it was clear that this man, who was in the same position as Shuou, a prisoner, had dark skin, albeit slightly lighter in tone, like many people living in the southern regions.

Shuou felt a slight curiosity as to why a fellow human being was being subjected to such treatment.

“Why—”

The sound of a door opening from the entrance of the prison interrupted his words. Emerging from the darkness at the back, swaying his bald head, was A Zan, the representative of this stronghold.

“Oh my, having a friendly chat, are we?”

In front of A Zan, who said those words, the gaze of the man Shuou had been talking to became even more fierce.

A Zan had his subordinates help him take off his jacket, exposing his sagging upper body, and he slapped his belly with a smack.

“Alright, let’s have a morning exercise. I can’t enjoy my breakfast without it, you know.”

A Zan took out a short whip from his waist and struck it against the iron bars of the cell across from him.

Based on his previous words and actions, Shuou had vaguely suspected that he had been chosen as the object to satisfy this man’s desires, but seeing A Zan’s back as he happily entered the opposite cell with a whip in hand, he was now certain of it.

This dimly lit and filthy room was, in other words, a torture chamber. Upon closer inspection, suspicious instruments were scattered about in various places, carelessly left behind, and several of them still had traces of dried blood on them.

“Well then—”

A Zan prefaced with a single word.

“—Isn’t it about time you reach your limit? Won’t you consider teaching me the three-legged capture technique? I don’t want to kill you, you know. That’s why I provide you with food every day and even allow you to sit like this, right?”

Stroking the whip with his fingers, A Zan spoke in an overbearing tone. However, the one being spoken to simply glared at him and returned a single word.

“Shut up.”

Even with his back turned, it was evident that the flesh on A Zan’s cheeks twitched in spasm.

“Do I need to weaken him a bit more for him to understand? But it’s troublesome to torture him while worrying about his life.”

A Zan raised the short whip he was gripping and struck the back of the man whose hands were tied above him with all his might. The sound of the whip strongly lashing against the flesh was forceful enough to make it unsurprising if the skin had been torn.

The prisoner who received the intense lashing of the whip couldn’t help but let out a groan. However, he still clenched his teeth, his eyes still carrying a strong light, showing no sign of submission in his spirit.

A Zan repeated the painful blows with the whip in succession. However, faced with the man who continued to glare at him without flinching, he let out a bored sigh.

“Really, you’re always such a boring man. Hey, hand me that.”

As he gave some sort of instruction, the face of the man who had been glaring at him with beast-like eyes suddenly changed.

The subordinate who received the order drew a dagger from his waist and handed it over.

As if to check its sharpness, A Zan placed his finger on the tip of the blade. But for some reason, despite having a face filled with delight just moments ago, A Zan’s expression was dark as he stood with the dagger in his hand.

It was the moment the tip of the dagger in his hand pointed toward the prisoner. The man suddenly became distraught, pulling on the chains restraining his arms as if to tear them apart, arching his upper body backward magnificently, and screamed.

“Nooooooooooooooooooo!”

The man, who had screamed with a pale face, continued to make a fuss like a child throwing a tantrum. Shuou stared at him in astonishment at his transformation, as if he were a different person.

A Zan spoke to the screaming man with an exasperated look.

“How about it? If you don’t want to be stabbed with this—”

However, before he could finish speaking, the man shouted in a voice loud enough to drown out his words.

“Aaaaah! Stop it! No, no, noooooooo!”

The voice squeezed out of his giant body was painfully loud to the ears. If his hands were free, he would have immediately covered them.

The man wailed in a high-pitched voice, rattling the chains and writhing his body. Perhaps fed up with his behavior, A Zan lowered the dagger with an exasperated look and left the cell, shaking his head from side to side several times.

“Just when I thought I had finally found his weakness, he goes into a frenzy like this, making it impossible to have a conversation—”

Returning the dagger to his subordinate, A Zan grumbled.

“—Let’s try again after draining his stamina a bit more. Starting today, cut his rations in half.”

As he gave instructions to his subordinate while wiping his sweat, A Zan’s sticky gaze shifted to Shuou.

“I expect a more sensible reaction from you. If I’m in the mood, I’ll give you my full attention before dinner. You’d better prepare yourself.”

A Zan left the prison cell, and the time alone with the two of them returned.

The man across from him, who had been wailing and thrashing about, casually sat down on the floor, sniffling and adjusting himself. Shuou directed a damp, penetrating gaze at his figure.

“…What is it?”

“…Nothing.”

Shuou returned curtly and let out a sigh.

“What is it?!”

“I said, I didn’t say anything.”

“Are you making fun of me? You are, aren’t you?!”

“I’m not.”

Shuou averted his gaze from the man’s bloodshot eyes.

But as the man said, Shuou indeed felt a sense of disappointment. It was like encountering a bear or tiger on the roadside, preparing oneself for the worst, only to find out it was just a scarecrow… He felt that kind of emptiness and embarrassment for his misunderstanding, making it unbearable to look at the man’s face.

“Damn it, ah, I just don’t like pointy things, I’m bad with them! But so what? Everyone has things they dislike, don’t they?!”

At the man’s words, Shuou raised an eyebrow.

—That’s true.

Returning his gaze to the man, whose face was contorted with shame and anger, Shuou spoke.

“You’re right… My bad.”

Perhaps feeling a sense of relief at Shuou’s words, the man slowly undid the tension in his stiffened face.

“I didn’t say you had to apologize…”

With that, the man dropped his face into an expressionless state, just like when Shuou first saw him, with strong eyes.

The man, who seemed like a mad dog, unexpectedly had a sensitive side to him.

Shuou thought it might be good to try talking to him. There was plenty of time for that.