NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: Saved
In the dimly lit alley shrouded in an air of darkness and despair...
Hinata, her once vibrant spirit now reduced to a mere flicker, found herself at the mercy of thug lackeys.
"Kekeke, just look at the shape!" "Ohhh~ I can't wait for my turn, boss!"
Tears streamed down Hinata's face as their callous hands held her to the cold, unforgiving ground. Her heart pounded in her chest, a mix of fear and helplessness enveloping her being. Will she... be defiled here?
Just when despair threatened to consume her entirely, a deep, chilling voice boomed through the alley, cutting through the tension like a knife. "That is enough. Get your dirty hands off her."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the alley, swirling dust and debris into a frenzy. Hinata's teary gaze lifted, locking onto the familiar sight that filled her heart with hope like never before...
From the darkness, a swarm of bugs converged above Hinata, the concentrated mass forming in the shape of a human torso, soon coalescing into the unmistakable upper body of Shino Aburame, his steely killing intent emanating from every pore.
The thugs surrounding Hinata froze in their tracks, their sadistic intentions eclipsed by disbelief and fear.
Shino's presence alone was enough to ignite a sense of dread, and this dread was amplified by the menacing aura of his insect companions and his ghostly appearance!
Not giving the unruly fellas any more time to react, a kunai slipped into the floating Shino's hand and his body twisted through the air, his hands leaving a blur as his kunai found its mark with ruthless accuracy, swiftly slicing through the throats of the surrounding thugs!
Blood spurted, staining the ground crimson and splattering across the Hinata laying beneath with white eyes still wide in shock.
Being a long-term survivor of the slums, the thug leader's instincts kicked in, allowing him to narrowly evade Shino's attack, but...
He could not escape the fate that awaited him.
Another swarm of insects descended upon the defiant thug, encasing his body with an iron grip.
"No! NO! Ahhh- Spare me!" His agonized screams pierced the darkness, echoing through the alley, but soon, all his struggles were quelled.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the darkened passage, a group of thugs reveling in their lust and pleasure met a similar gruesome fate.
The air became thick with the sound of their harrowing demise, accompanied by the haunting screams of a woman whose torment had finally reached its dreadful climax...
The remaining lower half of Shino's body condensed, and he reached out a hand toward Hinata, an offer of salvation sharply contrasting the symphony of horror that had surrounded them. "Are you okay, Hinata?"
Hinata's wide, tear-filled eyes met Shino's, hesitating for a moment, her body trembling from both fear and relief, before accepting the outstretched hand of the grim reaper.
When Shino gently pulled her up from the cold ground and into his embrace, Hinata immediately found solace in the warmth that emanated from his touch as he gently wiped her tears, "Don't cry, everything will be all right with me here."
Despite the bugs crawling over her skin to clean the blood off her, for the first time ever, she didn't feel disgust from his bugs.
"I... I am fine," Hinata stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "T-thank you, Shino-kun. You saved me."
Shino's expression softened, his usually stoic features revealing a rare glimpse of empathy. "It was my mistake, I thought you could handle it alone... No one should suffer at the hands of such cruelty. Well, I'm sure you don't want to linger in this place filled with bad memories, but first…"
Shino's gaze then shifted towards the thug leader, still tightly restrained by his bugs, but definitely still alive and kicking.
A glimmer of genuine curiosity danced in his eyes, and he peeked down at the little lady in his embrace, "Hinata, Do you wish to deliver justice yourself?"
At his words, the thug leader's eyes widened with terror, his head shaking frantically as he tried to vocalize his plea.
However, his muffled cries were lost amidst the cacophony of buzzing insects lurking in his mouth, their presence suffocating his very words.
Meanwhile, Hinata trembled in his embrace, her entire being caught between conflicting emotions. She couldn't bring herself to face the man directly, the trauma still fresh and raw within her.
Sensing her hesitation, Shino took the initiative into his own hands. With a touch gentle yet firm, he placed the bloodstained kunai into Hinata's trembling hand, intertwining their fingers as his arm wrapped protectively around her waist from behind.
With a subtle manipulation of his insects, Shino brought the restrained thug leader forward, placing him in her line of sight.
Shino's gloomy voice, a bewitching whisper to her ears, urged her forward like a devil. "Hinata. Let him face the consequences he truly deserves."
The kind Hinata's pleading gaze met Shino's eyes... She stared into the abyss, and the abyss gifted her a surge of courage that coursed through her veins...
"Go on. Punish him, Hinata. For justice. For yourself." Like a spell woven through the darkness, the whispers left an impact reaching deep into her soul.
Driven by a yearning to right the wrongs inflicted upon her, Hinata's hand tightened around the kunai, its cold blade a stark reminder of the power she now held.
Then, Hinata's head turned toward the darkness, her white eyes looking forward, a shadow gradually enshrouding her countenance...
Soon, the sound of horrid screams shattered the silence, reverberating off the walls and causing the denizens of the slums to retreat further into the depths of their hiding places.
Each horrible cry hinted at the pain and suffering that had plagued the alley, a cathartic release of anguish and despair...
An unknown amount of time later, after Shino and Hinata were long gone from the alley...
A denizen of the slum finally worked up the courage to take a peek into the scene of crime, hoping to find some good loot.
Approaching the alley, the familiar scent of blood wafted into his nose, but the curious man pressed forward.
Then, after one glance, the man's face paled. Moments later, he turned away, throwing up the meager rations he ate, his bile mixing with the streams of blood flowing out from the scene of carnage...