"Parents?"
When Genya said those words, the light in the eyes of the boy and girl beside him grew brighter.
Come to think of it, they were just children too.
Even though they had gone through immense pain—both in body and spirit—the moment someone mentioned "parents," the memory of the warm home they once had filled them with renewed hope.
They wanted to go home.
They never wanted to suffer like before again.
"Parents? Home?"
The quiet girl murmured, but what followed was laced with cold indifference.
"Home… I don't have one anymore. When they brought me here, they killed my parents."
Such painful words.
Even the boy and girl beside her froze for a moment. When they looked at the quiet girl again, their eyes held a trace of sympathy.
But the girl had spoken those words without hesitation.
She had watched with her own eyes as those people killed her parents. After that, she was tortured in ways no human should endure—yet they still called her the perfect experiment.
Just thinking about it showed how strong this little girl truly was.
She had survived all of that.
And in the end, she was lucky enough to meet him.
"No name, and no home?" Genya whispered softly. He looked at the girl with growing sorrow.
"Then from now on… stay with me."
"A name, huh?"
Genya rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if seriously thinking about it.
He hadn't asked the quiet girl for her opinion. He simply said,
"From today on, your name will be Asahi—morning light. It symbolizes rebirth. Starting today, you'll break free from the chains of your past and face a new beginning."
Asahi. Asahi.
Genya couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.
What a nice name.
"Asahi?" the quiet girl murmured softly. She didn't agree, nor did she object, but the light in her eyes grew a little brighter.
"What about me, big brother?" asked the smaller girl beside him, tugging gently at Genya's sleeve. Her voice was timid and soft, almost as if only she could hear it.
Genya lowered his head, gently tapped her nose, and said in a soothing voice, "Be good. What's your name? I'll help you find your parents, alright?"
"I'm… I'm Miyuki," the little girl replied carefully. Then, almost in a whisper, she added, "Big brother, let's leave quickly. If we don't, the bad people will come back!"
Her tone was filled with fear and urgency, clearly hoping Genya would hurry.
In her memory, the people from the Jashin Cult were nothing but monsters—truly wicked people.
"It's okay now. The bad guys have all been taken care of by big brother," Genya gently comforted the children nearby in a soft voice.
Then he sat down on the steps and started chatting with the three kids.
While waiting for Shisui to arrive with others to clean up the lab, he also brought the children some food.
But during all this, Asahi just silently watched Genya talk to the other two kids. She didn't say a word.
Like that, nearly an hour passed.
By now, Genya and the two little ones had become very familiar with each other. Their earlier nervousness was gone.
"This place..."
"Who would've thought the Jashin Cult's base was hidden here."
"Hmph. Those cult members finally got what they deserved. Tch. Bastards who did all those horrible things!"
"Hey, look! That's Hidan! Never thought the troublemaker from my village would get caught too. Atsukara's amazing!"
"Yeah! Atsukara is awesome!"
While Genya was still chatting with the children, noise began coming from outside — the sound of people approaching.
It seemed Shisui and his team had arrived.
But then...
The two kids beside Genya flinched at the sound. They instinctively leaned closer into his arms.
Even Asahi, who had stayed silent all this time, couldn't help but inch closer too.
After all, in this unfamiliar and frightening place, the one person they trusted the most was Genya.
"It's okay. Our reinforcements are here — they're here to rescue you," Genya gently patted the heads of the two children beside him.
But his eyes turned toward Asahi, who clearly wanted to come closer but hesitated.
Asahi lowered her eyes and still said nothing — but she took two more steps toward Genya.
While Genya was comforting the children, the others had already arrived.
At the front were Shisui and Uchiha Furin. Behind them were some members of the Merchant Association, but most were villagers from Yugakure. They must've heard about the number of children involved and had come voluntarily to help.
When the group entered and saw the rows of unconscious kids, anger surged through the room.
"Damn it! These godless cult bastards—those are just children!"
"So many kids? How could they…"
"These people deserve to be torn to pieces!"
"Spit! I was too soft on them earlier—these scumbags!"
"Damn them…"
Someone roared in fury, and one of the villagers even kicked a cultist in red robes, who was still trapped in a genjutsu, without hesitation.
Damn it.
Every single one of those cult members deserved death.
Uchiha Furin's eyes darkened as he took in the scene. But then, deep in the lab, he spotted Genya sitting calmly among the children, speaking to them gently. Without a word, he strode over.
Seeing that Genya hadn't noticed their arrival, Furin finally spoke.
"Genya-sama!"
Genya nodded. "You arrived just in time. Take these injured kids back and make sure they're properly cared for. The Merchant Association will cover the costs. If their parents are still alive, return them to their families. These children… have already suffered more than enough."
"If their parents…" Uchiha Furin looked at the children, but then stopped speaking.
Even if he didn't say more, everyone understood. Some of the parents of these children, who were kidnapped by the Jashin Cult, might no longer be alive.
"If we can't find their parents, then the association will raise them," Genya said seriously. "Including these two little ones!"
As he spoke, he patted the two kids beside him — Asahi and Miyuki.
"Yes!" Uchiha Furin nodded.
What followed was the tedious process of rescuing the children. Soon, some villagers were already carrying two children each, rushing back to the village.
Before long, the basement was cleared out.
Genya instructed the experimenters to gather the most critical tools and then signaled them to leave the underground chamber.
Finally, Genya activated over a thousand Explosive Tags inside, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the surface.
He watched as the underground chamber collapsed.
The red-robed cult members, torn apart by Genya, could only watch helplessly as their Jashin Cult base crumbled. Some even shed tears of despair.
The Jashin Cult was finished.
Afterward, Genya set up camp there and told Uchiha Furin to take the children back to the association.
He then ordered the association members to send carriages to transport the injured survivors home.
"Keep them alive—they still have use!"
"Brother Sun Wukong…" When they left, Miyuki and Asahi, two children, hesitated, feeling reluctant and anxious.
Genya comforted them, saying if they couldn't find their parents, they could come to him with Uchiha Furin. Only then did the two children feel at ease and follow Uchiha Furin away.
The next day, Genya roughly tied up the Red-Clothed cultists, loaded them onto the cart, and prepared to return to Konoha!
He wanted them to experience the same hardships the children had gone through.
****
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/AniScout