However—
Click!
Aoki casually grabbed the man's wrist.
The man's strength was almost meaningless compared to Aoki's grip. The thin man tried to pull his hand away, but it was futile. Cold sweat began to flow down the man's forehead, and his face grew paler.
Seeing this, the other villagers immediately panicked. Some of them turned and fled out of the hut. Others stood frozen, too scared to move.
However, the man Aoki was holding did not give up easily. In a desperate move, he released his knife—then quickly grabbed it again with his left hand and swung the knife at Aoki!
Aoki's eyes narrowed slightly, surprised by the unexpected resistance from someone who seemed so weak.
However, Aoki's reaction was much faster.
Easily, Aoki tilted his body, avoiding the attack with just a slight movement.
Slap!
A light strike to the man's wrist made the knife slip from his grasp and fall to the floor.
Thud!
Then, Aoki delivered a straight kick to the man's stomach. The thin man's body lifted slightly into the air before crashing hard onto the wooden floor.
No sound came from the man's mouth. He simply lay there, unconscious.
Aoki let out a slow sigh.
"Damn... I went overboard," Aoki muttered while scratching his head.
Aoki stared at the thin man for a moment, then lifted him and laid him back down on the increasingly fragile-looking wooden bed.
Aoki walked outside the hut, looking around. Some of the hut's doors were still open, while others were now tightly shut. From here, it was clear that the villagers who had intended to attack Aoki had fled in fear.
Aoki did not chase them.
He simply stood there, gazing at the night that was slowly beginning to fade.
After a while, Aoki decided to go to the hut directly in front of him, where he immediately entered and waited until morning arrived.
...
...
...
A few hours later, sunlight began to creep in through the gaps in the wood. The air still felt cold, but not as cold as the night before.
The thin man who had tried to kill Aoki the night before slowly blinked his eyes.
His head felt dizzy, and his body was still weak. As the man regained consciousness, he looked left and right, trying to understand the situation.
Then, his eyes caught sight of someone sitting not far from him.
"Hey, you're awake?"
The voice was so casual, yet it sent chills of fear down the thin man's spine.
His eyes widened as he saw Aoki sitting in a rickety chair, smiling broadly at him. The morning light coming through the hut's gaps illuminated Aoki's face, making his smile appear even clearer.
The thin man jumped. His heart raced, and sweat began to dampen his forehead.
Without thinking twice, he immediately got off the bed, falling to his knees in front of Aoki.
"I'm sorry!" The man's voice trembled, almost like someone begging for mercy from a god.
His head touched the wooden floor, and his body was now shaking.
Aoki simply stared at the man, silent for a moment. Then, the smile on Aoki's face slowly faded.
"Hmm... Why did you and the villagers try to attack me?" Aoki finally asked, his tone sounding a bit more serious this time.
The thin man bowed his head even lower, his mouth opened but no words came out.
Aoki looked at the man with a sharp gaze, waiting for an answer.
The air inside the hut felt increasingly heavy.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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