Volume 4: The Undead Chapter 235: Cruel Shiranui (Part 2)
"Shiranui is a place where the strong prey on the weak... In Shiranui, ability and status are directly linked..."
A look of reminiscence gradually appeared on Ating's face.
"The more outstanding the ability of a ninja is, the higher his status and the more rights he will enjoy in Shiranui."
"On the other hand, weak ninjas can hardly make any progress in Shiranui..."
"In our Shiranui, there are four classes in total. We implement an extremely cruel class promotion and demotion system."
Ating held up four fingers.
"These four classes from top to bottom are - Jonin, Chunin, Genin, and... Ku."
"Those who perform well will have the opportunity to be promoted to higher ranks. Genin will be promoted to Chunin, and Chunin will be promoted to Jonin."
"On the other hand, those who perform poorly will be demoted from Jonin to Chunin, or from Chunin to Genin, or... be demoted to Kuro..."
"Kou is the most special class in Shiranui..."
A bitter smile appeared on Ating's face.
"No matter what great contributions a person makes in the future, he will never be able to rise in social status once he is demoted to a scumbag."
"That is to say - once you are demoted to dirt, you will never be able to turn over again in your life, and you can only be dirt for the rest of your life..."
"The male ninjas who have been demoted to scum will no longer have any tasks assigned to them. They can only do odd jobs, dirty jobs, tiring jobs, and hard work in the village for the rest of their lives."
"And the female ninja who was demoted to 'dirty'... Ayi, you said that you had a companion who was from Shiranui before. Did he tell you how the female ninja who was demoted to 'dirty' in Shiranui would be treated?"
"No..." Ogata shook his head, "He didn't say that."
"Didn't he tell you... Really... I really don't want to tell you in person what kind of treatment a female ninja who is demoted to a filth will receive..."
After sighing softly, Atachi smiled bitterly and said:
"There are two possible outcomes for female ninjas who are demoted to dirt."
"One is to be sent to the 'Flower House'."
“The name ‘Flower House’ sounds nice, but it’s actually just a free playground…”
"A free playground for the enjoyment of the upper, middle, and lower ninjas..."
"The female ninja sent to the 'Flower House' will be a free prostitute in this prostitute's house for the rest of her life, until she dies..."
"Another possible outcome is to be given as a prize to male ninjas who have made great contributions as wives."
"This is better. At least you only have to face one man. You don't have to go to the 'Flower House' and entertain different men every day..."
"But... after being sent to marry a meritorious male ninja, she will never be allowed to leave Shiranui for the rest of her life..."
"Ayi... guess what rank I am in Shiranui now?"
"... Genin." Ogata said softly, "Am I right?"
"That's right." Atachi smiled, but her smile was a little sad and bitter. "To be more precise, it's because of lack of ability and achievements, you may be demoted to a useless Genin at any time, a Genin among Genins..."
"That Soutarou and his brother Aotaro were originally Chunin in my Shiranui."
"I defected to Shiranui two years ago because I committed some crimes and was afraid of being punished."
"Since they defected to Shiranui, I haven't received any news about them. I didn't expect that they would become prisoners and be captured on this island..."
"Before the two brothers defected to Shiranui, they loved to cause trouble for us Genin and Kuro."
"After a while, they gradually recognized me as a half-baked Genin..."
"I... don't want to be degraded to dirt..."
A-Ming slowly tightened her arms and hugged her legs tighter.
"Even if I can never become a jonin or chunin, and can only be a genin for the rest of my life, it doesn't matter, as long as I don't become a scumbag..."
"So I cherish my mission this time..."
"Ayi, I should have told you before, right? How did this mission of 'Investigating Cannibal Ghosts' come about..."
"The emergence of this mission is purely a whim of our leader..."
"Because they heard that there were immortal cannibal ghosts on Butterfly Island, they were curious about it, so they sent me here to take a look..."
"This is a mission born out of pure curiosity..."
"So for the leader and the entire Shiranui community, success or failure of this mission is of no importance..."
"This is an insignificant task that just satisfies the leader's curiosity. It's best to give it to an insignificant, half-baked ."
"It's like asking your dog to help you eat the shit you just pooped..."
"That's why my mission was so random from beginning to end... They just decided to let me come to Butterfly Island on a whim, and they didn't provide me with any helpers or weapons... Nothing, I came here alone to carry out this mission..."
"But...even if I know this mission is the lowest level, I still have to do my best to complete it."
"Because... this might be my last chance to avoid being degraded to a scumbag and prove that I am still a useful ninja..."
"So... I really, really cherish this opportunity and this mission... After accepting this mission, I secretly made up my mind to complete it beautifully."
"...Ayi, do I look particularly ugly now..."
"The master just threw a pile of smelly feces to you, and you, a dog, have to eat it excitedly. You have to pinch your nose and eat the feces clean in exchange for the master's favor..."
Although Atachi's action was subtle, Ogata noticed it keenly - when she said the previous sentence, Atachi quietly stretched out her fingers and wiped the corners of her eyes.
Pursing his lips and staring at Atachi silently for a while, Ogata slowly walked in front of Atachi and knelt on the ground.
"A-Machi." Ogata pointed to his right, "Look this way ."
"what……?"
"Stop asking so many questions and look over here."
Although she was extremely confused, Atachi finally chose to do as Ogata said and looked in the direction Ogata's finger pointed.
Because he was looking to Ogata's right, Atachi revealed his right face.
After staring at Atachi's right face for a while, Ogata changed the direction of his finger and pointed to his left.
"Ating, look over here next."
"What on earth are you going to do..."
While muttering this in annoyance, Atachi continued to follow Ogata's instructions, looking to Ogata's left and revealing the left side of her face.
