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Afterward, Kuro gave Wolf a reed pipe, instructing him to first find the hidden passage under the bridge and then signal with the pipe.

Stone took a swig from his gourd, discovering it only refilled his health by half, and the circles above his health bar representing resurrection were absent: "It seems we can't resurrect right now, so we need to be careful and try not to die."

Upon exiting, they found themselves facing basic grunts, posing no challenge to Stone, who had already defeated the Corrupted Monk. Proceeding forward, they quickly discovered a wooden bridge, scaling it by clinging to the wall: "Ugh, without the grappling hook, I feel so clumsy. When will I get it back?"

Two grunts were conversing on the bridge, overheard by Wolf: "There's a hidden passage under this bridge, at the end of the moat, right? Orders are to guard it as well."

"Yeah... the defenses are tight. It feels like war is coming."

Stone understood: "That's right, it seems the hidden passage Kuro mentioned is here."

He played the reed pipe under the bridge, triggering a cutscene.

The young lord walked to the edge of an embankment about two meters high, made eye contact with Wolf standing before the hidden passage, sat down, and cautiously extended his legs little by little, dislodging a layer of accumulated snow before gently leaping down, his pale feet landing on the dirt ground.

As Kuro approached Wolf, Wolf knelt on one knee, welcoming his arrival.

"Wolf, I'm grateful you found it." Kuro glanced at the wooden door of the hidden passage, illuminated by wall-mounted braziers and covered in cobwebs. "Let's go then."

The place seemed long unused, and as Wolf forced the door open with a creak, accumulated dust fell in showers.

Kuro sighed with an ambiguous tone: "Am I only able to escape the fate of blood..."

Inside the hidden passage, conversing with Kuro, he asked: "Once we leave this castle, where should we go? Let's leave Ashina... or hide somewhere... What do you think?"

Wolf's voice was low and cool as he uttered: "As you wish."

Kuro's voice sounded somewhat happy: "As you wish... You haven't changed a bit."

"Oh?"

"...It's nothing, just feeling nostalgic. Alright, let's go."

Stone exclaimed: "Wow, these two are really... kind of sweet? I'll protect the young lord's smile!"

"Stone, you've changed. You weren't like this before!"

"The young lord is so cute!"

Stone controlled Wolf, making his way out of the hidden passage.

The outside appeared to be a wilderness, surrounded by dense reeds reaching waist-height, with the rustling sound of wind blowing through them. A bright full moon hung high in the sky.

Wolf walked slowly ahead, with the young lord Kuro following closely behind, constantly looking at him.

Taking this step, Wolf stopped, his gaze fixed forward.

Noticing Wolf's halt, Kuro also stopped, following Wolf's gaze forward.

In the reeds under the moonlight, a conspicuous figure stood far away.

For someone to appear in this desolate wilderness, where even birds are scarce, just as they were trying to flee Ashina, they certainly weren't there to admire the scenery or the full moon.

The visitor meant trouble.

A low drumbeat sounded, the sound of the wind disappeared, and the background music changed to a faint horn sound, further intensifying the serious atmosphere.

"It's been a while, Young Lord."

The man's voice was somewhat effeminate, greeting them familiarly, yet giving off a sleazy vibe.

He wore a full suit of samurai armor, carrying an exaggeratedly long bow as thick as an ox horn on his back, and his helmet had beautiful decorations, like the ones Ashina Isshin used in the game's opening—the crest served to distinguish friend from foe and to show off and highlight status.

The man, who had been facing away from Wolf and Kuro as if admiring the moon or trying to put on a nonchalant act, turned around, revealing a rather handsome face with a hint of majesty between his brows: "The last time we met was in front of Uncle's grave, wasn't it?"

Stone said: "Oh? Kuro knows this person, maybe they're even relatives?"

"Lord Genichiro..."

Kuro's voice trembled slightly, instinctively taking a step back, a trace of sorrow on his face, as if he couldn't believe Genichiro would appear here, his planned escape turning into a pipe dream.

He turned his head aside, his shoulders rising and falling, then raised his head again, bravely looking directly at Genichiro, stepping forward and raising his voice: "I am..."

Wolf's hand suddenly rose, blocking Kuro, also stopping what he was about to say.

The camera rotated, following Kuro's line of sight, and Wolf's arm retracted, resting on the hilt of the Kusabimaru hanging at his waist, slowly pressing down on the scabbard. The wind in the wilderness gently fluttered his samurai scarf, while stirring up the white reed leaves that danced like feathers behind him.

"I'm sorry." Kuro's voice trembled, unsure whether it was regret or sadness, he lowered his head, then turned and quickly walked away.

"Leave it to me." Wolf's voice remained calm and steady.

His left thumb pressed on the hilt, gently pushing, "click," the blade was out of its sheath.

His right hand slowly lifted, the edge of his hand lightly touching the handle, his palm pressed down, then closed to grip the hilt. This simple action seemed to have been repeated tens of thousands of times, possessing a breathtaking power in itself.

Grasping the hilt, Wolf instantly exuded an invisible aura, leaning slightly forward, his left hand pressing down on the scabbard, his right hand drawing the blade out in an arc, the blade rubbing against the scabbard, emitting an extremely clear "cing" sound, fully drawn and reflecting a frightening cold light under the moonlight.

The camera kept rotating around Wolf, and at the moment Wolf drew his sword, the speed also accelerated for a moment. When he completely drew the blade, the camera just rotated from the side to face Wolf, showing an extremely stunning composition.

Full moon, Wolf, Genichiro, reeds.

Wolf was the focus of this picture, his scabbard hanging diagonally at his left waist, his right hand horizontally gripping the samurai sword. The extremely distant full moon seemed to hang over Wolf's head, adding a few points of aloofness and resoluteness.

He was Wolf, a lone and proud wolf.

His only bond was his lord, his lord's will was everything to him.

And now, someone was blocking his lord's path.

Across the vast expanse of white reeds swaying in the wind, the blurry figure on the right horizon was Genichiro.

"Are you going to interfere, the Young Lord's shinobi?"

Genichiro's calm tone contained a hint of threat, his arm extended, and he slowly drew his samurai sword from its scabbard, holding it diagonally at his side.

A great battle was about to begin.