Pulling out a handful of healing powder made from Kachū na Kyū, Kumiko slowly tried to apply them to the scrapes on her hands, desperately trying to terminate the bleeding. When she failed to do that, Oyama decided to intervene. He slowly clasped Kumiko's hands and assisted her in treating the wounds. Her facial expressions took a turn as a reaction to his actions and her feelings were somehow interpreted by Oyama, making him take a final watch on Nomura's dead body.

After gazing for a moment, he decided to join Kumiko and ask a few questions which he had had in his mind for a while.

"Kumiko..."

"You may ask, Bhante," Kumiko gave almost instant replies to all the questions asked, signifying her confidence.

"About the fight we just had…I am just curious. How did you manage to come up with the fact that Nomura isn't good at reactions? Even the strongest fighters which I have encountered in the past didn’t have a potential of this sort. My senses also suggest that you might be good at discovering your enemy’s weaknesses in a glance."

Kumiko made a slow re-sheathing of her katana. While reclaiming her hand, she prompted for a slow reply.

"Your Venerable, I am glad that you took note of my skills in such a brief moment. I do not have any idea about the source of this strange power of being able to hear and see things better. My sensei was only able to notice the potential of my skills and tactics after I started to train under his guidance, which is one of the main reasons I ended up as who I am right now."

“That reminds me. You said you were one of the few people who were chosen to be part of the Teen Ninjas right?

"Yes, I am.”

“Kumiko, I wonder how you would feel about me once this hits your ears. But I just can’t keep it inside my head any longer.”

“It’s fine, you venerable,” Kumiko replied with a faint smile on her face.

After a slow exhale, Oyama forced himself.

“Kumiko, tell me this. You are not doing this just because your Sensei asked you to do right?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You are doing this because you want to help your friend, Kento right?"

"Bhante," Kumiko's expression was struck with surprise. "How did you...come to know of that? Does that mean you also know..."

"Yes, you are hunting these enemies to recollect the fragments of the Star of Izanagi right? I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this before but my master is pretty good at mind reading. As he told me everything before I was sent, I knew everything from the start. But you don't need to worry. I know the reasons why you chose to conceal the details from my master and me."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Bhante, I am so sorry. I wish I could have done otherwise but I have to follow his orders."

"It's fine, like I said. You don't need to worry. Your secrets will never leak out of my and my sensei's mouths. Now...back to what I was about to ask you..."

"Yes, you Venerable?"

Oyama locked his eyes onto Kumiko's before asking,

"Why do you go so far to help your friend, despite knowing the fact that you are carrying a high level of responsibility and a risk which most people don’t even dare to think of?”

The moment his sentence ended, Kumiko began the spreading of a peculiar sensation through her body. In a glimpse, a roll of memories started playing inside her eyes. The surge of emotions generated from the playing allowed her to answer the monk’s question. She laid her hand on her chest and replied with gratitude.

"Bhante, my childhood was a dark one. I don’t even know who my mother was. I lost my father when I was just seven years old. After that, I had to spend my childhood with my cruel stepmother, who used to beat me up even for a very small mistake. There must have been countless amounts of times when negative emotions persuaded me to escape this world which I saw as nothing but hell. But, my life took a huge turn when I met him, the eldest son of Hattori Katsuro."

“Kumiko…”

“He was a kind person to save me from the miserable life I have been going through. And when he invited me to join the Teen Ninjas, I could embrace the family that I always wanted to have. It must have been the first time that I could listen to kind and soothing words after the disappearance of my father. He volunteered to sacrifice his time to train me to master Kenjutsu and Taijutsu in a short amount of time, which allowed me to become a full-fledged shinobi so that I could be a good teammate for my fellow members in Teen Ninjas...”

"It seems I have managed to finally meet a girl with a soul."

Oyama’s thoughts began overthrowing the negativity inside him, which enhanced as he continued to listen to her story.

“Yours venerable, I owe Kento something that I can't repay in this existence. He’s the reason why I am here right now. And as a human being with a mind and a heart, I must help him in this desperate moment, even if it would make me lose grasp of my life, forever.”

Her words slowly let Oyama breach a sudden smile through the edge of his mouth.

“I see…Well…”

Oyama paused while turning around to reach for his fallen enemy. After taking a few graceful steps forward, he bent down to reach for the red crystal that the imposter had been exploiting with utmost disrespect. With one swift swipe, the crystal was left free from the tensions of Nomura’s unsanitary clothing. He then proceeded to gently loosen the gem into Kumiko’s hands.

“Kumiko, I think this is why you are here…”

Kumiko was shaken.

She then proceeded with a really big bow.

“Bhanthe, Thank…you…so…so..much. But what about…”

“It’s okay Kumiko.” Oyama completed her sentence as if he had pre-perceived what Kumiko was about to interpret.

“You have a mission up on your sleeves. I say you’d assist your comrades in this desperate moment, while I clean up this mess, myself.”