Kutcher and Prīōra were at Ryōkōjū's house when a mob of angry villagers came looking for them.
Realizing what was happening, Kutcher immediately grabbed Prīōra and fled the scene.
Afterward, it was revealed that Nēgus was the mastermind behind the entire scheme.
He had sent the villagers after Tuziku and his crew in order to capture them.
He had also captured and beaten his grandfather, Ryōkōjū, before forcing him to watch as he burned his own home to the ground.
On the outskirts of the village, near the base of Mount Yakushi...
Kutcher and Prīōra bolted toward their captain while the villagers desperately chased after them.
Meanwhile, Tuziku trained in solitude, completely oblivious to the disturbance that was about to take place.
As Kutcher and Prīōra drew closer to the base of Mount Yakushi—
FWOOOOOOOOO!!
FWOOSH!
Heavy winds began to erupt from near the base of the mountain.
"That must be Tuziku up ahead!" said Kutcher as he ran toward the powerful winds alongside Prīōra.
"WE WON'T LET YOU TWO ESCAPE!!" one of the villagers chasing after them shouted.
"Let's hurry, Prīōra!" said Kutcher.
A few moments later, they finally spotted Tuziku training just a few feet ahead.
FWOOOOOSSH!!
"There he is!" said Prīōra.
"Tuziku!"
"Tuziku!" she called out.
As Tuziku turned around, he noticed Prīōra and Kutcher running toward him with troubled expressions on their faces.
"Prīōra, Kutcher..."
They stopped in front of him.
"What's the matter, guys?"
"Tuziku, there's trouble!" said Prīōra as she frantically gasped for air.
"Calm down and tell me what's going on."
Tuziku placed a hand on her shoulder.
Kutcher stepped forward.
"The villagers suddenly got together and started chasing after us..."
"They said something about punishing anyone close to the traitor Ryōkōjū." His expression hardened.
"They'll catch up to us eventually!" said Kutcher with a sense of urgency.
Tuziku gazed at him with a look of surprise.
"Could it be..." Tuziku mumbled.
"I'm not sure, but it could be him," Kutcher replied.
"What are you guys talking about?" Prīōra asked with a look of confusion.
Tuziku turned toward her.
"Prīōra, where is the old man?"
She gazed at him in confusion.
"Grandpa? I haven't seen him since he left with you earlier this morning," she replied.
Tuziku scratched his chin.
"I have a bad feeling about this!"
Suddenly—
"THERE THEY ARE!!" a man shouted from the nearby distance.
The ground began to shake as the loud sound of approaching footsteps drew nearer.
"This isn't good!" Kutcher panicked.
"The villagers have caught up to us!"
"Tuziku, we have to run for now until we figure out what's going on!" said Prīōra.
"THEY'RE OVER THERE! DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!!"
Tuziku turned toward the mob of villagers as they approached with terrifying speed.
"Tuziku?" Prīōra called out to him.
"I have a pretty good idea of what's going on..." Tuziku clenched his fists.
"Kutcher!"
"What is it, Tuziku?" he replied.
"I want you to take Prīōra and get further away from the village," said Tuziku.
"And what about you?" Kutcher asked.
"...I'm going to find out who's behind all of this."
"I'll catch up to you guys in a bit."
He glanced toward them and raised a thumb.
"What are you talking about, Tuziku!" Prīōra snapped.
"We're all getting out of here—together!" She approached Tuziku.
"KUTCHER!!" Tuziku shouted.
...
"I've grown stronger over the last couple of weeks..."
"I know my own strength now, as well as all of my weaknesses."
"...Please... trust me!"
Tuziku clenched his fists.
Kutcher gazed at him in silence for a moment.
Then—
He quickly hoisted Prīōra onto his shoulder.
"Hey—wait!"
"Kutcher, put me down!" she snapped.
"Tuziku... don't do anything reckless!" said Kutcher before running off with Prīōra.
Tuziku smirked.
"Hey, stop!"
Prīōra squirmed in resistance.
"Put me down, Kutcher!" she shouted as Kutcher ran off, carrying her over his shoulder.
"Now then..."
Tuziku faced the mob of villagers who had finally caught up.
One of the villagers stepped forward.
"Huh? You seriously decided to stay behind so your friends could escape?!"
"HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE?!" he shouted.
"He's the one the Chief told us about!" said another.
"The outsider who's trying to learn the Hakashi Technique!"
The Chief? There's no way he's talking about the old man, right? Tuziku thought to himself.
"Did the old man send you people after us?" Tuziku asked.
"Old man?"
"You must mean Ryōkōjū..."
"That traitor is no longer our village Chief!"
"FROM NOW ON—"
"OUR NEW CHIEF IS SIR NĒGUS!!"
"YEAAAAAAAHHH!!!" they rejoiced as they raised their fists toward the sky.
"Nēgus?" Tuziku mumbled.
How did Nēgus become the new village Chief?
"ENOUGH TALKING! MEN, LET'S CAPTURE THIS CRIMINAL AT ONCE!!"
The mob charged toward Tuziku.
As they attempted to restrain him, Tuziku did not resist. For some reason, he simply allowed himself to be captured.
"You're smart for allowing yourself to be captured and not putting up any resistance!" said one of the villagers.
Tuziku remained silent.
"LET'S TAKE HIM BACK TO THE VILLAGE, MEN!!" another shouted.
"YEAAAAAAAAHHH!!" they shouted in unison.
And so, they tied his limbs and carried Tuziku back to the village.
Soon after, they arrived.
Thud!
They threw Tuziku onto the floor, his limbs still restrained.
"SIR, WE'VE MANAGED TO CAPTURE ONE OF THEM!" a man amidst the mob shouted.
"HOWEVER, THE OTHER TWO ESCAPED!"
Suddenly, footsteps approached them.
Then, Nēgus appeared.
"Great work, men!" he praised them as he stood above Tuziku's body.
"Don't worry too much about the other two."
Tuziku glared up at him with an enraged expression.
But suddenly, Nēgus crouched down in front of him.
"What's up with that expression, you little piece of shit?"
Tuziku remained silent.
"The last time we met, I told you we'd meet again soon..."
"But who'd have imagined that we would meet under these circumstances?"
Nēgus let out a proud smirk.
Tuziku glared at him with disgust and anger.
"...The last time we met..."
"I promised myself that I would beat the shit out of you!"
Tuziku grinned while still lying on the floor.
Nēgus stood up.
"Is that so..." he smirked.
Then—
SMACK!!
He kicked Tuziku across the face.
Ptoo!
Tuziku spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, huh?!" Nēgus snapped.
"I am the Chief of the Hakashi Tribe, for Christ's sake!"
"Know your place, scum!"
With a look of disgust, he glared down at Tuziku, who lay on the floor with his limbs still tied.
"Where is... the old man?" Tuziku asked him.
"Huh?"
"The old man?"
Nēgus scratched his chin.
Suddenly, he picked up Tuziku and began to walk away.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shut up and be patient! It'll be worth it!" Nēgus grinned.
Soon after, they arrived in front of the old man's house, which had mostly been reduced to ashes and rubble from the intense flames that had engulfed it earlier.
Suddenly—
Thud!
He threw Tuziku onto the floor.
"W-what is this?" Tuziku stuttered.
"It's exactly what you think it is!" Nēgus smirked as he crouched beside Tuziku's body.
...
"But wait—it gets better!"
He said it in an almost excited tone.
As Tuziku's eyes scanned the area—
He finally saw it.
Ryōkōjū's pale body, covered in blood and wounds.
His limbs were tied, and he had been placed just a few feet away from his burning home.
As Tuziku locked eyes with the old man, his expression turned dark.
His emotions spiraled as he realized that what Nēgus had done had gone far beyond what was necessary for an act of revenge against his grandfather.
As Tuziku gazed at the old man's pitiful state, his expression hardened and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"What the hell did you do..."
"NĒGUS!!!"
Tuziku shouted in a fit of rage.
CHAPTER 57 END