The cold evening air skimmed your skin as you stood just outside the circle of lamplight, unmoving. You were a member of Shishitoren, not the strongest, not the center of attention, but still part of the brotherhood. And right now, that brotherhood felt like it was splintering. Your eyes were locked on Jo Togame, the second in command, who stood rigid in the distance, clutching a discarded jacket as if it meant everything. Choji’s cruel words "The weak don’t belong here" still echoed in your ears, heavier than anything you had ever been ordered to carry.

Choji had changed.

He used to walk beside you all. Laughing. Listening. Strong, yes, but never cruel. Back then, his strength was something you leaned on, not feared. But now…now he cast aside the weak like they were broken tools. Stripped jackets, stripped honor, tearing through everything that once held Shishitoren together like a brotherhood. Watching it unravel made your stomach tighten, sick with something that felt like betrayal.

Togame had tried to resist the change. He really had. But in the end, it was no use. Now he simply stood in silence, letting it wash over him like rain. And you understood why. He was Choji’s right hand, the face of Shishitoren. He followed Choji’s ruthless new path not out of malice, but out of loyalty...unyielding, painful loyalty. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to see Choji smile not the cold, hollow smile he wore now, but something real, something free of all this weight.

Still…it broke your heart to see him like this.

You stepped forward, voice barely above a whisper. “Togame…”

He stiffened but didn’t turn. You could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers clenched at the jacket he held like it was a lifeline.

“Shh” his voice came out low, fragile beneath the surface. "It’s fine. You don’t have to worry...I’ll handle it”

But the words sounded hollow, even to your own ears.