Somewhere near the grasslands in the primeval forest.
"Is this the code Hirohiko left behind? Is he telling me to take something important away...?"
Yukina crouched halfway down on the thick branch, looking at the three trees around her forming a circle. In the corner of her eye was that inconspicuous code. The Byakugan in her eyes slowly faded, and the veins from the corners of her eyes to her temples gradually receded. One hand involuntarily rose to cover her eyes. Her formerly clear vision suddenly went dark, then darkened again. A sensation of pain and dizziness flooded her mind, making her sway and nearly topple headfirst from the thick branch.
"Drip..."
A streak of blood flowed from her nose, falling onto the thick branch and scattering into droplets, leaving behind a splash of crimson.
Yukina paid no attention to it. Instead, she slowly felt downward with her hand until her fingers came to rest on a neatly edged indentation beneath the branch, one made by a sharp object such as a kunai.
That's right, it should be here! Directly below this indentation should be what Hirohiko left for me—or what he wanted me to take away. There should be one of Hirohiko's traps below. Unless I descend in a straight line from this indentation, even the slightest deviation could trigger it.
And once the trap is triggered...
If one of Hirohiko's traps protecting something important is activated, even an S-rank ninja would likely suffer badly without defensive measures. As I am now, I would probably die.
Yukina withdrew her hand and looked around again. Then, her slightly blurred gaze settled beneath the dark, shadowy trees, on the space enclosed by those three primordial giants. The hand covering her eyes seemed to press down harder, while her teeth lightly bit