The journey to Kirigakure had ended, and no one had survived.
But someone had made it out alive.
It wasn't Hiruko. That guy had ultimately killed himself under Mimi's gaze.
After the restrictions on Kira were undone, Kira went berserk and devoured all the flesh, leaving behind only a lump of bloody noodles writhing on the spot.
After struggling with it mentally, he had finally come to terms with things. His attitude in admitting his mistakes was fairly sincere.
However, the punishment wasn't over yet.
According to the original plan, Mimi had intended to continue traveling, but in the end, they didn't.
The final stop was supposed to be a desert wasteland, a barren stretch of land.
"I remember there being nothing here but sand." Chiri had visited the Wind Country once, and the scenery along the way was still etched in her mind.
Hitomi looked at the greenery spreading all around them.
The plants used to prevent desertification were mostly shrubs and small trees. They grew in patches, generally low to the ground, but with well-developed root systems.
It was clearly not something nature had created. It looked more like farmland irrigated by people, with the whole area neatly divided into sections that spread out in connected patches.
The orderly arrangement was meant to make it easier to manage.
In the wild, Mimi generally wouldn't make plants grow so rigidly. She emphasized following the way of nature, which meant order within chaos: if something wanted to grow, let it grow; if it didn't, leave it alone. In short, let everything grow wild.
"I planted them," Mimi said, unable to hide her pride.
"Impressive, impressive." Chiri sounded like she was humoring a child.
Of course I know you planted them. What was the purpose? To make it look pretty?
"We'll