Bad News

"... Wood Release? This is the Wood Style Jutsu."

Orochimaru knelt on one knee in front of a rather gruesome corpse.

Although the word ferocious is somewhat disrespectful to the corpse, it has to be said that it is extremely appropriate.

Countless sharp wooden branches grew out of the body, colorful internal organs hung on the branches like skewers, hard bones were pierced through by the branches, and the skin was torn, making the whole corpse look like a bloody hedgehog.

"... The Wood Style Jutsu, the Wood Style Jutsu! Someone, go and fetch Nawaki for me." Orochimaru circled the corpse twice, his expression extremely grim. "And... go and find Katsuki too. No, wait, first send a message to all the clan heads, telling them to check their own family graveyards. Better safe than sorry."

"Yes."

The kneeling Anbu responded in unison, then disappeared into the night like shadows, quickly departing.

This is a public cemetery, where most of the people buried are commoner ninjas without family backgrounds. Clan members like the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga all have their own family cemeteries, and most of their clan members are buried in their own family cemeteries.

Compared to this place, the looting of those cemeteries is far more serious.

"Itachi, you should also go back and visit the Uchiha Clan's gravesite."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage, but my father is taking care of things in my clan, so whether I go back or not is irrelevant. It's just that here..."

Seeing the corpses scattered all over the ground, Itachi gritted his teeth, his usually calm demeanor failing him.

"... You can decide for yourself."

Orochimaru didn't say much; he was also seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it, so he had no mood to care about others.

"Lord Hokage, the Hyuga Clan's cemetery has been vandalized, and the culprit has not been apprehended..."

"... The Inuzuka Clan's cemetery has been vandalized..."

"The Yuki family's cemetery is also..."

The ninjas from the Anbu and Root worked together to get the information to Orochimaru as quickly as possible.

However, without exception, it was all bad news. All the families with some reputation in the village were killed without exception, and the grave keepers of each family were also slaughtered in droves. The attackers were very strong and their targets were very clear.

"It's him, it's definitely him, Senju Zen! He's back."

Nawaki strode over, his face contorted like a demon in the flickering Kakkō of the cemetery, causing the ninjas along the way to scatter.

"Nawaki, could it be...?"

"My... my Senju Clan's cemetery has also been vandalized," Nawaki said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.

Orochimaru closed his eyes; this news was absolutely terrible.

"And..." Nawaki's voice was filled with barely suppressed anger.

"And what?"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as a terrible thought flashed through his mind.

"Grandpa's and Uncle's graves were also dug up. My sister checked them, and there are... there are traces of cells being collected." Nawaki's face was a mixture of anger and sorrow. "That beast, I swear, when I catch him, I'll tear him to pieces."

Orochimaru groaned silently. This was truly the worst news imaginable. The graves of the First and Second Hokage had been opened, and Konoha's face had been slapped in the face.

Fortunately, there's the Sand Village ninja to keep them company, so they won't be the only ones standing out. And judging from Senju Zen's behavior, the other three ninja villages probably won't let him off the hook either.

When people themselves suffer misfortune, they often hope that their enemies will suffer the same fate. It has to be said that the nature of human beings is quite wicked.

That night.

The cemeteries of the seventeen clans of Konoha were attacked, and the gravekeepers of each clan were slaughtered by the attackers. The graves of all the Jonin the clans were opened, and after an examination by the medical team, it was confirmed that cells had been collected from the bodies inside.

A long-absent tension descended once again upon Konoha.

Numerous clans were enraged to the extreme, and a large number of experts were dispatched to try to find traces of the attackers. Nearly ten thousand ninjas were scattered in all directions from Konoha, searching every inch of the Land of Land of Fire.

Large conference room.

Thick smoke churned and shifted in the air, transforming into all sorts of bizarre shapes with the breaths coming from different directions.

"Cough cough!! Oh my god, is there a fire?"

As soon as Katsuki pushed open the door, a wave of smoke rushed out, choking Katsuki and making her cough.

"Open the window! Kakashi, hurry up, or we won't be able to breathe!"

The young Deputy Chief of the Anbu stood up, pulled out a chair, walked to the window, and opened all the windows. Immediately, thick smoke found its outlet. From the street outside, the Hokage Building looked like it was on fire, with five or six thick columns of smoke rising straight up and dissipating into thin wisps of blue smoke that slowly dissipated in the sky.

"Wow!!! That's amazing!"

There were a dozen or so ashtrays on the long conference table, filled with cigarette holders, and piles of ash bulged up like small mountains.

Katsuki grinned. These elders were all heavy smokers, each one smoking more fiercely than the last, especially the Third Hokage leader, who even used a pipe.

"Teacher, please sit down."

The beautiful woman with long, straight black hair stood up, dressed in a smart Anbu- style combat uniform with a short sword slung across her back, and walked over to pull out a chair for Katsuki.

"Kuyue, go back to your seat. I told you not to be so serious... It's amazing you've managed to keep it up."

The Yuki Kuyue.

The sixth leader of the Anbu, Kuyue, was recommended by Katsuki years ago and defeated all other competitors of the same period to become the first female leader in the history of the Anbu.

Fifteen years have passed, and Kuyue is no longer the little girl she once was. She has blossomed into a graceful young woman, perfectly inheriting the excellent genes of the Yuki family. She is an extremely famous beauty in the village, and her suitors can line up all the way from the Hokage Building to the main entrance.

Come to think of it, Kakashi seems to be one of them too, and his wife is quite concerned about it; she even received a letter from Sakumo before leaving home, inviting his family to dinner...

"Teacher, is there something on my face?"

Kuyue reached out and touched her face, which was as smooth as a peeled egg.

"Ah? It's nothing, I just remembered something... You should go back and sit down."

Kuyue sat back down in her seat, which belonged to the Anbu Chief. The long conference table was now full of people, roughly fifty in number.

"They arrived in such an orderly fashion!"

Katsuki clicked her tongue in admiration. It was rare for meetings to be so well-attended; most of the time, half the people were considered lucky to show up. (To be continued)