Grisly Scene

The southeastern part of the Land of Grass, bordering the Land of Fire.

A narrow valley, one of the several passages connecting the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.

Ordinary tourists and merchants, lacking the ninjas' ability to climb mountains and cross rivers as if walking on flat ground, could only travel between the two countries through these key routes.

Soldiers from the Daimyo's Mansion were stationed at these key transportation routes, but they were not there to defend against foreign enemies; strictly speaking, their role was merely that of tax collectors.

War belongs to ninjas. If a Genin with even slightly better Taijutsu can charge into a thousand-strong army and fight his way in and out seven times, then ordinary soldiers, apart from waving flags and shouting slogans and oppressing civilians, shouldn't be expected to do anything else good.

Even the task of dealing with bandits and thieves, fearing that there might be rogue ninjas or missing-nin among them, has been handed over to the ninjas.

In the past, although this place wasn't exactly bustling with traffic, there was still a steady stream of pedestrians. After more than a decade of peace, commercial exchanges flourished, and the tax collectors stationed here were raking in money.

Only--

Today, it seems that this group of well-fed and robust tax collectors has run into a brick wall.

As the sun rose, the valley was eerily silent, devoid of the usual clamor.

The stone wall was smeared with an uneven layer of flesh and blood, and blood spots like stars were scattered higher up on the stone wall. The narrow passage of the valley was filled with fragmented corpses.

The red blood pooled together and flowed down the terrain, forming a small river of blood.

In the pool of blood, a rather burly and tall man stood blankly, his clothes stained with blood, their original color unrecognizable, only a crimson expanse visible, and warm drops of blood still dripping from his hands.

His expression was utterly bewildered, as if he couldn't understand why he was in such a terrifying place.

"Why? Why did it turn out like this?"

The whispers echoed through the valley, and anyone could hear the pain within them.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The mournful howls soared into the sky and drifted far away.

"Vomit--!"

Upon seeing the bloody scene, the girl immediately knelt down and vomited.

Swarms of flies, like a dark cloud, hovered in the air. In the narrow passage, large numbers of flies were already crawling on the rotten corpses, enjoying their lavish feast.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and the putrid smell of corpses, a truly nauseating combination.

Rindou Uzumaki and Miki Uchiha were also vomiting profusely, throwing up their breakfasts from just a short while ago, which hadn't even had time to digest.

"That's interesting!"

Kimimaro stood at the Taniguchi, his expression utterly calm. He ignored his three subordinates who were vomiting uncontrollably, and instead carefully surveyed the desolate scene within the valley.

"The shattered corpses, the massacre that left no survivors—it's even more brutal than the report described. Looks like we didn't come to the wrong place, we were just a step too late..."

The blood had gone cold, and the mangled corpse had begun to stink!

"Kimimaro- sensei, this thing can't even be called a corpse anymore, can it?" Rindou Uzumaki, having vomited up everything in her stomach, finally felt a little better. She wiped her mouth and forced herself to stand beside Kimimaro. "It's completely minced meat!"

Calling it a corpse is a stretch; the ground was covered in rotten flesh, like a carpet, and not even a slightly intact outline of a body could be seen.

The person who did this is definitely a psychopath, and someone capable of such a thing is no ordinary killer. Killing a group of tax collectors is not difficult; the difficulty lies in how meticulously the bodies were crushed.

If the killer wasn't born with superhuman strength, then the possibility that the other party was a ninja is extremely high.

"Kimimaro- sensei, this is no longer a C-rank mission, is it?" Miki Uchiha was pale, but still forced himself to walk over.

"This is somewhat beyond expectations. The initial intelligence gathering was inadequate, and the Border Defense Force seem quite lax!"

Kimimaro said calmly, and with a single word, he sent the Border Defense Force tumbling into the mud.

Sakura walked over shakily, head down, covering her nose, unable to bear looking at the bloody scene in the valley.

I vomited everything out of my stomach; if I vomited any more, it would only be bile.

"Master Kimimaro, shall we continue with the mission?"

Sakura mustered her courage and asked.

"That's right. No matter the reason, once you've accepted a mission, it's best not to give up easily. Too many mission failures will affect your future assessments and promotions. Even if you become Jonin, it will still have an impact."

Kimimaro spoke up to explain, showing no intention of abandoning the mission.

Even though this task clearly exceeds the scope of a C-level task, it can still be considered B-Rank Mission.

Look at the brutal methods used in the valley; this is not something a group of Genin can handle.

Upon hearing that Kimimaro had no intention of ending the mission, Sakura's already pale face turned even whiter.

Even Rindou Uzumaki and Miki Uchiha looked worried; this kind of mad, perverted killer is really disgusting.

"You all do what you can, and as your superior and teacher, I will also do my best to fulfill my duties."

Kimimaro's words were like a reassuring pill, and Rindou and the other two indeed calmed down.

Kimimaro is absolutely qualified to stand here as their Jonin instructor, even though he's not much older than them.

"Quack--!"

The mournful cries of crows echoed in the air.

"Those damn scavengers..." Sakura looked up at the crows lured by the smell of blood in the sky with disgust. "Teacher, aren't we going to chase that murderer?"

Kimimaro did not move, but instead looked behind him at the main road leading to the Land of Fire.

Sakura and Rindou couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Judging from the teacher's tone just now, it was clear that she was determined to pursue the murderer to the very end.

Unexpectedly, they found themselves on the way home. Could it be that the teacher had deliberately scared them?

"Someone's coming. The crows that just flew over were their spies." Kimimaro's sudden words made Sakura and the others tense up instantly.

"Are they enemies?"

"Huh? When did it disappear?"

Upon hearing this, Rindou and Miki's expressions changed, and they drew their short swords and Kunai, assuming a fighting stance.

Sakura, with a pained expression, gripped her Kunai, huddled behind Rindou and Miki, and looked up, searching for the crows in the sky.

The grating, ear-piercing scream was still ringing in my ears, but it vanished in the next instant.

Seeing the wary looks on his subordinates' faces, Kimimaro's lips curled into a rare smile, but it was fleeting, making one wonder if they had misread it.

Having spent so much time with their mentor, they'd never seen him show any other expression, so it's no wonder Sakura and the others were surprised.

"Don't panic so much, it should be one of our own." Kimimaro waved his hand, signaling them to relax. "But it's always better to be safe than sorry. You reacted very well, knowing to draw your weapons to fight back instead of running away."

The four did not leave; instead, they remained where they were, patiently waiting. (To be continued)