Unexpected Discovery

"Do you all know what you did wrong just now?"

Noma, who had the fiercer temper, stepped forward before Yushi and put on a stern face.

"We were still too careless just now. Not decisive enough."

Hearing Noma's questioning, Ebisu suddenly realized how many times he had lost focus earlier. On a battlefield, that probably would have been enough to get him killed many times over. And as the temporary squad captain, he had failed to set an example...

But just as Ebisu sank into dejection, his teammates were not feeling any better either—especially the two straightforward vanguards, Might Guy and Raiton.

"Sensei, we didn't do well either. At the start, we didn't take Omba seriously. We only became more alert after Ebisu reminded us."

Might Guy lowered his head and spoke somewhat sheepishly.

Right after Guy, Raiton stepped forward as well. With his head lowered, he said, "Sensei, the two of us were the first to make mistakes. It wasn't Ebisu's fault alone."

Perhaps because the six of them were friends from the same class, the bonds they had built during their school days seemed to have deepened at this moment. Once one person stepped forward to admit fault, there would be a second.

In the end, all six apologized together. "Sensei, we were wrong!"

This was actually a very clever approach. After all, the law did not punish everyone at once, and in Konohagakure, where bonds were especially valued, such behavior would not be questioned. Besides, they all looked utterly sincere.

Seeing this, Noma was no longer angry, though his expression remained stern. "It's good that none of you tried to shirk responsibility onto each other, but don't think this means we can just let it slide! When we return from this mission, Yushi and I will properly arrange some training for you all. Just wait for it!"

Though Noma did not say it outright, everyone could see from his unquestionable gaze that this threat was no simple matter. Since it was specially arranged training, it would certainly come with countless hardships.

"Oh! Noma-sensei, please train us strictly. Whether it's one day, two days, or an entire week, train us to your heart's content! The footsteps of youth are hidden within endless training. I can already feel myself getting impatient, Sensei!!"

In an instant, everything fell silent. It was as if a crow that cawed "idiot" had flown across the sky.

Yet upon hearing the word training, Might Guy seemed to have opened all Eight Gates. His eyes blazed with fire, and he failed to notice everyone else's petrified expressions.

Only after quite a while did everyone recover from Might Guy's thunderous declaration of youth.

However, the atmosphere seemed to become even more oppressive. Ebisu and the honest Tatei Iwashi were sweating profusely. Baiyun Yano's expression was especially unpleasant right now. He had just mentioned severely punishing these little brats, yet someone had actually jumped out and challenged his authority in this manner.

But there was nothing more he could say now. He no longer had the face to threaten them again, so he became unusually calm and composed.

"We're not completely safe yet. Leave this place first!"

After coldly tossing out those words, Noma was the first to leave.

Yushi, who had been standing to the side, gave the six of them an interested look, curled his lips, and followed after him.

The six did not linger either. Only Ebisu and Washi, looking as though they wanted to cry but had no tears left, cast Might Guy a glance filled with endless bitterness before leaving.

Might Guy was thoroughly bewildered, but no one found it easy to explain it to him directly. Then he remembered that Raiton seemed to share his temperament, so he asked, "Did... did I do something wrong, Raiton?"

When Guy asked that, Namiashi Raidō nearly burst out laughing. But Ebisu and Washi had not gone far, so he held back his tears and restrained himself. "Ahem, no, not at all. I actually think it was very youthful and passionate. Do it a few more times in the future, Guy! I believe you'll definitely become a strong man!"

"Oh, really? Hahaha, that's what I think too. Say, Raiton, someone as youthful and passionate as you makes me want to have a proper match with you."

"Uh, Genma! Wait for me! I remember we agreed to spar in swordsmanship!"

Namiashi Raidō was drenched in sweat as he looked toward Genma, who carried a sword not far away, as though he had spotted his savior.

After all, he had seen with his own eyes how Kakashi had agreed to duel Guy.

That had been back when they were still in school. Every day after class, those youthful and passionate declarations of battle would assault everyone's ears. He had once overheard Kakashi's fangirls grumbling jealously, even revealing that Guy had gone to provoke Kakashi while Kakashi was using the toilet.

He figured only Kakashi could endure that nightmare-like challenge of youth for any length of time. And judging from all the signs, Kakashi's Early Graduation might have been to escape Guy's nightmare.

Therefore, the moment he realized Guy had taken an interest in him, his first reaction was to run. There was no way he could refuse, so he could only pretend he did not know, had not heard, and had not even seen anything.

Namiashi Raidō took off running, desperately chasing after Genma. In truth, the crafty boy also had a bold idea: shift Guy's interest onto Genma, who was stronger than him. As he ran, a smug smile spread across his face.

"Mm, Raiton wants to spar with Genma in swordsmanship? Looks like I'm not the only one passionate about youthful duels. Raiton really is just like me, full of fighting spirit."

Poor Raiton did not know that Genma had long ago shifted Guy's interest onto Kakashi. Therefore, strong opponents were no longer Guy's only interest. Challenging like-minded, hot-blooded youths had become something he rather enjoyed doing.

After all, everyone feared being left alone. The still-young Guy had once believed his path to becoming stronger was a lonely one. But now that he had found Raiton, who was equally youthful and passionate, how could he not treasure him?

Simply put, Raiton's appearance finally gave Guy the feeling that he was not alone.

Watching Raiton run ahead, Guy's gaze became firmer and his steps lighter.

Over the following days, everyone resumed their search for Omba, but for some reason, it was as if the creatures had vanished completely.

And the more they failed to find any, the more stifling their mood became. But Heaven seemed to understand their hearts, finally allowing them to discover a large number of Omba at the foot of a cliff.

Only...

All of those Omba had become grim white bones. Ebisu was the only one who could identify them.

What had caused nearly a hundred Omba to die at the cliff?

Was it a natural disaster, or human interference?

The moment he saw the scene, Genma had his own guess. A natural disaster could not possibly create such a coincidence. Only human interference could have caused all this.

The countless Omba bones looked like a scattered jigsaw puzzle. For a time, they could not even piece together one complete body.

Even more strangely, many of the bone fragments were still inside the belly of an animal with a large, long skeleton.

According to Ebisu's identification, the animal should have been a snake—an exceptionally massive snake. But that alone could not prove that a battle between the snake and the Omba had caused this outcome.

Judging from the finely crushed Omba bones in the snake's stomach, they had already been partially digested. This discovery only made everyone more puzzled. If the two creatures had fought each other, how could the snake have had time to digest them?

Furthermore, while the other Omba bones were scattered, they were still relatively intact. It was highly likely that someone had dumped them down from the mountain, which was why not a single complete Omba remained.

More and more clues came to light, and as Ebisu analyzed them, everyone's mood grew heavier.

And it was not just Genma's group of six. Even the two jōnin leading them were shocked by the sight.

"Could the Omba we encountered have been the last few?"

Unexpectedly, it was the inarticulate Washi who spoke first, jolting everyone's thoughts.

What Washi said was not without reason. After so many days, they had searched nearly all the forests around Konohagakure, yet they still had not found any other Omba.

Either all the Omba had left Konoha Forest and gone elsewhere, or, just as the scene before them suggested, they had nearly been exterminated.

"If it's only one cub, it won't be worth much, right? What do you all think?"

Knowing that Kurenai had always found capturing cubs heartbreaking, Genma was the second to speak.

"Even so, but..."

As one of the more intelligent members of the group, Ebisu instantly understood Genma's intention and looked eagerly toward Noma.

"Uh... We really can't find any Omba now. If we keep looking, we'll have to search farther out, and that won't be worth it. As for this cub, if you don't mind, you can deal with it however you wish."

Baiyun Yano slightly raised his head, supporting his chin with one hand and closing his eyes as if deep in thought, making it impossible to read his expression.

Genma and Ebisu could both vaguely guess what he was feeling.

Earlier, Ebisu had mentioned that they had not been decisive enough. What he truly meant was that they were too kind and had never been ruthless with the Omba.

On the battlefield, mercy toward one's enemies would inevitably become cruelty toward oneself. Therefore, being unable to act ruthlessly during training was also deeply inappropriate.

Noma's current words were somewhat of an approval of such behavior. For someone whose skin was not thick enough, being able to say that much was already his utmost effort.

Yushi did not seem to react much to Noma taking control of the entire team, but the faint smile at the corner of his lips did not escape Noma's notice.

After giving Ebisu's group their instructions, Noma grabbed Yushi. "Tell me, did you anticipate something like this happening all along?"

Caught secretly enjoying himself, Yushi did not panic. Instead, he put on an extremely innocent expression. "How... how could that be? Besides, the ones causing the most trouble right now are from your team, aren't they?"

"Damn it! You're clearly enjoying my misfortune!" As he spoke, Noma clenched his fist and vigorously ground his knuckles against Yushi's head.

Yushi immediately cried out in pain, drawing everyone's attention to the two of them.

"Haha, well, you all keep discussing it. Yushi and I will go rest in the woods for a bit."

Noma instantly laughed it off and dragged Yushi toward the forest.

Later, the two emerged from the woods with dirtied clothes and hair as messy as chicken nests, none of their former dignity remaining.

Even so, a single glare from them was enough to intimidate everyone.

After hearing everyone's decision, neither of them objected. So they set off together to find the two adult Omba from before and return the cub.