The traces of martial law still had not been completely cleared from the streets, but that suffocating chaos had already faded.
At a secluded street corner near the Sea Breeze Pavilion, Shuji was dealing with the last loose ends.
Illusion Erosion's corpse would not be taken back to the village. It was disposed of on the spot, the fire burning fiercely. The boy watched expressionlessly as the flames licked at the remains. There was no thick smoke, only faint crackling and an indescribable burnt stench.
Before long, only a small pinch of gray-white ashes remained. A gust of wind swept them away, and they vanished without a trace.
Beast Soldier Guard—Nether Erosion's life core—was a lump of flesh. Since it seemed to know something about Orochimaru, it would be brought back to the village.
Corpse Erosion and Water Erosion were likewise sealed in scrolls and would be handed over upon returning to the village.
They could probably be traded for some resources, or money.
After this battle, both Anko's and Itachi's equipment needed repairs and replacements.
Hongshan Cheng's meager commission payment was nowhere near enough. Once they returned, they would have to negotiate properly with the village and see whether the expenses from this operation could be reimbursed.
Under the circumstances, could the extermination mission and intelligence-gathering mission be counted as completed together?
Chujie Port had already recovered from the chaos of martial law.
After the Black Erosion Corps' raid failed, the leaderless Tea Mountain Gang was merely a group of ordinary people with some fighting ability. They had no way to face Chujie Port's local forces striking back.
The Wasuke Clan had kept its gates firmly shut since the martial law began and showed no sign of relaxing its defenses even now.
The local trading houses had no desire