Tragedy

The rain had turned the roads to mud. It had little effect on ninjas, but for supply wagons marching through at a time like this, it was exceptionally troublesome.

A team was speeding through the dense forest. Leading them was a middle-aged man wearing a Konoha forehead protector and green combat uniform.

Aside from him, the entire team consisted of Ninja Hounds half a man's height. Every one of them was powerfully built and fierce-faced, each carrying a massive bundle on its back.

The group stopped at a fork in the road. The black Ninja Hound at the front lowered its head and sniffed a few times before speaking in a human voice. "Rainy days really are annoying."

The downpour had washed away every scent, leaving it deeply uneasy.

Inuzuka Ago glanced back at the entire pack, then found a concealed marker left by his unit on a tree at the fork.

"Hokumaru, hang in there a little longer. We're almost there. Everyone's waiting for us to deliver these supplies."

Hearing this, Hokumaru barked several times at the Ninja Hounds behind him before saying, "Let's get moving."

Ninja Hounds were not known for their endurance, and the long journey had already left them utterly exhausted.

The team set off again. Inuzuka Ago moved through the high tree branches, his nostrils filled with mingled scents—mostly mud, dead branches, flowers, and grass. All he could do was make sure his field of vision remained broad enough.

The scenery flashed past around them. Then Hokumaru, leading below, suddenly stepped into a trap. The ground, covered in rainwater and fallen leaves, instantly sprang open into a huge net. Hokumaru reacted quickly and accelerated out of the way, but his companions behind him were not so fortunate. The net tightened and hoisted them straight into the air.

Inuzuka Ago was shocked. With a flick of his hand, he hurled a kunai and sliced the net apart.

The Ninja Hounds immediately came to a halt, gathering together as they warily surveyed their surroundings. They tried their best to catch a scent in the air, but unfortunately, they still detected nothing unusual.

Inuzuka Ago did not descend to the ground. Instead, he stood atop a branch and scanned the area.

Fine rustling sounds came from the bushes, yet the enemy never showed themselves.

At last, a terrified cry rang out. A man dressed as a Stone Ninja fled frantically from the brush. Before Inuzuka Ago or the Ninja Hounds could react, another figure followed close behind him, flashing past with a blade and slitting the Stone Ninja's throat on the spot.

Inuzuka Ago saw the person clearly: a white-haired boy wearing a mask, holding a standard-issue short sword. Blood stained its blade, only to be swiftly washed clean by the rain.

He leaped down from the branch and came to Hokumaru's side.

"Isn't that the child prodigy?" Hokumaru said.

The Son of the White Fang, a genius jonin, the Yellow Flash's student, an outsider with the Sharingan... Kakashi bore countless titles. He was immensely famous on both the front lines and in the village; there was no one who did not know him.

Inuzuka Ago did not respond to that. Instead, he addressed the other party. "These Stone Ninja seem to have grown heavenly eyes. They even know our route. They really are impossible to shake off."

At that moment, a blond man appeared using the Body Flicker Technique, a kunai in his hand.

Inuzuka Ago immediately knew that this man had dealt with the Stone Ninja squad that had been lying in ambush nearby.

"Lord Minato." Inuzuka Ago promptly greeted him with a respectful bow.

Minato said, "A large number of Stone Ninja have already infiltrated our country. Many places are unsafe now."

"The war situation is getting more difficult by the day," Inuzuka Ago sighed.

Minato looked over the entire pack of Ninja Hounds and said, "You've all had a hard journey."

Inuzuka Ago shook his head. "For the village, what hardship is there to speak of? If you hadn't come to meet us, this trip might have ended in disaster."

At some point, Kakashi had taken out some snacks and was feeding them from his palm to one of the Ninja Hounds. He showed no fear toward these vicious-looking dogs; if anything, he was quite affectionate with them.

In an even tone, he said, "Rain has a major effect on Ninja Hounds' sense of smell. You shouldn't have marched at a time like this."

"Woof!" Hokumaru did not speak human words, merely barked once.

Inuzuka Ago understood what it meant. It was saying that Kakashi's tone was irritating.

He merely smiled faintly. "Kakashi is right."

Minato said, "The supplies are of utmost importance. Ago only took the risk of making this trip because he was afraid of delaying things."

"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Minato."

"Let's go. Many wounded are waiting for us. Kakashi, deal with the bodies, then catch up."

"Okay."

Minato, Inuzuka Ago, and the entire pack of Ninja Hounds departed first, leaving Kakashi alone to clear the battlefield.

He moved all the corpses to an open area and briefly searched them, replenishing his ninja tools. Then he found a signal pistol, along with three rounds of different colors.

Kakashi studied the signal pistol thoughtfully. A signal pistol meant that Stone Ninja were still somewhere nearby!

On Minato and Inuzuka Ago's side, they were not far from their camp. The end of the forest was just ahead, yet Minato suddenly felt a terrible premonition rise within him.

He involuntarily picked up his pace. Seeing this, Inuzuka Ago could not help calling out, "Lord Minato?"

"Ago!" Hokumaru suddenly warned him.

Only then did Inuzuka Ago notice traces of battle in the forest around them.

The man and the Ninja Hounds finally reached the outer perimeter of the camp. They found Minato standing motionless at the edge of the woods, and the sight before them made Inuzuka Ago's eyes widen.

The earth was cracked, blood flowed like rivers, and severed limbs and mangled corpses lay everywhere—a horrific sight!

The area was covered in traces of devastation left by ninjutsu, while the terrain itself had been altered by large-scale Earth Release.

Inuzuka Ago was stunned, followed by boundless grief and fury.

"Lord Minato." He turned his head and saw Minato standing there expressionlessly, without a word.

He had only been gone for half an hour, yet such a tragedy had occurred here. That meant the enemy had known he was leaving and had deliberately launched their attack afterward.

Another mole...

Konoha had suffered countless losses because of this. Even when they no longer took the initiative to attack, the enemy always managed to grasp all of their movements.

Minato truly could not imagine which of those comrades who had shared life and death with him was the traitor.

The rain continued to fall, soaking them both.

"Those damned Stone Ninja!" Inuzuka Ago viciously slammed a fist into a nearby tree trunk.

Then a Ninja Hound barked. Hokumaru ran over and found a mark left by a Konoha ninja on the tree trunk.

"It's an evacuation signal," it said.

"It seems everyone is still alive." Inuzuka Ago let out a breath of relief.

Alive... but how many could still remain alive...

This was a camp for the wounded. That battle had likely been nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.

Minato raised his head and took a deep breath. Without revealing any emotion, he said, "They should have retreated to the nearest camp. Let's go. We'll meet up with Kakashi first, then escort you there."