On the mountainside of a somewhat imposing mountain, they discovered a dilapidated street.
It might once have been a beautiful boulevard.
Carefully and cautiously, they excavated the stone-made cave dwellings.
From the foot of the mountain to its summit, they stretched away in orderly rows.
Vines and weeds grew lushly, with no sign that anyone lived there.
The street seemed to have been abandoned for hundreds of years, and rust-covered ninja tools lay scattered everywhere.
Although they did not know what had happened, at least they detected no threat.
"This... might once have been a village of ninjas."
Although the Five Great Ninja Villages had only been established for several decades,
the species known as ninjas had existed for a thousand years.
After confirming that the area was safe for the moment, everyone began searching for information.
Throughout the street, they found traces that looked as though something had burned, leaving behind blackened marks.
"These are traces of a fire..."
"Was there a war in the past?"
Inside the abandoned houses, an enormous number of human skeletons were piled up like mountains, reaching all the way to the ceilings.
"In any case... this is definitely not normal..."
Everyone was stunned as they stared at the mountain of skulls before them.
They passed the mountain of skulls and entered the temple.
The statue had been ruined by time, while the walls and pillars looked ready to collapse.
Strange, exquisitely crafted eye-shaped designs could be seen everywhere.
The pupils had been drawn with special patterns.
Starting from the circle at the center, rays of light radiated in eight directions, forming a shape that looked like two Shuriken crossed over each other.
On the Stone Tablet beside it, a poem had been engraved in ancient ninja characters.
"Ancient Oath. If humanity strays onto