This was Kusagakure, but it was not really Kusagakure.
More precisely, it was Mui's Mental Landscape.
One after another, numb faces made up the ninjas and residents of Kusagakure.
The village was even more dilapidated than before.
At the edge of Kusagakure stood a large cathedral.
Buildings like churches could be found in every country.
For example... there was Yakushi Nonō's Orphanage on the outskirts of the Land of Fire.
Although there were churches, there were no gods in the traditional sense.
That could be considered one of the great peculiarities of the Ninja World.
Hyuga Sho pushed open the half-closed door.
Mui was inside.
He wore a dark-blue robe.
His hair was much shorter.
He held a tiny baby in his arms.
It was his son, Muku.
Mui's face was full of grief, tears in his eyes as he stared at the woman lying quietly in the coffin.
His wife...
He had come to see his wife, who had died in childbirth, one last time.
The priest responsible for the prayers slowly covered her with a white cloth, completing the farewell ceremony.
Two Kusagakure ninjas stood to the side as escorts.
The instant the white cloth covered her...
Several crows flew up outside the window, letting out ominous cries.
"Energy Wave Cannon."
A blue-white beam shot in from the entrance.
After an earth-shaking explosion...
The two Kusagakure ninjas were reduced to charred skeletons.
The priest, an ordinary person, was blasted into nothing.
Of course, the worst part was Mui's wife's remains. They were vaporized in an instant...
Oh, and the baby in Mui's arms, too.
"..."
Mui froze for a moment.
Then he let out a desperate scream.
He climbed to his feet and charged at Hyuga Sho.
He seemed unable to understand why anyone would do such a