Konoha reacted swiftly to the sudden incident during the Chunin Ninja Exams. At that moment, a squad of Anbu shinobi was examining what little remained of the corpse.
"Looks like he was stuffed in first, then burned again afterward? This guy had it rough." An Anbu shinobi stared at the charred face that seemed to have grown into an especially massive tree.
Even though he was an enemy, his appearance could still awaken something akin to sympathy in others. After all, the Anbu shinobi had never fought him, nor had they seen how badly Yuhara had suffered during the battle.
"This makes it very difficult to identify the enemy's identity and origins." The Anbu squad leader frowned as he looked at the scorched traces all around them.
All traces of the battle had been burned away. Most of the remains were embedded in a large tree, while the small portion that could still be identified appeared to have undergone severe decomposition. More importantly... judging purely by instinct, the Anbu squad leader felt that this enemy was very likely from within Konoha.
But the more that was the case, the harder it would be to investigate the man's identity and purpose. The Anbu might very well find themselves facing a situation that was difficult—or even impossible—to investigate.
The Anbu squad leader shifted his gaze to the large tree before him. Trees were highly symbolic in Konoha.
The poisonous mist filling the forest began to slowly dissipate, and the Anbu shinobi started investigating deeper inside.
Meanwhile, after the Medical Ninja who had rushed to the scene provided emergency treatment, Yuhara's injuries were brought under control. Although his self-mutilation had lengthened his recovery period, his decisiveness had also ensured that he suffered almost no effects from the poison.
After treating Yuhara's injuries, the