The Scent of Death

Land of Hot Water.

This was a nation where village and country were one, unlike the Five Great Nations, similar to the former Whirlpool Country and Uzushio Village.

Thanks to its abundant natural and tourism resources, coupled with a widespread devotion to pacifism from top to bottom, it was one of the rare neutral nations in the Ninja World.

It had fortunately avoided being drawn into both the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi World War. Yugakure's combat strength had dwindled away with the wars, earning it the name Village of Forgotten Wars.

It was because Hidan had grown impatient with and disgusted by such a Yugakure that he slaughtered everyone around him, became a Missing-nin, and joined the Evil God Sect.

Of course, the Land of Hot Water was still peaceful for now. But that peace had been shattered at the border.

First came a brief earthquake, then the thunderous sound of explosions, and finally the aftershocks of battle, heard across dozens of kilometers.

No one dared approach, so they notified Yugakure's shinobi. But Yugakure had long since been informed by Kumogakure that they were forbidden from approaching that area, leaving them no choice but to report it to the Land of Lightning.

Rustle, rustle.

In the darkness of night, a four-man squad raced through the forest. Bitter winds swept past their ears, while the rustling leaves concealed their footsteps.

At the front was a tall, curvaceous female shinobi with shoulder-length pale golden hair and fair skin.

Samui, one of Killer Bee's swordsmanship disciples, had been promoted to Jonin by the Fourth Raikage due to her calm nature and leadership ability.

However, Samui's expression was somewhat grave at the moment, lacking her usual cold, emotionless look.

After receiving the report, the Fourth Raikage had immediately dispatched her to lead her squad to the border of the Land of Hot Water and investigate.

In truth, the Fourth Raikage had initially received a message from the border garrison. The letter reported that they had discovered unusual disturbances to the southwest and had led a team to investigate.

At the time, the Fourth Raikage had not paid it much attention. He had merely contacted the border garrison through a messenger ninja beast to ask for the reason, only to receive no reply at all.

It was not until he received Yugakure's report that the Fourth Raikage finally realized something was wrong and sent Samui's team to investigate.

"Sis, that should be the rendezvous point we agreed on with Konoha up ahead, right?"

The man behind Samui, with the character for "heat" tattooed on his shoulder, frowned. "It's probably another trick by those Konoha bastards. If it really was them..."

"Atsui, calm down." Samui called his name and cut him off in an even tone. "Even if Konoha was responsible, there is no need for us to do anything unnecessary. We only need to return safely to Kumogakure with the intelligence. Lord Raikage will make the decision."

The siblings' personalities were just like their names—one cool, one hot. The older sister, a Jonin, was rational and aloof, while the younger brother, a Chunin, was optimistic and rash.

Rustle, rustle.

The group of four finally passed through the dense forest. Samui, at the very front, stopped walking, and the other three instinctively stopped as well.

"Sis, why did you suddenly stop?" Atsui asked.

"We're here." Samui's voice was inexplicably low.

Atsui froze at her words and looked at the scene before him. All he saw was flat ground, and he instinctively turned his head to search around.

"Stop looking." Samui let out a breath and raised a hand to point into the distance. "Over there was our intelligence outpost—the rendezvous point we agreed on with Konoha."

The three followed the direction of her finger, only to see, in shock, a deep shadow plunging downward.

Their gazes swept across everything around them. An unbelievable thought suddenly arose, and all three widened their eyes in unison.

"This... is the port?"

In their memories, this port jointly built by the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning had been a place of verdant trees and rolling waters.

Many fishing boats would be moored on the river, while the trees dyed its rippling surface a lush green, reflecting the vast expanse of deep blue sky.

But now...

It was dead silent and utterly flat, leaving behind only an empty stretch of wasteland.

Ignoring the three who stood there stunned and bewildered, Samui crouched down and touched the ground.

Feeling the distinct spiral scrape marks on its surface, she could not help but feel a chill rise in her heart.

As expected.

The port had not vanished overnight.

Everything above the ground in this area had been stripped away, like a pencil drawing on paper erased in a single swipe, leaving behind nothing but a bleak blankness.

Crack.

Atsui instinctively stepped forward and seemed to crush something beneath his foot, producing a crisp sound.

Looking down, he spotted an iron plate buried in the soil. He picked it up and wiped away the mud.

Only then did he clearly see the dense scratches on the metal, as well as the blurred emblem of Kumogakure.

"This is... the village's Forehead Protector?" Atsui asked in disbelief.

As though she understood something, Samui slowly rose to her feet and walked toward a raised patch of ground in the darkness ahead.

The other three instinctively followed, but they also drew their kunai and gripped them tightly, their steps growing cautious.

Yet as they drew closer to the raised ground, all four caught a familiar stench of blood.

Splat...

Samui stepped into a pool of blood that had not yet dried. Dark red blood splashed onto her pant legs, staining them crimson.

Looking at the rotten chunks of flesh and White Bones beneath her feet, at the fragments of purple hair soaking in blood, Samui fell silent.

"Purple hair..." Atsui's throat bobbed as he said hoarsely, "Could this... be Toroi-senpai?"

The moment those words fell, silence followed.

All they could smell was the stench, so thick it seemed they could taste it on their tongues, and hear the faint rustling noise of the bitter wind passing their ears.

The moonlight that fell upon them carried neither warmth nor heat. When the cold wind blew in from afar, everyone suddenly felt chilled.

The chill seeped into their hearts with the moonlight.

Coldness and the scent of death filled the air, making every breath clearly convey that death was not merely a concept—it was a real scent that existed in the most visceral sense.

They knew full well that if that pool of blood had come from a single person, then that person must have been drained alive.

Even for shinobi like them, such a death sent chills through their hearts, filling them with fear and fury.

Toroi, a mighty Magnet Release shinobi renowned throughout the Ninja World, had actually died in such a bizarre and horrifying manner?

"Who did this? Konoha?"

Samui's heart was full of uncertainty. As though recalling something, she looked again toward the deep pit in the distance.

Her instincts told her that something else was hidden there.

At the same time, at Konoha Hospital, the moon hung high in the night sky beyond the window, casting a cold glow across the corridor floor.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, dressed in Hokage robes, stopped outside a hospital room.

He looked through the observation window, his gaze flickering faintly as he stared inside.

Drip... drip...

In the stark white hospital room, fluid dripped from an IV tube, while the line on the heart monitor pulsed rhythmically.

Akamichi Chodo, lying on the hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes. His first sensation was a numbness in his calf. Raising his head, he saw a head of messy black hair.

"Haa..."

Hyuga Yunchuan was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, his head resting on Chodo's leg as though asleep. He was even letting out faint snores.

"This kid..." Akamichi Chodo revealed a wry smile, though his heart was touched at the same time.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It had probably been a full day since he had forced himself back to Konoha and collapsed.

If he was right, this kid had been keeping watch at his bedside for the entire day.

"Cough, cough!"

His burned throat itched slightly, and Akamichi Chodo could not help coughing.

Hyuga Yunchuan was jolted awake. He abruptly opened his eyes, straightened up, and looked toward Akamichi Chodo on the bed.

"Chodo-senpai!"

Seeing Akamichi Chodo coughing continuously, Hyuga Yunchuan hurriedly grabbed some medicine and handed it to him. "Your condition right now..."

Click.

The hospital room door opened, and he instinctively turned his head.

When he clearly saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's face under the moonlight, Hyuga Yunchuan paused in perfectly timed surprise before blurting out, "Third Hokage?"

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