The battle was over, but the stench of war had only just begun to spread.
The Chunin Ninja Exams arena was a wreck. The stands had collapsed, the ground was cracked, and the air reeked of scorched rock and the metallic tang of blood.
Worse still, the traces left by countless strange jutsu across the highest viewing stands were far more terrifying and dangerous!
Iron sand had melted into molten iron and streamed down the stands. Dust Release had blasted enormous, perfectly square holes into the structure. Wind Release had carved the concrete into a forest of jagged points—
Of course, the greatest damage had undoubtedly been wrought by the Five-Style Great Barrage! Scorch marks and still-flickering arcs of electricity, raging fires still burning on the rebar, an oxygen-rich atmosphere, droplets of water threaded with lightning, and crystals fused into glass.
This was the battlefield of the Kage!
The area near the highest viewing stands was a horrific sight.
No one knew how many spectators had died in the aftermath of the battle, or how many were still alive.
The medical ninjas' white robes were soon mottled with blood and dust. They rushed between wailing civilians and unconscious ninjas, shouting hoarsely as they gave orders.
"Over here! This person's still breathing!"
"Clamps! Quickly! His artery's been severed!"
"Forget about me—go save the child—"
Hiroki stood on a relatively intact patch of ground. The arm formed by Earth Grudge Fear had retracted to his waist, as quiet as an ordinary ornament.
His Shadow Clone had dispelled itself as soon as the battle ended. A flood of memories and processed data had returned to his main body all at once, leaving his head throbbing.
He hadn't joined the rescue efforts. That wasn't his specialty. Although he'd copied all kinds of experience using