Slaughter!

We attacked the enemy.

No... that wasn't right—we were crushing them!

After a day of forced marching, we lay in wait in the forest along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, killing everyone in sight who tried to cross the border.

Among them were ninjas, samurai, and merchants.

Young men, women, the elderly, and children.

Since we couldn't tell who was a spy, our orders were: "Better to kill the innocent than let a single enemy slip through."

Anyone who tried to cross the border fell before reaching the Land of Fire. And all of this happened in near silence. Only the splashes of water told us another life had ended.

Konoha's peace had never been maintained through mercy.

The Land of Rain was always weeping.

The rain came down in sheets. My bangs were soaked and stuck to my face, and the pounding rain nearly left me unable to breathe.

Rain surrounded me, punctuated now and then by screams and sobs that flashed past. Shadowy figures bobbed behind the curtain of rain, leaping and darting like demons, reaping souls.

I was no different.

Before me, a towering figure slowly fell. His face was twisted with hatred, grief, and unwillingness to accept his fate—all of it plain to see. But I, the one who had killed him, was expressionless. Only my slightly trembling hands betrayed a hint of feeling, silently revealing that I wasn't as calm as I seemed.

By the end of the day, I had taken nearly five lives. My eyelids lifted, revealing bloodshot eyes.

I had finally started killing people.

The first time I drove Murasame into an enemy's heart, my composure was frightening. I hadn't even realized I'd just ended a life. It felt no different from eating or drinking, like I was doing something perfectly ordinary.

I'd thought there would be a threshold I couldn't cross when it came to killing. I never expected that, through one battle after another, that threshold would quietly sink lower and lower, until I crossed it without even noticing.

In my previous life, I hadn't even dared to kill a fish. Now, after being battered by this world, I had become a murderer.

How terrifying.

Whether I admitted it or not, whether I wanted it or not, this world was changing me bit by bit.

"Akatsuki, go guard the southern side. Don't let anyone from the mountain enter the Land of Fire. Kill anyone who tries." Teacher Orochimaru, clad in a black robe, stepped over one corpse after another as he came to inspect the area.

"Yes, sir." I answered in the rain.

I stood guard alone at the foot of South Mountain. Half a day passed, and I didn't see a single person.

Just as I was about to head back and report, I saw a staggering figure making her way down the mountain path.

In the rain, she carried two bundles of branches and walked very slowly. She looked like an old woman.

I stood in the middle of the path, watching her quietly.

"Whose little one are you? Why are you all alone out here?" To my surprise, the moment she saw me, she called out to me in a thick local accent.

I froze and hid Murasame behind my back.

"It's pouring so hard. Did you get lost? Where do you live?"

A kind face, full of wrinkles.

Rough, dark hands, worn from working the fields.

And bright, kindly eyes that would never dim.

She reminded me of someone dear to me.

Someone I had lost in my previous life...

"Granny, you can't go any farther. There are... bandits up ahead." I hesitated, but in the end, I lied.

"Huh? Th-then what do I do? My granddaughter's home all alone! No, I have to hurry back!" Her expression turned frantic. My heart tightened. I gripped the hilt and blocked her way.

"Child, are you from the Land of Fire too?"

To my surprise, when the old woman saw me stop her, she looked worried instead. She came closer and stroked my head. "Did you get separated from your family? Here, put on Granny's coat. I'll take you home."

The moment she touched me, my heart gave a violent thump. My whole body softened and relaxed.

She draped her tattered rain cape over my head, took my hand, and warmth passed through the cold rain.

"My granddaughter's about your age. Her parents died young, so it's just the two of us. I was late gathering firewood today and wandered around for ages before I found the path. I wonder if she's hungry... I have to hurry home!" The old woman looked at me with concern. "Child, are you hungry? Have some dried rations."

I squeezed her hand and looked up. "I'm not hungry, Granny. This way."

I led her along the route I remembered, avoiding one deadly zone after another. The fighting was all around us. Every now and then, a scream rang out, making my heart jump.

Amid all the danger, I somehow managed to get her safely across the border.

"Granny, my home's this way. Come with me."

With only a few steps left before we entered the forest in the Land of Fire, a row of shuriken struck the ground at my feet, blocking the only way forward.

"Have you lost your mind? You brought someone in without permission. If Teacher Orochimaru finds out, you'll end up in the Interrogation Department!"

As luck would have it, Kusama Shigeo, a medical ninja, had been assigned to guard the forest.

"She isn't a ninja. She's just an ordinary person from the Land of Fire." I ignored him and led Granny onward, but he blocked us again.

"How do you know she isn't a ninja? Do ninjas have 'I'm a ninja' written on their faces? Uchiha Akatsuki, you're an absolute idiot. Was your first-place ranking at the Academy fake?"

My anger shot through the roof. I didn't want to argue with him anymore, so I turned back. "Granny, ignore him. Let's go."

But she didn't move. Even Kusama Shigeo's voice had fallen silent.

I looked up. A black figure had appeared in the rain without a sound, as though he had merged with it.

Orochimaru walked toward me. He wore no particular expression, yet a chill crept up my spine, and each step seemed to land on my heartbeat.

"Akatsuki, is this what you promised me? That you wouldn't let anyone cross the border?"

"Teacher, she... she isn't..." I tried to explain, but a sharp swish cut me off.

The Kusanagi Sword came to rest beside my neck, its tip suddenly flicking upward! I closed my eyes and heard a sharp clang behind me. Murasame had been knocked out of its sheath. It spun through the air, cleaving the rain, then plunged straight into the mud in front of me, its blade glinting coldly through the downpour.

"Kill her."

The man's voice struck my heart again and again.

"Since you brought her across, you're the one who'll take care of this problem."

"Tea... Teacher..." Even Kusama Shigeo was at a loss for words now. "But she... she really doesn't look like a bad person..."

He was a medical ninja. He hadn't gotten a drop of blood on his hands all day. He still had a conscience.

"I said to kill anyone who disobeyed. If you can't follow even the most basic military orders, then go back to Konoha and learn some discipline from the interrogators."

I stood motionless in the rain, my vision blurred.

I didn't know how much time passed. Under the varied gazes of everyone around me, I gripped the hilt and slowly walked toward Granny.

"Ch-child... what's happening?"

I shrugged off the rain cape, still warm from my body, and stood before the bewildered, cowering old woman. I didn't dare look at her, and I couldn't see her clearly. I trembled so hard I could barely stand.

Murasame felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in my hand. I couldn't move it an inch.

Why? Why had it come to this?

Why was I being made to do this?

Why?

"Ha... ha..."

I panted and tried again and again, but I couldn't lift the sword.

"Teacher, I..."

My voice was pleading. I had just begun to speak when Orochimaru appeared behind me, seized the hand holding my sword, and thrust it forward with all his strength!

Murasame plunged straight into the old woman's chest. Blood burst forth! Her face, stunned and despairing, appeared through the mist of rain as she fell backward.

"..."

I was in such agony that I nearly convulsed. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Hot tears streamed down my face, and I fell backward into a cold, damp embrace. The blade before my eyes was covered in blood. The rain couldn't wash it clean.

"Akatsuki, this is the first lesson I'm teaching you," Orochimaru's voice rumbled beside my ear, driving his words deep into my heart.

"Never trust anyone."

The next instant, the old woman's corpse suddenly sprang to life and lunged at us!

Orochimaru gave a sinister grin. Countless white snakes burst from the ground and lunged at her! The corpse let out a piercing shriek and charged at us frantically. Her attacks came so fast I could barely follow them. Several times, she nearly broke through our defenses!

I stood frozen in place. Teacher stood behind me, releasing white snakes with one hand, while his black robe shielded me completely.

I watched the old woman scream and struggle as the snakes coiled around her, again and again. She broke free time after time, but the white snakes seemed endless, surging forth without pause—until at last, the old woman ran out of strength. She fell heavily to the ground. Blood flowed freely from her, and she stopped moving.

I stood there in a daze for a long while before pulling myself free of the black robe. I staggered over and dropped to my knees with a thud.

"Th-this is..."

I gasped for breath. My mind had stopped working.

"Akatsuki, don't trust anyone so easily. Not your companions, your comrades, or even your lover... or family."

Orochimaru's icy voice came from behind me. He rested a hand on my shoulder, then let his fingers drift to my neck, making me feel as though my life were in danger.

And yet, strangely, I also felt a sense of security.

"Because there's a kind of jutsu in this world called genjutsu."

A faint snap of his fingers, and the genjutsu vanished in an instant. The kindly old woman before me changed completely. Her wrinkled face had become smooth and full, and her crimson eyes held no kindness—only murderous intent. Her rough fingers were as sharp as blades. I couldn't imagine what would happen if she grabbed me; I might die on the spot...

She was... the enemy?

"She's a rogue ninja from Amegakure named Mitsuhashi. She's skilled in disguise, Taijutsu, and genjutsu. Class A." A ninja from Military Headquarters who had arrived inspected the body. "I don't know why a rogue ninja from Amegakure appeared here. This was our failure."

"Go accept your punishment." Orochimaru waved a hand. His oppressive presence prickled at our backs.

"Yes, sir."

I knelt on the ground, feeling the world spin around me. For a long time, I couldn't come back to my senses.

"Do you still not understand? The genjutsu began the moment she touched you. That's why you led her through the defenses without noticing a thing." Orochimaru looked down at us indifferently, his voice utterly emotionless.

"Since she was a Class A rogue ninja, I'll let it go this time. But I hope you won't make such a foolish mistake again." His cold gaze swept past me to the person behind me. "And you, idiot."

With those final words, Orochimaru vanished into the rain as silently as he had appeared.

I turned around. Kusama Shigeo was kneeling halfway on the ground just like me, cold sweat and rainwater running down her chin. She was so frightened that she couldn't speak either.

I lifted my head and looked at the gloomy sky. The torrential rain pounded my face and body, yet, strangely, I couldn't feel its warmth or its touch. Even my hearing began to fade...

The whole world was dim and oppressive, as though even my breath were being stolen away.

My body trembled as I laughed soundlessly, lying quietly in the downpour.

So this was... war?