Slaughter!

We attacked the enemy.

No... I should say—we are crushing the enemy!

After a day of forced marches, we lay in wait in the forest bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, killing everyone within sight who attempted to cross the border.

Among them were ninja, samurai, and merchants.

There were young men, women, and even the elderly and children.

Because it was impossible to determine who was a spy, the order we received was: [Better to kill the innocent than to let a single one slip through.]

Anyone who attempted to cross the border fell before reaching the line of the Land of Fire. All of this happened in complete silence; only the splashing of water revealed that another life had been extinguished.

The peace of Konoha has never been maintained by kindness.

The Land of Rain is always weeping.

The heavy rain poured down, my bangs sticking wetly to my face, my entire body battered by the downpour until I could barely breathe.

The surroundings were filled with the sound of rain, punctuated by fleeting screams and cries. Dark shadows flickered and danced behind the curtain of rain like demons, reaping souls.

I was no different.

Before me, a tall figure slowly collapsed. Ferocity, hatred, sorrow, and unwillingness were all etched onto his face in vivid detail. Yet I, who had killed him, remained expressionless; only my slightly trembling hands betrayed a hint of emotion, silently signaling that I was not as indifferent as I appeared.

By the end of the day, the number of lives lost to my hand had reached nearly five. My eyelids flickered upward, revealing bloodshot eyes.

In the end, I had started killing.

The first time I plunged Murasame into an enemy's heart, my state of mind was terrifyingly calm. I didn't even realize I had just ended a life; it felt as ordinary as eating or drinking, just another mundane task.

I once thought there would be an insurmountable threshold when it came to killing, but I didn't expect that with each battle, that threshold would silently lower—low enough for me to step over without even noticing.

I, who in my past life wouldn't even dare to kill a fish, have been transformed by the ravages of this world into a butcher of men.

What a terrifying thing this is.

Whether I admit it or not, and whether I am willing or not, this world is changing me, bit by bit.

"Akatsuki, go guard the south. Do not let anyone from the mountain enter the Land of Fire. Kill anyone who defies this." Orochimaru-sensei, draped in his black robes, stepped over corpse after corpse as he came to inspect the area.

"Yes." I replied in the rain.

I stood guard alone at the foot of South Mountain. A full half-day passed without a single soul in sight.

Just as I was about to return to report, I saw a stumbling figure walking down the mountain path.

In the rain, she carried two bundles of firewood, walking very, very slowly. She appeared to be an elderly woman.

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

"Whose child are you? Why are you here all alone?" Unexpectedly, the moment she saw me, she called out with a thick local accent.

I froze, hiding Murasame behind my back.

"In such heavy rain, are you lost? Where do you live?"

A face full of wrinkles, kind and gentle.

A pair of rough, dark hands, calloused from tilling the fields.

And a pair of eyes that were forever bright, filled with kindness.

She looked very much like a relative of mine.

A relative of mine from my past life... who had already passed away.

"Grandma, you can't go any further. There are... bandits ahead." I hesitated, but told a lie.

"Ah? This... what should I do? My granddaughter is still home alone! No, I must get back quickly!" Her expression turned panicked. My heart tightened, and I gripped the hilt of my blade, blocking her path.

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

Unexpectedly, seeing me block her way, the old woman showed concern instead. She leaned toward me, patted my head, and said, "Did you get separated from your family? Come, put on Grandma's coat, and I'll take you back."

The moment I was touched, my heart trembled violently, and my entire being softened and relaxed.

She draped her tattered straw raincoat over my head and took my hand. Warmth instantly traveled through the freezing rain.

"My granddaughter is about your age. Her parents died early, and it's just her and me. I was late cutting wood today and spent ages finding the path. I wonder if she's hungry... I have to get home!" The old woman looked at me, her heart aching. "Child, are you hungry? Have some dry rations."

I gripped her hand tightly and looked up. "I'm not hungry, Grandma. This way."

I led her, following my memory to avoid the death zones. The slaughter nearby was too close; every now and then, a scream could be heard, making one's heart tremble.

In a heart-stopping journey, I actually managed to lead her safely across the border.

"Grandma, my home is this way. Follow me."

Just as we reached the final few steps into the forest of the Land of Fire, a row of shuriken embedded themselves at my feet, blocking the only path forward.

"Have you lost your mind? Bringing someone in privately? If Orochimaru-sensei finds out, you'll be sent to the Interrogation Unit!"

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

"She isn't a ninja; she's just an ordinary person from the Land of Fire." I ignored him and led the old woman inside, only to be blocked once again.

"How do you know she isn't a ninja? Do you think ninjas have 'I am a ninja' written in big letters on their faces? Uchiha Akatsuki, you are truly stupid to the extreme. Was your top ranking in the academy all a lie?"

My anger surged to a breaking point. Not wanting to argue with him any further, I turned back and said, "Grandma, don't mind him. Let's go."

However, she did not move. Even Kusama Shigeo's voice had vanished.

I looked up to see a black figure appearing silently in the rain, as if he had merged with the downpour.

Orochimaru walked toward me. Despite his lack of expression, I felt a chill crawl up my spine, each of his steps landing heavily 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 was interrupted by a sharp, whistling sound.

The Kusanagi Sword hovered at my neck, its tip flicking upward violently! I closed my eyes and heard a "clink" behind me; it was my Murasame being knocked from its scabbard. The blade spun through the air, cleaving the rain before plunging straight into the mud in front of me, gleaming coldly in the downpour.

"Kill her."

The man's voice hammered against my heart, beat by beat.

"Since you were the one who brought her here, you will be the one to dispose of this trouble."

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

He was a medical ninja; after a full day, he hadn't gotten a drop of blood on his hands, and his conscience remained intact.

"I have already said: those who violate orders will be killed. If you cannot even obey the most basic military commands, then crawl back to Konoha and learn the rules properly from the interrogators."

I stood dazed in the rain, my vision blurring.

I don't know how much time passed, but under the varied gazes of the others, I gripped the hilt of the blade and walked slowly toward the old woman.

"Chi... child... what is the matter?"

I cast aside my straw raincoat, which still held my warmth, and stood before the confused, cowering old woman. I dared not look at her, nor could I see her clearly; I was trembling so hard I could barely stand.

The Murasame in my hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, unable to move even an inch.

Why, why did it have to turn out like this?

Why did you have to make me do this?

Why?

"Hah... hah..."

I gasped, trying several times, but I could not lift the blade.

"Teacher, I..."

My voice carried a plea. Just as I was about to speak, Orochimaru's figure appeared behind me. He gripped my hand holding the sword and thrust it forward with a violent shove!

In an instant, the Murasame pierced straight into the old woman's chest, and blood erupted! The old woman's face, filled with shock and despair, was exposed to the rain and mist as she fell backward.

"..."

I was in such agonizing pain I nearly convulsed. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Hot tears washed over my face as I fell backward, collapsing into a cold, wet embrace. The tip of the blade before my eyes was covered in blood that even the rain could not wash away.

"Akatsuki, this is the first lesson your teacher is teaching you," Orochimaru's voice vibrated in my ear, his instruction sinking deep into my soul.

"And that is: never trust anyone."

The next moment, the old woman's corpse suddenly surged with life, lunging toward us!

Orochimaru let out a wicked laugh as countless white snakes erupted from the ground, pouncing onto the old woman's body! The corpse let out a shrill roar, attacking us with a frenzy. Her movements were so fast I could barely track them, and several times she nearly broke through our defenses!

I stood frozen in place. My teacher stood behind me, raising his hands to release the white snakes, while his black robes shielded me firmly.

I watched as the old woman shrieked, repeatedly ensnared by the swarm of snakes, and repeatedly breaking free. But the white snakes poured forth as if they were endless—until finally, the old woman exhausted her strength. She collapsed heavily to the ground, blood pooling out, and stopped moving.

I remained dazed for a long time before I finally broke free from the black robes, walked over unsteadily, and dropped to my knees with a thud.

"Th-this is..."

I gasped for air, my brain unable to function.

"Akatsuki, do not trust anyone easily, not even your companions, your comrades-in-arms, or even your lovers... or family."

The cold, chilling voice came from behind me. Orochimaru placed his hands on my shoulders, his fingers creeping toward my neck, giving me the sensation that my life was being threatened.

Yet, at the same time, there was a strange sense of stability.

"Because there is a technique in this world called Genjutsu."

With a snap of his fingers, the Genjutsu dissipated instantly. The kind old woman before my eyes changed in an instant. Her wrinkled face became round and plump, and her scarlet eyes no longer held kindness, but were filled with pure killing intent. Her rough fingers were as sharp as blades; I couldn't imagine if I would have died instantly had she managed to grab me...

She was... an enemy?

"It is a rogue ninja from Amegakure named Mitsuhashi, skilled in disguise, taijutsu, and Genjutsu. She is an A-rank threat," the military ninja who had arrived to inspect the body reported. "I don't know why a rogue ninja from Amegakure would appear here; it is our dereliction of duty."

"Go accept your punishment." Orochimaru waved his hand, his pressure weighing on me like a blade at my back.

"Yes."

I knelt on the ground, feeling the world spinning, unable to recover for a long, long time.

"Do you still not understand? The moment she touched you, the genjutsu was already activated. That is why you brought her through the defensive line without even realizing it." Orochimaru looked down at us with indifference, his tone devoid of any ripples.

"Since you are an A-rank missing-nin, I will not pursue this further, but I hope you will not commit such a foolish mistake again." His cold gaze swept toward the person behind me—"And you, idiot."

Leaving behind those final words, Orochimaru vanished into the rain as silently as he had arrived.

I turned my head back to see Kusama Shigeo kneeling on the ground just like me, cold sweat and rainwater streaming down his chin, equally terrified into silence.

I tilted my head back, looking up at the overcast sky. The torrential rain poured down, pelting my face and body, yet miraculously, it held no temperature and no sensation; eventually... even my hearing began to fade away.

The entire world turned dim, so oppressive that it felt as if my very breath was being stolen.

My body trembled as I began to laugh silently, lying quietly amidst the downpour.

Is this—war?