Village Slaughter

Lin Qing and his group crossed mountains and sailed across the sea, eventually leaving the territory of the Land of Water. They passed through the Land of Waves along the way, though they did not encounter any more drug trafficking incidents.

Lin Qing did not believe that the other party had learned their lesson and turned over a new leaf just because of their previous encounter.

The Land of Waves was rotten to the core. It wasn't a problem that could be solved by sinking a few ships or taking out a few sailors and samurai; they were likely transporting and selling their goods in far more covert ways.

After passing through the Land of Waves safely, Lin Qing and Sasuke finally returned to the territory of the Land of Fire after a long absence.

The location of the survivor village was in the northern part of the Land of Fire, deep within a dense forest. The road ahead would not be easy; there were no official paths, and they would have to traverse the forest on foot.

Fortunately, everyone in the group possessed some level of cultivation. Even Mayuri and Haku, who had never undergone formal training, had physiques that surpassed ordinary people due to their Kekkei Genkai.

This leg of the journey was much easier for Lin Qing than the trip over; to be precise, he had been enjoying Mayuri's care the entire time.

From setting off to cooking meals and preparing for the night, Mayuri acted like a gentle older sister, keeping everything organized and in perfect order.

Lin Qing was no landlord, and he had tried to help several times, only to find he couldn't keep up with Mayuri's rhythm and ended up just getting in the way. He had no choice but to swallow his pride and silently enjoy the service.

In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed.

Because they weren't rushing, the group traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to replenish supplies whenever they passed through a town.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Lin Qing performed the hand seals rapidly, unleashing the ninjutsu toward an open patch of ground.

Since there had been no enemies lately, Lin Qing had been attempting to learn ninjutsu from Sasuke.

It wasn't that he intended to switch paths and become a ninja, but having an extra means of response was always a good thing—it was better to know oneself and the enemy.

However—

A tiny, balloon-sized spark appeared.

"Still nothing."

Lin Qing slapped the ninjutsu out of existence.

The hand seals were correct, and the technique was sound; the key issue lay in the chakra.

Lin Qing was unable to condense chakra normally.

Chakra was a surreal energy created by combining physical and spiritual power. Lin Qing's body was formidable, so the problem lay in his "spirit."

Sasuke stroked his chin, analyzing the situation.

"Brother Qing, could it be because you're a Stand User? Maybe your spiritual energy is entirely dedicated to manifesting your Stand, leaving none to create chakra."

That was indeed a possibility.

But there was another possibility...

Lin Qing's soul did not belong to the Naruto World.

Compared to the locals, Lin Qing's soul lacked the specific component required to generate chakra. If he could figure out the difference in his soul, perhaps he could attempt to cultivate ninjutsu.

Lin Qing pondered for a moment, then shook his head, abandoning the line of thought.

He lacked the knowledge in that field.

Rather than wasting time on it, he was better off focusing on cultivating the Ripple.

"Buzz—buzz—"

Aero Smith circled in the sky.

Lin Qing had reached his destination; the survivor village should be nearby.

After nearly an hour of searching.

"Beep-beep—"

In Aero Smith's detection field, the faint breathing of small animals had become sparse, indicating that human activity was about a kilometer ahead.

"We're almost there," Lin Qing said.

The two-month journey was coming to an end. Mayuri gently hugged Haku; they were both nervous and excited to be arriving at their new home soon.

Xiaotao and Sasuke wore smiles on their faces. They had become familiar with many of the survivors back on the cruise ship and were looking forward to a long-awaited reunion.

Seeing everyone so happy, Lin Qing smiled as well, but gradually, his expression faded.

"Brother Qing?" Sasuke asked.

Lin Qing said, "Something isn't right."

The traces of small animals had indeed vanished, but... why couldn't Aero Smith pick up any human breathing?

Even if they were out farming or hunting, it was impossible for the entire village to be empty.

Lin Qing carried the Blade of Ruin on his back and took the lead, with Sasuke and the others following closely behind.

They leaped through the jungle and soon spotted a shattered wooden sign with the words "Hope Village" written on it.

This was the name the survivors had chosen for their village.

Hope, reborn after experiencing the deepest despair.

Lin Qing placed the wooden sign back on the ground and lifted the Blade of Ruin with one hand. Before he even stepped into the village, he caught the scent of a thick, foul stench.

A very familiar stench.

Lin Qing recalled for a long moment, remembering exactly when he had smelled it before.

The first day he arrived in the Naruto World.

The Uchiha Compound.

When he pushed open his courtyard gate and stepped onto the street, the air had carried this exact scent—

The smell of blood, internal organs, corpses, and excrement.

Only, the scent in Hope Village carried an extra note of decay.

Collapsed houses were everywhere, fields were overgrown with weeds, and rotting corpses lay scattered about... Lin Qing closed his eyes, and a series of images presented themselves before him.

People full of hope, working hard for a new life, were slaughtered without reason by hunters who had suddenly broken in.

Yes, without reason.

They were not ninjas, they had little money on hand, and they weren't being captured for trafficking.

It was pure, senseless slaughter.

The group's gazes fell upon Lin Qing.

Shhh—

Lin Qing drove his blade into the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and said in a flat voice, "Let's deal with the bodies first."

Everyone carried the corpses to the center of the village. There were one hundred and three bodies, and since some had been dismembered and scattered everywhere, they could only manage to piece together the upper torsos.

Lin Qing looked over every single corpse until he reached the last one, then nodded at Sasuke.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball, a full several dozen meters high, appeared.

The local Sasuke, having practiced the Ripple, had seen his physical body and spirit greatly enhanced, his chakra far stronger than it had been in the past.

The flames consumed the corpses, emitting a crackling sound.

The five of them stood before the fire, watching in silence until the flames died out, leaving behind a patch of ash.

Star Platinum thrust its hands into the ground and heaved upward, flipping the earth over to cover the ashes, creating a simple grave.

Mayuri formed an ice flower between her hands and handed it to Lin Qing.

"Brother Qing, what do we do now?" Sasuke asked.

"There were one hundred and sixty survivors who left the cruise ship and decided to establish Hope Village. There are only one hundred and three bodies here; over fifty people are still unaccounted for."

These people, who chose not to return home or seek political asylum in Konoha, but instead chose to build a village, were truly people who held courage and hope in their hearts.

They trusted Lin Qing, so they followed his guidance here to start a new life.

Lin Qing placed the ice flower in his hand before the grave.

His relationship with the villagers of Hope Village was merely a chance encounter; Lin Qing didn't owe them anything. He simply felt that these poor people, who held onto hope, shouldn't have died.

At the very least, they shouldn't have died so unjustly.

"I am going to find those who survived and ask exactly what happened."

"But... how will we find them?" Xiaotao asked.

Judging by the state of decomposition of the corpses, half a month had passed since this disaster. Even if there were survivors who had escaped the ordeal, their tracks would have long since been covered by trees and grass over the last two weeks.

Lin Qing naturally knew this.

"We go to the nearest city."

"I need to buy a camera."