The forbidden jutsu, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, kept exploding for a long time before the blasts gradually died down. After they finally stopped, Uchiha Itachi and Maruboshi Kosuke hurried toward the site.
The battlefield where they had fought the Black-clothed man had become a vast crater. The vehicle carrying the Star Iron had vanished without a trace, and even the mission's objective—that massive chunk of Star Iron—was nowhere to be found.
The Black-clothed man who had attacked the convoy had also disappeared without a trace. Even the bodies of Uchiha Itachi's two teammates, the barrier specialist, and the porters had been completely wiped out.
The explosion had destroyed every trace.
"Tenma."
"Shinji."
Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at the crater and covered his face in anguish. He had shown his enemies no mercy, and he hadn't even had time to gather his comrades' bodies. Witnessing his teammates die with his own eyes, then destroying their bodies with his own hands—all of it plunged Uchiha Itachi into deep misery.
Maruboshi Kosuke, standing beside Uchiha Itachi, didn't know how to comfort the boy. A ninja of his age had long since grown accustomed to parting with the dead. The loss of two teammates saddened him, but he couldn't say that he felt much grief.
But young Uchiha Itachi had never experienced a comrade's death before. He had followed Uzumaki Kuming since childhood, and ever since becoming a ninja, his missions had gone smoothly. This was the first setback he had ever faced.
"Itachi, go get some rest. I'll see if anything's left behind."
Maruboshi Kosuke gently patted Uchiha Itachi's shoulder. Before the boy could reply, he slid down the crater wall and searched carefully through the wreckage. Kosuke didn't know exactly what he was looking for. Perhaps he couldn't accept that the Star