If these people couldn't endure it, then even if those fifteen ninjas hadn't died, they probably would have died by then anyway.
"You three, deal with the bodies."
The Scar-headed leader called out the names of three ninjas, then swept his gaze around and shouted softly, "Three!"
Swish!
The moment Captain Scar's voice fell, the original nineteen people vanished in an instant and returned to their posts. Meanwhile, three of them quickly gathered the bodies scattered across several miles. In the end, however, they collected only fragments—at most, enough for a single corpse... Some of the remains were no more than a person's finger or arm.
Even so, the three ninjas carefully gathered everything, spending an hour collecting the remains.
By then, the sky had brightened.
In a small forest beside his home, there was no miasma or mist in the early morning—only a dry, cool breeze.
Rustle...
The wind brushed through the green leaves on the branches, making them sway. Some leaves drifted down from the branches, spinning in graceful arcs before landing alone upon the ground.
A man slept atop a large tree. He was quite handsome, but his sleeping posture was utterly carefree, as though he had no concern for his image at all. A lazy smile still rested on his face.
There were no guards in this forest. The only person who would dare sleep here so peacefully was Mirai, who possessed a danger-warning system.
Several leaves fell onto Mirai's body and face. Mirai wrinkled his nose and inhaled their fragrance. Then he lazily opened one eye and looked at the dense foliage above him. His entire body was visible, yet half of his face remained in shadow, while the rest basked in the sunlight. If it had been autumn or spring, Mirai would have been