Chapter 38

This had once been a quiet grassland, but that peace had been shattered, all because of an unexpected visitor.

Perhaps "visitor" was not quite the right word. This visitor looked anything but presentable; rather than arriving like a guest, he seemed to have fallen straight from the sky. His clothes were already in tatters, revealing enough skin that he might as well have been running around naked.

Normally, anyone who crashed down from such a height would surely be dead. Yet this man was an exception. He was clearly alive and still breathing, though unable to move. Fortunately, the grass here was nearly half a person tall. Otherwise, with him practically naked, it would have been rather embarrassing for anyone to see.

No one knew how long passed. Perhaps several hours. By the time the sky had begun to darken, the man finally moved.

"Ow, mother of—"

He slowly sat up, his bones crackling loudly all over.

"That damn explosion nearly blew me to pieces, Isobu, you—"

He unleashed a barrage of complaints while fumbling through the waist pouch that had survived the blast. He pulled out a scroll, gave it a hard shake, and shook out a set of clothes.

Once he had finally gotten himself sorted out, he stood up from the grass. Clearly, he was a Konoha ninja, as he wore a Konoha ninja's combat uniform.

This unlucky fellow was obviously Qi. Isobu's explosion had sent both him and Tobi flying. Who knew what had happened to Tobi, but Qi had been flung far away by the blast. All he remembered was a ringing in his ears; when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing at all. Judging by the circumstances and the time that had passed, he conservatively estimated that he had been blown at