A breeze lightly brushed through the forest, yet it carried an eerie, desolate air.
Deep within the forest, the scenery here stood in stark contrast to its surroundings. Rows upon rows of fallen trees had laid everything in the area bare.
The most eye-catching sight was naturally the blood-soaked figure standing there with his body slightly hunched.
Dai's hair was somewhat gray now, and his formerly green bodysuit was stained all over with dried crimson blood.
Blood had flowed over the entire right side of his body, soaking his right shoulder. The reddish-brown fabric stood in sharp contrast to the green cloth.
His legs trembled faintly. His right leg looked as though its skin had been flayed away, exposing the white bone beneath in a bloody mess. Even so, it still supported him firmly as he stood on the ground!
Not far away, Neji, Sakura, Tenten, Kiba, and the other Konoha examinees had gone pale. Covering their mouths lightly, they stared at the scene with shock filling their eyes.
Even though they were among the young generation of Konoha who had been quietly praised as exceptional!
They still could not imagine how this senior could smile after suffering such injuries!
That was right. In their eyes, the old man who had nearly sacrificed his life to save them wore a faint smile on his face.
Like a farmer returning from working the fields, his aged face revealed a hint of contentment everywhere. Yet he also seemed like an old man nearing the end of his life, his face filled with lingering attachment as he reminisced about the past.
For some reason, when Neji, Sakura, and the others saw Senior Dai like this, the words they wanted to shout seemed to catch in their throats, leaving them unable to make a