In the forest.
Bright sunlight filtered through the lush canopy, leaving dappled patterns of light.
Beneath the sunlight, the clearing was littered with enormous fallen trees and chunks of stone. Broken puppet parts lay scattered everywhere!
The ground was pockmarked with craters.
Several Konoha Ninja lay sprawled across the clearing. Blood stained the earth, leaving behind a gruesome, chaotic scene.
"Thud!"
A dark figure came hurtling down from the sky and slammed into the ground.
"Pfft!"
A moment later, a gigantic puppet dropped from above, driving a long blade through the figure's abdomen and pinning him to the ground.
Captain Morino, impaled through the abdomen by the puppet, weakly turned his head toward Nawaki, who stood there trembling and dazed. He shakily raised a hand and motioned for him to go.
A pained expression crossed his face as he summoned the last of his strength.
With blood and foam in his mouth, he managed to mumble,
"Go... go... hurry..."
As his life slowly ebbed away, his voice faded.
Nawaki stared at the scene, his pupils suddenly widening, but his legs trembled too badly for him to move.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...
Several Sand Ninja suddenly appeared in the clearing. They were all covered in wounds; the Konoha Ninja's desperate last stand had given them plenty of trouble.
"Is that the kid? The Konoha Ninja were willing to lay down their lives to protect him. Is he a noble from the Land of Fire?"
The Sand Ninja Captain slowly walked forward and asked in a hoarse, heavy voice.
His face was lined with exhaustion, and his eyes were webbed with red veins. Though he looked utterly spent, he still stood firm, as unyielding as steel.
"Whoever he is, we should take him prisoner for now. He might come in handy if we