Bang!
The water prison shattered with the death of the Cold Root Ninja. Uchiha Chiba's limp body fell to the ground, and he suddenly coughed up several mouthfuls of water.
If that guy hadn't been almost out of chakra, my genjutsu couldn't have worked a second time... Uchiha Chiba clutched his throat. Great. I already couldn't gather chakra in a short time, and now I can't even activate my Sharingan for a while.
The Root Ninja known as Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His lung had been pierced. The only reason he was still alive was that the little chakra remaining in his body was temporarily protecting the damage.
"You're an Uchiha child, aren't you... Come closer... I don't have much time..." Blood trickled from the empty socket of Chen's right eye. He could barely keep his body functioning.
Uchiha Chiba dragged his weakened body over to him.
"I'm truly sorry... You're still just a child... I... I've killed too many of my own people. So many that I've forgotten why I became a ninja in the first place... What was your name again..." Chen closed his only remaining eye, his voice trembling.
"Uchiha Chiba."
Chen gave a quiet laugh.
He took a scroll from his ninja tool pouch.
"This is a Summoning Scroll we took from a clan we wiped out on the battlefield. I kept it for myself. I never got the chance to make a contract with a summoning beast, and then... Uchiha Chiba, promise me you won't return to Konoha until you're strong enough... Lord Danzo... No... Danzo... Urgh! Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal... Damn it." Chen's breathing grew ragged as his body slowly went limp.
"There are two scrolls for C-rank ninjutsu in the inner pocket of my clothes, but they aren't Fire Release... Add the few Military Ration Pills in my ninja tool pouch and these two Explosive Tags... Consider them an apology for hunting you down..." Chen's body slumped to the ground. Blood poured out beneath him, no longer held back, and pieces of his ruined lung spilled out as well.
Uchiha Chiba gathered the things from Chen's body.
He struggled to his feet.
He wouldn't pity people like Chen. They weren't good people. They'd simply awakened at some point and realized one tiny truth among countless mistakes. That was nothing to feel sorry for...
Uchiha Chiba dragged Chen's corpse into a corner and found a few clothes to cover it.
"Damn... My chest really hurts." Uchiha Chiba clutched his chest as the tearing sensation returned. He seemed to have overexerted himself and reopened one of his wounds.
Uchiha Chiba clutched his chest and walked over to the Cold Root Ninja's corpse.
"What's this?" Uchiha Chiba reached out.
A bloodstained map.
"This circled place... It looks like somewhere in Amegakure. Maybe it's a secret location, or maybe something's hidden there..." Uchiha Chiba put the map away, then fought through a wave of dizziness to collect the short blade on the ground, a few chakra test papers from the Cold Root Ninja's body, and several Kunai. He had no idea why the man even had those papers.
Uchiha Chiba looked around.
The moment he stood up,
his vision went black.
Thud!!!!!
Inside Amegakure,
Hanzo the Salamander stood at the highest point, gazing silently toward the Land of Fire. The breathing mask on his face hummed.
"Lord Hanzo, Konoha has already sent out its forces. According to our intelligence, White Fang of Konoha and the Third Hokage's students will cross into the Land of Rain in a few days." Behind Hanzo the Salamander, a masked man spoke in a serious tone.
A little rainwater slid off Hanzo the Salamander's body.
He held out his hand.
Before long, a pool of rainwater had gathered in his scarred palm.
"I made a deal with Danzo alone. Anyone else who comes, I'll kill. Zozo, go get the ninjas ready. I, Hanzo the Salamander, can finally stretch my muscles. Those useless shinobi from Sunagakure didn't interest me at all." Hanzo the Salamander spoke calmly, his eyes sweeping across the Land of Rain.
A true war should be ended with overwhelming power.
Then,
Hanzo the Salamander tightened his grip on his sickle.
"Zozo, don't hold back. We won't lose this battle. After all, I, Hanzo the Salamander, am even stronger than the God of Shinobi!" His muffled laughter came from beneath the mask.
"Yes, Lord Hanzo." Hanzo's Left Hand lowered his head and withdrew respectfully.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Uchiha Chiba slowly opened his eyes.
"Wa... Water..." Chiba's hoarse voice sounded.
"Don't rush. Drink slowly." A gentle, lively voice spoke as a trickle of water flowed past Chiba's lips and down his throat.
After a long while,
"Cough, cough."
Uchiha Chiba opened his eyes.
He saw Konan, a little girl with purple hair, cupping a pool of water in her hands. It trickled down between her fingers. Her beautiful eyes met Chiba's.
"Konan? Why are you here? Where am I?" Uchiha Chiba tried to sit up.
Konan gently pressed a hand against Uchiha Chiba's chest and held him down. Her expressive eyes fixed on him as she slowly spoke. "I never ran away. I thought... if you died, I'd bury you. I buried my parents myself... But you survived, so I dragged you here... This used to be my home. It's pretty shabby, but at least it doesn't leak."
Konan carefully took half a bitten piece of bread from a small cloth bag nearby. The dampness had made it unpleasantly soggy, and it even smelled a little rotten.
"Here, you should eat something. Mom and Dad said that when you're sick, you need to eat well..." Before Konan could finish, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl.
In an instant,
little Konan's face turned bright red. She lowered her head, lost in thought.
Only then did Uchiha Chiba recall from his scant memories that this was the second year of the Second Shinobi World War. Amegakure had just finished fighting Sunagakure, and next Konoha would send its forces to fight Amegakure... After that, Konoha would fight Sunagakure... This was an era that treated human lives as worthless...
Uchiha Chiba reached out.
He patted little Konan's head.
"You must've been hungry for a long time. It can't be easy to find food here... Don't worry about me. I'm a ninja, after all. I can go without eating for a while." A bright smile appeared on Chiba's handsome face.
Konan looked up and saw the boy's smile. Her face grew even redder. She said nothing, only nodded, took the bread, and began eating.
Uchiha Chiba felt around inside his ninja tool pouch.
He was done for.
The Military Ration Pills in his ninja tool pouch had all been soaked by the dampness and crumbled into mush... They probably wouldn't help replenish his energy anymore. But at least... they were still food.
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