The Price of a Miracle

The fire quickly alerted the Konoha ninja nearby.

The first to arrive was a patrol squad.

The three had just crossed the hill when they saw that the forest ahead had already become a sea of flames.

Flames dozens of meters high swept over the treetops, thick smoke blanketed the night sky, and burning branches constantly snapped and crashed to the ground.

"How did it spread so fast?"

One Konoha ninja's expression changed drastically.

"The wind is shifting. The fire has already spread to the eastern side!"

After only a few glances, the squad leader immediately made his judgment.

"Send an emergency signal. Request support from every nearby squad!"

"You two, come with me. We'll control the fire first!"

A signal flare shot into the night sky and burst beneath the thick smoke.

Not long after, two more Konoha ninja squads arrived. With no time to ask what had happened, everyone immediately spread out and formed hand seals.

"Water Style users, move to the front!"

"Earth Style users, cut off the fire line!"

"Everyone else, clear away anything flammable! Don't let the fire spread any farther!"

Several ninja charged toward the edge of the inferno at once.

"Water Style: Water Shock Wave!"

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A massive torrent crashed into the burning forest, and white steam instantly billowed upward.

On the other side, two ninja pressed both hands against the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

Earthen walls rose one after another, forcibly dividing the areas where the flames raged most fiercely. The rest used Wind Style to redirect the smoke, then swiftly felled the trees around the perimeter to clear a firebreak.

But the blaze was simply too large.

Great Fireballs had ignited several areas in succession, and the fire lines had linked together, already forming a widespread forest fire. Just as Water Style suppressed one patch of flames, another side flared up again.

"There are at least two points of ignition!"

A chunin in charge of fighting the fire wiped the water from his face, his voice hurried.

"No, more than two."

The squad leader crouched over the charred ground and picked up a clump of scorched, cracked earth.

"The ignition points are too scattered. An ordinary forest fire couldn't spread this far in such a short time."

The ninja beside him caught his breath.

"Someone set this fire deliberately?"

"At least several large-scale Fire Style techniques were used."

The squad leader rose to his feet and looked into the depths of the fire.

"There was a battle here."

The moment he said that, the expressions of the surrounding ninja changed.

Such extensive traces of Fire Style could not have been caused by an ordinary conflict. Besides, this area was not that far from Konoha.

"Put out the fire first."

The squad leader gave the order in a low voice.

"No one enters the central area without authorization. Wait for ANBU to handle it."

The firefighting effort lasted nearly two hours.

By the time the final open flame was extinguished by Water Style, the once-dense forest had become a scorched wasteland. Burned tree trunks lay scattered in every direction, the ground was covered in thick black ash, and the air reeked of acrid smoke.

Several masked ANBU ninja descended from the treetops.

Arriving alongside them was a squad of Root ninja with no identifying marks whatsoever.

The two sides merely exchanged a glance. Neither tried to stop the other.

The ANBU captain walked over to the Konoha ninja who had first discovered the fire.

"When did you find it?"

"An hour and a half ago."

"Did you see anyone suspicious?"

"No. By the time we arrived, the entire forest was already burning."

"What about signs of battle?"

"The fire was too intense. We didn't enter the central area."

The ANBU captain nodded and raised a hand, making several gestures.

Several ANBU rapidly dispersed.

The Root ninja entered the burned area as well, examining the scorched ground, rocks, and trees. They did not exchange a word, but their movements were highly practiced. It was obvious they were searching for traces left by the battle.

Half an hour later, an ANBU ninja stopped before a patch of shattered ground.

He brushed away the black ash, revealing the remaining roots of stone spikes beneath it.

"Traces of Earth Style."

Another ANBU landed beside him and observed it for a moment.

"The rocks pierced upward from underground. There were at least five attack points. The caster was highly proficient with this technique."

"Can you determine their identity?"

"No. The damage is too severe."

Not far away, a Root ninja picked up half a charred insect wing from the ashes.

Only a piece the size of a fingernail remained, its edges already carbonized.

Yet when the nearby Root ninja saw it, all of them stopped moving at once.

"Parasitic Destruction Bugs."

"The Aburame Clan?"

"Send it back for confirmation."

A Root ninja took the insect wing and sealed it inside a small bottle specially used to preserve evidence.

The ANBU captain noticed this as well.

He did not step forward to fight over it. He merely asked in a low voice, "Have any Aburame Clan ninja been carrying out missions in this area recently?"

The ANBU beside him took out the mission records and quickly flipped through them.

After a few breaths, his hand stopped.

"There was a three-man squad."

"Mission rank?"

"A-rank."

"Members?"

The ANBU looked at the names in the record, his tone gradually turning grave.

"Captain Takeno Sota, elite special jonin. He once served in ANBU and specializes in Earth Style."

"Squad member Ayakawa Yukina, special jonin. A branch member of the Aburame Clan who specializes in controlling Parasitic Destruction Bugs."

"The last one..."

He paused.

"Uchiha Lieyang, special jonin. Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He specializes in Fire Style, genjutsu, and throwing ninja tools."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Earth Style.

Parasitic Destruction Bugs.

Large-scale Fire Style.

Every trace remaining at the scene corresponded perfectly to this three-man squad.

The ANBU captain took the mission record and read it carefully.

"Their mission area was here?"

"Yes. Their mission was to infiltrate and confirm intelligence regarding a group of rogue ninja, then eliminate the targets if necessary."

"When were they supposed to return?"

"Last night."

"Any contact signals?"

"None received."

The ANBU captain turned to look at the utterly burned-out forest.

All three special jonin had vanished.

There were no bodies, no ninja tools, and no distress signals.

The A-rank mission had failed completely, and the scene contained battle traces corresponding to all three of their abilities.

This could not possibly have been an ordinary accident.

The Root ninja took the intelligence report handed over by his companion and quickly scanned the three names.

When he saw Uchiha Lieyang, his gaze beneath the mask visibly lingered for a moment.

"Expand the search area."

"Prioritize confirming Uchiha Lieyang's whereabouts."

The ANBU captain turned to look at him.

"The other two are missing as well."

"Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina were carrying out an assigned mission."

The Root ninja's voice was cold.

"Uchiha Lieyang is different."

"How is he different?"

The Root ninja did not answer.

He put away the mission record and directly ordered, "Seal off the information. Organize all evidence from the scene overnight, then send it separately to the Hokage Building and Root."

The ANBU captain remained silent for a few breaths and did not stop him.

Everyone present understood that if the three had encountered foreign enemies, the scene should not have contained only traces left by their own abilities.

What about the enemy's ninjutsu?

What about the enemy's bodies?

Even if the fire had destroyed every trace, they could not have vanished so completely.

Moreover, Uchiha Lieyang's Fire Style was perfectly capable of creating a forest fire that destroyed everything.

Every suspicion fell upon the sole Uchiha.

Dozens of miles away, in a remote town.

Dawn had not yet arrived, and there were few pedestrians on the streets.

The Shadow Clone carried Lieyang past the night watchmen, entered the room through the inn's rear window, and shut it again.

The room was small.

Other than a bed, a table, and a chair, there was no other furniture.

The Shadow Clone placed Lieyang on the bed and immediately checked the original body's condition.

High fever.

Erratic heartbeat.

Breathing that alternated between rapid and slow.

His limbs were still convulsing, and the blood vessels beneath his skin throbbed constantly, as though they might burst at any moment.

The joints in his right arm had shattered, the wound at his waist was still seeping blood, and bite marks left by Parasitic Destruction Bugs covered his body.

But the truly dangerous injuries were not these external wounds.

The Shadow Clone shared memories with the original body.

He could clearly feel that Lieyang's internal organs had suffered damage several times worse than his external injuries.