Gone Astray (Seeking Collections, Recommendations, and Monthly Votes)

Soon, all the bodies in the checkpoint were gathered by the squad led by Tokujo Gekko Naoki and laid out before Qifeng.

Looking at the corpses of Konoha ninja one after another, not just Qifeng, but everyone in the room felt heavy-hearted.

There were ten in total, each with different causes of death, and some were so disfigured that their faces couldn't even be recognized.

Gekko Naoki's face darkened as he spoke to Orochimaru: "Lord Orochimaru, the numbers don't add up."

A moment's thought made it clear—Konoha ninja squads always operated in groups of four. Ten bodies was clearly not the number three squads should have produced.

A fierce glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes as he licked his lips.

"Iwa-nin."

No bodies would have been left behind at the checkpoint. With Hyuga Tokuha's Byakugan, even the smallest detail couldn't escape its scan.

The remaining two bodies were either still alive, having fled the checkpoint to heal somewhere unknown, or they had been taken by Iwa-nin to extract information about Konoha's border defenses from their minds.

The latter was far more likely.

If they were still alive, they wouldn't have gone so long without making contact.

At Orochimaru's signal, Qifeng began processing the bodies.

Their gruesome state weighed heavily on his heart.

So this is what it means to be a ninja? This is war?

Even before the war had fully erupted, things were already this brutal. It was hard to imagine what kind of hell this world would become once the war truly broke out.

Qifeng felt a deep sense of crisis.

Though as a Corpse Collector, he might be relatively less exposed to danger, that didn't mean he wouldn't be caught up in it at all.

When an avalanche comes, no snowflake is innocent, and no snowflake is left untouched—the only difference is whether you're inside the avalanche or outside it.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qifeng used his "professional" methods and abilities to gradually restore each Konoha ninja's body as best he could.

As the bodies slowly took shape, the gazes of those present softened slightly, and a hint of recognition appeared in their eyes when they looked at Qifeng.

No one wanted to die without being buried in their homeland with some semblance of dignity.

As ninjas who had experienced the cruelty of this world, they had long since carried their lives on their belts.

And once they fell in battle, how they would be laid to rest, and whether they could return to their homeland, all depended on the whim of a Corpse Collector like Qifeng.

Though being a Corpse Collector was a despised profession in Konoha, the moment war descended, it became one secretly sought after by everyone.

No one knew when they would die.

Just like now—no one knew when the Iwa-nin would launch their next attack.

While Qifeng was processing the bodies, the reconnaissance teams led by Nakamura Kenta and Mitsui Hiyori both returned.

"Lord Orochimaru."

They briefly reported the information they had gathered.

Hearing the contents, Orochimaru pondered for a moment before saying, "Mount Nagao to the Northwest, is it?"

Comparing it to the map, he confirmed that Mount Nagao was a small hill dense with rocks, an utterly unremarkable location in the area.

He tapped his finger lightly on the table, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "Rest for fifteen minutes. We move out in fifteen!"

"Yes, sir!"

Rather than waiting here for the Iwa-nin to attack, it was better to strike first. Sitting around waiting for death was not Orochimaru's style.

Qifeng opened his mouth and pointed at himself.

Noticing his gesture, Orochimaru paused briefly. "Leave two Chunin here to protect Maruyama Qifeng. If you sense any trouble, don't try to be a hero—just leave immediately."

Qifeng wanted to say, Lord Orochimaru, what if you come back empty-handed? Then I'm the one who's screwed.

But after giving those orders, Orochimaru ignored Qifeng's pleading look and began laying out the battle plan.

Though proud, Orochimaru was still one of the Sannin, a name that had risen to fame during the Second Great Ninja War. He had extensive battlefield experience and possessed immense charisma. No one raised any objections to his arrangements.

Qifeng and the other two were left behind.

Watching the departing squad, Qifeng could only hope in his heart that Orochimaru's judgment was correct and that he would wipe out the Iwa-nin completely.

The two remaining Chunin—one skilled in perception, the other in trap-setting—had no prior connection with Qifeng, so there wasn't much to say. After a few brief instructions, they went about their own tasks.

That left only him alone in the command room, processing the bodies.

Staring at the corpses flickering with yellow and green light, Qifeng felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Only one Jonin corpse remained, and it was the most gruesome of them all—both arms and legs had been completely severed. He had put in a great deal of effort just to barely restore it to a whole state.

But the face looked as if it had been crushed by a rock, impossible to restore.

There should have been three Jonin stationed at the checkpoint, meaning the two missing ones were most likely Jonin as well.

The remaining nine bodies were all Chunin.

Three Jonin and nine Chunin—such a force would never have suffered such a devastating blow during peacetime.

The death of any Jonin is a tremendous loss to a village.

Orochimaru had been here before, so Qifeng hadn't dared to do anything out of line. Now that the man had left, he could finally loot the bodies.

"No offense meant, but since we're all from the same village, you wouldn't mind contributing your last bit of strength to it, right?"

As per routine, a few nice words before looting.

Starting with the Jonin's Yellow Corpse!

Yellow Corpse, success rate thirty percent. Loot? (Current 3/3, Daily 9/9)

No hesitation at this point.

The Iwa-nin might launch a sneak attack at any moment. Any boost in strength, no matter how small, could mean the difference between escaping or not.

"Come on, an Experience Card! Come on, an Experience Card!"

If he could get a Jonin Experience Card, Qifeng would feel a lot safer.

He didn't believe the Iwa-nin would send someone as strong as Orochimaru for just a probing attack like Konoha had.

So if he got a Jonin Experience Card, running away from an Iwa-nin assault would be no problem.

Confirm!

Failure!

Failure!

Success! Obtained Random Single Stat +3 Boost Card!

Something came out, but not what he'd hoped for.

Still, something was better than nothing.

The remaining attempts went to the Green Corpse.

Success! Obtained Water Release—Water Prison Wall Ninjutsu Card!

Failure!

Success! Obtained Random Single Stat +2 Boost Card!

Failure!

Failure!

Success! Obtained Wind Release—Great Breakthrough Ninjutsu Card!

The drop rate didn't surprise Qifeng, and the rewards were far better than what he'd gotten from the Morgue before.

After all, in the Morgue, most of the bodies were Genin. An occasional Chunin corpse was considered lucky, and a Jonin was a rare find.

On the battlefield, the daily haul was indeed greater, but the danger was higher too.

These items were great for slowly building strength, but compared to an Experience Card that could provide an instant burst, they fell short at this critical moment.

No helping it.

Qifeng used the cards one by one.

Successfully learned Water Release—Water Prison Wall!

Successfully learned Wind Release—Great Breakthrough!

On the virtual hexagonal wheel, the stats from the Boost Cards were determined by the spinning pointer.

Taijutsu +3!

Taijutsu +2!

Huh?

Oddly enough, both stat cards locked onto Taijutsu this time.

His base stats had already leaned toward Taijutsu after awakening Shikotsumyaku, and over the past week, his growth had been fairly balanced.

But with this sudden 5-point boost to Taijutsu, his build was now completely skewed.

"Am I supposed to become a Taijutsu-type ninja like Might Guy?"

That was the complete opposite of his planned development path—hiding in the back and firing off ninjutsu.

Right after that, the system popped up another message.

Comprehensive evaluation increased—Senior Chunin!

Character: Maruyama Qifeng

Age: 13

Affinities: Fire, Earth

Strength: Senior Chunin

Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku (Intermediate), Sharingan (Single Tomoe)

Taijutsu: 45

Essence: 28

Endurance: 25

Illusion: 20

Control: 28

Seal: 25

Taijutsu: Flowing Water Sword Technique

Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques, Fire Release: Great Fireball, Earth Release: Rock Concealment Technique, Earth Release: Earth Shore Return, Fire Release: Flame Bullet, Water Release: Water Prison Wall, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Items: Kaseki's Obsession, ...

He really did go down the wrong path.