Liuchuan Town had none of the cries and wails they had imagined.
When the team arrived, nearly every door and window along the streets was shut.
Only the apothecary had a long line outside, and the air smelled of charred wood, medicinal herbs, and damp earth.
Thirteen makeshift wooden markers stood at the town entrance.
One more than the names listed in the first plea for aid.
Kakashi did not go to inspect the attack site first.
He divided the team into three groups.
The Medical Ninjas treated the wounded.
The Anbu and local guards checked the list of missing people again.
Shisui led a group to check for any untriggered traps still in town.
The Cross-Verification Squad was told to wait until the rescue routes were secure before entering the site.
An official from the Land of Grass was deeply anxious about this.
"The rain might wash away the traces."
Kakashi gave only one reply. "The living come before the evidence."
If rules made people miss a chance to save lives for the sake of preserving evidence, they would become another kind of mistake.
Itachi followed the medical team into the makeshift treatment center.
He was only supposed to record where the wounded had been found, but a boy stopped him by the door.
The boy looked about two years older than him, with a bandage wrapped around the right side of his forehead.
"Are you Konoha Ninjas?"
Itachi nodded.
The boy seized his sleeve.
"Why did you only come now?"
The room suddenly fell silent.
The Land of Grass's first plea for aid had reached Konoha three days earlier.
Considering the travel distance, the advance team had suffered no obvious delay.
Itachi could explain that reviewing the request took time.
He could explain that Konoha also had to