Morning.
The wind carries a hint of blood.
Akihara Kagura leans against a tree feigning sleep.
Kakashi Hatake stands guard at the forest's edge, while Uchiha Itachi glances at the hundreds of Hidden Grass Village ninja corpses piled up behind them.
Since chatting with Akihara Kagura, Kakashi Hatake has understood him more, comprehending the young one's worldview better.
Even though Akihara Kagura grew up by Shimura Danzo's side, he hasn't forgotten the kindness within human hearts, albeit filled with contradictions of extreme good and evil.
Kakashi Hatake agreed to let Akihara Kagura stay here to wait for the reinforcements from the Hidden Grass Village and the little girl who lost her mother, but refused Akihara Kagura's proposal to destroy the village. Destroying the Hidden Grass Village would likely provoke the nearby Land of Earth, causing trouble for Konoha…
Also, Akihara Kagura even suggested blaming Uchiha Obito for the destruction of the Hidden Grass Village.
Isn't that too much?
Kakashi Hatake talked Akihara Kagura out of it, believing that they already destroyed this crucial defensive line of the Land of Grass, allowing the bloodthirsty Kaguya Clan to invade and destroy the Land of Grass without additional trouble.
"Captain Kakashi."
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but ask softly, "Captain Kakashi, all the bodies have been collected. When can we start burning them?"
Last night, Uchiha Itachi and Kakashi Hatake collected all the corpses but weren't in a rush to destroy the evidence, making Itachi feel a bit strange.
"It's not time yet."
Kakashi Hatake shook his head, looking at Akihara Kagura resting against the tree: "There's another batch of corpses that hasn't arrived, they should be burned together..."
"Another batch of corpses… hasn't arrived?"
Uchiha Itachi looked up in surprise following Kakashi Hatake's gaze, feeling a chill in his heart: "Does this mean..."
"The bodies are here..."
Akihara Kagura's eyes snapped open!
A group of Hidden Grass ninjas quickly rushed towards the forest.
Among them, a red-haired little girl was being dragged along, so frail that she could barely run, collapsing onto the ground gasping in disarray.
"Don't stop here!"
"But, I've never been to the battlefield before..."
This red-haired little girl, wearing glasses and looking only six or seven years old, was filled with panic and fear.
A Hidden Grass captain glared coldly at Karin, not hiding his killing intent: "Hurry and follow us to support! Or I will kill you!"
This reinforcement unit from the Hidden Grass Village arrived at the forest quickly, only to see the piled-up bodies of Hidden Grass ninjas, making their hearts race with fear!
"Who... did this?"
"All the defenders on this front are dead, where is our enemy?"
"In the forest..."
The red-haired little girl seemed to sense something, looking fearfully into the depths of the forest: "There's a very terrifying person in the forest!"
Though she didn't know why she could see it, she already felt there was a person in the forest exuding an overwhelming, terrifying threat!
"Her perception ability is quite remarkable..."
A young voice emerged from within the forest.
"Who goes there!"
The Hidden Grass captain quickly turned his head!
In the next moment!
A vine suddenly shot up from the ground!
This vine was incredibly thick, piercing through the Hidden Grass captain's body in an instant!
With the prelude sounding, numerous vines and roots emerged quickly, slaughtering the reinforcements from the Hidden Grass Village!
The red-haired little girl could only crouch on the ground in terror, clutching her head, trying to hide her fear with this gesture!
However…
These vines seemed to hold no malice towards her.
The terrifying figure in the forest manipulated the vines to kill the Hidden Grass ninjas, yet not a single vine harmed a hair on her head.
The battle ended swiftly.
The Hidden Grass ninjas had no resistance against the unknown, terrifying enemy and quickly turned into lifeless corpses.
After this Hidden Grass unit was annihilated, the battlefield quickly fell into silence, and after a while, there was a rustling of footsteps again.
"Prepare to burn the bodies..."
This was the voice of a young man.
"Yes!"
This was the voice of a boy.
"Are you the little thing they talked about?"
This was another boy's voice.
The red-haired little girl lifted her head fearfully, seeing the terrifying chakra within this boy, the very person she sensed in the forest!
It was this boy...
Who killed all the Hidden Grass ninjas here!
"I… I..."
The red-haired little girl looked tearfully with fear in her eyes.
"We are Konoha ninjas."
Akihara Kagura squatted in front of her, with a sunny smile on his face: "Let me introduce myself, I am Akihara Kagura, killing is just a hobby, but fishing is my main interest..."
"I... I'm Karin..."
Karin dared not refuse, tremblingly responding.
Akihara Kagura tilted his head towards the forest: "That group in the forest mentioned your special ability before they died, the one where a bite can heal someone?"
"Yes..."
Karin's eyes filled with more fear.
Was this terrifying ninja who killed the Hidden Grass ninjas also after her blood?
"Your ability is not bad, almost as good as mine."
Akihara Kagura nodded in appreciation before continuing: "However, they seem unaware of your other fascinating ability, right? Just now, you saw me hiding in the forest, suggesting you can see enemies from afar?"