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Land of Hot Water.
This is a "country-village integrated" nation, unlike the five great nations, akin to the former Uzushiogakure and the whirlpool village.
With its abundant natural and tourist resources, as well as a strong emphasis on pacifism from top to bottom, it is one of the rare neutral countries in the ninja world.
Having been fortunate enough to evade the impacts of the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, Yugakure's combat prowess dwindled as wars faded, earning it the moniker "Village That Forgot War."
Hidan sought to kill everyone in such a peaceful village fueled by agitation and disgust, becoming a rogue ninja and joining the "Jashin Cult."
Of course, the Land of Hot Water was peaceful at present, though this tranquility had been shattered at the border.
First, there was a brief earthquake, followed by violent explosions, and then the echoes of battle reverberated for tens of kilometers.
No one dared to approach, so they informed the ninjas of Yugakure. However, they had already been notified by Kumogakure and were forbidden to go near the area, so they could only report to the Land of Lightning.
Rustle.
In the darkness, a four-person team swiftly navigated through the forest, the gusts of wind brushing past their ears, and the whispers of leaves masking their footsteps.
The leader of the group was a tall, well-built female ninja with shoulder-length golden hair and fair skin.
Samui, one of "Killer Bee" Kirabi's swordsmanship disciples, was promoted to jōnin by the Fourth Raikage due to her calm demeanor and leadership abilities.
However, at this moment, Samui's countenance was somewhat grave, lacking her usual emotionless coolness.
After receiving the news, the Fourth Raikage had immediately dispatched her to lead her team to the Land of Hot Water's border to assess the situation.
Initially, the Fourth Raikage had received reports from the border guards about strange sounds in the southwestern direction and sent them to investigate.
At the time, he hadn't been too concerned, merely using a communication beast to contact the border guards for further details, which resulted in no reply.
Only after receiving reports from the ninjas of Yugakure did the Fourth Raikage finally sense the gravity of the situation, prompting him to send Samui to check it out.
"Big sis, that should be the rendezvous point we arranged with Konoha, right?"
One of the men behind Samui, marked with the character "hot" tattooed across his shoulder, frowned and said, "It's likely those Konoha bastards causing trouble again. If it's really them…"
"Atsui, calm down." Samui called his name, her tone neutral as she interrupted, "Even if it is Konoha's doing, we don't need to act recklessly. We just need to safely return to Kumogakure with the intelligence. Lord Raikage will make the decision."
The personalities of these siblings seemed like their names, one "cold" and the other "hot." The former, as an older sister and jōnin, was rational and indifferent, while the latter, as a younger brother and chūnin, was optimistic and impulsive.
Rustle.
The four-person team finally emerged from the dense forest, with Samui, at the front, coming to a halt. The three behind her instinctively halted as well.
"Big sis, why did you suddenly stop?" Atsui asked.
"We're almost there." Samui's voice carried an unusual heaviness.
Atsui blinked, looking ahead. He only saw a flat area, instinctively turning his head to look for more details.
"Stop looking," Samui sighed, raising her hand and pointing into the distance. "That's our intel outpost, the rendezvous point with Konoha."
The three of them followed her指向, only to see a deep shadow ahead.
Their gazes swept across everything around them, and an incredulous thought suddenly emerged, making them widen their eyes in unison.
"Is this truly the port?"
In their minds, this port, constructed in collaboration between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning, was a place of beautiful scenes with lush trees and flowing waters.
Many fishing boats would dock in the river, with trees tinting the water a green hue, reflecting the expansive blue sky above.
But now…
A complete silence and desolation lay over a flat wasteland.
Disregarding the stunned expressions of the three, Samui crouched down to touch the ground.
Feeling the evident spiral scratches on the surface, a chill crept into her heart.
Indeed.
The port hadn't vanished overnight.
Rather, everything above this region's surface had been stripped away, like a drawing made with pencil on paper that had been brutally erased, leaving behind nothing but a desolate void.
Crack.
As Atsui instinctively stepped forward, he seemed to step on something that made a crisp sound.
Looking down, he saw a piece of iron buried in the dirt. After clearing the mud off of it,
he finally understood those minute scratches and the blurred insignia of Kumogakure.
"This is… a village forehead protector?" Atsui asked, astonished.
Seemingly realizing something, Samui slowly stood up and walked toward a protruding piece of land shrouded in darkness.
The three behind her followed instinctively, pulling out their kunai, their steps becoming cautious.
However, as they approached the elevated ground, all four began to smell a familiar stench.
Pat...
Samui stepped into a still-damp pool of blood, dark crimson droplets splattering onto her pants, staining them red.
Looking at the rotting flesh and white bones beneath her feet, at the purple hair soaking in the blood, Samui fell silent for a moment.
"Purple hair…" Atsui's throat bobbed as he hoarsely remarked, "This, can't possibly be Toroi-senpai, right?"
At this statement, silence enveloped the area.
The only scent that could be tasted was thick enough to feel on the tongue, accompanied by the rustling wind flowing past them.
The moon hung in the sky, casting a cool light that mixed with the chilly breeze from afar, suddenly giving the group a sense of coldness.
The chill brought by the moonlight pressed into their hearts, thickening the dread of death that filled the air, letting them feel with each breath that death was not just a concept, but a very real scent.
They understood that if this pool of blood was only for one person, it was enough to completely drain someone dry.
Such a manner of death sent chills through even their hardened ninja hearts, filling them with terror and rage.
Toroi, a formidable ninja renowned in the world of ninjas, had died in such a bizarre and horrifying manner?
"Who did this? Konoha?"
Samui felt a surge of uncertainty within her, glancing again toward the deep pit in the distance.
Her instincts told her that something remained hidden there.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha Hospital, the moon hung high in the night sky outside the window, casting a cool glow on the hallway floors.
Dressed in the Hokage robe, Sarutobi Hiruzen paused outside a hospital room.
He peered through the observation window, his gaze flickering slightly.
滴答…滴答...
Within the pristine white hospital room, the liquid dripped from an IV, and the lines on a heart monitor displayed rhythmic beats.
Akimichi Todo slowly opened his eyes, his immediate reaction was a sense of numbness in his calves. Lifting his head, he saw a mess of black hair.
"Ha…"
Hyuga Kumo sat on a chair at the foot of the bed, his head resting on Todo's legs, apparently fast asleep, even emitting faint snoring sounds.
"This kid…"
Todo couldn't help but let out a bitter smile, but at the same time, he felt a twinge in his heart.
He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that a whole day had likely passed since he had barely returned to Konoha before collapsing.
Assuming he didn't guess wrong, this kid must have been guarding him by his bedside for the entire day.
"Cough cough!"
His scorched throat itched slightly, prompting Todo to cough involuntarily.
Hyuga Kumo woke up abruptly, sitting up straight as he turned to look at Todo.
"Senpai Todo!"
Seeing Todo cough repeatedly, Hyuga Kumo hurriedly handed him some medicine: "How is your body right now…"
Crack.
The door to the hospital room opened, and he instinctively turned to look.
As he recognized the face of Sarutobi Hiruzen illuminated by the moonlight, Hyuga Kumo paused for a moment and blurted, "Third Hokage?"
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