Ryosuke and his party crossed mountains and ridges, then took a boat across the sea, leaving the territory range of the Land of Water.
On the way, they passed through the Land of Waves, but didn't encounter drug trafficking again.
Ryosuke didn't think it was because the other side learned their lesson last time and sincerely turned over a new leaf, no longer trafficking drugs.
The Land of Waves, its rot went down to the roots. It wasn't something that could be solved by sinking a few boats, killing a few crewmen and warriors. Most likely, the transport and sale had just become more hidden.
They steadily passed through the Land of Waves, and Ryosuke and Sasuke finally returned to the territory of the Land of Fire.
The location of the survivors' village was in the northern part of the Land of Fire, deep within a lush forest.
The next leg of the journey wasn't so easy, there was no official road, and they could only cross the forest on foot.
Fortunately, each of them had some cultivation. Even Mayuri and Haku, who had never trained before, had unusually strong physiques because of their bloodline limits.
Compared to when they came, this journey was much easier for Ryosuke, more accurately, he was constantly enjoying Mayuri's care.
From travel arrangements, to cooking, to evening rest, Mayuri was like a gentle big sister, organizing everything neatly and properly.
Ryosuke wasn't some pampered young master. He tried a few times to help, but found he couldn't keep up with Mayuri's pace and only added to the mess, so he could only shamelessly enjoy it in silence.
In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed.
Because they hadn't been rushing, the group traveled slowly, stopping and going. The journey was relatively relaxed, and they occasionally entered towns to restock supplies.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique."
Ryosuke quickly formed hand seals with both hands and released a ninjutsu toward an open space.
Taking advantage of the absence of enemies lately, Ryosuke tried to learn some ninjutsu from Sasuke.
Not that he planned to switch careers and become a ninja, just having another way to deal with threats was always a good thing. The more you knew, the better you could understand yourself and your enemies.
But, a super-mini fireball, only the size of a balloon, appeared.
"Still not working."
Ryosuke slapped the jutsu apart.
The hand seals were fine, the ninjutsu technique was fine, the problem lay in the chakra.
Ryosuke couldn't normally generate chakra.
Chakra was a supernatural energy created by combining the body and the spirit. Ryosuke's body was powerful, the problem was in the "spirit."
Sasuke rubbed his chin in thought.
"Brother Ryosuke, maybe it's because you're a Stand user, your spiritual power is all used up in summoning your Stand, so you can't make chakra."
That was definitely a possibility.
But there was also another possibility,
Ryosuke's soul didn't belong to the Naruto world. Compared to natives, Ryosuke's soul might be missing a component necessary for generating chakra. If he could figure out that difference in souls, maybe he could try to learn ninjutsu.
Ryosuke thought about it for a while, then shook his head and gave up that line of thought.
He didn't have knowledge in that area.
Rather than waste time on this, it was better to focus on training Ripple.
Bzz! Bzz!
Aerosmith circled in the air.
Ryosuke had arrived near his destination. The survivors' village should be close by.
After nearly an hour of searching...
Beep~ Beep~
Within Aerosmith's detection field, the faint breathing of small animals had become scarce. That meant about one kilometer ahead was an area of human activity.
"We're almost there," Ryosuke said.
The two-month journey was finally approaching its end. Mayuri gently held Haku, soon they'd reach a new home. Both were nervous and excited.
Rei and Sasuke smiled. Back on the boat, they had gotten to know many of the survivors and were looking forward to reuniting with old friends.
Seeing everyone so happy, Ryosuke smiled too, but gradually, his smile disappeared.
"Brother Ryosuke?" Sasuke asked.
Ryosuke said, "Something's off."
The traces of small animals had indeed disappeared, but… why hadn't Aerosmith detected human breathing?
Even if they'd gone out to farm or hunt, it was impossible for an entire village to be completely empty.
Carrying the Ruin Greatsword on his back, Ryosuke rushed ahead, with Sasuke and the others close behind.
They leapt through the forest and soon saw a broken wooden sign with "Hope Village" written on it.
That was the name the survivors had given the village.
After experiencing the deepest despair, they had been reborn with hope.
Ryosuke propped the sign back up, lifted the Ruin Greatsword with one hand, and hadn't even entered the village before he smelled a thick stench.
A very familiar stench.
Ryosuke paused for a moment, trying to remember where he'd smelled it before.
His first day in the Naruto world at the Uchiha residence.
When he pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped onto the street, the air was filled with that smell, blood, organs, corpses, feces.
Only this time, the stench at Hope Village carried an extra layer, rot.
Collapsed houses were everywhere, fields overgrown with weeds, and scattered rotting corpses… Ryosuke closed his eyes. Scenes flashed before him.
People full of hope, working hard to survive again, were suddenly attacked by butchers who came charging in and slaughtered them without reason.
Yes, without reason.
They weren't ninjas, didn't have much money, and weren't taken for trafficking.
It was pure sadistic killing.
Everyone turned to look at Ryosuke.
Shing!
Ryosuke stabbed his sword into the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and said flatly, "Let's take care of the bodies first."
They moved the bodies to the village center. There were 103 intact corpses, and some others were dismembered and scattered everywhere. For those, they could only gather the upper halves.
Ryosuke looked over each corpse. When he reached the last one, he nodded to Sasuke.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball, several dozen meters tall, appeared.
Native Sasuke, after training in Ripple, had greatly enhanced his body and spirit. His chakra was several times stronger than before.
The fire burned the corpses with loud crackling sounds.
Ryosuke and the others stood silently in front of the flames, watching until the fire went out and all that remained was ashes.
Star Platinum thrust both hands into the ground, then heaved up, flipping a huge chunk of earth to cover the ashes, forming a simple grave.
Mayuri formed an ice lotus between her hands and handed it to Ryosuke.
"Brother Ryosuke, what should we do next?" Sasuke asked.
"There were sixty survivors who left the boat and decided to found Hope Village. We only found 103 corpses here, which means more than a dozen people are still unaccounted for."
They hadn't chosen to return home, nor go to Konoha for political asylum. The ones who chose to build this village were the ones truly full of courage and hope.
They trusted Ryosuke, so they followed his guidance, came here, and began a new life.
Ryosuke placed the ice lotus in front of the grave.
He and the villagers of Hope Village were really just brief acquaintances. Ryosuke didn't owe them anything, he simply felt that these poor people who held on to hope… didn't deserve to die.
At least not to die such a wrongful death.
"I'm going to find the survivors and ask what exactly happened."
"But… how do we find them?" Rei asked.
Judging from how decomposed the bodies were, half a month had already passed since the massacre. Even if there were survivors, their traces would've been buried under trees and brush by now.
Ryosuke of course knew this.
"Go to the nearby city."
"I want to buy a camera."
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