Uchiha Akira's final strike not only eliminated the last remaining enemy—
It also allowed him to fully comprehend advanced kunai-throwing techniques, achieving perfect accuracy.
As long as a target was within his line of sight, no matter the distance, he could strike it with precision.
Moreover, his control over force had improved, allowing him to throw with maximum power while using minimal effort.
This technique might seem simple…
But when used properly, it could become a deadly, unexpected killing move.
Akira was very satisfied with this.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he turned around just as the Konoha Chunin escorts approached him.
During the intense battle earlier, his focus had been entirely on eliminating threats, so he hadn't felt much discomfort.
But now that the adrenaline had faded—
The dull pain returned.
The wounds that hadn't fully healed reopened, blood seeping out once more.
Suppressing the pain, his brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the young female ninja walking toward him.
She met his gaze at the same time.
"You're part of the medical unit, right?"
"I remember you collapsed in the forest earlier… your injuries should've been fatal."
"That's why we left you there temporarily. But now you…"
The kunoichi, who looked to be in her early twenties, stared into his eyes, her voice filled with confusion.
"Yeah… I'm injured."
"Help me bandage it."
Akira spoke casually, a relaxed smile on his face—
And the next moment, his vision went black as he collapsed straight toward her.
When he woke again, night had already fallen.
They were still in the forest.
From the surroundings, it was no longer the same clearing where the earlier battle had taken place—
But it was obvious they were still on the battlefield.
The lingering smell of smoke and blood…
As well as the residual traces of various ninjutsu—
All confirmed it.
Curious, Akira turned his head toward the group of escort ninja sitting by a campfire.
"You're awake?"
The sharp-featured female ninja looked over, curiosity in her bright eyes.
Another male ninja spoke:
"Based on your injuries, you should've received proper treatment on the spot… or been sent back to the village."
"But unfortunately, all the medical ninja we were escorting have been killed."
"We've also lost contact with your original squad, so we had no choice but to keep you here."
As he spoke, the beautiful kunoichi stood up.
She brought over a roasted wild chicken and handed it to Akira.
Then she added:
"We've received new orders. We have to remain on the battlefield and continue fighting."
"To stop the Hidden Mist from launching further attacks along our border."
"Your recovery is surprisingly fast. Since you seem stable, temporarily join our team."
"We'll withdraw once we locate your original squad or receive new orders."
"For now… eat something."
From this brief exchange, Akira quickly understood the situation.
The medical support unit responsible for treating and evacuating the wounded—
Had been ambushed and scattered by the Hidden Mist.
Many were dead. Many were injured.
At this point, they could barely protect themselves, let alone save others.
Akira had nothing to say about it.
This was the cruelty of war.
In ninja combat, targeting healers first was nothing unusual.
"But my wounds healed this quickly?"
He muttered inwardly, touching his injuries.
They had already scabbed over.
There was still pain, but no signs of infection or worsening.
"In that case… there's no need to return to Konoha."
He had originally planned to return to the village because of his injuries.
But now, that plan was unnecessary.
While eating the roasted chicken, he glanced at the kunoichi and asked:
"What's your name?"
The woman, who had just turned to leave, paused.
She looked back, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"…My name is Uzuki Sena."
"Uzuki Sena…"
Akira repeated inwardly, briefly considering asking about her relation to Uzuki Yugao.
But he held back.
At that moment, Uzuki Sena began introducing the others.
"This is Sarutobi Shun. That's Hyuga Koji. And he is…"
Her gaze fell on the man lying beside them—
A figure who had already reached the end of his life.
Her expression dimmed.
"He's our captain, Aoyama Shinsuke."
Akira remembered him.
A fierce fighter—likely a taijutsu specialist.
He had already been injured during the earlier battle.
But Akira hadn't expected that after only a short rest…
The man would already be dead.
"The battlefield really is cruel… so what's our next move?"
Akira quickly finished the roasted chicken.
Without any sense of restraint—as if he had known them for years—
He walked over to the campfire and grabbed the remaining half of another roasted bird, continuing to eat.
Hyuga Koji glanced at him, slightly surprised, but maintained his composure as he replied:
"We're only resting briefly to recover."
"Soon, we'll head back to the frontlines as reinforcement."
"What he means is—we were waiting for you to wake up."
Sarutobi Shun added.
He clearly wasn't good at conversation.
Or perhaps…
He simply didn't like Akira.
His tone was noticeably colder than the others.
Akira finished the remaining half of the roasted chicken in a few bites.
Then, with a casual glance downward, he tossed the leftover bones aside.
Without waiting for any reaction, he turned away.
Activating his perception, he began scanning the surroundings.
Seeing his calm, unrestrained behavior—
Uzuki Sena, Hyuga Koji, and Sarutobi Shun exchanged glances.
All of them looked somewhat surprised.
But none spoke.
Instead, they watched Akira—
As he began moving in a seemingly strange direction.
At that moment, Akira suddenly started walking toward the front-left…