Stepping to within three meters of the corpse, Fox came to a halt.
He looked down at the pale, small frame drenched in blood and couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty of the world. Unfortunately, this was Kirigakure. He certainly didn't want his future child growing up in a village like this.
His guard gradually lowered.
Fox stepped quickly to the body and leaned over to flip it. The girl was light—too light to feel like a dead person. Just as the thought crossed his mind and before he could react—
Pshh—
It sounded like a silenced pistol. A segment of pale white finger bone, laced with delicate red capillaries, instantly pierced his throat.
The agony made Fox's eyes bulge. His mouth opened and closed powerlessly, unable to make a sound. In terror, he watched the girl who had been lying peacefully on the ground sit up slowly, her finger still raised.
Her grey eyes were filled with a freezing killing intent, and the bulging veins around her sockets made her look like a demon.
Is that... the Byakugan? How is that possible...
Clutching the bloody hole in his neck with both hands, his body spasmed a few times before he collapsed, life fading from his eyes.
"Ngh... cough..."
"What was that?"
The abnormal sound immediately caught the attention of the other two. Holding their kunai, they turned to look.
"He's still alive!"
On the corpse-strewn battlefield, a man in a fox mask crouched low. His voice was calm as he looked down at the bloodshot, terrified eyes behind an identical fox mask. His knee was pressed firmly into the dying man's chest, hidden from view.
The real Fox gasped through blood foam, struggling desperately.
"Y-you... she... gurgle!"
Before he could finish, slender fingers like steel awls drove deep into the crimson hole in his throat.
With a hook of her knuckles, Hinami dragged out the half-fragment of bone embedded in the flesh, pulling the severed artery and trachea along with it. The bubbling trachea dangled uselessly, making a wet, sucking sound like a straw at the bottom of an empty glass.
Fox's body thrashed violently, his legs kicking two deep ruts into the soil, until finally, his strength vanished.
"A survivor? Lucky guy!"
The two distant Anbu glanced at the standard-issue uniform on the man lying on the ground. They offered a brief comment and turned back to their search, completely failing to notice the horror.
"You guys keep looking! This guy's barely hanging on; I'm taking him to the hospital."
"Tsk! Since when did you become so soft-hearted? You're probably just trying to sneak back and see Naoko!"
"If we find the target, don't expect a share of the credit."
The two didn't even turn around. They laughed as they drove their kunai into another corpse.
Glancing at the mangled Kaguya bodies beneath their feet, the silent "Fox" hoisted the man onto her shoulder and turned away, her eyes lowered.
In the mist-shrouded forest, the sky was as black as a heavy curtain. Damp air obscured the stars until the wind tore through the clouds, howling like a demonic omen.
Carrying the corpse and disguised as Fox, Hinami sprinted across the branches. The warm blood from the body on her back soaked her clothes, turning them a deep crimson.
Her legs pumped rhythmically against the wood as thick branches blurred past her. Her speed was comparable to a racing car.
"Huff... huff..."
The weight on her back was draining her stamina rapidly, but she relied entirely on this corpse to pass through the Anbu blockades unchallenged. Within ten minutes, she had encountered four patrols.
Fortunately, she had the Byakugan.
She avoided Jōnin-level squads whenever possible. If she couldn't avoid them, she picked targets with Chūnin-level chakra and pushed through. Since her "rank" was no lower than theirs and she was carrying a wounded comrade, they didn't dare block her path.
Miraculously, she broke through the encirclement and entered the inner district of Kirigakure.
The Kaguya territory was on the eastern outskirts; going further east meant leaving the village. Originally, she planned to use the gap Orochimaru had torn open, but seeing the sheer number of Anbu reinforcements heading that way, the risk was too high.
Her condition was dire.
Chest, head, heart—she had sustained three fatal injuries. Though the Shikotsumyaku had closed the wounds, the chakra drain was real. Maintaining the Transformation Jutsu and the Byakugan was becoming a struggle.
If it weren't for the Military Rations Pills, she would have been empty. Rather than gambling against the Anbu in the east, she chose the inverse: head west into the heart of the village, find a place to hide until dawn, and then look for an exit. It was lower risk and more calculated.
Hinami glanced back at the cooling Anbu on her shoulder.
This man was cautious. Even against a "corpse," he had tested it with a shuriken before approaching. If she hadn't used her Shikotsumyaku to manipulate her body—stimulating adrenaline to block pain and constricting her blood vessels to stop the flow—she never could have lured him in.
Are all Mist Anbu this skilled? That's bad news.
As she ran, the wounds on her back finished knitting together. Bone grew within her index finger, bringing a maddening itch like a swarm of insects.
Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets.
By using chakra to fire her finger bones as projectiles, she could unleash an attack with incredible speed and power. In the original story, even Gaara's "Absolute Defense" struggled to stop them.
Using this for the first time, she hadn't been sure of the speed, which is why she had to bait the enemy close. Now she knew—the speed was staggering. Even her Byakugan could barely track the trajectory. Combined with the fact that it required no hand seals, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary ninja to react.
Combined with the 360-degree "Transparent World" of her Byakugan, it was the equivalent of a wall-hack and aim-bot in an FPS game. A zero-frame startup meant an instant kill.
Thud.
Hinami kicked a tree trunk to kill her momentum and landed gracefully on the ground. A kilometer away, a six-man Mist squad was crossing her path. She waited for them to pass before continuing toward the village center.
Byakugan, Shikotsumyaku.
Though she had woken up to the pursuit of a Great Nation, the "capital" of this body was immense. It gave her enough room to maneuver so that she wouldn't face a dead end the moment she arrived.
Kirigakure Hospital.
"Quick, quick! Clear the way!"
A shrill female voice cleared the human obstacles. Nurses pushed medical carts through the corridors at a frantic pace. Tonight, the casualties were heavy. Doctors and nurses were run off their feet; Anbu ninjas, usually high and mighty, were now screaming on gurneys or lying silent and still.
"Hurry, Doctor!"
An Anbu carrying a wounded man rushed in, shouting urgently. A nurse ran over to check.
"This man... are you his family?"
"No, we're both Anbu. I don't even know his name."
"He's dead. We should notify his family, but as you can see, the hospital is overwhelmed..."
"I'll notify them. I just don't have his address."
"Don't worry, any ninja who has been to this hospital has records. I'll... check for you." The helpful nurse in her forties looked at the handsome young man who had removed his mask, her efficiency reaching an all-time high.
"Here it is! Hoshino Haraku. Married. Wife: Amasaka Naoko. Address is..."
"Thank you, Nurse."
The handsome youth gave a bright smile, his sleek Anbu gear adding an air of sharp professionalism.
"You're very welcome!" The nurse cupped her face, her voice turning even softer.
"Be a good baby... Daddy is just out on a mission!"
Amasaka Naoko leaned against the sofa in her living room, her long black hair framing her face with a gentle grace. Touching her rounded belly, a flicker of worry crossed her happy, slightly plump face.
It had been nearly a year since she married Haraku, and she was about to become a mother. Anbu missions were fraught with danger; every time Haraku left, she couldn't sleep.
The missions were dangerous, but the pay was high. He always said he wanted to leave the Mist, leave the Land of Water, and get a big house to live a good life. But Naoko didn't care about any of that. To her, as long as the family could be together every day, it was enough.
Haraku had saved a lot of money. She decided she would try to convince him again in a few days—have him retire from the Anbu and become a teacher at the Academy. The income would be lower, but it was safe. She couldn't let him have his way anymore, even if it meant a big argument.
Naoko steeled her resolve.
Knock, knock, knock...
A sudden knocking at the door interrupted her thoughts.
Is Haraku back? So soon? Naoko stood up cautiously, walking to the door. "Who is it?"
"Naoko, it's me."
The familiar low voice came from outside. Naoko's soft face immediately relaxed into a brilliant smile.
Click!
The door opened.
Haraku stood there in his Anbu gear, covered in the scent of blood. His sharp features were somewhat stiff, and his eyes were fixed intently on Naoko.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's a bit scary."
Naoko teased him, feeling a bit shy under her husband's unblinking gaze. Haraku didn't speak. He closed the door, locked it, and pulled Naoko into a tight embrace.
"Ugh... you smell like blood. It was just one mission, don't be so sappy!"
Despite her feigned complaints, a radiant smile spread across her face. She snuggled happily into his chest, her chin resting on his broad shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist as if afraid he would leave.
The "Haraku" with the blood-stained back did the same.
Squish.
The happy smile froze on her face.
Naoko looked down, trembling, her face twisting in confusion.
Ghastly bone spikes had erupted like a blooming flower, skewering her body completely. Blood sprayed out, staining her navy-blue robe into a brick-red mess. The agony in her chest and abdomen felt as if her body were being torn in two. Naoko's hazel eyes looked up in a daze at her lover's expressionless, hardened face.
"Ngh... ah... you're not..."
A large hand gripped the back of her head.
The bones inside her torso writhed like pythons within her abdominal cavity. The strong arm held the woman's struggling waist, indifferent to her weak kicks, until she went completely limp.
Drip... drip...
Blood slid down the bone.
Confirming the young woman in her arms was dead, "Hoshino Haraku" released the Transformation Jutsu.
In a puff of smoke, a blood-stained girl with bone spikes protruding from her torso like thorns stood holding Naoko. Her ash-grey eyes held an unreadable depth.
She laid the body gently on the floor. The ribs protruding from her sides broke off and decomposed into dust, her skin crawling back into place to leave only two rows of holes in her clothes.
Hinami exhaled heavily and closed her eyes.
She had originally intended to knock Naoko out and hide in her home for a few nights, but she hadn't expected the woman to have chakra—and more of it than she had in her prime. Despite her age, Hinami's chakra was already at the Chūnin level. Since this woman had even more, she likely touched the threshold of a Jōnin. In Hinami's current state, if she hadn't used the disguise for a decisive sneak attack, she might not have been the one standing.
The living room was brightly lit. Blood flowed out like lava, staining the brown carpet.
Hinami looked down at herself. Hair, face, clothes—everything was covered in massive patches of blood. Dried blood formed layers of scabs that clung to her body, smelling of the stench she had already grown used to.
She rubbed her forehead irritably; her hand came away slick and sticky, fueling her agitation. She wasn't a psychopathic killer, yet she had killed three people in a row since arriving—including a pregnant woman. The shock to both her mind and body was significant.
But she just wanted to live.
When the Mist slaughtered the Kaguya, they didn't distinguish between women and children.
She dragged Naoko's body from the living room to the bathroom, blood dripping onto the cold floor and being smeared into long streaks by the weight of the corpse.
Those Anbu were looking for something. With Orochimaru causing chaos and the village busy counting casualties, they shouldn't have the energy to worry about her for now.
Now... I can finally rest.
Hinami panted with exhaustion. She tore off her tattered, blood-caked clothes, left Naoko's body beneath the sink, and stepped naked into the shower.