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"Finally, we will use a unified code. No matter who it is, if they cannot provide the correct response, do not hesitate. Strike immediately!"
Kifu smelled the thick scent of war from the series of preparations Orochimaru made. This felt different from the Ninja wars he had imagined. It was more realistic and carried a heavy sense of pressure.
A snake crawled out of the sleeve of Orochimaru. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a pen. Orochimaru scribbled a few marks on a piece of paper. He confirmed the unique markings and the code for this mission.
[Mission Code: The Long-lived Snake]
Chapter 25: Going Astray
The team led by the Jonin Gekko Naoki quickly gathered all the corpses inside the checkpoint. They placed the bodies in front of Kifu.
Everyone in the room felt uneasy as they looked at the corpses of the Konoha Shinobi. There were ten bodies in total. Each one had died in a different, gruesome way. Some were even mutilated beyond recognition.
Gekko Naoki looked grim. He turned toward Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, the count is wrong."
It was easy to understand the problem. Konoha Ninja teams always operated in groups of four. Ten corpses were clearly not enough to account for three full teams.
A predatory light flashed in the eyes of Orochimaru. He licked his lips.
"Iwa Shinobi."
No bodies would be left behind inside the checkpoint. With the Byakugan of Hyuga Tokubashira present, even the smallest detail could not escape his gaze.
The remaining two corpses were either still alive and hiding somewhere to heal, or they had been taken by the Iwa Shinobi. The enemy likely wanted to extract information about the border defenses of Konoha from their brains.
The latter was the most probable outcome. If they were still alive, they would not have remained out of contact for so long.
Kifu began to process the bodies at the signal of Orochimaru. The miserable state of the corpses made his heart feel heavy.
'Is this what it means to be a Ninja? Is this war?' Kifu thought.
The war had not even fully erupted yet, but the scene was already this cruel. It was difficult to imagine what kind of purgatory the world would become when the real fighting started. Kifu felt a strong sense of crisis.
He was a Body Collector, so his position was relatively safe. However, that did not mean he would be completely untouched. When an avalanche occurred, no snowflake was truly innocent. No snowflake could avoid being swept away. The only difference was whether one was inside the collapse or on the edge.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Kifu used his professional skills to restore the bodies. He worked carefully to bring each Konoha Shinobi back to their original appearance as much as possible.
The expressions of the onlookers softened as the bodies were restored. Their gaze toward Kifu now held a hint of approval. No one wanted to be buried in their homeland in a shameful state.
As Shinobi, they lived with their lives on the line. They had experienced the cruelty of the world long ago. Once they died in battle, the condition of their burial and whether they could return home depended entirely on a Body Collector like Kifu.
The profession of Body Collector was normally disliked in Konoha. However, now that war was coming, Kifu became someone they all secretly respected. No one knew when they would die. Just like now, no one knew when the Iwa Shinobi would attack again.
While Kifu processed the bodies, the scouting teams of Nakamura Kenta and Mitsui Hiyori returned.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
They provided a brief report of the information they had gathered.
Orochimaru thought for a moment after hearing the report. "Mount Nagano in the northwest?"
He checked the map. Mount Nagano was a small hill covered in rocks. It was a very unremarkable location in the area.
His finger tapped the table. His eyes flashed. "Rest for fifteen minutes. We set out in fifteen minutes!"
"Yes!"
Orochimaru did not like waiting for the Iwa Shinobi to attack. Active offense was his style. Sitting around and waiting for death was not something he did.
Kifu opened his mouth and pointed at himself.
Orochimaru paused when he noticed the gesture. "Two Chunin will stay here to protect Maruyama Kifu. If you sense any trouble, do not try to be heroes. Leave immediately."
Kifu wanted to tell the Sannin that if the main force missed their target, he would be the one in trouble. However, Orochimaru ignored the pleading look of Kifu. He began to deploy the combat plan for the upcoming mission.
Orochimaru was arrogant, but he was still one of the Sannin. He had gained great fame during the Second War. His combat experience was vast and his charisma was high. No one questioned his arrangements.
The main force left Kifu and the two others behind. Kifu watched the team disappear into the distance. He could only hope that the judgment of Orochimaru was correct and that they would wipe out the Iwa Shinobi.
One of the remaining Chunin specialized in sensing. The other was an expert in traps. They did not know Kifu, so they did not speak much. They simply gave a few instructions and went to their posts.
Kifu was left alone in the command room to handle the corpses. He looked at the bodies. They were glowing with yellow and green lights. His feelings were complicated.
There was only one Jonin corpse. It was the one in the worst condition. Both the arms and legs had been severed. Kifu had used a great deal of effort to put the body back together. However, the face looked like it had been crushed by a boulder. It was impossible to restore.
There should have been three Jonin at the checkpoint. This meant the two missing people were likely Jonin as well. The other nine corpses were all Chunin.
Nine Chunin and three Jonin was a powerful force. They would never have suffered such a heavy blow during peacetime. The death of any Jonin was a massive loss for the village.
Kifu had not dared to do anything out of line while Orochimaru was present. Now that everyone was gone, he could finally use his skill.
'Do not blame me. We are all from the same village. I am sure you want to contribute one last bit of strength to Konoha,' Kifu mused.
[Skill: Body Touching initiated.]