Hizashi slowly opened his eyes inside the tree hollow, then unzipped his sleeping bag and let out a breath.
The wood blocks in the small stove in front of him were already burning a mix of red and white.
He touched his arm, then slowly unwrapped the bandages coiled around it.
As the bandages peeled away layer by layer, new skin with a slight pink hue was revealed underneath.
He had been resting inside this tree hollow for three days.
Aoran had left enough medicine and food, and Hizashi waited here for his body to recover.
It had been snowing outside for the past two days, and no people or beasts had come near.
Having passed this time uneventfully, his skin had finally grown back.
Hizashi packed his belongings, put on his backpack, and jumped out of the tree hollow.
Looking at the clear sky, Hizashi's mood also brightened.
After observing his direction, he leaped down from the tree and headed toward the Land of Rice Fields... Land of Hot Springs.
As the name suggests, this country is full of hot springs, like a large tourist resort.
However, the Land of Hot Springs is situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, serving as a Buffer State.
Some time ago, Konoha and Kumogakure fought fiercely in this country, putting the Land of Hot Springs through considerable turmoil.
During these three days, Owl shot twenty-nine arrows, resulting in the deaths of twenty-six Kumogakure ninja.
Since Kumogakure and Konoha were in the negotiation stage, there were no Konoha personnel stationed along this border, which gave him a lot of convenience; finding them meant shooting them dead with an arrow.
Now that all the Kumogakure ninja had scattered, he arrived early in the Land of Hot Springs to soak in the hot springs, relieve his physical fatigue, and meet up with Hayato.
"Hoo..." Aoran, having dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, soaked comfortably in the hot spring.
The billowing steam rose, making his surroundings hazy.
Because the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning had not traded for a long time, these hot spring inns had few guests. He used the money taken from the Kumogakure ninja to directly rent out a hot spring bath for himself.
Continuous high-intensity archery had kept his body in a state of tension.
Even after extending his rest time, his body still felt fatigued.
Taking advantage of a break to bathe in the hot spring, Aoran, whose body had recovered somewhat, quickly got up and set off... Kedar, as the older Chunin in the Cloud Village Delegation, had participated in many battles against Konoha.
But never before had he been so miserable.
How spirited they had been when they left Konoha a few days ago.
That's how miserable he was these past two days.
He watched helplessly as their leader and several squad captains were shot dead.
Moreover, even after they scattered and ran, as long as they heard the whistle of an arrow,
someone from their delegation would inevitably fall in a pool of blood.
He was now completely separated from the others, realizing that the attacker seemed to be deliberately waiting along the route from Konoha back to Kumogakure.
The Hyuga Byakugan's ultra-long-range suppression made it incredibly difficult for the Kumogakure ninja to escape.
Kedar used reverse thinking, first running backward toward Konoha.
Then he circled around, not even entering the Land of Hot Springs, but bypassing it along the border.
However, such border areas were deserted, and starting a fire would easily leave traces.
Because of the detour, his soldier pills were gone, and now he was exhausted and hungry.
He finally reached the Land of the Moon, which was located behind the Land of Hot Springs.
This country did not have a Hidden Village, only a few small cities.
Lingang Town was the nearest resupply point to him.
He traveled through the forest, not walking in a straight line, but circling Lingang Town.
When he reached fifty li to the side of Lingang Town, he discovered a marker left by their Kumogakure Delegation on a tree.
[Other brothers escaped too!?]
Kedar was instantly energized; the psychological stress of being relentlessly hunted was unbearable.
Now that he finally found a living comrade, how could he not be excited?
He arrived at the spot where the mark was carved and put his hand to his mouth.
"Cheep... Cheep..."
A sharp and common bird call quickly spread out.
This bird call served to summon comrades, and even birds of the same species would make similar sounds.
Using this method, the sound could even travel several kilometers away.
Kedar did not stand still but began searching around the marker.
After he searched for half an hour, a similar sound came from the east.
Kedar was invigorated, quickly continued signaling, and rapidly approached.
Finally, moments later, a short young man appeared in his line of sight.
"Brother Kedar!" The other person quickly waved his arms upon seeing Kedar.
"Yudas, you're alive! That's wonderful!"
Kedar landed and fiercely hugged Yudas, patting his back hard.
Yudas was also very excited; after such a long time, he had finally seen a comrade, but he remained cautious.
"Let's not stay too long. We need to leave here first."
Kedar immediately asked, "Do you have any supplies? Should we go to Lingang Town?"
Yudas patted the backpack he was wearing, took out three soldier pills from inside, and handed them to Kedar.
With the soldier pills swallowed, Kedar felt his body warm up slightly.
The two flashed away, immediately continuing their advance toward the Land of Lightning... On a tree outside Lingang Town, Hayato retracted his gaze.
"After waiting so long, it's just these two. It seems no one else survived."
Owl pinched his chin and pondered for a moment:
"Let's go, follow them. If they reach the border of the Land of Lightning without meeting anyone else, we kill them."
Hayato responded, and together they trailed far behind the Kumogakure survivors.
"The fourteen people you killed, have you disposed of them cleanly?"
Owl hadn't expected that Hayato had essentially wiped out the remaining Kumogakure ninja over the past few days.
Well, it seemed his own mission would have to end here.
Hayato chuckled darkly, his face filled with satisfaction:
"Don't worry, I personally fed them to the hibernating beasts. Their bodies can't be found now."
Beasts in the Ninja World have normal versions and PLUS versions; some beasts are over ten meters tall, and eating a person isn't even enough to stick in their teeth.
Feeding the corpses to such beasts is the simplest and most convenient way to destroy evidence in the wild.
It was the dead of winter, and many animals were hibernating, but as long as Hayato could find them, that was enough.
"These people haven't sent any messages back to Kumogakure. Will Kumogakure notice something is wrong?"
Owl followed leisurely, saying gently, "They will definitely notice something is wrong, and they might even send people to search and provide support."
"Our goal this time is to make them suffer a hidden loss. Even if Kumogakure, Konoha, and the Main House know the Hyuga did it, they won't have any evidence!"
"After all, we have already paid a price once."
Hayato had long looked at Owl with new respect after he killed so many Kumogakure ninja, and hearing Owl's analysis now made him grin from ear to ear.
"Hehehe, you're right."
...