Naruto: IHCS Ch. 143

[Gratitude detected: +2000 points]
[Curse Growth - Gratitude: 29.3%]

Suddenly.

The Iwa ninja felt a sharp pain at his neck. His pupils dilated for an instant, then his eyes closed weakly.

Aoki immediately dragged the Iwa ninja over to his own side.

Tentacles shot out again, fast as lightning, gliding across the ground.

They reached the chosen "lucky one," wrapped tightly around his waist, and pulled him back securely.

One after another.

[Killing Intent detected: +6000 points]
[Curse Growth - Killing Intent: 9.9%]

Nagato silently guarded Shiratori's side. His Rinnegan slowly rotated in the darkness, not letting a single corner escape. Soon, behind a dense thicket, seven or eight ninjas who had already recovered from heavy wounds but were knocked out by Shiratori were lying unconscious.

Beside him, a heavily injured Konoha ninja also lay collapsed.

The cursed energy flowing from Shiratori radiated a faint light of vitality, like gentle rain, seeping slowly into the Konoha ninja's chest wound.

The bleeding wound, which had been steadily oozing blood, began to slow down visibly. The swollen, inflamed flesh around it seemed to recover slightly.

The wound visibly began to heal.

Skilled at collecting emotional energy, then knocking them out, and moving on to the next.

Shiratori was like a worker on an assembly line, the entire process chillingly precise, without the slightest deviation.

One after another.

On the side, Aoki kept watch over the unconscious ninjas, preventing them from waking suddenly, while occasionally glancing back at Shiratori.

Looking at his resolute face, Aoki felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Here, in this narrow space behind the thicket, they had created a rescue station completely at odds with the brutal battlefield outside.

On one side was the battlefield, endlessly taking lives.

On the other side was the rescue station, endlessly saving them.

When Shiratori knocked out a Konoha ninja who had just regained consciousness, Nagato's voice sounded by his ear.

Nagato's expression was grim, his gaze coldly fixed ahead:

"They may have noticed something's wrong."

At his words, Shiratori immediately looked at Aoki. Without hesitation, the three of them began retreating.

At that moment, the purple vortex vanished into the air.

The three leapt onto tall branches, their figures weaving through the thick canopy, quickly leaving the battlefield behind.

By the time Shiratori, Nagato, and Aoki had put great distance between themselves and the battlefield, reaching the edge of the forest, they noticed the first pale light of dawn on the horizon.

The night sky had already lightened.

Morning had come.

The chaos of the battlefield behind them gradually quieted, and everything slowly returned to stillness. For the Iwa and Konoha ninjas, the night-long, desperate battle had finally paused.

For Shiratori, Nagato, and Aoki, it was the end of a soul-draining struggle for life.

Ninjas from both sides receded like tides, leaving behind a battlefield full of scars, permeated with the lingering stench of blood and burnt flesh.

The faint light of dawn did nothing to wash away the carnage. Instead, it illuminated more clearly the twisted corpses, the congealed pools of dark red blood, and the shattered weapons and ninja tools.

Exhausted, the three sat at the forest's edge.

Their breathing was ragged.

Aoki was so tired he could hardly straighten his back, his body trembling from exhaustion and prolonged tension.

Nagato's face was pale, fatigue written all over him.

Even though they were utterly drained, before sitting down, Aoki still carefully checked the surroundings. Only when he confirmed no danger did he allow himself to relax.

"It's hard to believe..."

Aoki stared blankly at the sunrise-stained horizon, voicing his sigh in a hoarse, exhausted tone. Had he really gone along with Shiratori on something this insane?

"There's nothing hard to believe."

Shiratori raised his head, gazing at the forest behind him, as if seeing that land of death again. His eyes fell on Aoki, and a smile appeared on his face.

"From now on, we'll save even more people together. Won't we?"

Aoki's pupils trembled.

[Faith detected: Aoki +2000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 75.3%]

He didn't know how long had passed, but as Aoki looked at the half-risen sun on the horizon, he slowly nodded.

Yes!

From now on, they would save even more people together!

After resting a while, they stood up, gave the forest one last look, and then turned to leave, retracing their path.

The way back felt endlessly long.

Fatigue surged like waves, every step Aoki took felt like he was treading on cotton.

The sunlight fell upon Shiratori, revealing every trace of the bloodstains covering him.

No one spoke.

Finally, the low, ruined outline of a small town appeared at the edge of their vision.

They slipped silently through its still-empty streets, returning to the shabby inn.

Aoki pushed open the door and gently closed it behind him.

The cramped inn room, though small, suddenly released the tension that had bound Aoki for the entire night. Exhaustion consumed him in an instant.

"Get some proper rest."

Shiratori said to Aoki and Nagato.

Aoki collapsed directly onto the tatami, staring blankly at the dirty patterns on the ceiling.

Shiratori sat down and began reviewing the gains from the night.

The Killing Intent Curse Growth rate had risen to 13.9%.

The Gratitude Curse Growth rate had risen to 35.2%.

And two new techniques had been activated.

Not bad. Not bad at all!

---

The Konoha camp was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.

After a fierce battle last night, although they had temporarily repelled the assault from Iwa, Konoha had also paid a considerable price.

The wounded were being carried back to camp one after another. Medical-nin worked frantically without pause, their exchanges and instructions steeped in exhaustion.

Inside the main tent at the center of the camp, a post-battle debriefing meeting was underway.

Seated at the head was Orochimaru, the supreme commander of the Land of Grass front lines.

His golden, vertical pupils swept slowly across the slightly disheveled ninjas present.

On either side sat Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, and several other jonin representatives.

Minato was also among them.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with thought as he listened closely to the reports.

"...That's basically the situation. The Iwa demolition squads attacked fiercely, but in Sector Three we managed to organize a counterstrike. Their Earth Release barriers were forcefully broken through by the Uchiha clan's Fire Release..."

After finishing his report, a chunin bowed slightly toward Orochimaru and sat back down.

At that moment, in the corner, a pale-faced young chunin hesitated before raising his hand. His voice was weak:

"Um... Orochimaru-sama, Shikaku-sama... There's something I'm not sure I should say..."

All eyes turned to him instantly.

Orochimaru arched an eyebrow, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile.

"On the battlefield, anything may be valuable intelligence. Speak."

"Yes!"

The young chunin took a deep breath. As he recalled something, his eyes flickered with puzzlement.

"... Near the eastern edge of the forest, I was slashed in the abdomen by an Iwa ninja..."

He stood up and pulled up his flak jacket, revealing a pale pink scar across his stomach.

"The wound has healed now, but at the time my entire abdomen was cut open, my intestines were spilling out. I thought I was as good as dead, but..."

His tone shifted, confusion clouding his face.

"When I came to a little, I realized I had been dragged behind a bush. There was a boy I had never seen before. My wound had stopped bleeding, and it was already healing rapidly. He was saving me."

The tent fell silent.

"A Konoha ninja saved you?"

Shikaku asked calmly, fingers unconsciously tapping the table.

"No." The young chunin shook his head firmly, brows knitted. "I didn't see any forehead protector of any village on him. His medical ninjutsu was incredible, such a grave wound healed so quickly. I asked him questions, but he wouldn't say anything. He only told me he had come to save me..."

"No forehead protector?"

Inoichi rubbed his chin.

"Are you certain you've never seen him in Konoha before?"

He couldn't help but press further. If not a Konoha ninja, why would he save them?

Before the young chunin could answer, a surprised voice broke in. A jonin raised his hand, eyes wide.

"Wait! What you said, it reminds me of something similar!"

Everyone turned to him.

"I was injured by hidden explosive tags and then stabbed through the chest by an ambushing Iwa ninja..."

The jonin recalled, "In a daze, I felt someone drag me out from the rubble. When I regained consciousness, the wound in my chest had already closed. If not for the scar left behind, I would've thought it was just an illusion."

The atmosphere inside the tent grew strange.

"Who on earth could it be?"

Munching on a bun, Chōza mumbled through his food, "It probably wasn't a Konoha ninja. If it were, they wouldn't have hidden their identity."

Shikaku frowned deeply.

This made no sense at all.

On the battlefield, such acts of aid without reason were utterly unthinkable.

If the rescuer had ulterior motives, then why demand nothing in return?

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with greater intrigue. "Interesting."

Minato, who had been listening silently, his azure eyes flickering with light, finally looked toward the young chunin who had first spoken.

"Do you remember any physical features of this person?"

The young chunin thought for a moment before replying:

"Short black hair, eyes somewhere between dark blue and light blue, and very pale skin..."

At those words, Minato's heart began to race uncontrollably.

A clear figure surfaced in his mind.

His thoughts whirled. He was almost certain that the black-haired boy described by both the chunin and jonin was none other than Shiratori.

Minato suddenly sensed someone's gaze on him. Looking up, he met Orochimaru's eyes. A chill ran down Minato's spine.

"Minato, do you know who this is?"

Orochimaru stared directly at him.

Minato lifted his head, feigning the perfect amount of bewilderment. With a helpless shake of his head, he replied, "I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sama. I don't know."

Orochimaru's gaze shifted away.

Minato exhaled in relief. Then he glanced up, meeting the eyes of Fugaku across the table.

Their eyes locked, exchanging a silent understanding only they shared.

No matter what, Shiratori's identity could not be exposed.

The fact that he had saved them without giving a name meant he did not wish to be known.

He had saved their lives, betraying him by revealing his identity was out of the question.

The meeting continued.

With no further leads on Shiratori, the ninjas could only set the matter aside and proceed with summarizing the battle against Iwa.