Naruto: IHCS Ch. 141

At the edge of the forest, blinding flashes of light burst forth from time to time. The muffled explosions drew closer and closer. Each blast made the ground beneath their feet tremble ever so slightly.

The stench of gunpowder and smoke grew stronger and more suffocating.

Shiratori, Nagato, and Aoki had already left behind the quiet little town and stepped into the dark forest.

The woods were dense, at night the damp chill in the air was heavier still. A thickening scent of blood drifted through the air.

That blood-scent reminded them, they were nearing the battlefield.

They had not come to fight, only to observe. Every movement was kept extremely small and silent, even their breathing hushed to the barest whisper.

Above their heads, the massive crowns of the trees wove together, forming a concealed canopy, but also plunging the forest floor into near darkness.

Aoki's face was taut, from the instant he entered the forest he had been like a drawn bowstring, ready at any moment for a sudden attack.

Nagato's Rinnegan swept across the surroundings. He followed behind Shiratori like a shadow.

Shiratori's gaze was fixed firmly ahead, his fingers lightly rubbing the ring on his hand.

A faint black mist curled around the ring, unseen by Aoki and Nagato in the suffocating darkness. The further they went, the more complex and nauseating the smells became.

Gunpowder, scorched earth, blood...

These odors clung to the air, refusing to disperse, drilling into their nostrils.

Shiratori suddenly halted. He crouched down. Aoki and Nagato followed his lead. Leaning forward, he carefully parted a dense bush that concealed them completely. Through the narrow gaps of the foliage, the scene before them entered their view.

The forest ended here. Ahead lay a wide clearing, ravaged beyond recognition.

Crater-like pits scarred the ground, smoke still rising from their edges. Broken trees lay sprawled in every direction, some still aflame, casting orange light over the shadows darting swiftly about.

This was the edge of the battlefield between Iwa and Konoha.

Everywhere Shiratori looked, there were corpses.

Ninjas clad in Iwa's brown armor and Konoha's green flak jackets lay sprawled on the ground, in craters, across shattered trunks, bodies twisted in unnatural shapes.

The earth was soaked through with blood.

Dismembered limbs and unrecognizable chunks of flesh littered the area. The very air was heavy with death, pressing down on the battlefield, suffocating.

Farther away, the battle still raged on. Kunai and shuriken sliced through the air, shrieking as they flew. Explosive tags erupted without warning in every corner of the battlefield, their shockwaves nearly tossing men off their feet.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

With a rumble, a massive wall of earth rose up, blocking a rain of shuriken.

But within a minute it was shattered by a furious Lightning Release, fragments scattering like shrapnel.

From behind the brush, Shiratori narrowed his eyes and raised an arm to shield himself as the shockwave surged past, hurling fragments like bullets through the air.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A blazing fireball roared across the field. Sparks leapt onto nearby corpses, igniting them, and swallowed a hapless Iwa ninja too slow to escape.

A shrill scream echoed across the battlefield.

Nagato's pupils contracted violently. Reflected in his eyes was the blood-soaked scene unfolding before him. Unconsciously, his fingers dug into the dirt beneath him, knuckles turning white from the force.

His face had gone deathly pale.

This was Nagato's first time witnessing a battlefield still locked in combat.

Back when the Land of Rain had not yet ceased fighting, the wars had been small in scale. As a wandering orphan, whenever he came near such battles, he had hurried to avoid them. At most he'd caught a fleeting glimpse of ninjas clashing, never watching for long.

But now, this was the first time he saw a full-scale war so clearly, so close.

Such violent death and destruction churned his stomach.

He nearly vomited, but forced himself to hold it back. His Rinnegan trembled violently, reflecting this blood-drenched hellscape before him. The overwhelming shock and revulsion hammered at his heart. He didn't know how long he sat frozen. At last, a deep sorrow and anguish swept through him.

So this was the war Shiratori had lived through?

So terrifying, so cruel, so painful a war!

No wonder he was so determined to create a peaceful world. How could anyone survive in a world so consumed by war?

Aoki, too, looked upon the scene, one all too familiar.

Yes, far too familiar.

Once, he had been among those very men. Pain and hatred flickered in his eyes.

Shiratori's gaze swept the ground nearby.

He spotted a young Konoha ninja, no more than sixteen or seventeen. His abdomen had been slashed open by something sharp, intestines spilling out.

He was not yet dead. His body twitched faintly as blood poured out beneath him.

A cold, firm hand gripped Nagato's wrist. Startled, he snapped out of his daze and looked down.

It was Shiratori. At some point he had fixed his gaze upon him, eyes grave, expression solemn.

"Shiratori?" Nagato whispered, confusion in his voice.

Aoki noticed their movement. His eyes quickly locked on Shiratori. And as he studied his expression, an ominous premonition stirred within his chest.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked in a low voice, his pupils trembling, as if fearing the words Shiratori was about to speak.

"Save him. He's not dead yet."

Shiratori answered Aoki's question. His finger pointed to the Konoha ninja whose body was trembling slightly. His voice was very soft, so soft that both Aoki and Nagato almost didn't hear it.

"Save him, and then what?"

Aoki's gaze suddenly turned cold.

"Look around you! This is a battlefield! At any moment a kunai might fly at us, or a jutsu might come crashing down!"

His voice was pressed low. His pupils dilated as he stared unblinking at Shiratori.

"You want to save him? How will you save him? If you expose yourself, all three of us will die! You can save one, but can you save them all?"

He glared at Shiratori.

Why...

Why is he so naive?

Why would he say something so naive!

This is a battlefield!

That all-too-familiar headache began tormenting him again. His brows furrowed tightly, and he clutched his head. But only for a moment. He forced down the pain, locked eyes with Shiratori, and his words pierced at him like icy needles:

"Look at his clothes! He's a Konoha ninja! If you get close, he might stab you with his last breath! Or if his comrades, or enemies, see you, we'll all be targeted! Here, kindness is the most fatal thing!"

He had never met someone as naive as Shiratori. Even if you save these ninjas, won't they still die in the war?

What's the point of saving them?

Only ending the war can truly resolve everything!

Shiratori's gaze shifted to Aoki's figure. He looked at Aoki's pale face, and his eyes burned with a fierce, unyielding light.

"So what? Just because it's dangerous, just because I can't save everyone, just because I might be misunderstood, does that mean I should watch someone die without helping?"

"So what if he's a Konoha ninja, or an Iwa ninja? Right now, he's just a person on the verge of death! I saw him, I can't just turn away."

The fear in Nagato's heart seemed to be burned away by the light radiating from Shiratori's eyes.

He stared at him blankly.

[Affection detected: Nagato +3000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 54%]

[Faith detected: Nagato +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 75%]

"Calculating gains and losses, choosing cold indifference, that was never the reason I learned medical ninjutsu. If today I turn my back out of fear, what right would I have to claim I'll end this war, save the people of the ninja world, and create a world of peace?"

Shiratori's words echoed in Aoki's ears.

Aoki's pupils trembled. He stared at Shiratori before him. His eyes were utterly clear, and utterly stubborn. Within them was a pure conviction, something he once had, something his fallen comrades on the battlefield once had.

But war's cruelty had destroyed it.

Shiratori too had lived through the war, yet his conviction remained unbroken...

He was stunned.

He thought, that man was right.

Shiratori truly could carry out that plan. Only someone like him could realize it. Only he could bring true, eternal peace and happiness to the ninja world.

"I'll go with you."

Nagato suddenly grabbed Shiratori's wrist. Looking at him, he repeated, "I'll go with you."

His heart pounded in his chest faster than ever before. For the first time, he felt the clarity of his own life. For the first time, he felt the undeniable reality of his own existence.

As he thought, beside Shiratori, he found his true self, he found proof that he existed.

"Alright!"

Shiratori looked at Nagato before him and smiled.

"Don't worry. Nagato, I won't let you be put in danger."

He promised him.

Shiratori wasn't a fool. He wouldn't risk his life just to save someone. It was only because he was confident they could retreat safely that he made such a seemingly reckless choice.

Even if there's danger, it doesn't matter, Nagato thought to himself.

Aoki's eyes stung. In the frozen corner of his heart, something faintly cracked.

Shiratori looked at Aoki, his gaze filled with concern, with not a trace of anger over Aoki's harsh words earlier.

"Fall back. Keep your distance from us so you won't be discovered."

After warning Aoki, he turned to Nagato, "Leave the healing to me. Stay by my side, help me find any ninjas who can still be saved, and keep watch on our surroundings."

Nagato nodded without hesitation. "Alright."

Aoki crouched down next to Shiratori, unmoving. He stared at him and asked, "Then... how are we going to move the wounded ninjas here?"

Because once they moved, they would be exposed to the sight of other ninjas.

On a battlefield soaked in bloodlust, it didn't matter who you were, if you appeared in the field of vision, and you weren't one of theirs, then you were the enemy.