Forests, bushes, and grasslands were left behind by Haruki. His footsteps landed on a scorched piece of land.
The air was filled with an earthy smell mixed with the scent of rust.
Haruki looked around, and before his eyes stretched a completely dead wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was only boundless, dark brown scorched earth, cracked inch by inch.
There was no grass, no trees, not even a single intact stone. Only rusty, unrecognizable kunai and shuriken were half-buried, half-exposed, sticking out of the ground.
"This is a battlefield." Suzaku’s words confirmed Haruki’s guess.
"Countless Amegakure ninjas lost their lives here."
Kurogaya and Sakikawa stood solemnly in place. Haruki suddenly squatted down, his hand gently stroking the ground.
Suzaku and the others watched his actions.
"Haruki, what are you doing?" Kurogaya asked in confusion.
Haruki looked up, his dark eyes clear and free of Impurities, allowing anyone to see the sadness in his eyes at a glance.
"I am apologizing to them."
Haruki lowered his head again, "I came too late and couldn’t bring them home..."
[System detected Suzaku’s affection value + 1000.]
[System detected Sakikawa’s affection value + 1000.]
[System detected Kurogaya’s affection value + 1000.]
[A total of 3000 affection points have been collected, and your companion Cursed Spirit, Rika’s rank has increased to 67%.]
Suzaku squatted down, his hand resting on Haruki’s shoulder, his palm warm.
Suzaku looked at Haruki’s focused profile and said, "Haruki, you don’t have to say sorry. Your appearance was already timely enough."
Kurogaya sniffled, he realized that ever since Haruki appeared, he had become prone to crying.
He patted Haruki’s other shoulder and said, "That’s right. Haruki, don’t take everything upon yourself. Do you know how old you are this year?"
Haruki looked up at Suzaku and the others, smiling slightly with pursed lips. "When I turn nine, I want to make a wish. I hope to always appear by everyone’s side in time, so that everyone in Amegakure can return to the village safely."
[System detected Suzaku’s affection value + 1000.]
[System detected Sakikawa’s affection value + 1000.]
[System detected Kurogaya’s affection value + 1000.]
[A total of 3000 affection points have been collected, and your companion Cursed Spirit, Rika’s rank has increased to 67.3%.]
"Then when I turn sixteen, I’ll wish to protect Haruki for life." Kurogaya said impatiently.
Haruki looked at Kurogaya, his face showing unconcealed shock.
Was Kurogaya really only fifteen?
Kurogaya was as young as a middle school student.
Suzaku and Sakikawa both laughed.
"Let’s continue forward." Suzaku stood up.
Their speed had slowed down considerably. Because they had already entered the border of the Land of Rain, the further they went, the closer they got to the border with the Land of Fire.
Suzaku narrowed his eyes, heightened his vigilance, and sharply scanned the edge of the scorched earth closer to the Land of Fire ahead.
The wind picked up dust, sweeping past Haruki and the others. Haruki saw the blurred outlines of figures in the distance.
The distance was still far, but an extremely subtle, cold, and slippery sensation, like a poisonous snake, had silently spread over the scorched earth, gently touching Haruki’s location.
This feeling was a bit familiar.
Haruki narrowed his eyes. In the distance, a crow perched on a carbonized, scorched tree branch cawed twice. Its black pupils looked downwards.
The figure standing at the very front was wearing a Konoha ninja vest, his long, straight black hair swaying slightly in the wind.
His skin was as pale as a corpse, and under his narrow eyes, two heavy purple-black eye shadows extended downwards.
The crow tilted its head.
Half a step behind Orochimaru, Shikaku looked straight ahead. Further back were two Konoha ninjas with solemn expressions and tense muscles.
Suddenly, a pair of golden vertical pupils stared at the crow on the branch.
Orochimaru’s lips curled slightly upwards, a smile devoid of any warmth, only a chilling, almost pleasurable interest.
The crow flapped its wings, leaving the branch.
Orochimaru was too sinister.
The distance gradually shortened. When Haruki and the others were only ten meters away from the Konoha ninjas, Suzaku was the first to stop, and Haruki followed suit.
Dead silence spread between the ninjas on both sides.
Orochimaru’s gaze slowly swept over Suzaku and the others. His eyes finally rested on Haruki’s face.
Looked a little familiar.
Shikaku raised an eyebrow, why bring a child to sign a contract?
Shikaku took a step forward, pulled out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch, and threw it towards Suzaku.
At the same time, Suzaku also threw a scroll to Shikaku.
Suzaku and the other two had tensed up the moment they saw Orochimaru, like a fully drawn bow, ready to strike.
Suzaku opened the scroll and carefully scanned its contents. After confirming its accuracy, Suzaku signed the names of Amegakure and himself on the scroll.
The two sides exchanged scrolls once again.
Suzaku checked the contents of the scroll and carefully placed it in his ninja tool pouch.
"Please inform all Konoha ninjas within the Land of Rain to withdraw from the Land of Rain, your excellency." Suzaku said to Shikaku.
Shikaku nodded. "Don’t worry."
Orochimaru suddenly took a step forward.
Suzaku and the other two instantly had their weapons in their hands. They watched Orochimaru warily.
Orochimaru ignored them, his gaze fixed on Haruki, a smile curling his lips. "I’ve seen you before."
The child he thought would die in the chaos had actually joined Amegakure. The life trajectory he had envisioned for this child seemed to have changed.
But where was Jiraiya?
Wasn’t he supposed to stay in the Land of Rain to take care of these children?
"Do you remember me?" Orochimaru asked.
Haruki nodded. "I remember."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
He had to admit, this child in front of him had piqued his curiosity.
Judging by the attitude of these three Amegakure ninjas, this child seemed to have some value.
"What do you want?" Suzaku questioned.
Orochimaru’s gaze shifted to Suzaku.
Orochimaru curled his lips. "Just saying hello."
He retreated to his original position.
"Let’s go." Shikaku glanced at Orochimaru, reminding him.
Orochimaru slowly turned and walked towards Konoha.
It wasn’t until the Konoha ninjas completely disappeared from sight that Suzaku and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sakikawa wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead and asked, "Haruki, do you know Orochimaru?"
Suzaku and Kurogaya both looked at Haruki.
Haruki nodded slightly. "When I was wandering, I met him after he was defeated by sensei, and I was almost killed by him."
Suzaku and the other two instantly froze in place.
100 PS = 1 Bonus chap
Read 30 Advanced Chapters on /astralicity