The moon hung bright in a sparse sky.
Ancient trees towered into the darkness, their tangled branches stretching like skeletal arms under the cold moonlight. Even moths seemed to fear the night, desperately fluttering toward the lone campfire deep in the forest—only to be pinned to the bark by a needle-sharp *senbon* before they could reach the flames.
Kurumari plucked the *senbon* from the tree, flicking the twitching moth aside.
By the fire, Okamura Arata fanned the flames. The skin of the roasting chicken glistened with oil, its fat dripping into the embers with a tantalizing *hiss*.
Kurumari and the others sat around the fire, recovering from their earlier skirmish with Zabuza.
*"Kurumari, let me tell you—that was *insane* back there. If I hadn't pulled off that Fire Release jutsu at the last second—"*
Okamura waved his hands dramatically as he recounted the battle.
*"Wow, Okamura-nii, you're amazing!"*
Kurumari's eyes stayed glued to the spinning chicken, her mouth watering even as she humored him.
*"Kurumari, don't encourage his nonsense."*
Douzan Karui shot Okamura a withering glare, cutting off his embellished tale. Nakama, busy turning the spit, noticed Kurumari's tense expression.
*"What's wrong, Kurumari-sensei?"*
*"Nothing,"* Kurumari murmured. *"Just wondering why Zabuza let us go."*
The morning's near-death encounter still haunted her. If Momochi Zabuza hadn't withdrawn for some unknown reason, they'd all be corpses in the mist by now.
*Why was Zabuza here? Could it be tied to the village elders' disappearances? And that Ice Release kekkei genkai user with him—where did he come from?*
Most unsettling of all—why had Zabuza spared them? Had some passing shinobi intervened without them noticing?
The more she thought, the more the questions coiled in her mind like a tangled ball of thread.
*"Hey, overthinking won't help,"* Kurumari chirped, cutting through Kurumari's brooding. *"Everyone's safe—that's what matters, right? Can we eat now?"*
The girl rubbed her hands together, practically drooling. Kurumari couldn't help but smile, her dark thoughts momentarily forgotten.
*"Might need a little longer,"* Okamura said, poking the chicken uncertainly.
Kurumari nodded. Her Byakugan had already confirmed the meat was cooked through—Okamura's Fire Release might be questionable, but his cooking skills were *definitely* mediocre.
Eventually, the conversation turned to Zabuza's mysterious Ice Release companion.
*"Damn shame we didn't finish off that freak,"* Okamura grumbled, smacking his thigh.
*"Patience. We'll exterminate every last one of those monsters eventually."*
At the mention of kekkei genkai users, Kurumari's blue eyes burned with a ferocity that made Kurumari tense. Her pretty face twisted into something vicious, her killing intent raw and unguarded.
*"What's wrong with kekkei genkai users?"* Kurumari asked.
*"They're not human. They're *monsters*,"* Karui spat. *"Kurumari-sensei's family was—"*
*"Karui!"* Nakama hissed.
Karui bit her tongue, shooting Kurumari an apologetic glance. Kurumari didn't press further.
*"Alright, enough gloom!"* Okamura declared, carving the chicken with a kunai. *"Dig in!"*
He handed Kurumari a skewer. The firelight danced across her porcelain face as she stared at the steaming meat.
Suddenly, she wasn't so hungry anymore.
---
### **Flashback: The Previous Morning**
**Kirigakure Hospital**
The stench of antiseptic clung to the sterile room. At the bedside, a water basin swirled with faint pink.
*"Cough—! Cough—!"*
Tochi Takuto, clad in a hospital gown, slumped against the headboard, his once-powerful frame wracked with shuddering breaths.
*Gack!*
He lurched sideways, vomiting a black-red mass into the basin. The lump bobbed in the water, its surface rinsing away to reveal pulsing, vein-streaked flesh.
Pulling up his sleeve, he examined his arm. His skin had turned an eerie blue, slick with a thick, fishlike mucus.
He shut his eyes in disgust.
*Elder Mizukage was right.* Even a trace of Isobu's chakra was too much for a human body to bear. But Tochi had accepted this fate.
Weeds survive by adapting. To *change* the world, you must burn it down.
Now that the Fourth's genjutsu and the lockdown had lifted, Elder Mizukage and the Yondaime were untangling the village's chaos. Even Ao was aiding the hunt for spies.
Tochi had played his part. The Blood Mist was finally clearing. In the afterlife, he could proudly tell Hoshino what he'd done.
But first—one last task.
He wiped blood from his lips and returned to the suspect list, scouring for flaws in the enemy's disguise.
*Why can't I find it?*
His vision blurred as he reread the same profiles—all vetted by Ao, all clean. The killer had vanished like a ghost, leaving only Hoshino's slaughtered family behind.
Only one person had left the village unchecked:
The blind girl.
Tochi's gaze locked onto the photo at the top of the list—a silver-haired girl with a bloodied hand and a black cloth tied over her eyes.
*"No chakra detected. No calluses from taijutsu. Smooth skin, no scars…"*
The report was sparse, but Tochi had memorized every word.
*Where's the flaw?*
Then—
His eyes snapped to the final line.
*"Smooth skin… no scars?!"*
A blind girl with no caretaker… *how could she be unharmed?*
*"DAMN IT—! Cough—!"*
The nurse outside rushed in as Tochi hacked up more blood. His dimming eyes suddenly blazed with clarity.
*"Summon Hikari* now*."*
Minutes later, the ANBU operative *Karasu* knelt at his bedside.
*"Captain."*
*"The killer—it's her,"* Tochi rasped, jabbing a trembling finger at the girl's photo. *"Take Blood Hound and—cough—!"*
*"Sir, your condition—"*
*"Before I die… bring me her head. That's an order."*
Karasu studied his captain—the shaking body, the unyielding gaze. His usual smirk vanished.
*"Understood."*
---
(◕‿◕)✧