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Actually, Kurenai wasn't wrong. Truthfully speaking, standing near the corpses, you really could smell a faint scent similar to toasted malt.
After sniffing carefully, Hagoromo caught the subtle aroma too. His sense of smell was clearly not as acute as his other senses.
These Hidden Rain ninjas had died miserable deaths—they were all desiccated mummies, their skin wrinkled into strips. They looked like they were ready to be deep-fried and glazed.
While smelling something common on a dinner table atop a corpse was strange, it was only a problem if someone actually started feeling hungry.
Just as the thought crossed Hagoromo's mind, Asuma Sarutobi spoke up abruptly: "I'm getting a little hungry. Now that you mention it..."
Hagoromo stared at the sky in silence.
There's a saying that the only thing humans truly fear is other humans. Hagoromo was currently feeling a slight chill regarding his two teammates.
The red strings of fate aren't tied at random; there's a certain destiny at work. No wonder these two were destined to be a pair.
In fairness, feeling hungry during a mission was normal—they lived on bland soldier pills most of the time, which were hardly a substitute for a real meal. But did this guy have to say it here?
Hagoromo extended his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers against a corpse's neck. The body heat hadn't fully dissipated.
These ninjas had just been taken out. Considering the sounds of battle ahead, this entire group of Hidden Rain scouts had been insta-killed?
Asuma and Kurenai might have cracked a joke, and Hagoromo might have internally complained, but this was no longer a lighthearted moment. This squad was in incredible danger.
"Is this Scorch Style? This method of mass-producing mummies... it has to be Scorch Style: Extremely Steaming Murder, right?" Hagoromo muttered, half to himself and half to the group.
"It's Scorch Style..." "Which means the identity of the ninja fighting ahead is obvious." "The kekkei Genkai of the Hidden Sand..." "The Hero of the Sand..." "Pakura of the Scorch Style."
One by one, they pieced it together. There was no avoiding it; a Bloodline Limit this distinctive was impossible to miss. Any experienced frontline ninja with a shred of intel would recognize the user. Currently, Pakura was the only known user of Scorch Style in the Hidden Sand.
Before becoming a squad leader, Hagoromo had finally received a comprehensive Ninja Handbook detailing prominent foreign shinobi. He had been annoyed at the time—why hadn't anyone given him this earlier?
Pakura of the Sand. Her name, rank, and abilities were staples of the Leaf's intelligence network. In wartime, every village had a "star" famous from their village on the batllefield; Pakura was to the Sand what the Yellow Flash was to the Leaf.
Scorch Style wasn't hard to understand—a combination of Fire and Wind natures that created extreme heat. It was an "eco-friendly" way to instantly evaporate all moisture from a target's body, essentially cooking every organ except the bones in a split second.
The logic was simple, but the attack was nearly impossible to defend against. You either dodged, or you became a piece of jerky with a shelf life of thirty centuries. Add a little salt, and you could probably stretch it to forty.
But here was the question: according to Leaf intel, Pakura was deployed on the Hidden Stone front. Things were tense there, and a new outbreak of war was imminent. Why was she in the Land of Rain?
And while the Sand and Rain didn't have an official alliance, they had a tacit understanding not to fight. Why was she slaughtering Rain ninjas?
The situation was riddled with holes.
Go see for ourselves? Or use the distraction to slip away?
Hagoromo was conflicted. If he were alone, he'd already be moving to investigate. But he had three subordinates with him. Tracking Pakura wasn't part of their mission; it was a side quest that could get them all killed.
"I'm going to take a look. You guys..." Hagoromo started. He wanted to go solo for safety, but he couldn't decide whether to have them wait or evacuate early. Every choice carried unknown risks.
If they waited, they might be surrounded by Rain reinforcements. If they evacuated and ran into a patrol, they'd be pinned down and overwhelmed.
Forget it. If we're going to die in enemy territory, we might as well die together.
"Hagoromo, we're a squad. We should move together," Asuma said, sensing his captain's hesitation. He knew this was outside the mission scope, but he also realized that discovering the Sand's intentions was vital for the Leaf. He chose to support the play.
The Land of Fire and Wind might have a ceasefire, but did anyone actually trust a former blood-enemy?
Hagoromo looked at Kurenai and Aoba. They both nodded in agreement.
"Fine. Let's go!"
A quick look wasn't going to get them roasted. Probably.
The four moved toward the light. The trail of Rain corpses was unbroken—twenty-three, twenty-four... all mass-produced mummies. Not a single Sand corpse in sight. Was Pakura alone?
The sounds of fighting were now ear-splittingly clear. They were one corner away from seeing the combatants. Squad Hagoromo slowed to a crawl.
Just as Hagoromo was about to signal a viewing formation, a swirling ball of orange-and-white flame whipped around the corner of a massive tree and flew straight toward them.
In the fraction of a second before human nerves could even register the danger, the flame began to expand—preparing to explode.
Scorch Style!
And it was an Area of Effect attack!
By pure reflex, the Chidori Current flared around Hagoromo. Forget staying hidden—this was survival!
He lunged, grabbing Kurenai by the waist in a football carry. In the same motion, he delivered a brutal, full-force kick to Asuma's stomach!
He didn't hold back. Asuma's eyes nearly popped out as his body folded in half. With his waist leading and limbs trailing like an arrow, Asuma was launched backward, slamming into Aoba Yamashiro. Both of them were sent flying back by the momentum!
Without a backward glance, Hagoromo sprinted in the opposite direction, clutching Kurenai as they hurtled away from the blast zone!
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