The four search squads were all led by members of the Inuzuka Clan. In the pitch-black forest, their large, muscular ninja hounds moved silently and gracefully—like ghosts. The Inuzuka ninja wore coats made of doghide, running on all fours alongside their partners.
The scattered scent trails were eventually gathered, but ultimately useless. One blast of fire from Obito had completely incinerated the enemy's scent—leaving behind nothing but the choking stench of burnt meat.
This acrid, charred odor irritated both the noses of the ninja hounds and the Inuzuka shinobi, making them twitch and sneeze.
"Big Sis, we didn't find anything.""No sign of them," another squad reported as they regrouped. "My hound caught a whiff of blood earlier, but the trail just vanished again."
Uzumaki Miyu ran while carrying a wounded Iwa-nin on her back. A faint, soft white glow emanated from her body.
It was a natural ability she possessed—one that erased all traces of her presence as she moved.
Not only could she eliminate scent trails perceptible by normal humans, but even advanced detection jutsu like the Byakugan or chakra sensory techniques couldn't locate her. She didn't have time to dwell on this gift; the sudden appearance of the Inuzuka ninja had pushed her vigilance to the limit.
Every rustle of grass or crunch of bark underfoot rang louder in her ears, amplifying her paranoia.
Could the enemy hear this?This was her first time on a real battlefield—arguably, even her first time on such a mission. Her nerves were taut to the breaking point.
A seasoned shinobi might not care about these trivial noises. They were used to much worse, and wouldn't be rattled.
But she wasn't a seasoned shinobi.
She carried someone on her back, hiding and lying low whenever she sensed nearby movement. Only when the coast was clear would she move again.
Her hyper-alert state had drenched her body in sweat, and she deliberately suppressed her breathing to avoid giving herself away. As she stumbled upon a large tree ahead, she leaned against it to rest.
But as soon as they made contact, both she and her companion tipped backward—falling through the tree.
They tumbled down a carved staircase hidden inside.
Miyu's skin was scraped all over by the steps. Beneath her skin, her dense network of nerves subconsciously gathered and interpreted information without her knowing. These impulses guided her instincts and decision-making.
It was those same instincts that had led her here, turning at the right moment, taking the correct step. And what she was about to encounter… was also predetermined by those signals.
She laid the wounded man down and began searching the pitch-black cave.
Before long, she found a tent—and within it, the dead body of Hyūga Sen. His lifeless, hollow eye sockets seemed to stare straight at her.
Miyu instinctively stepped back, nearly falling to the ground. Then she shook off the fear and began examining the area.
"What is this place? Incubation tanks… nutrient fluid… Where are his eyes?"
She braced herself and examined Sen's corpse. Pulling back the cloth over his forehead, she saw the Caged Bird Seal.
"A Hyūga...?"An idea sparked in her mind."If we bring this body back, could we Iwa-nin cultivate a Byakugan of our own?"
Cloning technology wasn't new to the ninja world. If they could bring this corpse back—
—The idea quickly grew irresistible.
At that moment, her teammate finally regained consciousness.
"Where… where are we?"His mind was still fogged by memories of Uchiha Kin's "Talk no Jutsu."
"Don't listen to that guy… Never trust a single word from a Konoha ninja."
"Kaede, you're awake! That's great," she replied, quickly briefing him on the situation.
"So this Hyūga… was he from a branch family? Trying to escape his fate, but failed?" Kaede guessed.
"Probably," Miyu replied. "But that's not what matters. Kaede, the important thing is—we have a Hyūga corpse. That means—"
"Byakugan?"
"Exactly!"
"Then let's get out of here! I can walk now. You carry the body—I'll move on my own."
"Wait, I think we should hold off for now…"
Her caution surprised Kaede. But the surprise quickly faded, almost unnaturally. Behind him, a network of nerves flickered with signals—then disappeared again without a trace.
Meanwhile, on Konoha's side, the search continued all night and into the next day. But with no results, they finally gave up.
They didn't have the luxury of time. The front lines were in crisis—Iwa-nin forces were pressing hard, and Konoha was struggling to hold ground. Every available shinobi was valuable.
By afternoon, a new order came from HQ: even medical-nin were being deployed to the front.
"Medical ninja" and "combat"—those two terms rarely went together.
Naturally, Uchiha Kin's medical squad was thrown into chaos.
"Captain, even the medics are going to the front now? Are we next?" Molly asked, clearly worried.
Jingju sighed. "Didn't expect the situation to get this bad…"
Uchiha Kin gave a noncommittal grunt but added reassuringly:
"Don't worry. Until the final moment, no one will send us to the front. I'm confident in that—my neural jutsu guarantees it."
And indeed, the commander on the front lines knew this well.
No one understood the value of a medical ninja like Orochimaru. He wouldn't waste someone like Kin.
In this world, everyone has a price—whether you're cannon fodder or someone cherished depends entirely on your abilities.
Clink. A pair of tweezers plucked a shuriken from a wounded ninja's body and dropped it into a tray.Then another. And another…
In just a short while, Uchiha Kin had pulled over twenty shuriken from the same patient.
Molly and Jingju immediately applied medicine and bandaged the wounds.
Medical ninjutsu?There was no time for that.
Due to the shortage of medics, they no longer used medical ninjutsu on non-critical injuries. Bleeding was stopped with salves, and recovery left to natural healing.
With more casualties and fewer medics, they were forced to conserve chakra as much as possible—for those in critical condition.
Outside the medical tents, the scene was even more tragic. Injured shinobi lay everywhere under the open sky.
Uchiha Kin stepped out, walking among them. He paused by the worst cases—missing limbs and mangled bodies—and offered words of comfort:
"Don't be discouraged. We're overwhelmed right now. Once the war is over, I'll help you reconstruct your limbs…Of course, you'll have to provide the materials—and pay the medical fees yourself."
"Lord Kin, thank you so much!""Lord Kin!"
This kind of generous but cost-free promise brought tears to the eyes of battle-hardened shinobi.