The nights of early spring were not as harsh as late winter. In the middle of the night, the wind whistled through the windows as Uzumaki Raiden gazed at the bright moon in the sky before peacefully falling asleep.
The next morning, as the first light of dawn emerged over the horizon, a hurried knock on the door echoed through the courtyard.
"Coming!"
Kakashi had been sparring with Uchiha Itachi in the yard. Hearing the knock, he immediately distanced himself from Itachi, shouted in response, and ran toward the door.
"I'm coming!"
"Who is it?"
Kakashi found it strange. They had only recently settled in the Land of Flowers, and they had no relatives or friends nearby. As he opened the door, he was already on high alert, his grip still firm on the kunai from his spar with Itachi.
As the door creaked open, a figure suddenly collapsed into Kakashi's arms, bringing with him the overwhelming scent of blood. Kakashi instinctively prepared to dodge but quickly realized he recognized the fallen man—it was one of the Konoha ninjas they had dined with the previous evening.
"Senior Koizumi?" Kakashi whispered, immediately supporting the young man in front of him. As he did, his hands felt a cold, wet sensation.
"Blood?!"
Kakashi pulled back his hand and saw that it was covered in blood. He looked up slightly and saw a trail of blood leading from the distance to the gate of their courtyard.
"Ka... ka... shi..."
"Inform Lord Raiden—Shinnosuke and his team... they're in danger."
Koizumi's voice was as faint as a whisper, his grip tightening on Kakashi's arm. Despite his weakened state, he forced himself to deliver the message.
Kakashi heard him clearly and was about to support Koizumi inside for medical treatment when he suddenly felt the grip on his arm go slack.
"Senior Koizumi?!"
"Senior Koizumi!"
"Rin, get over here!"
Kakashi shouted anxiously toward the courtyard. Upon hearing his voice, Rin, Itachi, and the others rushed to the gate. Rin pushed Kakashi aside and quickly used medical ninjutsu to assess Koizumi's condition.
After a long silence, Rin stopped her jutsu, her hands still glowing faintly before the chakra flickered out.
"Rin, what are you doing?! Keep going!" Obito demanded, confused by her inaction. But Rin did not respond.
"It's no use... he's already dead," Uchiha Itachi stated coldly, standing beside Obito.
The moment he had laid eyes on Koizumi, Itachi had known he was already gone. However, he had remained silent, letting Rin, the medical ninja, confirm it.
It seemed she had come to the same conclusion.
"Dead...? But he was fine yesterday!"
"Who did this?"
Obito stared at Koizumi's lifeless body in shock, murmuring to himself. Before he could process the situation, Kakashi had already bolted toward Raiden's room.
"Lord Raiden! Something's happened! Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his team—they're in trouble!"
Kakashi shouted while pounding on the door.
"What's wrong? Kakashi, what happened?"
The door swung open, revealing Uzumaki Raiden, still in his sleeping robes. He squinted groggily, clearly having just woken up. But the moment he caught sight of the blood on Kakashi's hands, his drowsiness vanished in an instant. His Kagura's Eye activated immediately, scanning the area, and he sensed Itachi and the others gathered at the entrance.
"Huh?!"
In the next second, Raiden's figure flickered, vanishing into thin air.
A faint breeze swept through the entrance.
Sensing something, Uchiha Itachi turned his head—Raiden was now standing behind him.
"Master," Itachi acknowledged, stepping aside and gesturing toward the body.
Obito and Rin also turned around, spotting Raiden's figure.
"Lord Raiden, this person is—" Obito started, but Raiden raised his hand to silence him before crouching down to inspect the body.
Koizumi had lost all signs of life, his chakra completely dissipated in such a short time. It was evident that he had endured an intense battle before succumbing to his injuries. His chakra reserves had been completely drained.
"A fatal wound from Wind Release?"
"A powerful Wind Release user… and yet he managed to make it here. Was it sheer willpower that kept him going?"
Raiden swiftly examined Koizumi's wounds, sensing the lingering chakra around them. He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening his Kagura's Eye.
"Lord Raiden?" Obito began, but Itachi cut him off.
"Master is tracking the enemy's location. Do not disturb him."
Uchiha Itachi observed Raiden with anticipation. He had gotten along well with Koizumi during dinner the previous night—the young man had been cheerful, even playfully wrapping an arm around him and joking about introducing his sister.
He never expected that their next encounter would be like this.
"I found them."
Raiden's eyes snapped open. His gaze was filled with a cold, murderous intent, and a somber expression clouded his face.
Itachi had never seen Uzumaki Raiden look like this before.
At this moment, Raiden was in a foul mood. His fists clenched tightly, his heart seething with anger. He had located the enemy, and along with them, he sensed a familiar chakra signature.
The enemy's body still carried the chakra imprint of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"Itachi, give me Sakegari no Tachi. Lay him to rest properly and prepare to take him back to Konoha."
Raiden stretched out his hand toward Itachi. Without hesitation, Itachi handed over Sakegari no Tachi. Raiden didn't even bother changing his clothes—he disappeared instantly, still dressed in his pajamas.
In the Forest of the Land of Flowers
Two figures moved through the dense forest. One was a tall man clad in a black cloak with crimson clouds, carrying a lifeless body on his back. Beside him walked another man, dressed oddly, who was muttering under his breath.
"Dammit! Dammit!"
"You actually killed him! How could you kill him?!"
"He was the son of the Third Hokage! If you kill him, Konoha's hunt for us will never stop!"
"You idiot! You complete idiot!"
The man's ranting came to an abrupt halt. He turned, eyes widening in terror as he looked at his companion.
"Shut up, or I'll kill you next."
Kakuzu's hand shot out, gripping his companion's throat in an iron vice. His voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
"You—" The man barely got a word out before Kakuzu's grip tightened, cutting off his air supply. Blood trickled from his lips.
"I said... if you talk nonsense again, I'll kill you."
Kakuzu's expression was grim. He released his grip, tossing his companion aside like a piece of garbage. A man he had fought alongside only moments ago was now a corpse at the side of the road.
"People love to talk too much."
"Whether it's this guy… or you."
"But this one is more valuable than you—the son of the Third Hokage. He'll fetch a good price."
Kakuzu spat toward the corpse on the ground before slowly walking away, leaving his former comrade's body to grow cold in the night wind.
(End of this chapter)