CHAPTER 193
"It's from the Anbu!"
Ebisu exclaimed subconsciously, but he immediately realized that his voice had been too loud and covered his mouth while scanning the surrounding forest warily. The Anbu were the shinobi directly serving under the Hokage, an elite force primarily responsible for protecting Konoha and carrying out highly confidential missions that ordinary shinobi were never allowed to know about. Their members were selected from among the most capable shinobi in the village, and every one of them possessed considerable combat experience. To think that one of them would actually die here, so close to the borders of the Land of Fire, was definitely no small matter.
Genma cautiously crouched down. From a safe distance, he carefully observed the white mask covering the mummified corpse's face. After studying the patterns and overall design for a moment, he slowly shook his head.
"Looking at the patterns and design style on the mask, this looks more like... Root."
"Root?"
Ebisu was stunned when he heard this. He hurriedly leaned closer, peering through his sunglasses as he carefully examined the mask.
Soon, his expression became solemn.
Root was, strictly speaking, an offshoot of Konoha's Anbu. However, unlike the Anbu directly under the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Root operated under the command of Shimura Danzo. Its members were trained to suppress their emotions and were used for assassination, espionage, intelligence gathering, infiltration, and other secret operations that Konoha could not easily acknowledge publicly.
Their attire was similar to that of the Anbu, and their members also commonly wore masks to conceal their identities. However, the style and markings of their equipment could differ depending on the individual and mission. The mask on the corpse before them clearly possessed the cold, austere appearance associated with Root.
Guy's heart shook slightly.
He wasn't particularly surprised that someone from Root had appeared in this area. Just moments ago, when they had reached the fork in the road, he had been thinking about how Danzo was currently involved in the turmoil surrounding the Land of Rain. Given Danzo's cautious and suspicious nature, arranging for Root members to operate nearby, observe movements, gather intelligence, or act as sentries was perfectly normal.
What he hadn't expected was that one of those Root members had actually died here.
"Someone died here..."
Guy's brow furrowed as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
"Could it be that the events in the Land of Rain have undergone some kind of change because of me, this 'butterfly'?"
"But... that shouldn't be the case."
Over the past several years, Guy had already changed many things in Mount Kikyo, the Land of Waves, and the Land of Rice Fields. His actions had caused numerous events to deviate from the original trajectory.
But logically speaking, most of those changes had little or no direct connection to the Land of Rain.
"Or could it be... that this Root member was originally destined to die here?"
"Could this be part of the original course of events?"
Guy's expression became increasingly serious.
He didn't dare to casually assume that every change he encountered was caused by himself. The Ninja World was enormous, and even in the original timeline, countless events occurred beyond the scenes that were actually shown.
As Guy pondered, Genma raised a hand and signaled for the other two to step back slightly.
He drew several senbon from his pouch and cautiously reached forward from a safe distance. Using the tip of one senbon, he gently pushed the edge of the mask covering the corpse's face.
The mask shifted.
Beneath it was a completely unfamiliar face.
Because the corpse had been severely desiccated, its facial features were distorted and sunken. The eye sockets had collapsed inward, the lips had shriveled, and several pale teeth were exposed between them. There was no doubt that the person was thoroughly dead.
Genma carefully examined the inside of the mask, the exposed portions of the neck, and the wounds on the body. After a while, he shook his head.
"The corpse is too severely desiccated. From the condition of the body alone, it's difficult to determine the exact time of death."
He paused and looked at the surrounding bloodstains.
"We can only make a rough judgment from the blood and the condition of the surrounding vegetation. The person might have died a day or two ago, or it could have happened as recently as early this morning."
"What should we do?"
Genma's final question was directed toward Guy.
He was asking for his opinion as the leader of their small team.
Guy didn't hesitate for long.
"Report it."
His voice was low and decisive.
Since they had encountered something like this, they couldn't simply pretend they hadn't seen it. Regardless of whether the death of this Root member was somehow connected to the changes Guy had caused over the years, discovering the corpse of a Root operative so close to the border of the Land of Fire was already a serious matter that had to be reported.
And if they looked at the situation from another angle, this discovery might even become an unexpected opportunity.
If someone from Konoha came to investigate the death of this Root member, they might uncover traces of what Danzo was doing around the Land of Rain.
If that could disrupt the cooperation between Danzo and Hanzō, perhaps their conspiracy would no longer proceed smoothly.
Perhaps Yahiko wouldn't die.
Perhaps Nagato wouldn't lose control and descend into despair.
Perhaps the future Akatsuki would never become the organization that would eventually plunge the Ninja World into chaos.
But that thought only remained in Guy's mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
As long as that troublesome existence known as Black Zetsu was still moving behind the scenes, Nagato's fate was not something that could be changed so easily.
Even if the events were delayed, Black Zetsu would continue searching for another opportunity.
The difference would only be sooner or later.
And if the disaster could be delayed, there was no downside for Guy.
Every extra day of peace would give him more time to grow stronger.
Genma nodded. He had no objection to Guy's decision.
He immediately bit his right thumb, smeared the blood across his palm, and rapidly formed the necessary hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a soft "bang," accompanied by a small puff of white smoke, a robust Ninja Hawk appeared on Genma's arm.
This was the same specially trained Ninja Hawk that Uchiha Feiquan had provided to their team back in the Land of Rice Fields. Genma had later completed the necessary contract, allowing the bird to become a reliable partner for their missions.
Its speed was extremely impressive, and it had undergone special training for carrying messages over long distances. It was therefore particularly suitable for transmitting urgent intelligence across the battlefield.
Genma quickly pulled a small scroll and a specialized brush from his Ninja tool pouch.
He crouched down, spread the scroll across his knee, and began writing rapidly.
His writing was concise and orderly.
He recorded the location where they had discovered the corpse, the condition of the body, the appearance of the Root mask, the surrounding terrain, and the current position of their team.
After finishing the report, Genma rolled the small scroll tightly and tied it securely to the Ninja Hawk's leg with a thin cord.
"Deliver this to the Land of Rivers station at top speed."
"Hand it to the supreme commander, Lord Uchiha Fugaku, or directly to the station's intelligence department."
Genma lowered his voice as he gave the final instructions.
The Land of Rivers station was their destination for this journey and was also the nearest Konoha-controlled garrison capable of relaying the information quickly.
From there, the intelligence could be transmitted through established military communication channels back to Konoha.
The Ninja Hawk seemed to understand.
It gave a slight shake of its head, released a low cry, and then spread its wings.
Whoosh!
It shot into the sky.
Within moments, it had already transformed into a small black dot against the distant sky.
They had been traveling for two days and were already relatively close to the Land of Rivers. With the Ninja Hawk's speed, it should be able to reach the station within several hours.
The intelligence had been sent.
But now another problem appeared.
The three of them fell silent.
Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses and looked down at the eerie mummified corpse lying in the grass.
Then he turned his gaze toward the road leading to the Land of Rain.
"What do we do now? Are we..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the meaning was obvious.
Two paths now lay before them.
The first was to wait.
The second was to investigate further.
Since the intelligence had already been sent, leaving the area immediately wasn't necessarily the best choice.
Waiting in place meant finding a relatively hidden and secure location nearby, concealing themselves, and waiting for the Ninja Hawk to return with further instructions.
It was undoubtedly the safer option.
They could preserve their strength and avoid accidentally walking into an enemy ambush.
However, waiting also meant giving up the opportunity to investigate the scene immediately.
If the person who killed this Root member was still nearby, the trail could disappear within hours.
Investigating further meant following the bloodstains, examining the surrounding terrain, searching for footprints, traces of Chakra, discarded Ninja tools, or any other clues left behind by the battle.
They could potentially obtain valuable intelligence before the Konoha reinforcements arrived.
But doing so also carried considerable risk.
They didn't know who had killed this Root member.
They didn't know whether the enemy was still nearby.
And they didn't know whether the mummified corpse was the result of some special Ninjutsu, a unique weapon, or an enemy ability they had never encountered before.
Guy looked down at the mummified corpse.
Then he slowly raised his head and looked toward the distant road leading into the Land of Rain.
His eyes became increasingly serious.
The Land of Rain was currently a dangerous place.
The conflict surrounding the Akatsuki was approaching a critical point.
Hanzō and Danzo were already moving behind the scenes.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were walking toward a future that Guy knew all too well.
If he went deeper into the Land of Rain now, he might be able to change something.
But he might also expose himself to dangers far beyond what his current strength could handle.
Neither Ebisu nor Genma pressured him.
They simply stood quietly beside him, waiting for his decision.
They trusted Guy.
Not because Guy had never made mistakes.
Not because Guy was always stronger than them.
But because they had fought together for years.
They had shared food, training, missions, injuries, victories, and near-death experiences.
They had stood on the battlefield with their backs against one another.
They had watched each other grow stronger.
They had entrusted their lives to one another countless times.
That kind of trust could not be formed through a few words.
It was forged through years of fighting side by side and walking together along the boundary between life and death.
Whatever choice Guy made now...
They would follow without hesitation.
Guy slowly clenched his fists.
His gaze remained fixed on the road leading toward the Land of Rain.
The choice before him was simple.
Wait here.
Or investigate.
But he knew that whichever path he chose might change the course of events yet again.