Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja - Chapter 367

Chapter 367: Chapter 362: Grief
Jiraiya moved with practiced stealth along the central path, his eyes following trails which should be invisible to normal ninjas. Normally, a ninja is trained to hide their traces like everything else, but not all are masters of this technique.

With hundreds of ninja running away in different directions, the work was not flawless, and being in an unfavorable location didn’t help in this case either, leaving many traces for Jiraiya to find.

Out of all he could see, this route had seen the heaviest traffic. More importantly, the residual chakra signatures, though fading, were strongest here. The enemy had tried to be clever with their five-way split, but they couldn’t hide everything.

As he reached the first divergence point from his current path, Jiraiya paused, his fingers brushing against the sand. This time the ninja had actively tried to hide their chakra, meaning tracking them through chakra would be difficult. Luckily, they were not fast enough and had just passed this area few minutes before.

‘The northwest path,’ he decided, noting how the sand was a little more compressed in this path than others, suggesting recent passage of multiple bodies. The other paths showed signs of travel too, but this one had the marks of the larger group.

Jiraiya patiently followed the path in front of him, finding traces every now and then. They had moved in a zigzag pattern with enough randomness to evade many pursuers—many, but not a Kage-level one. His patience was rewarded about ten minutes later when he caught sight of movement ahead.

Six figures moved through the desert in tight formation, their chakra signatures matching those of the attackers. Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed as he assessed them from afar—five chunin-level signatures and one special jōnin, likely the unit leader.

‘Not even a jōnin among them,’ Jiraiya thought, slightly disappointed. His hands moved through a series of seals with practiced efficiency. “Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!” he whispered, his chakra flowing into the ground beneath the fleeing ninja.

The effect was immediate and devastating. The already sandy and flaky desert floor beneath the enemy ninja suddenly transformed into a deep, chakra-infused swamp. Their momentum carried them straight into the trap before they could react. The chunin, caught completely off guard, plunged into the deadly morass with barely a sound.

The special jōnin showed why he held his rank, managing to leap upward at the last second, chakra flaring as he attempted to escape. But Jiraiya was already there, appearing behind him with the speed that had earned him his legendary status.

“Too slow,” Jiraiya said quietly, striking a precise point on the man’s neck. The special jōnin’s eyes widened in surprise before rolling back as unconsciousness took him.

Normally he would have committed suicide if he was given a chance and knowledge that he would be facing Jiraiya—it was better than getting captured and interrogated in Konoha—but Jiraiya didn’t give him any chance to do that.

He caught his limp form before it could fall into the swamp below, from which many earth spears were now coming out, piercing the bodies of chunin in it.

Working quickly, Jiraiya bound the unconscious ninja with specialized seals—chakra-suppressing and paralysis-inducing markings that would prevent any attempt at escape or suicide. He hoisted the prisoner over his shoulder and surveyed the area, considering his options.

The remaining trails would lead to more scattered groups, but the time investment wouldn’t be worth the potential results. “Two or three more kills aren’t worth the delay,” he decided.

Even though Jiraiya said that, he still made sure to look around the place to ensure they were not heading toward any other outpost. After confirming that they were really running away and eliminating one more team, he decided to return.

By now both Yomi and Shinji had reached Tomohiro’s outpost and were getting treated. Well, both of them were mostly fine, just too exhausted. While they were resting, Jiraiya reached the outpost.

“Jiraiya-sama, did you find Kaida and Ryota? Where are they?” Yomi, who was moving here and there waiting for Jiraiya to return or even get news about her friends, erupted with questions as soon as she saw Jiraiya coming to the outpost.

“Kaida is safe. He is resting somewhere, and I will bring him to your house later. As for Ryota… I am sorry… I didn’t find him, but I will not increase your hope. With the amount of blood I have seen at his last position, he is most likely dead,” Jiraiya replied.

Yomi felt her world crashing down. The only friend she was able to make other than Kaida had died protecting her, and what did she do? She ran away. No matter how logical that decision was, it didn’t make the feeling of dread and pain inside her heart any less.

Jiraiya gave her some time to come to terms with the situation before they started their journey back to Konoha. With the help of a carriage and three Jonin capable of teleporting them, they were able to reach Konoha in an hour. It was still late night time, but the higher-ups of Konoha were wide awake waiting for any further news.

Shinji’s face bore the grim expression of a commander who had lost men under his command, while Yomi’s eyes remained red-rimmed from crying, though she now maintained her composure with admirable strength.

They proceeded directly to the Hokage’s office, where Jiraiya handed over his unconscious prisoner to the ANBU guards. His report was brief but comprehensive—the attack, the casualties, the enemy’s retreat tactics, and his pursuit.

“This is all I know about the attack. For now, I need to go somewhere,” he said finally, his hands already forming the signs for the reverse summoning jutsu.

“Where are you going?” Hiruzen asked.

“There are matters at Mount Myoboku that require my attention.” With a puff of smoke, he vanished, leaving Yomi and Shinji to provide their detailed reports to Hiruzen.

The debriefing seemed to last forever to Yomi. Each word felt like it was being pulled from her throat, each detail of the attack and their escape another reminder of what she had lost. Hiruzen listened with his characteristic patience, his pipe remaining unlit out of respect for the gravity of the situation.

By the time they were dismissed, the moon was still high in the night sky. Yomi’s feet felt leaden as she made her way through the empty streets toward the Uchiha compound. The normally bustling village was quiet at this hour, leaving her alone with her thoughts—thoughts that inevitably turned to Ryota’s final moments.

When she reached her home’s door, her hand trembled as she knocked. The sound seemed too loud in the night’s silence. Hae, who was sleeping, was first to wake up from the sound. She came out to check who was at this hour.

She opened the door only to find Yomi standing in front of her. One look at Yomi’s face had her fully alert, maternal concern flooding her features. “Yomi? What’s wrong? What happ-”

The question broke something in Yomi. She collapsed forward into Hae’s arms, her carefully maintained composure shattering completely. Sobs wracked her body as she clung to the woman who had become like a mother to her.

Hae held her tightly, guiding her inside and closing the door behind them. They ended up sitting on the floor, Hae stroking Yomi’s hair as the young kunoichi’s tears soaked her nightgown. She didn’t push for answers, didn’t try to stem the flow of grief. She simply held on, providing the anchor Yomi so desperately needed.

“Ryota,” Yomi finally managed to choke out between sobs. “He’s gone. He stayed behind so I could escape. He fought them alone, and now he’s…” Her voice cracked, fresh tears flowing. Even though Hae didn’t know what had happened and why her daughter was in this state, from the tad bit Yomi was saying while crying, she could guess that she had lost her friend.

Hae pulled her closer, her own eyes filling with tears. She had watched these children’s friendship with her own eyes. She remembered Ryota’s boisterous laugh, his loyal nature, the way he had always been with Kaida and Yomi, and even the respectful tone he used to change whenever he saw her. Now he was gone.

“Let it out,” she whispered, rocking Yomi gently. “Just let it all out, sweetheart. I’m here.”

Through the window, moonlight cast long shadows across the floor as Yomi’s grief echoed through the quiet house. Her sobs gradually softened to hiccups, then to quiet tears, but Hae never loosened her embrace.

******

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