Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Coughing in the Cave
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Cough cough! Cough cough cough!
In the pitch-black cave, a bout of heart-wrenching coughs suddenly erupted.
Shirakumo Hayama arduously pried open his eyelids. His chest felt like it was crushed under a thousand-jin boulder—unable to draw breath, both aching and itchy. He coughed incessantly.
In his daze, a figure from the darkness stepped forward and stuffed a pill into his mouth.
"Swallow slowly."
Hyuga Kamon's voice came from beside him.
Once the medicine took effect, Shirakumo Hayama finally felt some relief. Gasping for air, he took in the cave around them.
The cave was lit only by the faint glow of a single candle. Traces of dried blood still stained Hyuga Kamon's face, while across from him sat the utterly disheveled Uchiha Shisui.
"I held you guys back..."
Shirakumo Hayama brimmed with guilt.
If he hadn't been so weak—knocked out the moment the fight began—his two teammates wouldn't have been forced into such a grueling battle. They wouldn't have ended up in this sorry state.
"The enemy was too strong."
Uchiha Shisui leaned against the stone wall opposite and slowly lifted his head.
In the dim candlelight, Shirakumo Hayama finally noticed Uchiha Shisui's face: his left eye socket was deeply sunken, as if even the light itself had been swallowed into the void.
"Shisui! You?!"
Shirakumo Hayama's voice caught in his throat.
Uchiha Shisui made no effort to hide his lost left eye. He simply glanced at his two companions with his remaining one.
"The foes from Star Shinobi Village aren't ordinary ninja anymore. To wipe out Star Shinobi Village, we'd need to launch a full-scale war."
But the Hidden Leaf Village had no strength left to wage another war.
"Besides, the enemy has Uchiha Clan bloodline that strayed outside our ranks. If we don't handle this carefully, it could breed suspicion toward the Uchiha Clan in the village."
As Shisui explained, Shirakumo Hayama and Hyuga Kamon both recalled that terrifying black-haired girl.
Shirakumo Hayama had been knocked unconscious, so he hadn't witnessed the battle that followed.
But Hyuga Kamon had seen it clearly: two colossal giants clashing brutally in the forest!
That godlike power still filled him with lingering dread.
"That's why I want to handle the full report on this mission to Lord Hokage myself. I ask that you both keep the details confidential from others, within reason."
With those last words, Uchiha Shisui turned to Hyuga Kamon.
They were directed mainly at him.
Shisui knew Shirakumo Hayama's character—he'd only report to Lord Hokage and tell no one else.
Hyuga Kamon, however, belonged to the Hyuga Branch House. He answered to both the Branch House head and the Main House patriarch.
So Shisui didn't press, showing consideration for Hyuga Kamon's position and feelings.
After a brief silence, Hyuga Kamon nodded.
Shirakumo Hayama clutched his foggy head.
"You're the captain. I'll follow your lead."
"Thank you for understanding."
Shisui dipped his head slightly in gratitude.
The three then took turns standing watch through the night, tending to their wounds.
Shisui lay awake, his mind churning with questions—and worries over how the village leadership would view the Uchiha Clan once word got back.
Star Shinobi Village.
This small ninja village, nestled deep in the mountains, was now in the midst of relocation.
Gato directed his merchant caravans and the village shinobi to load daily necessities onto wagons. Under Star Shinobi escort, they set off in batches toward the capital of the Land of Bears.
They planned to build their new village in the eastern suburbs outside the capital, bordering the forest and mountains.