White tents covered the entire mountainside, their pale canvas stretched tight and battered relentlessly by the howling mountain wind, producing an endless chorus of sharp, chaotic flapping sounds that echoed through the valley.
Ninja clad in green flak jackets moved ceaselessly between the tents, their figures weaving through narrow paths, never lingering, never slowing, as if the camp itself was a living organism in constant motion.
Among them, the ones whose footsteps were the most hurried were the medical-nin dressed in flowing white robes.
They barely had time to breathe, let alone rest, their bodies darting back and forth like tireless white ants, passing stretchers, delivering supplies, tending to the wounded, moving from one crisis to the next without pause.
Patrol units, neatly arranged into orderly formations, circulated through the entire perimeter of the encampment, their movements disciplined and methodical, eyes alert to any abnormality.
And beyond the visible boundaries-
Within dense thickets, behind massive rocks, beneath tall grass flattened by the wind-
Reconnaissance ninja lay concealed.
They blended into the forest like insects born of bark and soil, motionless and patient, eyes gleaming faintly as they observed every ripple of movement, every shift of shadow, every whisper of danger carried by the wind.
Inside the largest tent in the camp, Yamanaka Inoichi was delivering his report.
When he mentioned that Amamiya Rei had fallen unconscious, Orochimaru's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, a subtle glint passing through them like a snake reacting to prey.
"This operation succeeded largely because of Amamiya Rei," Inoichi continued steadily. "Her combat ability is extremely high, and her mastery over Wood Release is already very refined..."
...
Sound gradually seeped into Amamiya Rei's awareness.
Disordered footsteps overlapping one another.
Low, hurried conversations spoken in tense voices.
Pain-filled groans that rose and fell without rhythm.
And beneath it all, the faint, unsettling hiss of something slithering across the ground.
Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy as she forced them open inch by inch.
The first thing that came into focus was the face of Uchiha Shisui, the joy of relief mingled inseparably with worry and guilt, emotions tangled so tightly that they were impossible to separate.
The moment Rei saw Shisui, he understood...
This performance was far from over.
Her gaze drifted upward, staring blankly at the ceiling above her.
There was no focus.
No light.
No soul.
Her lips moved mechanically as she repeated the same sentence again and again:
"I killed someone..."
Such a shame...
"I killed someone..."
I didn't even get to bite everyone once...
"I killed someone..."
What a waste...
So heartbreaking...
This was, undeniably, the first time Amamiya Rei had killed with his own hands.
Was he afraid?
By all logic, he should have been.
Yet for some reason, perhaps because the people in his eyes had unconsciously transformed into food, the pain of waste overwhelmingly eclipsed any fear he might have felt.
So much meat.
All wasted!
At noon the farmer hoes the field,
His sweat falling deep into the earth.
Who knows that every piece of meat upon the plate
Is bought with labor and bitter toil?
When he thought about how so many ninja had died without him even tasting a single piece, his heart twisted unbearably.
Her eyes reddened, tears streaming down freely as she sobbed until her shoulders shook.
She was acting with absolute sincerity.
And Shisui-
Shisui's heart was being torn apart piece by piece.
"Rei..."
He grasped both of Amamiya Rei's hands tightly, as though trying to anchor her to the present, desperately hoping that his warmth could somehow reach her.
Perhaps it was the heat of his palms that pulled her back slightly from the void.
Amamiya Rei slowly turned her head.
Tears slipped instantly from the corners of her eyes, seeping into her hair.
"Shisui... I killed someone. It's terrifying..."
Her body trembled subtly, as though the fear was etched into her bones.
She pulled her hands free and raised them before his eyes.
"They're covered in blood... all blood..."
"How could I kill someone?"
"How could I possibly kill someone?"
Her voice broke completely, each word trembling on the verge of collapse.
Shisui didn't know what to do.
How was he supposed to comfort her?
How could he pull her out of this abyss?
Was he supposed to just stand by and watch her suffer like this?
His heart felt as though it were being shredded, his eyes darkening with pain.
Whoosh-
The heavy windproof curtain was lifted from outside.
A familiar figure stepped into the tent.
Hatake Kakashi took in the scene with a single glance and immediately understood everything.
He walked to Shisui's side and spoke calmly.
"You should go out first. I'll talk to her."
Shisui froze, instinctively turning to look at him.
Kakashi met his gaze without hesitation.
He knew very clearly that Shisui staying here would not help Amamiya Rei in the slightest.
Because Shisui cared too deeply.
His guilt, his pain, his empathy would only mirror her suffering, sinking them both deeper, but that kind of shared pain solved nothing.
What mattered now was forcing her to confront reality and pull herself out.
Shisui, too gentle-hearted, couldn't do that.
But Kakashi could.
Under Kakashi's firm gaze, Shisui slowly stood up.
He chose to believe in him.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but say softly, "I'll go get you something to eat. I'll be back soon."
Amamiya Rei: "..."
She couldn't even be bothered to respond.
Maintaining her half-dead, hollow expression, she stared blankly at the empty air before her.
Kakashi watched her silently for a long time.
Did it hurt?
Of course it did.
But he had endured this kind of pain too many times.
Pain repeated often enough eventually lost its sharpness.
Even when it hurt, some things still had to be done.
Kakashi abruptly grabbed Amamiya Rei and pulled her upright from the bed.
Amamiya Rei: "..."
Hatake Kakashi, do you have no humanity?!
Can't you see she's immersed in sorrow?!
"Do you remember how you killed them?"
Kakashi's first words struck like a thunderbolt.
Inside, Amamiya Rei's mind exploded-
Yet her face instantly filled with terror.
She clutched her head with both hands
as tears poured endlessly from her wide eyes.
Kakashi's heart clenched violently, but his face remained expressionless.
He pressed a hand firmly against her shoulder.
"You killed them with Wood Release. That's a fact. Don't run from it."
"Amamiya Rei, you killed people."
"And you killed them in an extremely brutal way..."
"Ah-!"
A hoarse cry tore from her throat.
Even so...
Even her scream was heartbreakingly fragile, painfully beautiful in its ruin.
"Stop!"
"Please, stop talking!"
Rei collapsed forward, clutching Kakashi's arm desperately.
Her fingernails dug deeply into his flesh.
Kakashi didn't react as if he felt any pain.
He raised one hand and gripped her lower face, forcing her to turn back toward him, preventing her from looking away.
Warm tears soaked into his palm.
"You killed them, but you weren't wrong."
"If you hadn't killed them, you would have died."
"The people you care about would have died."
"So you weren't wrong!"
"To protect yourself and those you cherish, killing is necessary."
"You will kill more people in the future!"
"So this is nothing, Amamiya Rei!"
Kakashi's cold words made Rei stare at him in disbelief.
Her gaze drifted to his hand, so close to her lips.
Since the food had delivered itself right to her mouth-
She had no intention of letting it go.
As if provoked by his words, or perhaps simply venting her anger and anguish, Rei lunged forward and bit down hard on Kakashi's hand.
"Hiss-"
Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath.
His reaction was lightning-fast.
He seized her chin and pulled his hand free from her mouth.
Amamiya Rei, who had only managed a few drops of blood: "..."
Hatake Kakashi, you're impressive.
She didn't even get a single bite of flesh!
If it had been Shisui, he would have stood there silently and let her do whatever she wanted!
She never expected Kakashi to react like this.
Her frustration surged violently.
The victory that had already been within reach-
snatched away just like that!
Who could tolerate this?!
Kakashi released her and spoke calmly, his voice steady and unyielding.
"Burying yourself in fear like this-"
"That's not the Amamiya Rei I know."
Amamiya Rei: "..."
What kind of absolute nonsense are you spouting?
***
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