As Takuya stood in the pouring rain, his clothes soaked through with a mix of blood and water, the remaining Sand shinobi could feel their will to fight slipping away. The sight of him, drenched in blood, was too much. They turned and ran, screaming in terror.
If there had still been a jōnin to lead them, they might have found the courage to continue the fight, even with their fear of Takuya. But with Masa's death, their mental defenses had shattered. Abandoning their weapons, they fled, no longer concerned with their mission or duty. All they wanted was to escape this terrifying place, to get away from the silver-haired demon.
"Kill them!!"
"Finish them off!!!"
Without Takuya needing to give any orders, the remaining Konoha shinobi shouted as they charged after the fleeing enemies. It was the perfect time to strike—the Sand shinobi were scattered and broken, making them easy prey.
As Takuya planted his sword in the ground, he took a deep breath, letting the rain wash the blood off his body. Watching the red-tinted water drip down, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "I really need to stop slitting throats so often. It's way too messy."
While stabbing the heart or other vital organs could be effective, there was something about a clean cut to the throat that made it the fastest and most efficient way to kill in battle. A single stroke severing the throat and carotid artery would almost always result in death unless immediate medical attention was provided—and even then, it would require a highly skilled medic-nin.
But the downside was the blood. It sprayed everywhere.
Takuya didn't join in the pursuit of the fleeing enemies. He was tired. Leading a group of shinobi, driving the enemy into a rout—it had taken its toll on even someone with his stamina and chakra reserves.
"I wonder when I'll unlock my second special ability," he mused aloud. If he had another unique skill at his disposal, situations like this would be much easier to handle. He figured that his second ability would probably awaken when his Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō.
"What special ability?"
Minato asked as he helped the limping Nawaki back to their makeshift camp. Behind them, the other Konoha shinobi followed, all looking exhausted and battered. Compared to them, Takuya was in a league of his own—only tired, but otherwise unharmed.
Unlike Nawaki and the others, who were not only low on chakra but also physically exhausted and wounded, even Minato had taken some hits during the battle. Judging by the way he moved, it looked like he'd been caught by a desperate attack from one of the fleeing enemies.
"Nothing important," Takuya replied.
He pulled his sword from the ground and quickly began carving out a few notches in a nearby tree. Within minutes, he had constructed a simple wooden shelter, covering it with oilcloth to keep out the rain.
A temporary rain shelter, just like that.
It had taken him less than five minutes.
"Damn, that hurts."
Nawaki winced as he sat down in the mud-covered shelter. The adrenaline from the battle was wearing off, and now the pain from his wounds was setting in. Blood was still seeping from a gash, causing him to shiver in pain. The others weren't faring much better.
"Hang in there."
Takuya used a basic fire jutsu to ignite a small fire, then cleaned some bandages and began tending to the wounded, applying medicine where necessary. Thankfully, he had thought to bring a sealing scroll packed with medical supplies. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known what to do—medical ninjutsu wasn't exactly his specialty.
Minato had a nasty cut on his side, likely from a kunai. As Takuya bandaged the wound, he couldn't help but tease him, "Minato, it's a good thing the enemy didn't stab any deeper. A few centimeters more, and you might have been in trouble for the rest of your life."
"Wait, what?"
Minato winced as the antiseptic stung his wound, his face paling from the pain. He hadn't quite caught on to Takuya's joke.
"Ha! Ha ha!!"
One of the older, grizzled shinobi in the shelter couldn't help but laugh, slapping Minato on the back. "Kid, what Takuya-sama means is that the enemy almost got your kidney. And trust me, if a man loses his kidney, his wife won't be too happy."
"Yeah, you'd be in big trouble with the missus."
Minato blinked a few times before the meaning sank in. His already pale face flushed a deep red. He shot a glare at Takuya, grinding his teeth, clearly tempted to punch him.
"Ha ha ha..."
The others couldn't help but laugh as well. It was a good thing there weren't any female shinobi present—otherwise, they might have gotten an earful for joking around while injured.
After a few more laughs, Takuya finished bandaging the last of the wounded and stepped out into the rain again. The battle had taken a heavy toll on the Konoha forces. Only about fifteen shinobi remained, most of them injured. Takuya was left to deal with the grim task of handling the bodies—both their own and those of the enemy.
Leaving bodies on the battlefield wasn't an option. In the harsh weather and conditions of the Land of Rain, corpses would quickly begin to rot, potentially leading to outbreaks of disease.
"Takuya-sama, let us help you."
Seeing him working alone, the others were eager to assist.
"Get back and rest."
Takuya shot them a glare, snapping, "I'm not so tired that I can't move a few bodies."
Chastised, the shinobi reluctantly retreated to the shelter, watching as Takuya worked in the rain.
"Sorry," he muttered quietly as he began to bury the bodies. He didn't have enough sealing scrolls to bring the corpses back to Konoha for a proper burial, so burning and burying them on the spot was the best he could do.
The sight of the muddy graves weighed heavily on him, but there was nothing more he could do.
After finishing the grim task, Takuya wandered through the nearby forest, eventually coming across a large wild boar resting under a tree. Without hesitation, he hurled a kunai, the blade piercing through the boar's eye and into its brain.
With a final squeal of pain, the boar thrashed for a moment before collapsing.
Takuya leaped down from the tree and grabbed the boar by the legs, dragging it back to the camp.
When he returned to the battlefield with the boar in tow, the shinobi's eyes lit up. The thought of eating roasted meat after a long, grueling battle was almost too good to be true.
For shinobi who had been living off rations and soldier pills, the idea of a hot meal was a rare luxury—and Takuya was about to make sure they got one.
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