Mokuton Phantom in Naruto

The rain fell without rest.

Kousei walked through the narrow streets of Amegakure, his eyes sharp, noting every detail of the surroundings.

Even without intimate knowledge of the village, he could recognize a war zone.

And this village was already in one.

At every corner, he saw shuttered stalls, abandoned shops, vacant homes.

Amegakure had always been a somber place, but now… it looked like a graveyard.

He stopped beside an old skewer vendor, one of the few stalls still open. The scent of grilled meat mingled with the metallic tang of rain.

"It's quieter than usual," Kousei commented casually, pulling out a few coins.

The old man glanced around before replying.

"People are leaving." He handed over the skewer. "Or… they're disappearing."

Kousei narrowed his eyes. Disappearing?

"And why is that?"

The vendor wiped his hands on a stained apron and lowered his voice.

"The war's already started, stranger. Most just haven't realized it yet."

Kousei bit into the meat, chewing slowly.

So that's how it is…

The original plan was to stay for two days, gather information, observe, wait for something to unfold.

But he already had the answer.

Time had run out.

He scanned the village once more. Nothing about it suggested war was a future event.

War was already happening here.

And if Amegakure was mobilizing…

Hanzou already knew the war was imminent.

Kousei tossed the skewer aside and turned away.

The rain kept falling, drumming against metal, trickling through dark alleys.

"I need to get back."

Crossing the village, Kousei felt the weight of countless eyes on him.

Mercenaries, informants, disguised shinobi, someone was always watching in Amegakure.

The most frustrating part was not knowing exactly who.

Within minutes, he was back at the inn where Ryuusei and Misaki were resting.

He entered the room without ceremony.

Ryuusei leaned against the wall, arms crossed, but the restless exhaustion in his gaze betrayed his lack of sleep.

Misaki sat by the window, staring at the rain with a blank expression.

"We're leaving before dawn," Kousei announced.

Ryuusei frowned. "I thought we were staying for two days."

"The situation's changed." He grabbed the backpack beside the bed and began checking the gear. "The war isn't a year away. It's happening much sooner."

Misaki turned, eyes sharp. "How do you know?"

Kousei closed the bag with a single motion.

"Because Amegakure is already fighting."

Ryuusei and Misaki exchanged a glance.

"When the rain starts falling in Amegakure, it never stops." Kousei looked at them, his face grim. "And now… it's already begun."

Before dawn, Kousei, Ryuusei, and Misaki left Amegakure.

After days beneath the gray skies of the village, seeing the sun rise on the horizon felt almost surreal.

They moved quickly and quietly, Kousei always two steps ahead, Ryuusei and Misaki following closely behind.

The only pause they took was for a quick meal of stale bread before pushing forward.

Ryuusei didn't complain, despite his aching body. He knew it was pointless.

His father didn't tolerate excuses.

Misaki remained silent, her gaze downcast, mind elsewhere.

They left Amegakure before sunrise. Now, hours later, they were nearing the border of the Land of Rain.

Then Kousei stopped abruptly.

The sun had fully risen, casting light on the road ahead.

Ryuusei followed his father's gaze and felt his body tense.

There was a battlefield up ahead.

The stench of blood and charred flesh drifted on the dry morning breeze.

The clearing ahead, which should've been just another stretch of road, was now a graveyard.

Bodies lay scattered everywhere, some mutilated, others burned beyond recognition. The ground was stained crimson.

The battle hadn't happened long ago.

Kousei raised his hand, signaling sharply.

"Split up. Quick sweep."

Ryuusei and Misaki nodded, dispersing silently as they moved toward the massacre.

20 Minutes Later

The three regrouped at the edge of the battlefield.

"Six hours ago," Kousei declared without hesitation.

Misaki glanced around, her face unreadable.

"It was an ambush."

"Konoha walked into a trap," Ryuusei concluded, eyes fixed on the bodies.

The number of Konoha dead outweighed those from Iwagakure.

But even so, it seemed Konoha had managed to retreat without complete annihilation.

Kousei looked at the two and gave his next order.

"Seal the intact bodies."

They both turned to him at once.

"What?" Ryuusei frowned.

"We're taking them to Hoshigakure. For study." Kousei crossed his arms. "Any information on jutsu, strategies, or fighting styles will be useful."

Misaki remained silent for a moment, then simply nodded.

Ryuusei, on the other hand, felt his stomach churn.

Sealing the bodies of people who had died just hours ago?

He closed his eyes briefly.

This is just another step. I've seen blood. I've seen people die. This shouldn't shake me.

Clenching his fists, he grabbed a scroll and began the sealing process.

Ryuusei had just finished sealing a body when he heard it.

"A-ah…"

His head snapped around immediately.

Near a pile of corpses, a trembling hand reached upward.

A Konoha ninja, bloodied and pale, groaned weakly.

He'd played dead to survive.

Ryuusei instinctively sprinted toward him, but Kousei got there first.

The jounin knelt beside the man, pulled out a canteen, and offered water.

The Konoha ninja drank with difficulty, his eyes clouded with exhaustion.

"What happened here?" Kousei asked, calm and direct.

The man drew a ragged breath, struggling to focus.

"We were… ambushed…"

"By who?"

"Iwa…" The ninja swallowed hard. "They knew we were coming… a trap…"

He coughed up blood.

"Our team… was returning with intel… about potential alliances… with smaller villages…"

Misaki's eyes narrowed. "So Iwa knew exactly where you'd be."

The ninja gave a weak nod.

"But we managed to retreat… some losses… but we made them bleed too…" He tried to smile, but it twisted into a grimace of pain.

Then he gasped, voice faint.

"Please… help me…"

Ryuusei dropped to his knees beside him. "Dad! We need to get him to a hospital!"

Kousei remained silent for a moment.

Then, with swift precision, he drove a kunai into the man's throat.

Blood splattered onto the mud.

Ryuusei's eyes widened in pure horror.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

He shoved his father away, disbelief etched into his face.

"He… he asked for help! He could've survived!"

Kousei wiped the blade on the dead ninja's uniform.

"No, he couldn't." His voice was as cold as the morning air. "Without a skilled medical ninja, he'd have died within the hour. Slowly. Painfully."

Ryuusei felt a lump in his throat.

"So you just killed him?!"

"I spared him."

"That's NOT help!" Ryuusei shouted, rage burning inside him.

"You think it's not?" Kousei turned to face him, eyes devoid of emotion.

"Then tell me, Ryuusei: what's worse? A quick death or hours of agony in the mud, feeling your organs fail, with no one to save you?"

Ryuusei didn't answer.

He couldn't.

Misaki said nothing.

But her eyes revealed she had already known the answer for a long time.

War wasn't about right or wrong.

War was just war.