The corpses shuffled forward, their sluggish steps driven by a primal, predatory instinct, closing in on Kakashi, who gripped his short blade.
He didn't strike immediately, instead analyzing the scene with cold precision.
His earlier suspicions were correct. These weren't true corpses but "walking dead," caught in a state of false death.
Once members of the bandit gang, their bodies had been twisted into this grotesque state by some unknown force.
When Shinko Aburame's team arrived, most of these creatures were likely already in this dormant state.
This lulled the team into complacency. They inflicted shallow cuts on the few still active, some barely piercing the skin.
Yet even in those wounds, Kakashi saw no blood—just dark, empty voids.
Now, the water from Kisame Magake's jutsu had revived them, rehydrating their desiccated forms.
Ordinary wounds wouldn't kill them. Dislocating their joints or severing their heads was the only way to stop them.
Two shadows appeared beside Kakashi.
"Unkan!"
"Captain, what's happening?"
Yamakawa Daisuke and his partner, infiltrating from the rear, had finally arrived to aid them.
"Neutralize these things first. Only breaking their joints or decapitation will stop them!" Kakashi ordered.
The trio formed a circle around Aono Unkan, shielding him from further harm as the creature bit into his neck.
The walking dead lunged chaotically, driven by instinct. Dodging their attacks was simple for three Anbu ninjas.
But their pale skin was unnaturally tough. Kakashi's thrown shuriken barely scratched them.
Projectile weapons were useless. Only precise, powerful strikes to vital points would work.
Kakashi, rare for him, wielded his short blade with both hands, maximizing its force to cleave through their skulls.
Heads flew across the bandit camp, trailing not blood but white, viscous slime.
After a grueling fight, the trio felled every creature.
As the loathsome faces lay still in the water, Kakashi exhaled, then turned to Aono Unkan's plight.
The creature's bite had torn a deep wound. Separating them risked fatal bleeding. They needed stability before acting.
None of them were medical ninjas. Basic hemostasis wouldn't staunch such a hemorrhage.
After a moment's thought, Kakashi made a bold call.
He'd sever the creature's head, leaving it clamped on Aono Unkan's neck, and send them to Konoha for treatment.
This would prevent bleeding and allow the head to be studied.
But the cut had to be clean, avoiding any jolt that might dislodge the bite.
A kunai wouldn't suffice. Something sharper was needed.
Crackle.
"Chidori!"
After forming seals, Kakashi's right hand sparked with blue lightning. Daisuke and his partner stepped back, wary of stray arcs.
With precise timing, Kakashi slashed. The creature's head parted cleanly from its body, no residue left.
Without the body's support, Aono Unkan, barely conscious, collapsed. Kakashi caught him.
"Bind the head to his neck and get him to Konoha immediately," Kakashi instructed.
"And you?" Daisuke asked, taking Aono Unkan, noting Kakashi's resolve to stay.
"I have a mission to finish." Kakashi's gaze fixed on the cave.
After losing his father and comrades, Kakashi had vowed to balance duty and loyalty, completing missions while saving those he could.
Daisuke and his partner exchanged glances but didn't argue. They left with Aono Unkan.
Kakashi returned to the cave.
It was eerily silent, as if nothing had transpired.
Behind the familiar stone wall, he listened for signs of life.
No presence stirred.
Still, the statue's threat loomed. Kakashi didn't dare look directly, using his mirror to probe.
The platform was empty. The ninjas who'd surrounded the statue were gone.
But as the mirror neared the platform's peak, a green glint flashed. Kakashi dropped it instantly.
Clatter.
The mirror shattered, its echo ringing in the cave.
They'd left the statue behind!
Kakashi, hyper-vigilant and aware of the statue's position, avoided even a glimpse this time.
He was certain the green glow was the statue.
Were they still lurking in the cave?
Kakashi shook his head. His senses, honed for such confines, confirmed he was alone.
Why abandon such a relic?
This was no ordinary statue but one imbued with potent, genjutsu-like power. Was it not worth taking?
Or…
Kakashi recalled the Mist Village's past ploy, sealing the Three-Tails in Rin, sending her to Konoha to unleash chaos.
Rin had chosen death to protect the village.
Was this another Mist scheme?
Kakashi dismissed the thought. The statue's power, though formidable, wasn't as uncontrollable as a tailed beast.
He now knew its influence relied on sight. Wrapping it in cloth could neutralize it.
After weighing the risks, Kakashi decided to bring it to Konoha.
If it's too dangerous to study, it could be sealed.
Closing his eyes, he navigated by memory, inching toward the platform.
As he stepped onto it, whispers filled his ears.
Inhuman murmurs, unintelligible, laced with the name "Cthulhu."
Cthulhu.
Always Cthulhu. What was it?
The murmurs gnawed at his mind. Kakashi, desperate to silence them, wrapped the statue in cloth.
As the fabric enveloped it, the whispers ceased.
(End of Chapter)