Outside the Konoha Hospital, temporary tents extended to the street corner.
The tents were filled with weak, bandage-wrapped ninja. The once-bustling village was now shrouded in a sense of post-disaster fatigue and sadness.
The hospital corridors were packed with people. The air was heavy with the smell of disinfectant, herbs, and blood, almost suffocating.
The groans of the wounded, the hushed sobs of family members, and the hurried footsteps of medical ninja intertwined into a somber post-war symphony.
Hyuga Kawa walked through the crowded corridor. He was dressed in a simple, clean white uniform, and his long black hair was neatly tied back. His usual smile was gone.
His face was heavy and bowed, as if he couldn't bear to look at the injured ninja. His lips were tightly pressed together and pale.
As he walked, both the busy medical ninja and the pained patients involuntarily looked at him, feeling a strong impulse to go forward and comfort him.
But due to the solemn atmosphere of the hospital, no one attempted to approach him.
Hyuga Kawa walked up to a two-person ward and nodded slightly to the two Anbu ninja guarding the door. Then, he raised his hand and gently knocked.
Knock knock…
"Come in."
A slightly hoarse, tired, but steady voice came from inside.
Click.
Hyuga Kawa gently pushed the door open. The light in the ward was soft, filled with the bitter scent of herbs.
Two hospital beds were placed facing each other. Kakashi lay on one of them, flipping through Icha Icha Paradise.
One of his eyes was wrapped in bandages, only his dead-fish eye was exposed. His eye was narrowed in a mischievous smile.
Seeing Hyuga Kawa enter the ward, he quickly hid the dirty book in his hand and raised a hand to greet Kawa. "Yo, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," Hyuga Kawa said nonchalantly. "Since you're in the mood to read that kind of book, it seems you're not too badly hurt, Kakashi-senpai."
Kakashi's old face flushed at his words. Hyuga Kawa then looked at the other bed.
On the other bed, Sarutobi Hiruzen was propped up against the backrest. His face was pale, as if he was just recovering from a serious illness. His wrinkles seemed deeper, revealing an undisguised sense of weariness and age.
His once-vibrant spirit had been mostly drained, leaving only an old man who seemed crushed by a heavy burden.
He held an open scroll in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed as he read its contents with a serious expression.
Seeing Hyuga Kawa enter, he slowly looked up. He forced a gentle smile, but it couldn't hide his exhaustion.
"Kawa, you've come." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was filled with a sense of relief, but also a subtle heaviness. "Have a seat."
Hyuga Kawa sat on a chair by the bed, a look of concern on his face as he leaned in and asked, "Third Hokage, are you feeling better?"
"I wasn't really injured," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, putting down the scroll and sighing almost inaudibly. "But this old body can't take all the stress."
"But you…"
His gaze fell on Hyuga Kawa. He knew that beneath the clean white uniform, there were many simply bandaged wounds.
"This was hard on you. Without you, the casualties would have been even worse," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"It's my duty, Third Hokage," Hyuga Kawa said, slightly shaking his head.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the document in his hand, and his voice was a little urgent as he asked, "Is this the research report on the 'Hollows' from the institute?"
However, Hyuga Kawa didn't immediately hand over the report.
He frowned slightly, carefully studying Sarutobi Hiruzen's face and sunken eyes. He asked, "Third Hokage, how long did you… sleep last night?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was clearly taken aback.
He didn't expect Hyuga Kawa to suddenly ask this instead of formally reporting on his work. He instinctively looked away, his lips moving, but he was at a loss for words.
The ward fell into a brief silence.
"Only for two hours."
A nonchalant voice came from the opposite bed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned sharply and glared at Kakashi in annoyance.
Kakashi's exposed dead-fish eye bent into a crescent, and he nonchalantly continued flipping through his Icha Icha Paradise, which he had somehow taken out again.
"Third Hokage, this won't do."
Hyuga Kawa sighed softly, looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a gentle voice. "Your body and mind are both severely overdrawn right now. What you need most is rest and recuperation."
"The village's affairs are being handled by Homura and Koharu. You should trust them, and you should trust everyone in Konoha."
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a mix of warmth and embarrassment well up in his heart, but he still gave a wry smile and said hoarsely, "The state we're in today is mostly my fault."
"How can I lie here and rest with a clear conscience?"
At this point, he paused, his gaze falling back to the scattered scrolls in front of him. He sighed. "Besides, there are many things that they can't handle."
He reached out, picked up one of the scrolls, and said in a heavy tone, "Take a look at these. They're the latest intelligence on the 'Hollows.'"
Hyuga Kawa looked at the scroll he was handing over, then at his tired but resolute eyes, and finally, he could only sigh helplessly again.
"I understand, but please take care of yourself."
Hyuga Kawa didn't press the matter further. He placed the research report he had brought next to Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, took the intelligence scroll from Sarutobi Hiruzen, and slowly unrolled it.
His gaze quickly scanned the lines of text. His pure Byakugan pupils flickered slightly.
In the Land of Wind, an unknown 'monster' attacked a caravan. Its characteristics are highly consistent with the 'Hollows' encountered by Konoha. A Suna ninja team was dispatched to investigate, and they all died…
In the Land of Earth, an unknown 'ghost' appeared in the depths of a mine, attacking the miners. The survivors' descriptions match the characteristics of the 'Hollows.' Iwa has now sealed off the area…
On the coast of the Land of Lightning, several fishing boats have gone missing. The surviving fishermen have become deranged, describing an attack by 'white-masked monsters,' but they have since disappeared…
In Kirigakure, Land of Water, during the Kaguya clan rebellion, a high-level 'Hollow' is suspected to have appeared. The Fourth Mizukage was forced to intervene.
Number One of the Espada, 'Swirl,' appeared, severely injuring the fully Tailed-Beast-transformed Fourth Mizukage before leaving with the special individual 'Hollow' transformed from the Kaguya clan.
After the Fourth Mizukage awakened, he claimed he had been under the genjutsu of Uchiha Obito, who was disguised as 'Uchiha Madara.' Kiri has offered a reward of 100 million ryo for him…
Hyuga Kawa's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued to look at the more detailed intelligence that followed.
On the battlefield of the Land of Hot Water, a high-level 'Hollow' is suspected to have appeared. Jiraiya intervened. Number Three of the Espada, 'Puppeteer,' appeared. Jiraiya used 'Sloth,' and the two were entangled in a long battle.
While they were fighting, the 'Jashin Cult,' disguised as Kumogakure and Konoha ninja, suddenly appeared, breaking the balance between the two sides, and the fighting resumed.
The leader of the 'Jashin Cult,' Hidan, took advantage of the chaos to kill a 'Hollow,' using a powerful and strange blood-sucking ability. Nearly a hundred Konoha and Kumogakure ninja were drained of their blood and died.
'Puppeteer' tried to use his threads to kill Hidan, but Hidan showed a powerful self-healing ability. 'Puppeteer' left. Hidan and the Jashin Cult slaughtered the Kumogakure ninja and fled before the Fourth Raikage arrived…
The Land of Fire's Daimyo's estate was attacked by a large group of 'Hollows.' The guards suffered heavy losses. Tsunade, who was nearby, rushed to help and successfully killed the group of 'Hollows' with the remaining guards.
The Daimyo was not injured, but he was greatly frightened and sent a query to Konoha in his fury…
"…"
Hyuga Kawa slowly closed the scroll. The air in the ward seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint noise from outside the window and the soft sound of Kakashi turning the pages of his book.
"You see, Kawa?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hyuga Kawa, a bitter smile on his tired face. "The threat of the 'Hollows' is no longer limited to Konoha, nor are they just enemies to ninja anymore."
"They are spreading across the entire ninja world and have even threatened the Daimyo's safety. This directly shakes the central pillar of the Land of Fire!"
He slowly leaned back against the headboard, his voice filled with a sense of helplessness. "It's a good thing Tsunade was there. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable…"
Hyuga Kawa put the scroll back next to Sarutobi Hiruzen. His gaze fell on the haggard old man again. He said, "Third Hokage, the 'Hollows' are not unbeatable."
"Although the current situation is very serious, I still want to say that you should believe in everyone's strength."
With that, he looked out the window. Sarutobi Hiruzen also instinctively followed his gaze.
What he saw was Konoha shrouded in a faint black smoke. Even with the sun's light and the remaining greenery, it couldn't hide the village's post-war disarray.
A large number of plants had been burned, leaving behind only black husks. Ashes, like early August snow, covered everything. The buildings were filled with cracks and missing pieces.
The more tragic places, such as the Hokage building, were nothing but a ruin. The better-off ones, like Konoha Hospital and the Ninja Academy, were completely unharmed.
Among the ruins, one white tent after another was set up, blooming in the village like white flowers that had sprouted overnight.
In the large camp formed by the tents, many people and medical ninja were moving around. The noise and a scent hidden in the smell of gunpowder were carried over by the breeze.
It was the smell of food.
Even in a situation like this, people could still find joy amid the hardship.
The gloom in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart inexplicably dissipated. His gaze fell back to the research report in his hand. He opened it and began to read. The fear of the unknown gradually faded.
Although the 'Hollows' were still a problem, at least there were ways to deal with them.
However, facing such beings, traditional ninja tactics and mindsets would be severely challenged.
After a long period of contemplation, he slowly looked up at the almost perfect young man in front of him, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
"Kawa," he said.
"I'm here, Third Hokage," Hyuga Kawa replied.
Hearing his voice, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt some of the burden lift from him. He took a deep breath and said, "Send letters to the other four great nations, including this research report."
"The 'Hollows' and the 'Espada' aren't just our enemies in Konoha. They must know about this too."
Hearing this, Hyuga Kawa's pupils narrowed slightly. He asked, "Third Hokage, are you planning to…"
"I want to invite them to a Five Kage Summit." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He looked at Hyuga Kawa's face and said softly, "And I hope you can go with me…"