Chapter 188: Crimson Night (Part 1)

TN: Let the Massacre Begin!!

As midnight fell, Konoha gradually quieted down. Aside from Hiruzen and a few other elite shinobi who had gone to assist Minato, the rest of the shinobi had returned to the village.

The area where the Nine-Tails wreaked havoc was in the southeastern part of the village, leaving behind collapsed houses and ruins. Fortunately, key buildings like Konoha Hospital were not in that region, so there were still enough personnel for rescue operations.

Thanks to chakra, even genin could lift heavy beams, and the rescue efforts proceeded swiftly. It didn't take long for a large number of bodies and those barely clinging to life to be dug out from the rubble.

The corpses were wrapped in white cloth and temporarily placed in the Chunin Exam training grounds, while the injured were sent to Konoha Hospital for treatment.

The destruction caused by a tailed beast is akin to that of a war. Although the Nine-Tails only rampaged for a few minutes, the number of injured alone reached four digits.

The total number of casualties exceeded the capacity of Konoha Hospital. Although they managed to squeeze everyone who needed treatment into the hospital, there weren't enough medical personnel. As a result, Konoha Hospital had no choice but to recall doctors and nurses who were on vacation or even retired.

Mebuki Haruno, who had given birth just a few months ago and was still on leave, was among those recalled.

"Make way, make way..."

Mebuki hurriedly pushed a cart filled with medicine bottles down the corridor of Konoha Hospital, her eyes filled with exhaustion and urgency.

In the past, if she had been called back to work during her leave, Mebuki would have been furious at her superiors. But ever since she gave birth to a baby girl named "Sakura Haruno" a few months ago, she had become more empathetic.

The chairs on either side of the corridor were occupied by injured shinobi, many of whom were pale-faced and covered in blood. However, at this critical moment, most of Konoha Hospital's resources were focused on saving those who were severely injured, leaving those with minor injuries to receive only basic bandaging as they waited.

Mebuki pushed the medicine cart and busied herself, room by room.

When the cart was more than half empty, she arrived at the room marked "Room One."

The rooms labeled "Tiger" were all extra-large rooms, rarely used under normal circumstances. But at this critical time, they proved useful, as Konoha Hospital grouped injured members of the same clan together for easier management, blood transfusions, and other needs.

The extra-large "Room One" was filled with injured members of the Uchiha clan.

Mebuki entered the room, going about her routine of changing bandages and treating wounds. At first, she didn't think much of it, but as time went on, she began to feel something was amiss.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. The normally proud Uchiha members were listless, like deflated ramen noodles.

'What's going on? Even if they're injured, they shouldn't be this lifeless... Could it be that the Uchiha were attacked with a genjutsu?'

Mebuki frowned.

Suddenly, she recalled a low murmur from a shinobi she passed in the hallway earlier:

"It's definitely the Sharingan. Those damned Uchiha are behind this..."

Mebuki's hand trembled violently, causing the needle to plunge into the patient's flesh with such force that it struck bone.

"I'm truly sorry, I'm just so tired..." Mebuki quickly apologized, bowing and then replacing the needle.

The unfortunate Uchiha chunin simply shook his head, too distracted to blame the trembling nurse, and continued to stare blankly.

After finishing with the Uchiha, Mebuki wiped the sweat from her brow and left the room.

She stood at the doorway, slapping her cheeks lightly.

"Don't overthink it. These are matters for the Hokage to deal with..."

Mebuki took a deep breath and headed for the last room at the end of the corridor.

—"Room Two."

This room housed the injured members of the Hyuga clan.

Mebuki pushed open the door.

"I'm the nurse here to change the bandages. Let's start with Bed One, Harumi Hyuga... Ah!?"

As she spoke, she reached for the medicine, but her foot slipped, causing her to fall to the floor.

"So slippery..."

Mebuki gasped in pain, but then suddenly froze.

The hand she had used to brace herself on the floor was now stained crimson.

In a daze, she looked up and saw a nightmare she would never forget.

All twenty-four Hyuga clan members who had been in the room were gone.

In their place were dismembered limbs scattered about and blood splattered across the walls and floor!

Marks of "strangulation" and "biting" were everywhere, and just by looking at the scene, one could tell how brutal the slaughter had been.

Although Mebuki could extract a tiny amount of chakra, she wasn't even at the level of a genin. She had no idea what level of ninjutsu and chakra it would take to kill all the injured in a room at Konoha Hospital so brutally, nor did she understand what this incident meant.

All she could do... was scream.

At midnight, Konoha Hospital.

Mebuki's terrified scream echoed throughout the building.

...

Shio Hyuga stepped into the Hokage Tower, heading toward the office of the Anbu Commander.

As one of Yuto's "secretaries," the branch family girl was very familiar with the Hokage Tower. On quiet days, she would even come to Yuto's office to clean, make tea, and so on.

Earlier, the Anbu members had a meeting to discuss the post-Nine-Tails incident patrol plans. Shio suddenly remembered that the commander had made a "Contingency Plan" and volunteered to retrieve it. Anbu members were swift, so it wouldn't take long.

However, when Shio pushed open the office door, she saw someone standing with their back to her.

She tensed up, ready to activate her Byakugan, but in the next moment, she relaxed.

She recognized that back.

"Commander, when did you return?" Shio asked anxiously.

"The Nine-Tails appeared in the village. Many people have died, and the Hokage-sama isn't here. We urgently need you to take charge..."

"Shio." The young man suddenly spoke, turning around:

"As a shinobi, you must always remain vigilant. This was the first lesson I taught you after you joined the Anbu. Now, it seems you haven't taken those words to heart."

Shio was suddenly stunned.

It was only then that she realized something was wrong.

The commander rarely wore a red kimono, and this red was so deep it was almost as if it had been soaked in blood. In the corner of the room stood a black scroll the size of an adult. In the shinobi world, it was an unspoken rule that black scrolls were mostly used to seal forbidden items.

What was even more troubling was the deep gash in the middle of the commander's forehead protector.

"Commander..." A great fear rose in Shio's heart, and she instinctively began to retreat.

But it was too late; the moment she entered the tower, her fate was sealed.

With a casual wave, Yuto summoned the Twin Serpents of force and ripped the branch family girl to shreds.

The black scroll unrolled, sealing most of Shio's body inside.

As for the remaining blood and body parts, Yuto couldn't be bothered to clean them up, leaving the crimson stains in the commander's office, just like in the extra-large "Room Two" at Konoha Hospital.

"There are still twenty-one Hyuga members in the Anbu..."

The voice of the caged bird faded into the darkness.

(End of Chapter)