CHAPTER 37

A deafening explosion echoed across the peak of Qingshan Mountain.

Hearing the commotion, Orochimaru immediately rushed to the scene, only to find that the battlefield had undergone a drastic transformation.

A massive crater dominated the area, surrounded by scorched and fragmented corpses. The lingering scent of blood thickened the air, a stark reminder of the recent carnage.

Frowning, Orochimaru's sharp eyes scanned the area, searching for the members of the Third Squad.

"Damn it… It was a paper bomb. Where the hell did a bunch of bandits get their hands on exploding tags? Luckily, Qing warned us just in time."

A hoarse voice cursed, followed by the sight of a staggering figure pulling himself up from the rubble. His disheveled appearance barely concealed his identity—Nawaki Senju. Seeing him alive, Orochimaru exhaled slightly, reassured that Uchiha Kiyo's warning had likely saved them.

Not far from Nawaki, another figure lay motionless, dressed in the standard Konoha ninja uniform. Though he showed no movement, the faint rise and fall of his chest confirmed he was still alive.

However, as Orochimaru surveyed the area, his expression darkened. Something was off. Counting the bodies—both the fallen foes and the squad members—there were only six people present.

Where was Uchiha Kiyo?

A faint cough came from behind a collapsed wall.

"I'm… over here."

The weak voice was unmistakably Kiyo's.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in surprise. Based on his calculations, Kiyo should have been at the very center of the explosion. Even if he had been the first to react and warn the others, escaping that far in time seemed nearly impossible.

Ignoring Nawaki and the other injured member for now, Orochimaru swiftly made his way toward Kiyo's voice. If Kiyo's condition was stable, he would have him tend to the others.

Behind the broken wall, he found Kiyo slumped against it, his face pale, his breathing weak. His body looked unnaturally frail, as if he had been completely drained of strength. Yet, strangely, there were no visible wounds—no burns, no lacerations—nothing that suggested he had been directly caught in the blast.

Orochimaru's analytical mind immediately pieced together the most likely explanation: chakra depletion.

His gaze sharpened. Something wasn't right.

Carefully expanding his sensory perception, he noticed something peculiar—there were at least five traces of substitution jutsu scattered around the battlefield, each roughly four to five meters apart.

Following the faint residual chakra, he discovered that behind multiple sections of the battlefield's perimeter, there were more substitutions—each imbued with Kiyo's distinct chakra signature.

A silent smirk twitched at Orochimaru's lips.

This level of precaution… just for a group of bandits?

Even for an elite shinobi, leaving behind this many substitution markers was excessive. But more importantly—how had Kiyo managed to travel nearly ten meters from the explosion's center using the Substitution Jutsu? The sheer chakra control required for such a feat was remarkable.

Yet, the answer was obvious: a heavy price had been paid.

Kiyo hadn't simply evaded the explosion. He had overexerted himself to an extreme degree, forcing every last ounce of chakra from his reserves. Orochimaru could only guess how much he had burned through in that desperate moment.

Kiyo himself, struggling to keep his eyes open, understood his own limits well. At the time, he barely had enough chakra left to execute one final escape technique. But under the extreme conditions of the blast, he had pushed himself beyond his limits, forcibly extracting chakra he didn't have. It was only thanks to his rigorous self-cultivation techniques that he had survived without permanent damage.

Of course, Orochimaru didn't need to know all of that.

Kiyo smirked weakly to himself. If Orochimaru knew that he could substitute nearly ten meters away with only a fraction of the chakra others would require, he would no doubt start investigating further. And that was something Kiyo preferred to avoid.

Orochimaru, for his part, decided not to press the matter. The kid was alive, and that was enough. The side effects of whatever technique he had used were clearly severe, judging by his current state.

Without another word, Orochimaru lifted Kiyo onto his shoulder and carried him back toward Nawaki and the other injured member.

Seeing Kiyo in such a weakened state, Nawaki breathed a sigh of relief. But upon noticing the way Orochimaru carried him, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pfft—Kiyo, you look like you just ran a hundred laps around Konoha," Nawaki teased.

Orochimaru ignored him, setting Kiyo down before turning his attention to Sarutobi Shuo, the squad's third member.

At the time of the explosion, Nawaki had managed to defend himself by expelling a large amount of chakra to shield against the blast. Sarutobi Shuo, however, had suffered the worst injuries—worse even than Kiyo, who had been at the explosion's epicenter.

Shuo had already been low on chakra after his fight with Matsuoka Isan. When the explosion occurred, all he could do was reinforce his body with his remaining chakra to avoid losing any limbs. He had even attempted to use one of the enemy corpses as a shield, but the damage was still severe.

Now, Sarutobi Shuo lay unconscious, his arms covered in burns, his body riddled with wounds from both the battle and the explosion.

Orochimaru crouched beside him, his keen eyes assessing the injuries.

"No fatal wounds… He's only unconscious from the blast impact."

Satisfied that Sarutobi Shuo would survive, Orochimaru turned back to Kiyo and tossed him a military ration pill.

"Recover some chakra and treat him. He won't make it back to the village in this condition."

Without hesitation, Kiyo swallowed the pill, allowing the surge of chakra to restore some of his strength. He then forced himself to his feet and made his way to Shuo's side.

Forming the necessary hand seals, he activated his medical ninjutsu.

"Healing Palm."

A soft green glow enveloped his hands as he placed them over Shuo's body, his chakra carefully knitting the worst of the injuries together.

More than ten minutes passed before Kiyo finally stabilized Shuo's condition. Further treatment would be needed at Konoha Hospital, but at least he would survive the journey home.

Before Kiyo could rest, Nawaki groaned dramatically.

"Oi, Kiyo! What about me? I'm in pain too, you know!"

Kiyo sighed. "You're loud enough to complain, so you're not dying."

"Still hurts, though…"

Rolling his eyes, Kiyo restored his chakra once more before tending to Nawaki's minor wounds.

As he worked, Nawaki grinned.

"Hey, Kiyo, your medical ninjutsu isn't half bad. You're not as good as my sister, but for battlefield treatment, you're pretty solid."

"Lie down and shut up."

Annoyed, Kiyo smacked Nawaki on the forehead before continuing the treatment.

---

The next day, after collecting proof of their mission's completion from Liuyue Village, the squad began their journey back to Konoha.

At some point during the day, Sarutobi Shuo finally regained consciousness. Finding himself bandaged from head to toe, he let out a long, miserable sigh.

"…No anesthetics?"

"None," Kiyo replied flatly. "You'll live."

Shuo groaned, realizing that while he had survived, the pain would be his constant companion until they returned home.

Meanwhile, Kiyo reflected on the mission.

First mistake—underestimating the enemy. I assumed they were just samurai when I saw their limited chakra reserves, but I failed to consider the possibility of exploding tags.

As he mentally recorded his errors, Kiyo resolved to never repeat them.

This world isn't a script. I can't rely on assumptions from the original story.

His gaze flickered toward Nawaki.

Still… maybe this experience will teach him to be more cautious. At least enough not to get himself blown up next time.

With that thought, Kiyo smirked to himself.

When we get back, I'm giving him a full lesson on identifying traps.