Xero barked a ugh, his broad griurning as he adjusted the massive sword on his back. “Fair enough. But don’t think I didn’t notice you’ve got a bit of a regal fir going on. Must be all those years of—”

  "You shouldn't argue now. Enemies could attay time," Kuro said. His calm voice stopped their arguing right away.

  Xero turo him, his grin faltering slightly. “What about you, Kuro? Got any brilliant insights? Or are you just going to keep brooding in silence?”

  Kuro’s gaze met Xero’s, his expression unreadable. “Just keep yuard up,” he said evenly. “People won’t e to you straightforwardly as you are thinking..”

  Reika’s heart skipped a beat at the weight in his tone. She didn’t uand why, but every word Kuro spoke carried a quiet authority that sent a strange warmth through her chest. It was infuriating and reassuring all at once. She forced herself to focus, shaking off the fleeting distra.

  They kept going, and the heavy feeling of the forest got even worse. It felt like the forest was alive, with shadows moving where they couldn't quite see them. Then, they walked through some thits and found something bad—a ruined campsite.

  Pieces of torn oved slowly in the light wind. Things were scattered all over the ground, like someone had left in a hurry. Broken ons and small spots of blood were there, and the air smelled a little like old blood.

  “Looks like someone didn’t make it,” Xero muttered, his usual bravado dimmed as he took in the age. His single eye sed the se with uncharacteristic seriousness.

  Reika k beside a shredded tent, her fingers brushing over the torn material. Her sharp eyes darted over the ground, noting the cw marks gouged into the soil and the patterns of the scattered debris. “This wasn’t a fight,” she said, her voice steady but cold. “It was a sughter. Whoever did this didn’t just want their scroll. They wao send a message.”

  Kuro stepped closer, his gaze lingering on the faint bloodstains smeared across the ground. His expression darkehe weight of his words hanging heavy. “The message is clear,” he said quietly. “We’re not alone, and our enemies are already moving. They are aiming us.”

  Kuro knew what kind of creature was responsible for this devastation. It was the work of the Children of Cerberus.

  The three of them stood in silehe forest around them eerily quiet, as if holding its breath. Reika rose to her feet, brushing the dirt from her gloves.

  “Let’s move,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the stillness. “If we linger here, we’re inviting trouble.”

  Xero nodded, his grip tightening on his sword. “Whoever did this… they’re going tret crossing our path.”

  Kuro didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the bloodstains o time before he turned away. The forest seemed to close in around them as they tinued deeper into its twisted heart, every step carrying them closer to the unknown dahat awaited. The moonlight filtered faintly through the t opy of the Forest of Death, casting fragmented shadows on the forest floor. Somewhere within the sprawling expaeam 10 moved cautiously, their steps muffled against the thiderbrush.

  Ino Yamanaka gged slightly behieammates, her gaze darting to the path where she st saw Kuro, Reika, and Xero. Reika’s posed demeanor and the way she seemed to take charge of her team lingered in Ino’s mind, stirring a mixture of admiration and annoyance.

  “What’s with that girl?” Ino muttered under her breath, her brows furrowing. “Ag all high and mighty around Kuro...”

  Ahead of her, Shikamaru Nara groahe exasperation evident in his voice. “What a drag! Why do you care, Ino? She’s not even on our team. You should focus on surviving this nightmare instead of obsessing over someone else’s group.”

  Ino shot him a gre. “I’m not obsessing!” she snapped, crossing her arms defensively. “I just don’t like the way she acts like she’s better than everyone else.”

  Shikamaru smirked faintly, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Sure, whatever you say.”

  Choji, mung quietly on a bag of chips, chimed in, his tone cheerful as usual. “Maybe she’s just fident? I mean, she *does* seem pretty strong. Well and pretty too.”

  “Whose side are you on, Choji?” Ino barked, spinning toward him.

  Choji raised his hands in mock surrender, crumbs spilling from his fiips. “Hey, I’m just saying! o get mad.”

  Ino huffed, turning back toward the path ahead, though her thoughts remained with Kuro’s group.

  Shikamaru gestured for his teammates to stop as they reached a small clearing surrounded by thidergrowth. He crouched low, surveying the area.

  “Alright,” he said, his tone businesslike, “we’ll set up here for now. This spot’s defensible, and we use the bushes to hide if someone es near.”

  Ino frowned, clearly unimpressed. “Hide? That’s y pn? We’re supposed to find the other scroll, not py hide-and-seek!”

  Shikamaru shot her a pointed look. “And what’s yenius idea, then? Charge blindly into the forest and hope we don’t run into someoronger?”

  “Maybe we *should* be a little mgressive,” Inued, her toed. “If we keep pying it safe, someone else will get to the tower before we even find the scroll we need!”

  “Troublesome,” Shikamaru muttered, rubbing his temples. “Look, we don’t even know who has the scroll we need. Charging in without a pn is a good way to get us all disqualified—or worse.”

  Choji, sensing the growing tension, stepped between them. “e on, you two. Let’s just stick together and figure it out. No point arguing when we don’t even know where to start.”

  Shikamaru sighed, relenting. “Fine. But let’s keep it low-key. No unnecessary risks.”

  Ino grumbled but didn’t push the matter further. Her mind wandered back to Kuro and Reika, the image of Reika’s fident smirk only fueling her irritation.