Flames blanketed the trembling horizon. A crowning backdrop to the hellfire that carved through the Onomichi streets. The remains of bodies and buildings alike lay torched, now nothing but cinders. Tortured cries echoed through a blind miasma of smoke and ash. The only reply—another cry. The tragic village had finally been converted into a living bonfire.

But it still made no sense. Why me? Well... there was a growing suspicion. And the further this place descended into hell, the more plausible it seemed.

I could still recall the voice of the jerk who had barged in on my morning massage. “Kikuyō Kaguya. You have been specially selected for a high-profile mission, direct from Tsuchikage-sama himself! Get dressed and come with me for your briefing. Now. Official Orders.”

Bah! What had I to do with fire-breathing bats and undead samurai? Me, a lowly genin? There were plenty of missions in the Stone that needed tending. Plus, I had business of my own; and who was going to gratify the Yūkaku with me gone? No, I hadn’t been selected for my lengthy record of Samurai slaying that didn’t exist. This was punishment. My reward for being a ‘less-than-ideal’ citizen. Personally, I didn’t see the issue. I mean, I wasn’t burning down buildings and... falling on distracted shinobi with a mouthful of fire..?

“Ahhh!” I dove across the smoky street, landing underneath the awning of a local shopfront. Eyelids clenched shut, I cursed myself, awaiting the intense burning that I knew would come. One breath, two. Huh? My eyes sprang back open, hands propelling against the warm earth to flip myself around. No fire at all. A relieved laugh leapt from my belly before the cursed voice of that diabolical creature turned my expression sour, and then intense.

We had to find some cover while we had the chance. All of that fire-spewing must have worn it down. Whatever the case, I was here. And the mere thought of returning alive and proving my naysayers wrong sparked my blood.

Jumping to my feet, I caught the renewed smells of charred flesh and bone and grimaced. A dense heat clung to the skin, smothering. The spared roadside wouldn’t be safe for long. Like an omen of the end, the incinerated carnage of neighboring streets littered the ground from pole to pole. Get moving. I turned to sprint, but before I could make it past the corner, a group of four shinobi barged into my path. Heaving an enormous leather sack like the funereal pallbearers of leviathan itself, they rallied toward the ravished north.

“Just gonna stand there?” One sounded as they brushed past, unceasing. I sighed, lowering my head before accepting the stark prospect of what was to come. It was less dangerous than scrambling around alone, I guessed. I caught the tail end of the mammoth pouch as it passed, speeding our pace somewhat. It sloshed under my hands. Well water.

“Where are we headed?” I shouted tentatively, hardly wanting to know the answer. “To the hospital,” one hollered back, “Just up ahead!”

And with that, we tore down the lane and into the infernal mouth of chaos.