Chapter 23: The Call for Help
Tobirama Senju had left. His departure weighed heavily on Hajime , leaving behind a lingering sense of regret. To him, it wasn't merely Tobirama leaving — it felt more like a living, breathing "Book of Seals" had abandoned him.
Still, Tobirama belonged to the Senju Clan. Hajime couldn't monopolize him for personal reasons forever.
The month that followed passed in relative peace at the camp.
No more unexpected intrusions from rogue shinobi. Taking advantage of the calm, Hajime poured himself fully into training and mastering new jutsu.
There was no denying it—Tobirama had helped him tremendously. After learning Water Style techniques, Hajime 's combat arsenal expanded significantly. His offense had grown sharper, and his capabilities in real battle had reached a new level.
Thanks to Tobirama's guidance, Hajime had essentially mastered all the introductory Water Style jutsu within the month.
His Rasengan had also reached what he jokingly dubbed "twelve-year-old Naruto's level"—meaning, he could now use it in actual combat with the help of shadow clones. That in itself was quite an achievement. Pushing further with Rasengan would be a steep climb.
He hadn't slacked on his fundamental training either, but compared to his progress in ninjutsu, his basic stats—chakra quality and quantity—remained stagnant. The results weren't just underwhelming; they were practically nonexistent.
This was largely due to his bloodline limits. No matter how hard he worked, it would only get him so far. What he really needed… was a White Zetsu. He dreamed of someday encountering one—just once in his lifetime.
One day, after finishing his training, Hajime found himself wondering if it was finally time to leave this dense forest.
On one hand, his strength had grown to a point where they could probably survive as long as they avoided large-scale conflicts or unexpected enemies.
On the other hand, winter was fast approaching. Supplies would become scarcer, and the cold would bring new threats. Continuing to "passively hide" in the forest was starting to seem like a bad idea.
Just as he made up his mind, shouts from the distance broke his train of thought.
Hajime turned toward the sound and saw two people running toward him in a panic.
"Captain, we've got news from another survivor!"
"It's Chihori—we've found Chihori's summoning beast!"
Maybe it was the chaos, or maybe just their excitement, but one of them mistakenly called him "clan leader" instead of "captain."
Hajime didn't correct them. Now wasn't the time.
He followed the two men quickly, and they led him to the base of a large tree not far from camp.
There, lying on its side, was a small ninken—a ninja dog—covered in gruesome wounds. It was breathing rapidly and clearly in terrible shape.
"One of the guards on duty spotted it just a while ago. He recognized it as Chihori's summoning beast. Once he alerted the camp, others confirmed it too," someone quickly explained.
The dog's name was Beiji. Even Hajime recognized it.
"Can it be saved?" he asked quietly.
Judging by the extent of the injuries, Beiji had been attacked while escaping—whatever it went through must have been horrific. Just making it here was a miracle in itself. And yet, it had fulfilled its mission.
The question needed no real answer. The silence around him said it all. Beiji didn't have long.
Hajime knelt beside the injured dog and gently stroked its head.
Recognizing Hajime 's scent, Beiji weakly lifted its head, nudged his hand with its nose, then stuck out its curled tongue and spat out a small scroll.
Hajime picked it up and unrolled it.
"A coordinate," he said with certainty after scanning it. "It's a message from Chihori."
The contents were written in Morse code—something Hajime had taught a few of their clan members. There was no mistaking it.
"Is it really from Chihori?"
"But… it's just coordinates. What does it mean?"
"What else could it be? It's a distress call."
"She's alive. Chihori is alive!"
"Then… what do we do now?"
That question silenced everyone. Even if this was a call for help, did they really have the means to answer it?
All eyes turned to Hajime .
He didn't speak. Instead, he placed his palm gently on the dog's head.
The ninja trying to dress the dog's wounds slowed to a stop.
Beiji's chest no longer rose and fell. Its breathing had ceased.
"Let's head back," Hajime said quietly. "We'll give Beiji a proper burial here."
There was something tragically ironic about it—how the death of a ninja dog could evoke more sorrow than the death of a man.
…
"Captain, this could be a trap… an unknown enemy might've set it up. We can't rule that out," someone warned as they gathered back at the camp to discuss the message.
Everyone hoped the message was real, that Chihori was alive, and that they could rescue her. But they couldn't afford to lose their heads. The risks were real.
"If Chihori was captured and put under genjutsu, then even the Morse code could've been compromised," another pointed out.
"Don't forget—it's been months since we lost our village. Why send a distress signal now?"
When their village was destroyed, most of their people were killed, with only a few scattered survivors. If anyone had survived beyond their current group, surely they would have sent word sooner.
"Maybe she only just found a way to contact us…" someone offered.
Maybe she tried but couldn't reach them until now.
Most seemed hesitant to respond. There were too many unanswered questions.
But Hajime knew—they weren't just being rational. They were afraid. Their emotions and logic were in conflict.
People are emotional beings. And in times of crisis, those feelings grow even more precious.
Hajime raised his hand to quiet the discussion.
"Regardless," he said, "the message came from Chihori. We can't just pretend we didn't see it."
"I've made my decision. We'll carry out a rescue mission."