Despite the falling snow around the area, the wooden long house is warm. A very old woman sits on an armchair made of rattan. She is enjoying the view from the window. Her hair has is gunmetal grey and is long and lush. Sometimes her eyes can appear milky when she is tired but usually they are gleaming with energy. Her face can appear world weary at times also but usually she is active and alert.

But her most striking trait is her long ears that point upward.

The inside of the house is suffused with the aroma of the wood. Beside her, there is a table and wooden jug on top of it. Her left hand pours warm tea from the jug into a cup. 

"Grandma. It's really rare for you to ask me to go to the abandoned villages."

The voice sounds musical even when annoyed. Needless to say, its owner also has leaf shaped ears. 

It is a young woman with green eyes and long yellow greenish hair which is tied in a ponytail. A single look at her reminds of nature. Her snow white body, draped in green-white silky attire, short skirt with long sleeves. The tight skirt emphasizes her slightly ample breasts with cleavage is clearly viewable from the front 

"Selene. Those women don't know what is happening here. It is unfair for them to be the victims without knowing anything. And there is an interesting man among them."

"Man, huh." The female elf, Selene sighs, wearing willowy expression.

That bust pushes out against that clothing gives impression of abundance. She walks to a door that leads to a balcony. 

The elven house is situated in an open space amid the sea of trees. From here, everything could be seen at once, here, one could feel the wind that blows through it all.

The much older elf smiles, her gaze settling on the horizon. The small forest spreads out to a plain that is covered by snow. The leaves shakes with each gust of wind, which travels from the snowy mountain to the plain. Further past a hill after the plain, there are hundreds of wooden houses. 

Selene played with her friends during her childhood on the plain. Selene often sleeps in their village if they played until night.

Reminiscing about the past, a single tear out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She quickly wipes it with the back of her delicate hand.

A gentle breeze comes blowing through, catching her luscious hair. The breath of the mountain. The breath of her home.

She inhales deeply, filling her slightly abundant chest with as much of that air, as she could. 

Selene then jumps up on the railing of the balcony.  She keeps her balance with no trouble at all, and then she makes another jump. She is light as only an elf could be, not so much as breaking a twig or disturbing a leaf. 

The old woman prays quietly for their safety.

***

Without slowing down his strides, Hiruzen and Azuma continue towards their destination, the largest building in the middle of coldest part in Sooka Hidden Village. That is because that is where Hiruzen's daughter resides. 

As they enter the door, they encounter several figures there. 

"Welcome back, Father-sama. Also Azuma.” said a gentle female voice. It was soon followed by a chorus of other greetings and welcomes.

The woman in the pure white dress who stand before him is none other than Sarutobi Hinata, the fortune teller.

She is the one with the clearest picture of the current situation.

The four women behind her are the bodyguards. As Hiruzen hasn't met his daughter for quite some time, this should be the time to have conversation but this is not suitable given the circumstances.

"Hinata, about what you said through the bird's message."

Is his only granddaughter going to face extreme danger?

Hiruzen wants to ask that question, but hesitates to do so. Unease surged within him — he fears that if he asked about her imminent situation, he would find that it is true. 

"Yes, shall we discuss it elsewhere?”

“That’s right… we should speak of it in my room, no?”

A bespectacled woman steps forward from the female bodyguards lined up near her. They walk to the inner part of the building.

After opening the wooden door, they enter in the company of Hinata, heading for the chairs. As he walk, Hiruzen asks the question he has been pondering just now.

"Then, before we start, I have some questions for you. You said that your daughter is going to face darkness. Is the darkness, her life will be harmed. If so, has the harm befalls her or will befall her in the near future?"

She closes her eyes for a minute, before chanting something.

She says, "This is her situation now " 

Suddenly, a clear image of Kurotsuchi appears. She seems to be walking while holding Hiro's arm. Surrounding them are the other girls. They seems suffering from cold weather.

"She seems fine. Don't tell me mere snow would harm her." Azuma interferes.

She shakes her head.

"No. The danger will be weeks from now. 2 weeks or 3 weeks from now. And it has nothing to do with snow."

"Do you know the nature of that danger?" Hiruzen furrows his eyebrows.

"Actually days ago, I foresaw darkness will befall her. But last night, I saw something clearly."

They don't utter a word but waiting Hinata to continue.

She inhales and exhales. 

"I saw a lot of them. Men and women who are not alive, and also not dead. Living dead."

Azuma stands up and speaks in fierce tone.

"Ghoul? How could that be?"

She looks at her younger brother.

"I saw several ghouls only but thousands of a lot weaker beings. They multiply by biting and infecting living human."

"Then, I need to go there immediately."

Hiruzen also stands up.

"No. You shouldn't." She stops them.

"There seems to be an extremely strong sorcerer, dozen times stronger than me there. She is very old though. But she will save that child."

Hearing that they calm down and sit.

"So, why .." Hiruzen interrogates.

"Just to be safe. Send a group to ensure the children's safety. This is just my hunch but we must send people." She says.

The three of them then become silent and stare worryingly at the floor.