The River Rushes to the Sea, Never to Return

Before I knew it, I'd become something like a crown prince too!

Jiang Rui hummed a little tune and disdainfully glanced at the chains on his arms. He'd heard these things could suppress Chakra and keep him from liquefying.

But what did Chakra have to do with him? He used magic. If he wanted to run, he'd run. No one could stop him.

Jiang Rui poked his head out and looked around. Perhaps because he was still a child, Jiraiya hadn't locked him in a cage or some crude cell. Instead, he'd been given an individual tent, guarded by two ninjas outside.

"What is it?"

The guard's tone was stiff, but it still unconsciously carried a trace of gentleness.

Tch, being a kid really did have its advantages.

"I want to see Jiraiya!"

And so,

Jiang Rui followed the guard toward the main tent, occasionally surveying his surroundings.

Simple green tents stood everywhere. They weren't like the later days, when houses were directly built from Wood Release.

Groups of ninjas searched back and forth around the area, clearing away trees. It looked like they were setting up camp.

This was at the edge of a basin. Considering the overall situation on the battlefield, he quickly concluded that the forces on the other side of the basin were most likely from Kumogakure.

The two armies faced each other...

Northwestern border of the Land of Fire

Inside the main tent, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi handed a scroll to a toad and rubbed his head with a pained expression.

Danzo stood beside him, his young face sharp and gloomy. "A child barely over ten who can kill a High Ninja? I say we dispose of him in secret. That'll prevent future trouble."

"Take a look at this." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and placed another scroll before Danzo. At the same time, Mitokado Homura, one of the two advisors, spoke up. "Perhaps we can take a different approach."

When it came to decisions, he had always tended to side with Danzo.

Danzo looked at the scroll before him. It was a letter from the Water Shadow that their intelligence personnel had received.

It stated that his disciple had been carrying out an escort mission through the Land of Rice Fields when he was attacked by Kumogakure and fled, only to be mistakenly captured by Jiraiya.

Out of goodwill toward Konoha, his disciple had not resisted.

But he demanded the immediate release of his disciple, Hozuki Rimuru. Otherwise, it would be regarded as Konoha provoking Kirigakure.

The entire letter made one thing perfectly clear: release him, or they would fight. It also vaguely revealed their discord with Kumogakure, hinting that they could join forces.

Bullshit.

Danzo cursed inwardly. Friendly relations? Back then, the ones who most wanted the First Hokage dead were you Water Shadows.

On a mission in the Land of Rice Fields? Why not just say you flew into the sky?

"We can use him, then ambush the ninjas coming to retrieve him—perhaps even their Water Shadow... Leave this matter to me."

Standing in the shadows, Danzo spoke with confidence and coldness as he proposed another suggestion.

Koharu shook her head. "I disagree. Hiruzen can handle the Earth Shadow, but Sakumo and the others are already under immense pressure dealing with the Wind Shadow. The Raikage has yet to enter the battle. We don't have the strength to bear the pressure of the Water Shadow as well."

"Hiruzen, we cannot dream of fighting four villages alone. Even if we win, our losses will be catastrophic."

Hiruzen nodded. "I understand."

A genius of the Hozuki Clan. The disciple of the Third Mizukage.

Perhaps something could be arranged.

"Whether it's the Hozuki Clan or the Third Mizukage, both hold a deep grudge against the Land of Earth. Perhaps..."

"Hmph. Leaving aside whether they would be willing to venture deep inland, I wouldn't trust them entering our territory!" Danzo snorted. To him, everyone besides Konoha harbored ill intent.

Hiruzen sighed. He couldn't help taking out his pipe, lighting it, and taking a puff. Haa...

"I've already sent Jiraiya my orders. In any case, if we can force Kumogakure back this time, then all is well. But if the Raikage tears off the mask... then we'll have no choice but to use him to temporarily cooperate with the Water Shadow."

"You're really going to release him?" Danzo frowned.

"Temporarily." Hiruzen took another puff, glanced at the two advisors who had already understood, and sighed.

"After all, anything can happen during a war."

Understood... Since it was wartime, it would be perfectly normal if he accidentally died at Kumogakure's hands, wouldn't it?

Danzo nodded and stopped asking questions before walking out.

At that moment, the toad appeared once more amid a cloud of smoke. The Hokage frowned and opened the message!

The battle-hardened man's eyes widened...

Crack...

His pipe fell to the ground and shattered in two!

When Jiang Rui met Jiraiya, the man was holding a basin of water and washing his face. Jiang Rui was speechless. It was nearly evening, and he was washing his face inside the main tent with a basin...

Jiang Rui was even more convinced that he was using the peeping technique...

"What is it?" Jiraiya looked thoroughly impatient, as if he'd had enough of an annoying brat.

Jiang Rui was a little curious. "Aren't you going to interrogate me?"

"That is a problem." Jiraiya rubbed his chin, then threw back his head and laughed twice. "Hahaha, I forgot."

???

Jiang Rui scratched his head. Used to Anbu's stern style, he really wasn't used to this guy's carefree personality.

Still, it had that feeling.

As expected of Jiraiya. Who would've thought you were already such a goofball when you were young!

Jiang Rui couldn't be bothered to keep up appearances and went straight to the point. "Are you going to war with Kumogakure? I can help."

"Kumogakure is our ally."

Jiraiya denied it with a serious face.

What bullshit!

You've got an army of nearly two thousand ninjas stationed near the Land of Rice Fields. If you weren't here to fight, were you holding a team-building event?

Jiraiya might have been rough around the edges, but that didn't mean he was stupid. He had no doubt that Jiang Rui had some way to contact the Water Shadow or summon a creature, but he wouldn't casually leak important intelligence.

Even an idiot could guess it, but guessing and confirming were forever two different things.

Jiang Rui glanced at Jiraiya, grabbed a lock of hair beside his ear, and wound it around his finger again and again.

Fine. It wasn't like he'd expected anything from you.

Not to mention that Jiraiya himself lacked the ambition and independent judgment Orochimaru possessed.

And Konoha's principles made it impossible for them to take the initiative and stir up trouble.

If you don't hit me, I won't hit you.

After all, the First Hokage's ideal was peace.

Except for little darling Danzo.

Sigh. Forget it, Jiraiya. Just stand there obediently, then be ready to take the blame.

Jiang Rui listlessly took his leave. Jiraiya remained behind, frowning in thought for a while before picking up his basin again. Mm, time to check whether there were enemies nearby...

At night, a puddle of liquid slowly flowed out through a gap in the tent, then condensed into a blue spherical Slime.

Inside the tent, a Water Clone slept peacefully.

Sneakily peeking out to see whether anyone was around, he quietly ran toward the front of the camp.

Under the cover of night, Jiang Rui prepared to carry out the plan he had long been plotting.

Great Sage, let's fly.

"Understood!"

Electric light flickered around Jiang Rui as magnetic force circulated.

It seemed that ever since coming to the Naruto World, he hadn't flown... Mainly because his way of flying was too slow, making him a living target.

Once he reached the sky, he looked down. On the western side of the basin, toward the Land of Fire, Konoha's ninja forces stood in rows of green tents, backed by surrounding forests. On the other side of the basin, toward the Land of Rice Fields, stood Kumogakure, dominated by white and gray.

Jiang Rui's magic stirred as he activated Split. An arm detached from his body, flew to the center of the basin, and transformed into an enormous black mist, like a dark cloud...

Rumble!

As Jiang Rui's eyes turned crimson!

Surging seawater swept out from the black mist, as though a huge hole had been torn open in the night sky!

In an instant,

A galactic waterfall connected the night sky and the earth.

Beneath the bright moonlit sky.

Towering waves swept forth and formed a crystal-clear throne.

Jiang Rui landed atop it with a grin.

The ninjas, startled by the earth-shaking waterfall that thundered through the heavens, stared in shock at the towering waves, like a tsunami rising high above them.

The adorable blue-haired, golden-eyed girl's lips curved slightly. Beneath the bright moonlight, her crimson pupils reflected coldness and solitude.

It was an indescribable kind of beauty.

Sitting upon the Water Throne, Jiang Rui smiled at Jiraiya, who had rushed over with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, then raised a small hand.

Under the terrified gazes of the Kumogakure ninjas.

The tsunami crashed down!

Yet Jiang Rui suddenly felt homesick.

"Have you not seen... the waters of the Yellow River come from the heavens..."