Three Brats

"We must deal with this incident severely. Otherwise, Konoha's prestige in the ninja world will cease to exist!"

It was not just Danzo; the other two elders expressed the same view.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Hokage, still seemed somewhat hesitant.

After all, the other four great nations were eyeing them hungrily. If they went to war with the Land of Rain, they might face the risk of fighting on multiple fronts.

Danzo Shimura had clearly seen this. He narrowed his eyes and said in a dangerous tone:

"Hiruzen, I know what you're worried about."

"But Yunosuke is your nephew. What Jingū Kiraku did was a direct slap in your face!"

"If we can tolerate even something like this, what will the other Konoha ninja think?"

Hearing this, the two old men, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, immediately nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Hiruzen. We absolutely cannot let the Land of Rain continue acting so arrogantly."

"Besides, Hanzō the Salamander is dead. The Land of Rain only has a few stragglers left now. There's nothing to fear."

"As long as we end this swiftly, we'll definitely be able to take him down!"

Under the persuasion of his old friends, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally let out a deep breath.

He took a hard puff from his pipe, then issued his order amid the swirling smoke.

"In that case, recall Jiraiya and the others. Have them assemble at the border and await the arrival of the main force."

With Konoha's upper ranks now united in will, the strongest village in the ninja world officially began moving like a war machine.

Large numbers of Konoha ninja received their orders and swiftly converged on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

Everyone knew that war was coming again.

Konoha's orders soon reached Jiraiya's team.

As a toad leaped from the water, it spat out an urgent dispatch from its mouth.

Jiraiya skillfully caught and opened it, and his expression immediately changed slightly.

"What happened?"

Tsunade, who had noticed Jiraiya's abnormality, hurriedly asked.

Orochimaru, who was traveling with them, also cast him an inquisitive look.

"Sensei wants us to return to the border immediately and prepare for a new offensive against the Land of Rain."

Jiraiya's tone was somewhat heavy. As the guide foretold by the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, he clearly did not want the ninja world to be plunged into war once more.

War would only perpetuate hatred, making true peace impossible.

Yet on the other hand, as the Hokage's disciple, he could not completely sever his connection to the village.

This conflicting reality filled his heart with turmoil, especially whenever he saw those refugees from the Land of Rain...

It was not just him. Tsunade also furrowed her brows.

Unlike in the original story, Tsunade was still quite young at this time and had no need to use ninjutsu to preserve her beauty.

Her striking blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, and dressed in combat gear, she looked exceptionally dashing.

"Didn't Hidden Rain Village surrender? How could they go back on their word so quickly?"

At Tsunade's question, Orochimaru licked his lips and said darkly:

"Hanzō the Salamander, the one who bestowed upon us the title of the Three Legendary Ninja, is already dead."

"Hidden Rain Village is now governed by a new leader no one has ever heard of."

"But it seems that person is quite confident in his own strength..."

By the end, a flicker of curiosity toward Hidden Rain Village's new leader appeared in Orochimaru's yellow slit pupils.

"Why do I feel like you're getting more and more creepy?"

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru and bluntly mocked him.

Orochimaru merely shook his head and replied with disdain:

"You're simply too naive."

Seeing the two about to fall into one of their usual arguments, Tsunade hurriedly interrupted.

"Since the old man has already sent word, let's get moving."

"I hope this will be the last one."

She dusted herself off and slowly rose to her feet.

"The last one? Heh..."

Orochimaru shook his head. Clearly, he was not as optimistic as Tsunade.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya finally sorted out his emotions.

"Since we can't stop this war, then let's end it as quickly as possible."

He looked invigorated once more. Clapping his hands together, he said:

"Let's go!"

The next second, the three vanished from where they stood at a speed unimaginable to Ordinary People.

At the same time, in a cave several kilometers away from Jiraiya and the others, three brats wearing yellow raincoats and gas masks sat on the ground, panting heavily.

"What the heck? We've walked for so long and still haven't found anything to eat..."

The blond-haired brat took off his mask, rubbed his stomach, and sighed helplessly.

"Looks like we'll be going hungry again today."

Though he said so, there was not much dejection in the boy's voice.

After all, this had not been their life for just a day or two. They had long since grown accustomed to it.

At that moment, the other two children removed their masks as well.

They were a blue-haired girl and a red-haired Little Boy.

"Yahiko, I still have some food here. Why don't you eat something first?"

The red-haired boy fished out a palm-sized piece of bread from his clothes. He had saved it from yesterday.

Hearing this, the child named Yahiko immediately waved his hands.

"No, no. I'll be fine with some water."

"I'm not that hungry anyway. You should eat it, Nagato."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound came from his stomach.

"Stop trying to act tough, Yahiko. Your stomach's already thundering!"

The blue-haired girl at his side teased him with a smile.

In an instant, Yahiko's face flushed all the way to his neck.

Nagato smiled gently as well and took the initiative to stuff the bread into Yahiko's hands.

"Eat it. Konan and I aren't hungry yet."

Looking at the bread in his hands, Yahiko suddenly felt a little moved.

Just as he was about to say something, Konan immediately stopped him.

"Hurry up and eat. Don't say any of that mushy stuff again!"

As she spoke, she crossed her hands into an X.

Having been seen through, Yahiko could only scratch his head awkwardly before silently dividing the bread into three portions.

But before he could share the food with his companions, a burst of noisy voices came from outside—

"This damned weather in the Land of Rain is really annoying!"

"If I didn't have a mission, I'd never come to this hellhole."

Amid the complaints, two figures in green flak jackets swiftly appeared at the cave entrance.

Naturally, they saw Yahiko and the others sitting inside, about to share the bread.

"Three brats..."

One ninja frowned, seemingly thinking about something.

The other had already skillfully drawn a kunai from his waist.

"Wait, they're just three children..."

The first ninja appeared somewhat reluctant.

Unfortunately, the other's face had already taken on a cold killing intent.

"It wouldn't be so bad to send them to the Pure Land. There's no point in continuing to live in a hopeless country like this."

"Besides, if we let them grow up, they'll only become Konoha's enemies in the future."

After saying that, he showed no hesitation as he walked into the cave with kunai in hand.