Salvage

The river water was murky and turbid, with raindrops forming lines, fine and dense like thousands of willow branches, sweeping obliquely onto the water's surface, the ripples shimmering with a dull, rusty sheen.

The endless rainfall did not wash away the silt in the river; instead, it washed a lot of turbidity into the streams and rivers.

The boys sat on the blue stones on the bank, holding long fishing rods. Earthworms were used as bait and sank into the water, enticing the fish around them. Suddenly, they reeled in the line, and a fish more One-Tail 30 centimeters long was struggling and wriggling on the hook. Even though the sky was dark and the drizzle was misty, the shimmering water on its scales was still visible.

"Wow, it's huge! We can make soup with it tonight!"

The girl sitting next to him cheered, holding up the bucket of water in her hand, her face beaming with joy.

"Haha, Nagato, pretty impressive, right?" The orange-haired boy proudly waved the big fish on his hook. Hearing the girl's cheers, he became even more enthusiastic and showed off to his companion sitting on another blue stone.

"Wow, that's impressive! I haven't caught a single one yet!"

The red-haired boy's loose hair covered most of his face, but a smile played on his lips as he sincerely praised his companion.

"Wow... Nagato, you're such an idiot! Don't be so weak, okay? We're men, we should speak with our heads held high." The orange-haired boy wore a sullen and bitter expression. This wasn't the reaction he wanted; the psychological gap only made him more upset.

"Hahaha! Yahiko, Nagato is nothing like you. He's very well-behaved. Do you think everyone is as mischievous as you?"

Seeing the interaction between the two, the girl on the shore couldn't help but burst into laughter, squatting down with her hands on her stomach, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

"Hmph, I'm determined to conquer the world."

Yahiko looked at the laughing girl, hummed softly, and a smile appeared on his face. It was worth it to make Konan happy.

After the laughter subsided, Yahiko cast his line again.

"When will Jiraiya- sensei come back? He's been gone for almost a month already."

Konan lowered her head, watching the fish swimming in the bucket, and sighed softly.

"It will probably take a while longer. Didn't Jiraiya- sensei say before he left that Konoha and Sunagakure are fighting fiercely lately? A master like Jiraiya- sensei certainly won't be idle," Nagato said softly.

"A period of time... How long is a period of time Yahiko?"

"Huh? How would I know? Anyway, it should be quite a long time..." Yahiko scratched his head. This was a really tricky question.

"Yahiko, Konan, look! Something's floating down from upstream, it's huge and dark."

Nagato suddenly shouted, interrupting Yahiko.

"What?"

"What is it?"

Their attention was instantly drawn to the upstream stream, and they both looked towards it.

The turbid river water surged, and a dark object, about 1.6 to 1.7 meters long, bobbed and swayed on the surface, gradually drifting towards the place where Yahiko and the others were fishing.

What is this?

The unidentified object that had floated in the water was retrieved by Yahiko and placed on a blue stone. The three of them then gathered around it to examine it.

"I don't know, it does look like a person, could it be... a person inside?" Konan bit her pink lips, hesitated for a moment, and then voiced her opinion.

"A person? Now that you mention it, it does look quite like a person, but... it's more accurate to describe it as a corpse, and a charred corpse at that. This thing is definitely charcoal..." Yahiko stretched out his finger and poked one end of the black object.

"Snap!"

The moment Yahiko's fingers touched it, the black object cracked open with a small fissure, and black fragments fell off as the rain washed them away, followed by small pieces of charcoal peeling off.

It really was charcoal; Yahiko wasn't mistaken. The air was filled with the smell of burnt barbecue.

"Careful!"

In a panic, Yahiko pulled Konan and Nagato behind him, warily watching the breaking black charcoal. Through the cracks, a pair of dark, indifferent eyes met Yahiko's gaze. He had seen that kind of cold look before, the same look in the eyes of the Rain Ninja —a look that wanted to kill.

The black mortar shattered, and the naked boy sat up.

"Ahhh! Konan, close your eyes, don't look!"

Yahiko panicked like a hen that had been startled from its nest, frantically covering Konan's eyes.

"What? What is it? Yahiko, what are you doing?!"

Konan was very unhappy with Yahiko's actions, but after struggling slightly, she quieted down.

······

Can I borrow a piece of clothing?

Sitting on the cool bluestone, Katsuki began to speak.

Taking the outer garment thrown by Nagato and tying it around his waist to cover his manhood, Katsuki rubbed his head to clear his thoughts; the situation before him had left him somewhat confused.

When he woke up, the battle with Xiong Kumasaburo was still lingering in his mind. He was making a last-ditch effort, but unexpectedly, he attracted Heavenly Thunder, which almost completely carbonized him. Fortunately, he used Lightning Release Chakra to train his body in his daily life, so he seemed to be somewhat used to the feeling of being struck by lightning. In the end, he was not reduced to ashes, but survived.

The surface of his skin and muscles were carbonized by the Heavenly Thunder, forming a thick mortise that enveloped him. He was then thrown into a stream in the valley and drifted downstream. He didn't know how much time had passed or how far he had drifted. He lost consciousness shortly after falling into the water and only woke up when Yahiko and the others pulled him out.

"Gurgle~~~"

His belly sank slightly, and loud intestinal rumbling was heard.

Who are you?

Yahiko released his hand from Konan, but still shielded Konan and Nagato behind him, watching Katsuki warily.

For an orphan to grow up like this, especially in a place like the Land of Rain, suggests that Yahiko is not as innocent as he seems. Moreover, the way Katsuki appeared was so strange; it's always better to be careful.

"Um... I'm a Konoha ninja. I was accidentally struck by lightning and floated down the river. I should thank you three for pulling me out of the river!" Rubbing her empty stomach, Katsuki was also thinking about how to deal with these three.

As he spoke, he was also observing the reactions of the three people. Sure enough, when he mentioned Konoha, the hostility on Konan's face visibly subsided, Yahiko remained tense and unchanging, and Nagato's eyes and brows were covered by his long hair, so he seemed to have no reaction either.

"You think you can survive being struck by lightning? You think we're so easily fooled?" Yahiko pulled a Kunai from his sleeve and gripped it tightly. "And you say you're Konoha Ninja? What proof do you have? Who are you trying to fool with White Fang? If you don't give me a reasonable answer, I'll take your life."