Through the long rainy night, a pitch-black dragon slowly writhed through the damp rainforest, the line so long its head and tail could not be seen. It was filled with civilians dragging their families along, roughly a hundred people in all. They wore raincoats, their faces full of exhaustion, yet a hint of burning fervor shone in their eyes.
At the very front, the escort mission was being handled by a rain ninja squad of fewer than ten people. From the somewhat shabby gear on them, it was clear they were no elites. They seemed more like bit-part cannon fodder used to plug holes.
Among the rain ninja squad, a slightly chubby male ninja gazed toward the faintly visible emerald-green jungle in the distance. The corners of his mouth, hidden beneath a gas mask of the same style as Hanzo's, lifted in a relieved smile.
"Everyone in the rear, pick up the pace. Twenty more kilometers and we'll reach the border of the Fire Country."
"Captain Heiji, should we take a rest?"
Hearing him, the cannon-fodder rain ninja behind him looked troubled.
They had already been on the road for three days and three nights straight. Aside from eating and going to the bathroom, they had not stopped once. Even they, as ninjas, felt a hint of fatigue, let alone the civilians who had been force-marching after them the entire time.
"All right. Pass it down. We'll rest in place for one hour."
Heiji looked back at the many elderly people and children in the group who were on the verge of fainting. After weighing it over, he nodded and agreed to the suggestion to rest.
The news of the rest spread quickly. The civilians, nearly burned down to their last embers, finally welcomed a rare chance to catch their