The Wind Rises

At the border of the Land of Fire adjacent to the Land of Rain, white mist still hung thick in the air despite it being noon.

This was a camp where Konoha ninja were stationed. Clusters of tents of various sizes could be seen, crates of emergency supplies being moved back and forth, and stretchers carrying the wounded coming and going.

Ninja gathered in small groups inside the tents, listening to the ceaseless wails and screams that drifted in like demons, mechanically chewing on their emergency rations.

"Tsunade-sama will save them," one ninja muttered to himself.

"No chance. Those injuries are too severe," another ninja shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even Tsunade-sama's own little brother..."

In the innermost tent, the electric light was dim and murky.

Tsunade stood silent as a corpse, her pale yellow hair slightly disheveled, her brown eyes staring blankly at the white cloth.

The grief and pain were so thick they were visible to the naked eye.

"Tsunade!"

A tall, white-haired ninja strode briskly into the tent from outside.

But when he saw Tsunade standing there and the body covered by white cloth at her feet, he too fell into a long silence.

"About Nawaki... I'm sorry, and I'm deeply regretful..."

He took a soft breath, his pale lips unconsciously pressing tight. "If I had been there..."

He had been traveling abroad following the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, searching for the "Child of Prophecy."

But with tensions escalating between nations and large-scale military action brewing, he had been urgently recalled by the old man.

The moment he returned, he heard this terrible news.

--Nawaki, during a mission, had carelessly fallen into a trap and been killed by an Explosive Tag.

"Enough! Jiraiya-sensei, this has nothing to do with you. You don't need to shoulder the blame!"

Tsunade suddenly looked up at him, her tone cold and hard, a self-mocking smile curling on her lips. "Maybe dying on the battlefield for some ridiculous reason is a ninja's fate."

Seeing Tsunade's expression, Jiraiya-sensei felt a pang in his heart.

Then a surge of anger rose within him, but he had no one to vent it on.

Should he blame the old man?

But Nawaki had already reached the age to go to war. It was Nawaki's own choice, and Tsunade had tacitly accepted it. The old man had even specifically arranged for Orochimaru to protect him.

Should he blame Orochimaru?

But he had done everything he could. It was Nawaki, on his first battlefield mission, who ignored warnings and rushed ahead for glory, only to die from a crude Explosive Tag trap.

Then should he blame Nawaki?

But he had just turned twelve. He was just a child dreaming of becoming Hokage...

Creak!

Jiraiya-sensei stood silently to the side, slowly clenching his fists.

He was a man of towering stature, yet at a glance, one could see the powerlessness inside him.

War. This was war. Unceasing war.

Nawaki was just a speck of dust crushed by war. Besides him, there were thousands upon thousands of the dead.

Jiraiya-sensei could no longer think of a way to end the war. He had no power to stop it, not even a reason to stop it. He knew his own insignificance, and could only place his hope in that elusive "Child of Prophecy."

But Jiraiya-sensei did not realize that in searching for that meaningless Child of Destiny, he was losing more and more.

The more he lost, the more powerless and desperate he felt, forcing him to cling ever more blindly to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, which seemed like a miracle, and to yearn ever more desperately for the miracle called the "Child of Prophecy" to make everything right.

He didn't even dare to think about what would happen if the "Child of Prophecy" had been a lie from the very beginning.

Because that was all he had left.

"Tsunade..." Jiraiya-sensei's mouth opened slightly.

"Who do you think I am?" But before he could finish, Tsunade cut him off coldly. "I don't need your comfort. As for Nawaki..."

She paused, took a breath, and closed her eyes, speaking in a low voice. "I'll wait for that bastard hiding in Kumogakure to come back and give me an explanation in person."

She was the strongest medical ninja in all of Konoha. She now carried the trust of every Konoha ninja. She absolutely could not show weakness at a time like this.

"As for you..." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya-sensei at the tent entrance, expressionless. "Since you're back, then get out there and do your job. Don't get in the way of mine."

Tsunade's tone had softened slightly, but her intent to send him away was clear.

Clearly, even knowing it wasn't his fault, she still harbored some resentment.

"...Fine." A flicker of disappointment passed through Jiraiya-sensei's eyes, but he turned and walked out without another word.

While they were talking in the tent, on the watchtower closest to the Land of Rain border.

Two ninja on duty were staring intently in the direction of the Land of Rain.

Through the haze, all they could see was a vast expanse of mist. The milky white fog made it feel like they were looking out at the sea from the tower, with only a few tall towers faintly visible hidden within the sea of mist.

Even at noon, the Land of Rain border was shrouded in this blurry fog. He felt it was no less thick than the mist of the Water Country, an island nation.

Just then—

Crack.

"Hm?"

The hawk-masked ninja furrowed his brow slightly as he scanned his surroundings.

Had there been some strange sound just now?

But the border was very quiet at this moment.

Only the wind, the rustle of branches and leaves, and the faint breathing of his companion beside him—so quiet that even the chirping of insects seemed to have vanished.

Trees stood silently in place, sunlight piercing through layers of mist and shadows, branches and leaves swaying with the wind as if countless figures were hidden among them.

What exactly was wrong?

Was that just now... the wind?

No, what was missing?

Vaguely, a gust of wind swept past, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It was a faint trace of blood, spreading through the air with the wind.

And it was close!

"...Star, did you smell that?"

Snapping back to reality, he stared hard into the distance and reached out to push his companion beside him.

Though his tone was full of doubt, if one listened closely, there was more fear in his words.

The smell of blood was so close, yet as a Sensor Ninja, he saw nothing.

But the moment he reached out, a crisp sound rang out.

Thud!

When the hawk-masked ninja instinctively turned his head, he only saw a perfectly intact head, its face still bearing the cautious expression it had in life.

What...

Before the stunned hawk-masked ninja could react, a glint of cold light flashed in his peripheral vision.

Pfft!!

A single thrust pierced his fear-stricken head, the strike even dispersing a large amount of mist, pinning the two heads together like a gourd!

"You heard it too?"

Yun Chuan lifted the two heads swaying in the wind, tilted his head toward the Konoha camp, and said with a light smile, "The wind is rising."