At the border where the Land of Fire met the Land of Rain, white mist still lingered despite it being noon.
This was a camp occupied by Konoha Ninja. Clusters of mismatched tents stood everywhere, crates of emergency supplies were carried back and forth, and stretchers bearing the wounded constantly passed by.
Ninja gathered in twos and threes within the tents, dryly eating their emergency rations as the howls and screams from inside sounded endlessly in their ears like the cries of evil spirits.
"Lady Tsunade will save them," one Ninja muttered to himself.
"They can't be saved with wounds that severe." Another Ninja shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even Lady Tsunade's own little brother..."
Inside the innermost tent, the electric lights were somewhat dim.
Tsunade stood there in silence like a corpse, her light blonde hair slightly disheveled as her brown eyes stared blankly at the white cloth.
The air of pain and grief was so dense it seemed visible to the naked eye.
"Tsunade!"
A tall, white-haired Ninja hurried into the tent from outside.
But when he saw Tsunade standing there and the corpse covered by white cloth at her feet, he too fell into a long silence.
"I'm deeply sorry about Nawaki. I'm sorry..."
He drew a quiet breath, his pale lips unconsciously tightening. "If I had been there..."
He had been traveling the world in search of the "Child of Prophecy," following the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.
Only because tensions between the nations had grown increasingly severe, with large-scale military action brewing amid the drawn swords, had the old man urgently summoned him back.
Yet the moment he returned, he heard this terrible news.
—Nawaki had accidentally entered a trap during a mission 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 ice-cold. A self-mocking smile appeared on her face. "Perhaps dying on the battlefield for some ridiculous reason is a Ninja's fate."
Jiraiya-sensei's heart ached at the sight of Tsunade's expression.
Anger then surged within him, yet he did not know who to vent it on.
Should he blame the old man?
But Nawaki had already reached the age where he could go to war. It had been 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 Orochimaru had already done everything he could. It was Nawaki, going into battle for the first time, who had refused advice and recklessly sought merit, only to die in a crude Explosive Tag trap.
Then should he blame Nawaki?
But he had only just celebrated his twelfth birthday. He was merely a child dreaming of becoming Hokage...
Creak!
Jiraiya-sensei stood silently to one side, slowly clenching his fist.
Though he was an extraordinarily large man, a single glance was enough to reveal the helplessness in his heart.
War. This was war—war that never stopped.
Nawaki was only a speck of dust crushed beneath the wheels of war. Besides him, there were countless thousands of dead.
By now, Jiraiya-sensei could no longer think of any way to end the war. He lacked both the ability and even the reason to stop it. Knowing how insignificant he was, he could only place his hopes in the elusive "Child of Prophecy."
Yet Jiraiya-sensei had not realized that, in searching for that so-called child of destiny, he was losing more and more.
The more he lost, the more powerless and desperate he felt. He could only place unquestioning faith in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, as miraculous as divine revelation, increasingly longing to achieve everything through the miracle known as the "Child of Prophecy."
He did not even dare imagine what the outcome would be if the "Child of Prophecy" had been a lie from the very beginning.
Because it was all he had left.
"Tsunade..." Jiraiya-sensei's lips parted slightly.
"Who do you think I am?" Before he could finish, Tsunade cut him off coldly. "I don't need your comfort. As for Nawaki..."
At that, she drew in a breath, closed her eyes, and said softly, "I'll wait for that bastard who hid in Kumogakure to return and give me an explanation in person."
She was Konoha's strongest medical Ninja, carrying the trust of every Konoha Ninja on her shoulders. She absolutely could not show weakness at a time like this.
"And you..." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya-sensei by the tent entrance, her expression blank. "Since you're back, get the hell out and do your job. Don't interfere with mine here."
Tsunade's attitude had softened somewhat, but her intent to drive him away was unmistakable.
Clearly, even though she knew it had nothing to do with him, she still harbored some resentment.
"...All right." A trace of disappointment flashed through Jiraiya-sensei's eyes, but he still said nothing as he turned and walked out.
While they were speaking inside the tent, atop the watchtower closest to the Land of Rain's border—
Two Ninja on guard duty were watching the direction of the Land of Rain with full concentration.
The boundless mist filled their vision. The hazy milky white made it feel as though they were looking out over the sea from the tower, with only several tall towers faintly visible within the sea of fog.
Even at noon, the border of the Land of Rain was veiled in mist. It seemed no less foggy than the island nation of the Water Country.
Just then.
Crack.
"Hm?"
The Hawk-masked Ninja frowned slightly and looked around.
Had there been some strange sound just now?
Yet the border was quiet at the moment.
There was only the sound of wind, leaves rustling in the breeze, and his companion's faint breathing. It was so quiet that even the insects seemed to have fallen silent.
The trees stood motionless, sunlight passing through layers of mist and branches. The leaves around them swayed in the wind, as if countless figures were hidden among them.
What exactly felt wrong?
That sound just now... was it the wind?
No. Something was missing.
A faint gust passed by, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
It carried a subtle scent of blood, spreading through the air on the wind.
And it was close!
"...Xing, do you smell that?"
Coming back to his senses, he stared fixedly into the distance and reached out to nudge the companion beside him.
Though his voice was filled with confusion, closer listening revealed even more fear.
The smell of blood was so close, yet as a Sensor Ninja, he could see nothing at all.
But the instant he reached out, a crisp sound rang out.
Thud!
When the Hawk-masked Ninja instinctively turned his head, he saw only an utterly intact head, its face still wearing the wary expression it had held in life.
What...
Before the stunned Hawk-masked Ninja could react, a glint of cold light flashed through the corner of his eye.
Squelch!!
A single blade pierced through his terrified head. The thrust even scattered a large amount of mist, violently nailing the two heads together like a gourd!
"Did you hear it too?"
Yun Chuan held the two heads swaying in the wind, tilting his head as he looked toward the Konoha camp and smiled softly. "The wind is rising."
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