Land of Rain, a small country surviving in the cracks between great nations.
War raged there year-round—civil wars, as well as wars where other nations chose the Land of Rain as their battlefield.
Within the Land of Rain, the rain had never stopped.
The civilians of the Land of Rain lacked strong bodies and courage.
When war came, they could only hide in their homes.
After the war ended, they fought over a single mouthful of food...
After Hanzo of the Salamander fought the legendary Sannin, Konoha withdrew its battlefield from the Land of Rain.
But the Land of Rain remained impoverished.
Pain appeared, infighting began, and Pain won.
The Land of Rain was reborn.
But... the Land of Rain was still poor, and the rain still had not stopped.
Angel... peace...
No, that was not how it was!
"You young people are full of vitality, in the prime of your lives, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning."
"Hope rests on your shoulders."
Rustle—
Ajisai lifted the Earth-colored Cloth.
Looking up, she saw that the sun had already set.
Yet the moon hanging high in the sky still felt somewhat blinding to her.
She gently touched her cheek.
At some point, her cheeks had become wet.
"Uzumaki... Naruto!"
Ajisai murmured.
Her gaze became increasingly resolute.
The Central Tower in the Forest of Death was highly conspicuous.
This area had also been cleared out by Uchiha Sasuke's Great Fire Annihilation, making the tower visible at a glance.
Night.
Naruto sat on a bench formed from vines.
Karin and Sakura nestled against his sides.
The campfire illuminated the faces of the four.
Uchiha Sasuke occasionally added dry twigs to the fire.
Watching the flickering flames, he said softly, "Naruto, do you think I can really catch up