After the War

Beside an abandoned bridge, the three newly named Sannin looked at the three small figures who had been silently following them from a distance.

"Stop hiding and come out."

Though Tsunade's voice was stern, it carried no killing intent.

The shadows stirred, and three small figures emerged, trembling. They were children, soaked through and gaunt, their faces sallow.

The orange-haired boy at their head came before the Sannin and spoke in a tone that was almost pleading, yet stubborn all the same. "Give us some food."

Jiraiya looked at the three children, something stirring in his heart. He lowered the canteen in his hand. "Where are your parents?"

The orange-haired boy lowered his head, his voice a little hoarse. "They were killed by ninjas in this war."

The mood grew heavy in an instant.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were ninjas, too. They were also participants in this war.

"Here."

Jiraiya said nothing more. He took a packet of dry bread from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it over. "It's dry bread. A little hard, but it'll fill your stomach."

Tsunade took out her own portion and handed it to the boy as well.

Yahiko accepted the bread, a flicker of delight in his eyes. But instead of eating it right away, he turned toward the shadows and called out:

"Nagato, Konan, come out. They don't seem like bad people."

Two even smaller figures emerged. Red-haired Nagato and blue-haired Konan exchanged a glance, then watched the three imposing adults timidly. At last, they nodded and ran over to the Sannin.

They took the rest of the dry bread from Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were sitting down, and wolfed it down.

A little while later, after the Sannin had walked some distance, they realized that the three children were still following at a steady distance.

Tsunade stopped and looked back, exasperation in her voice. "We gave you food already, didn't we? We don't have any more with us. Why are you still following us?"

In the rain, the blue-haired little girl said nothing.

With her hands behind her back, she slowly walked up to Tsunade, then began to reach out.

Tsunade's eyes instantly sharpened. As a ninja who had fought on the battlefield, her body reacted on instinct. She was just about to dodge back and assume a defensive stance.

But a broad hand pressed down on her shoulder.

It was Jiraiya.

"Don't be tense, Tsunade." Jiraiya shook his head, his eyes resting kindly on Konan. "She means no harm."

Tsunade froze for a moment, then looked more closely.

The hand the girl had brought from behind her held no weapon. Instead, it held a flower folded from food-wrapper paper.

Though the rain had dampened it a little, the paper flower was still folded neatly and precisely. It stood out brightly against the gray skies of the Land of Rain.

"Thank you. This is something in return." Standing in the rain, Konan gave a timid smile.

"Origami... Folded from the dry bread wrapper, I suppose." Jiraiya recognized it at a glance, a trace of emotion in his voice.

Tsunade looked at the flower, and the ice of suspicion in her heart melted away.

Her voice softened as she bent down. "Is this for us?"

Konan nodded emphatically.

Just then, Yahiko, who had been standing behind the others, suddenly stepped forward. His gaze was stubborn. "Teach us ninjutsu! You're ninjas from Konoha, right?"

The air froze.

Orochimaru, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly let out a chilling laugh.

"Should we kill these children?"

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. There was not a trace of pity in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes, only absolute reason and coldness.

"I've seen plenty of war orphans. Things always end badly for them. Rather than let them suffer hunger, cold, and all kinds of unknown horrors in this cruel country, it might actually be better for these children if we just killed them here..."

"Enough, Orochimaru."

Jiraiya cut him off sharply, his voice more serious than ever.

He looked at the three children before him, their eyes clear yet full of longing, and thought of the devastation spread across this land.

"You and Tsunade should head back first." Jiraiya drew a deep breath and made his decision. "I'll look after these little ones for a while."

"What?" Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you gone mad? The war isn't over! You're going to stay behind enemy lines and play babysitter?"

"Until they're at least able to fend for themselves."

Jiraiya looked at Yahiko, a light he could only call responsibility shining in his eyes. "This can be a small way to atone, too."

"But..." Tsunade trailed off.

"This must be fate, too."

Jiraiya came before Yahiko and crouched down, laying a broad hand on the boy's thin shoulder. The Great Toad Sage's prophecy... perhaps this was where it would come true.

"And besides..."

Jiraiya suddenly remembered something and turned to Nishikawa Tetsu and Namikaze Minato, who were waiting nearby for instructions. He scratched his head awkwardly.

"By the way, Tsunade, leave Minato and Tetsu here with me, too."

"As their teacher, I haven't properly taught them anything these past few months. I've been an utter failure."

Jiraiya grinned. "This is the perfect chance to teach those two geniuses while I'm teaching these three little ones."

The time came to part.

Uchiha Fugaku sat on a stretcher, his eyes bandaged. Orochimaru and Tsunade stood beside him, ready to escort him back to the village.

"You're really not coming back with us?" Though Fugaku couldn't see, he still turned his head toward Nishikawa Tetsu and Minato.

"No, senior." Nishikawa Tetsu stepped forward and draped a raincoat over Fugaku. "Getting you back to the village for treatment is the priority, given your condition. Besides..."

Tetsu lowered his voice. "Your eyes are too important. You'll be safest with Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade. If we stay behind, we can draw some of the attention away from you."

Fugaku fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Tetsu stepped forward and gently patted Fugaku's shoulder. "Besides, it's better for you to have fewer people around you right now. Once you're back in the village, the battlefield you'll face will be more dangerous than this one. If two civilians like us, with no backing, get caught up in it, we'll only become your weakness."

Fugaku knew Tetsu was right. Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan meant he would become a thorn in the Konoha High Command's side. The Hokage's faction, the clan elders, and every other power group would be watching him.

"I understand."

Fugaku took a deep breath, pulled out two scrolls bearing the Uchiha Clan Crest, and tossed them to the two of them.

"These contain the Uchiha Clan's secret notes on Fire Release chakra shape transformation, along with advanced Shuriken-throwing techniques. You don't have Sharingan, but... don't embarrass me."

These were closely guarded secrets of a prestigious clan, yet he tossed them out as casually as if they were trash.

"Thanks, senior." Minato caught them carefully, his eyes full of emotion. "Your eyes... make sure you get them healed."

"Hmph. Don't worry about me. And..."

"Come back alive."

Typical Uchiha: one word and he was already acting all tsundere.

"I will."

As the carriage started off, Orochimaru gave Nishikawa Tetsu a meaningful look. His chilling gaze sent a shiver down Tetsu's spine.

But he said nothing, simply turning and following the group.

Tsunade waved to the two of them. "Take care of that idiot Jiraiya!"

As the main group slowly disappeared from view, the noisy battlefield finally fell completely silent.

"All right! Stop staring!"

With the main group gone, only Jiraiya, Nishikawa Tetsu, Namikaze Minato, and the three Amegakure orphans remained in the wilderness of the Land of Rain.

Jiraiya stood up and stretched, returning to his usual boisterous, carefree self.

"Now that the main group's gone, the Jiraiya Special Training Class is officially in session!"

He pointed toward a cave in the distance.

"From today on, you'll all do as I say! Come on, let's patch up that leaky cave first. Otherwise, no one's getting any sleep tonight!"

Nishikawa Tetsu looked at Nagato, the red-haired boy hiding behind Yahiko, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a barely noticeable smile.

The Sannin had gone their separate ways, each setting off toward their own legend.

And I stayed at the turning point of history, standing beside a god.

"Let's go, Minato." Nishikawa Tetsu patted his friend on the shoulder.