The Six Paths Hidden in the Dark

Shin casually found a patch of grass and sat down. The summer valley was tranquil, with nameless wildflowers blooming all around.

Butterflies danced among the flowers alongside bees, green grasshoppers leaped without pause, and cicadas sang, together painting a scene of high summer.

Shin turned his head, and a scene on a distant tree came into view. A cicada chirped incessantly atop a leaf while, behind it, a green mantis quietly raised its sharp sickle. Then, with lightning speed, the mantis captured the cicada.

Yet just as the mantis was about to enjoy its feast, a cry rang out. An unknown bird swooped down with spread wings and carried off both the mantis and the cicada in its beak.

Shin watched the unknown bird fly away. Nature had truly taught him a lesson. Though he had heard the tale of the mantis stalking the cicada countless times, this was his first time seeing it happen in the wild.

Shin took a deep breath, then lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky. It was a deep blue, white clouds gathering and dispersing in the wind. A single glance was enough to evaporate all his worries.

The villages of the five great nations were each stable now, and the world had entered its most peaceful era. Even if some smaller countries remained embroiled in war, it had little effect on the overall situation.

But Shin knew that all of this was only temporary. The current peace existed merely because the major villages were full for the moment, and because the losses from the First Great War and the enormous expense of purchasing Tailed Beasts meant they needed a long period to recover and rebuild.

Moreover, Hashirama was still in Konoha, so they did not dare stir up trouble