The clouds on the horizon gradually thinned. A ray of light pierced the dark clouds, and long-missed sunlight graced this country perpetually shrouded in rain. A dazzling rainbow hung across the distant sky.
"Whew... whew..."
Sato Ki sat down on a tree trunk, breathing lightly but rapidly. The sunlight shining on him felt pleasantly warm. Though it was not actually very strong and was more a matter of mindset, it still lifted his spirits.
In the Land of Rain, weather like this was truly rare.
He was an Elite Jonin of Konoha and had been stationed on the Amegakure battlefield for four years. During those years, all the shinobi who had initially been assigned to his team had already died in battle. The squad under his command had changed members countless times, and by now, he had long since grown numb to it.
At first, they fought Amegakure. Later, they fought Iwagakure. After that, Sunagakure had come to join in as well. Now, everyone but Konoha was an enemy.
After such a long war, most people had long been exhausted. Yet the war had not ended, and as shinobi, they could only grit their teeth and endure.
Two days ago, he had led a squad of seven under orders to intercept an elite Iwagakure unit. After a fierce battle, his team had been scattered. He had just killed two of their jonin and was somewhat tired, intending to rest before searching the nearby area for his subordinates and then returning to Konoha's command headquarters to report.
Of course, he did not hold much hope of finding his men. On the battlefield, there were countless shinobi who went missing and could no longer be contacted. Everyone had long since become accustomed to it.
As his breathing gradually steadied, he took the