Within the Land of Rain.
The steady rain overhead slowly came to a halt.
Because of the war that had dragged on for years, the people of the Land of Rain lived in terrible conditions.
They were practically on the verge of running out of food and supplies.
The supplies available to Konoha's side weren't always sufficient, either. Even the Land of Fire, for all its strength, couldn't sustain a war for so long.
So, following a strategy of wearing down the enemy's forces,
both the Sand Ninja and the Konoha Ninja plundered whatever resources they could find in the Land of Rain, including food.
Inside an abandoned village,
several Konoha Ninja searched every corner, hoping to find some food left behind.
When they reached one of the houses, they heard faint noises from within.
The Konoha Ninja immediately went on guard!
They all stared at the house!
Inside,
a gaunt man and woman looked anxiously toward one another.
When they heard the noise outside, their faces turned pale!
"L-Lang... Nagato, listen to me... hide behind us!"
The gaunt, middle-aged man spoke tensely to the somewhat scrawny red-haired boy.
The woman covered her face, weeping softly.
Seeing how panicked his parents looked, Nagato's pale little face filled with fear!
"Bang!"
The door swung open!
The moment he saw the ninja outside, the middle-aged man sprang into action. He rushed forward, putting himself between Nagato and the woman!
"Whoosh!"
A kunai flew through the air!
The sharp kunai pierced his heart, killing him instantly.
"D-Dad!"
Seeing this, the woman burst into tears!
She hurried toward the fallen man!
But the moment she made a sudden move—
"Whoosh!"
Another kunai struck her in the chest.
"Thud!"
The woman fell helplessly to the ground, blood gushing from her chest.
Hot tears welled in