In the Land of Rain.
Near a remote little village.
A few small figures were walking along a winding, rugged road.
"Konan, why did you bring him back? There's something weird about this guy. Just look at his eyes."
Yahiko, walking in front, complained.
Hearing him, Nagato, who was following behind with unsteady steps, lowered his head slightly.
Beside him, Konan puffed out her cheeks a little and said angrily,
"Brother Yahiko! Don't just say bad things about people!"
As soon as he saw Konan getting angry, Yahiko immediately softened his tone. He put his hands together and apologized.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll stop, okay? Don't be mad, Konan."
"But we didn't find much food today. I wonder when Big Brother Minato will come. The day we agreed on should be coming up soon, right?"
At his words, the stern expression on Konan's face finally blossomed into a smile. She replied softly,
"Mm... Brother Minato should be here in the next few days..."
Just then,
Nagato, bringing up the rear, suddenly collapsed to the ground, unable to go on.
"Thud!"
His body landed in a muddy puddle on the road, splashing mud all over his ragged clothes and leaving him filthy.
Hearing the noise behind them, Konan and Yahiko both jumped in surprise.
When they hurried over, they saw that the gaunt, pale Nagato simply didn't have the strength to keep walking.
Konan looked at him with worry in her eyes.
Nagato lowered his head, feeling ashamed that he had become a burden to them.
At that moment, Yahiko crouched down beside him.
"Get on my back. I'm only doing this because of Konan, so don't expect too much."
Yahiko crouched halfway and spoke softly to Nagato.
Nagato lifted his head a little and stared blankly at the orange-haired boy before