Konan

Sunagakure, inside the Kazekage's Office.

The Third Kazekage took the latest battlefield reports from an Anbu member.

The Third Kage was a remarkable generation. The Kage with titles like "the strongest" all came from this generation, such as the Strongest Hokage, the Strongest Raikage, and the Strongest Kazekage.

The Third Kazekage carefully read through the reports. Most had come from shinobi deployed to the war, while a few had come from Sunagakure's Anbu.

With every report he finished, the Third Kazekage's expression grew grimmer.

Seeing this, Chiyo and her younger brother Ebizo, the Kazekage's advisors, knew the news couldn't be good.

Chiyo asked, "It seems the situation on the battlefield is very bad?"

"That damned Hanzo is specifically targeting our Sand Ninja! Konoha's forces are clearly the strongest, yet he showed up on the battlefield where we're fighting! Our frontline forces have already started to collapse!"

After reading the reports, the Third Kazekage slammed his palm hard against the desk. Iron Sand could be seen flowing around his fingertips.

Though Sunagakure was in the desert, it was the second-strongest of the Five Great Nations' shinobi villages. The Land of Wind had the largest territory, and its population of shinobi and economic strength were second only to Konoha in the Land of Fire.

Yet Hanzo had left Konoha—the strongest village and the greatest threat to Amegakure—alone. He hadn't gone after Iwagakure, the easiest of the three villages to deal with, either. Instead, he had chosen to attack Sunagakure. He was clearly targeting them.

In the Third Kazekage's view, although Hanzo was powerful, Sunagakure was far stronger than Amegakure.

Since Hanzo dared to target Sunagakure so brazenly, they had to show him what the village was capable of. Otherwise, no one would fear Sunagakure in the future.

"Chiyo, what do you think?" The Third Kazekage turned to his advisor.

He wasn't the sort to make decisions alone. When it came to matters of national importance, it was better to consult his advisors and pool their wisdom.

Chiyo said, "I'll go reinforce the front lines!"

"The reason the situation on the battlefield has turned out this way is that the forces we sent were relatively weak, which is why Hanzo chose to target them."

"Konoha sent three of Hiruzen Sarutobi's students to take charge, while the Rock Ninja sent Huangshi, a veteran Kage Level fighter."

"Our forces only have those two kids, Rasa and Karura, holding things together. They have talent, but they're only an Elite Jonin and a Jonin. They're still far from Kage Level!"

"Besides, Hanzo's poison is formidable, and they don't have any way to deal with it. I've studied poisons myself, so I may as well go and face him!"

The Third Kazekage nodded. After a moment's thought, he said, "In that case, I'll leave the battlefield in the Land of Rain to you!"

"We've suffered heavy losses on the front lines fighting Salamander Hanzo. I can pull another thousand shinobi from those guarding the village. Take them with you to the front."

Ebizo hesitated before speaking. "But what about the Rock Ninja? They've been watching us closely, and they're underhanded. The Rock Ninja love to attack by stealth. If we send a thousand shinobi away, won't they take advantage of the opening?"

The Third Kazekage waved a hand and replied, "There's no need to worry. The Rock Ninja are not only fighting the Rain Ninja, but the Cloud Ninja as well. With their current forces, they can't threaten us!"

On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, amid the ruins of a town.

Senju Genma led his Anbu Ninja Squad through the streets.

Their mission this time was to clear the Rain Ninja hiding in the town.

As the saying went, if you failed to pull out the roots, the weeds would grow back when the spring breeze came.

If these stragglers weren't dealt with, they might cause trouble behind the lines once the forces advanced deeper into the Land of Rain.

The four of them ran swiftly through the town, passing many refugees who had lost their homes.

"Squad leader, Rain Ninja activity three hundred meters to the north. Four of them!" Cloud's temples bulged with veins as he spoke quickly.

Senju Genma nodded and led the squad toward the four Rain Ninja.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination.

They stood atop a building and looked down.

There was one Chunin and three Genin. They were coming out of a private home with money and some gold and silver jewelry in their hands.

Senju Genma had seen this sort of thing so often on the battlefield that it no longer surprised him.

When war broke out, some people chose to protect their homes and country, while others chose to profit from the war, making money off the dead just like these people. They were more detestable than the enemy.

But then Senju Genma noticed something strange.

A Genin came out of an alley, dragging a child behind him.

The child was dressed in rags, but wore a helmet that looked like a diving mask.

The child was most likely a local, dressed in the distinctive clothing of the Land of Rain.

As they walked, the two struggled against each other. It was obvious the child didn't want to go with the Rain Ninja Genin.

"You don't seem to be up to any good!" Senju Genma jumped down in front of the four.

The four Rain Ninja jumped at the sound. Shin and the others also emerged from the shadows.

The Anbu were far stronger than these four Rain Ninja. Before Senju Genma spoke, the Rain Ninja hadn't even noticed them.

The four Rain Ninja tensed up and warily prepared to defend themselves.

They didn't underestimate Senju Genma just because he was a child. After all, they hadn't sensed his presence at all.

"Don't wait around. Attack!"

At Senju Genma's command, he used the Body Flicker Technique to close in, then crushed the Genin's neck with Strength of a Hundred as he held onto the child.

Shin, Cloud, and Mountain threw their weapons together, killing the other three shinobi.

From the hand holding the child, Senju Genma could tell the child was probably a girl. Of course, she could also be a cute boy with a slender, delicate build.

Senju Genma took off his cat-faced mask, hoping to seem more approachable.

"Little one, what's your name?"

Only after seeing Senju Genma's face did the child, stunned by the killing, come back to her senses. She didn't answer right away, but took off her mask first.

She had pale blue-purple hair tied in a bun, light orange eyes, and delicate features.

Senju Genma thought she looked familiar, but hair colors and hairstyles in the Naruto world were all over the place. Her appearance wasn't especially unusual, so he couldn't tell who she was.

"My name is Konan."

A flicker of surprise crossed Senju Genma's mind. He hadn't expected to run into the Akatsuki's "White Tiger," Konan, on his first mission leading a squad.

And judging by the circumstances, she hadn't met Yahiko and Nagato yet.

Konan was a little scared. She didn't understand why the handsome big brother in front of her was staring at her so intently.

"Grrr..."

A growl from her stomach broke the silence between them.

Konan blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just so hungry!"

Senju Genma patted her little head to show her he wouldn't hurt her.

Konan gradually calmed down.

Senju Genma glanced at her battered hands. They were marked from searching through the ruins for food. He hurriedly took two pieces of dry bread from his pouch.

Konan really was starving. She didn't bother to mind her appearance at all; she took the dry bread and devoured it.

Senju Genma smiled warmly. While she ate, he tidied her hair and clothes.