Sudden Change

What a hell-level start!

Yin Jie sighed inwardly once more, a trace of irritation showing on his face.

After all, the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War was truly no good place to be.

But Yin Jie quickly regained his composure and calm. Ever since he had seen through the mystery of his rebirth and fused with the memories of his previous life, he was no longer that six-year-old child.

Besides, there was no use blaming heaven and earth. No matter how the future unfolded, what he needed to do now was find another town within the Land of Rain, fully recover from his injuries first, and then figure out everything else.

Just then.

The sky, which had been overcast for quite some time, finally began to release a fine, drizzling rain.

The fluttering raindrops struck Yin Jie's face, bringing a faint chill. Seeping through the clean but rather thin clothes he had found in the house, they made him shiver involuntarily.

Yin Jie raised his head and took a long look at the gloomy sky. Then, collecting himself, he strode toward the house where he had stayed the night before.

Rainy days, even when it was only a light rain, were never particularly comfortable.

At the same time, as Yin Jie gradually quickened his pace, the chakra within his body began to flow swiftly through his meridians as if by instinct, driving away the sudden chill.

Night soon fell.

After a full day of work, Yin Jie lay flat on the bed and slowly closed his weary eyes.

When the rain had stopped that afternoon, Yin Jie had explored the entire town once more, searching every nook and cranny he had missed that morning.

During that process, he had found a kunai near the corpse of a Hidden Leaf ninja. Its blade still gleamed with a sharp sheen, and it could be used for "self-defense."

As for the assorted weapons scattered beside the corpses of Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain ninja—senbon, shuriken, short swords, and the like—he had not dared touch a single one.

After all, who knew whether those weapons from Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain had been coated in poison?

Dark clouds blanketed the skies over the Land of Rain, so heavy that not even a sliver of moonlight could pierce them.

The night deepened.

Exhausted from nearly an entire day, Yin Jie fell into a deep sleep amid the patter of rain outside.

Time slowly passed...

When the morning sun leaped above the horizon, Yin Jie opened his eyes at the same moment.

Under the effects of chakra, his injuries—which had not struck any vital areas and were not particularly serious—had already healed by more than half.

After reviewing all the information in his mind regarding the Land of Rain and the Second Shinobi World War, Yin Jie formulated a concrete plan.

Whether ordinary people or chakra-wielding ninja, they were all social creatures.

Not to mention that even finding enough food to fill his stomach was difficult in this abandoned, war-ravaged ghost town.

So he definitely could not stay here any longer.

He needed to find a town that was still functioning as soon as possible, completely recover from his injuries, then find a way to learn ninjutsu and improve his strength.

Based on the fact that the town contained corpses from Hidden Leaf, Hidden Sand, and Hidden Rain, but none from Hidden Rock, which had also participated in the Second Shinobi World War, Yin Jie concluded that this town was likely located in the southwestern region of the Land of Rain.

Thus.

Taking advantage of the brief clearing in the weather, Yin Jie roughly determined his bearings, tucked the kunai he had found close against his waist, and set out eastward with his packed belongings.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The sound of footsteps striking the ground rang out continuously.

More than a dozen ninja wearing rain capes over gray armor and dark green combat vests were rushing to reinforce the battlefield in the southwestern Land of Rain.

Leading them was a female ninja with long light-blonde hair. Her twin ponytails, tied behind her head, streamed freely in the wind as she raced forward.

She was Tsunade, who had recently fought Hanzo, the leader of Hidden Rain Village, alongside her teammates Orochimaru and Jiraiya. In the end, they had received the title of the so-called Three Legendary Sannin, a name carrying a hint of humiliation.

This time, she had been ordered by her teacher, the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to lead a team to reinforce the battlefield between Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand in the southwestern Land of Rain.

Behind her were elite ninja dispatched by the major ninja clans of Hidden Leaf to join the reinforcement force.

"Lady Tsunade!"

A ninja with pure white eyes, closely following behind Tsunade, suddenly spoke. "Three squads of Hidden Sand ninja have been spotted in the town ahead. Should we go around it?"

His name was Hyuga Hei, a jonin from the branch family of the Hyuga Clan.

But before Tsunade could respond, Hyuga He's tone abruptly turned furious. "How dare they! They actually dared attack civilians so brazenly!!!"

The expressions of every Hidden Leaf ninja immediately changed.

After all, in principle and by moral standards, ninja were not supposed to slaughter civilians on a large scale.

Though ninja would sometimes harm civilians because of missions and other reasons, what the Hidden Sand ninja in the town ahead were doing, as observed by Hyuga Hei through his Byakugan, was clearly not among those cases.

Because they were indiscriminately massacring every civilian in the entire town!!!

Tsunade did not answer, but the instant acceleration of her movements let the other Hidden Leaf ninja feel her fury.

Immediately afterward, the Hidden Leaf ninja all unleashed their chakra without restraint and followed Tsunade as they sped toward the town ahead.

As ninja, they too had more or less harmed civilians from other countries for the sake of missions.

But they had their limits. They absolutely could not commit the kind of civilian-slaughtering atrocity these three Hidden Sand squads were carrying out!

Among the group, Uchiha Yasashiro of the Uchiha Clan, who had the most explosive temper, roared in outrage.

"Hidden Sand ninja, evil by nature! I'll..."