On the Sunagakure front line, outside the Hidden Leaf Camp.
Several squads of ninja took turns patrolling the perimeter. Inside the camp, the Konoha Ninja suddenly heard noises in the distance and stopped their work, turning toward the open stretch of sand outside.
A cloud of dust rose along the distant horizon, and a low, continuous tremor ran through the ground. Roars and impacts sounded in turn, as though two forces were repeatedly clashing in the distance.
The Genin Xiaoshan Dajie took a bite of his dry rations and muttered with his head lowered, "They're fighting again."
The Genin Tianye Zhenyi raised his head, shifting his gaze from the rations in his hands toward the source of the noise.
"What's happening? Is the Hidden Sand Village attacking? That's a lot of noise." His voice carried a trace of confusion and wariness, as though he had only recently arrived at the front and had yet to adjust to its rhythms.
Xiaoshan Dajie glanced at him. "Did you just get here today?"
"Yeah." Tianye Zhenyi nodded. "I only arrived from Konoha today to deliver supplies.
During the handover, I heard the war on the front had stopped. Why is someone still fighting?"
As he spoke, he put down his rations, stood up, and peered toward the dust cloud.
Xiaoshan Dajie stood as well and brushed the crumbs from his hands.
"The war did stop, but it was Lord Jiraiya, our very own 'one of the Legendary Sannin,' who called it off."
Tianye Zhenyi froze for a moment, his expression growing even more puzzled. "Huh? Why? Can he really just stop a war all by himself?"
"Heh." Xiaoshan Dajie chuckled, something hard to pin down in his voice.
"For that peace he believes in, apparently. Seems he didn't agree with our battle plans.