An Unsettling Silence

The Land of Rain, Amegakure.

Endless rain shrouded the land as always, but today it carried the scent of blood.

Amegakure's central district had nearly been leveled. Its once-towering buildings were reduced to broken walls, and rubble and scorch marks covered the streets.

Deep beneath the village, in Nagato's secret base.

Nagato leaned against a wall, his red hair falling messily over his shoulders, his face almost translucent with pallor. Using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had left him weak, but his gaze remained clear.

Konan stood beside him, paper flowers drifting slowly around her. Disbelief edged her voice. "Flower Village, Lu Zeming... a seven-year-old child?"

"That man went to Flower Village with Orochimaru," Nagato said hoarsely. "Neither came back. Instead, the other side struck first, catching us completely off guard."

Konan fell silent. Of course she knew Flower Village: the power that had suddenly risen in the Land of Grass and sent the Three-Nation Allied Forces home defeated. But she had never imagined a seven-year-old child could do this.

Only after a long while did Konan speak. "What do we do now? Amegakure is already..."

She did not finish, but Nagato understood. Amegakure had nearly been destroyed.

Since Hanzō's death, the village had been in turmoil. Factions fought for power, and its Ninja ranks had dwindled. This air raid had almost stripped Amegakure of any claim to being a "Ninja village."

"Send word. Amegakure will close its gates for now and admit no outsiders. We'll rebuild slowly."

"We're not striking back?" Konan asked, surprised.

Nagato shook his head.

"The organization isn't ready to step into the open. For the sake of the plan, sometimes we have to endure humiliation others couldn't bear. Even if we retaliate, we should wait until that man returns."

"So we just... stay