Second Shinobi World War

"Wartime really is desolate."

After preparing everything, Karn entered the world of Naruto through the Trading System. However, his arrival location was random, and he had to find a trading partner as quickly as possible to place a trading marker in this world.

"Only two days? And every time I travel here, I have to appear within twenty-five kilometers of the trading marker, and the trading marker is... my trading partner? What a bullshit rule. I'll have to find someone who lives a long time."

"And I only get this one chance. I can't even go back."

Karn was therefore rather anxious. If he failed to find a trading partner within two days, he would lose this world, and the Trading System would refresh again.

But how hard would it be to find someone willing to trade who would also live a long life within two days? Worse, once he bound a world trading marker, he would have to wait at least two years before he could freely change it.

"Shit, why is this system such a pain? Couldn't it be simpler? And this shitty weather-it won't stop raining!"

Fortunately, Karn had brought a full set of everyday supplies, including both an umbrella and a raincoat.

There were simply too few people around, though, and he had no idea where he was. He had arrived two hours ago and had been trekking through the wilderness ever since.

If he went two whole days without finding anyone, Karn would have to miss out on the Naruto Dimension.

As a wealthy young man with no shortage of free time, Karn had practiced some martial arts and physical conditioning in addition to training with firearms. Walking for several hours was no hardship for him. The problem was that he did not know how long it would take to encounter anyone, or how long after that he would need to find a suitable trading partner.

"Am I really this unlucky on my first trade? The Penter family worships Tyche so faithfully, yet she won't even bless its sole heir."

Karn walked for another hour or two before finally finding what looked like the ruins of a building, where he could shelter from the rain for a while.

There was no telling when the rain would stop. Karn had also seen traces left by war along the way, and he did not know which direction would offer both safety and a suitable trading partner. Still, if he truly ran into danger, he would rather return to the Marvel Universe immediately and abandon the Naruto Dimension than continue trading.

"Anyone here?"

Keeping his gun in hand, Karn called out, then carefully observed the area for several minutes. He also sent a drone out to look around. Only after confirming that no one was there did he decide to rest here before moving on.

He needed to replenish his energy. If he had not potentially been on a battlefield, Karn would definitely have taken out a steak and cooked himself a fine meal. For now, though, he could only make do with some chocolate, an energy drink, and jerky.

While eating, Karn used the drone to explore his surroundings. Its reconnaissance range was limited, however, and he gained no useful information.

"Four hours have already passed. Forty-four left."

Karn glanced at his watch, but suddenly heard a faint sound. He immediately dropped the energy drink in his hand and stood up, gripping his gun with both hands as he shouted toward the source of the noise.

"Who's there?"

Karn waited a dozen or so seconds after shouting, but there was still no reply. He then fired several shots toward where the sound had come from. The bullets struck the ground and the wall with a series of bangs.

"I'll say it one more time. Come out, or don't blame me for what happens."

"D-don't attack! I'll come out."

Only after Karn's warning did a somewhat young-sounding voice emerge from behind a huge rock. An orange-haired kid then slowly stepped out. He looked about ten years old, with a stubborn expression on his face.

Although he was a child, Karn did not let down his guard. Keeping his gun trained on him, he demanded, "Are you alone? What are you doing here? I checked this place earlier, and there was nobody here. Why did you come?"

"To find food. I... I'm a homeless wanderer. I was so hungry that I came here to see if there was anything I could use."

Yahiko answered nervously. The strange blond man before him did not look like a ninja, but he was older than Yahiko. Moreover, those unidentified hidden weapons he had just used had shattered even the stones they struck on the ground. If they hit any of them, they would surely die.

"There isn't a single village around here, and you came alone to look for food? Kid, it looks like you're not being very honest..."

Even though he was dealing with a child, Karn kept a safe distance from him at all times. There was no cover nearby that would allow anyone else to approach. If he noticed anything wrong, he would return to the Marvel Universe immediately.

Yahiko saw Karn aiming the dark muzzle at him. Although he did not know what it was, he could sense Karn's hostility.

Panicking, Yahiko hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I'm telling the truth! I just wanted to find a ninja on the battlefield and ask them to teach me ninjutsu. I happened to pass by here, so I thought I'd shelter from the rain!"

"Find a ninja to teach you?"

Karn repeated those words with a slight frown, then looked at the kid before him and his orange hair. "What's your name?"

"Yahiko. My name is Yahiko!"

So it really is him. That meant this was during the Second Shinobi World War, before Yahiko and the other two had become Jiraiya's students. But since Yahiko had said he was heading to the battlefield to find a ninja teacher, this must be the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Karn figured that Tyche could not exert her influence over the Shinobi World, which was why his luck had been so bad. Still, since this kid was Yahiko, the danger was somewhat lower, though it could not be ruled out entirely.

If he could not find anyone else, he could at least bind the dimensional trading marker to either Nagato or Konan. Those two lived reasonably long lives. Yahiko was out of the question.

"Tell your other two companions to come out. These are for you."

Using his backpack as cover, Karn took out three bread rolls and three ham sausages, then tossed them toward Yahiko.

Yahiko's eyes widened at the sight of the food. Three portions of bread and ham. This guy already knew about Konan and Nagato.

And he's lowered that strange hidden weapon. It looks like we're out of danger.

"Konan, Nagato, come out! There's food! He's a good person!"

Hearing Yahiko call out like that, Karn could not help sneering inwardly. It was far too easy to qualify as a good person. He was a merchant, a capitalist, but he was certainly no good person.

However, if Nagato was here, White Zetsu was most likely nearby as well.

He was merely a merchant without chakra. White Zetsu probably was not so deranged at this point that he would kill every stranger around Nagato, so Karn was still safe for the time being.

After Yahiko called out, two other kids in worn-out clothes emerged from behind rocks and other cover, only a few dozen meters from Karn. They had not made the slightest sound until they were that close. For these three kids to have survived in wartime with such concealment skills was quite impressive.