Land of Rain
Jiraiya stood silently in the rain, holding the letter a messenger toad had brought him. The rain soaked his clothes.
The steady drizzle fell on him with a soft pattering sound.
So much has happened in the village...
But I discovered that Nagato has the Sage's Eye. I think he's the Child of Prophecy I've been searching for all this time.
"Jiraiya-sensei!" the orange-haired child shouted behind him.
"Coming, Yahiko."
Jiraiya turned and hurried toward the three children waiting behind him.
Sorry, old man...
I can't come back right now.
Land of Earth-Iwagakure
Rolling mountain ranges and peaks that towered into the clouds.
Enormous rock walls, seemingly carved by a giant's hands, surrounded Iwagakure, forming a natural barrier for the Iwa Shinobi to defend their village.
Inside the village, Iwagakure's buildings blended perfectly into their surroundings, as though carved straight out of the rock, with thick walls and flat roofs.
Beside the Tsuchikage Building, which symbolized Iwagakure's dignity, was Iwagakure Hospital. On its top floor, in a luxurious private room...
Eighteen-year-old Kitsuchi carefully peeled an apple in his hands. A red headscarf wrapped around his round head, and his bulbous nose, identical to Ōnoki's, revealed who he was.
Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had a broad, sturdy build that was the opposite of his father's. Though only eighteen, his honest-looking face and thick beard made him look like a dependable, middle-aged Iwa Shinobi.
Ōnoki lay quietly in the hospital bed, layers upon layers of bandages wrapped around his chest. He had yet to wake since taking Takahashi Yū's full-force punch.
When Ōnoki had first been carried back to the village, all his ribs had been broken, and the Earth Release on his body had yet to fade, leaving him stiff and hard.
Kitsuchi had