This Little Fish Cares

Kakuzu walked slowly with steady steps, his eyes as cold as ever.

As I passed a little girl by the roadside, her eyes revealed a mixture of eager expectation and timid hesitation; she seemed to want to speak but couldn't, struggling with a sense of hopelessness and desperate plea for help.

Kakuzu gave her a casual glance before continuing on his way, replying calmly, "Even Wenten Temple is in this state; people are probably starving to death in other places."

He frowned slightly. The situation here seemed even worse than when he had come two days ago. The people on the streets were even more emaciated, and an atmosphere of despair permeated the air.

War, that ferocious beast, mercilessly tramples on human life, destroys countless homes, dismembers happiness, and plunges it into the abyss of suffering.

Koki stood to the side, pursing her lips, staring intently at the scroll in her hand. She sighed deeply and handed the scroll to Kakuzu.

"Take the money out of there, see where you can buy some food, set up a soup kitchen, and let them have a hot meal."

"Buy some more clothes, something thicker, and give them to them," Koki added.

He couldn't bear to look at the people shivering in the cold wind.

Kakuzu accepted the scroll expressionlessly; he was already used to such things. Instead of leaving immediately, he said, "Boss, this won't work."

"I know." Koki nodded. How could he not know that such relief was merely a temporary measure and could not eradicate the deep-seated problems of the Land of Rain?

However, faced with those faces filled with despair, those eyes that had lost their luster, he could not remain unmoved, even if he could only offer them a fleeting moment of comfort.

Seeing that Kakuzu standing still, he assumed he wanted money, so he tossed him a small suitcase. "Do as I say, this is your extra reward."

"I... yes." Jiao took the suitcase and took a deep breath.

A fleeting glint of light flashed in his emerald eyes, and no one could fathom his inner thoughts. He silently turned away, preparing to carry out Koki's command.

"Well!"

In Koki's memory, there was a text that vaguely described the predicament of being trapped in a shallow puddle on the beach.

The small fish, cast ashore by last night's wind and rain, are trapped in shallow puddles, barely a step from the sea, yet unable to return.

Those trapped little lives, perhaps hundreds, perhaps thousands, will soon be swallowed by sand and evaporated by the scorching sun, and they will dry up one by one.

However, there was a boy who walked slowly, crouching down at each puddle—carefully scooping up the small fish and struggling to return them to the vast sea.

Others told him that he couldn't save all the fish, and that this hopeless rescue would be ignored by everyone.

The boy understood, yet he relentlessly repeated his rescue efforts, muttering to himself, "This little fish cares! This one, that one, and this one, this one, this one..."

"Do good deeds, without worrying about the future." The monk clasped his hands together and gently comforted the silent Koki.

"Okay, let's continue walking around."

Deep in the muddy alleys, Koki and the monk trudged along slowly, their steps faltering. Koki's brows were furrowed, his heart feeling as if it were being assaulted by a cold rain, the icy raindrops relentlessly striking his soul.

Suddenly, a hurried figure rushed out from around the corner, nearly hitting Koki. The monk reacted quickly, instantly blocking in front of Koki, his eyes revealing wariness.

Koki looked, she saw a ragged girl kneeling in front of her, her figure extremely thin, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Her lips were as pale as snow. In this harsh winter, she was only wearing a thin layer of clothing, which could not keep out the biting wind. She trembled involuntarily, and her teeth chattered.

"Sir, please save my mother!" the girl pleaded tearfully, kowtowing repeatedly before she could finish speaking.

"Get up quickly!" Koki rushed forward, gently helped the girl up, quickly took off her own cloak, draped it over her shoulders, carefully helped her pull up the hood to protect her from the cold wind, and then asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Sachiko felt a sense of peace upon sensing Koki's warmth and kindness. Realizing she had encountered a compassionate adult, and that her mother might have a chance to survive, she pleaded anxiously, "Sir, please save my mother! She's on the verge of death!"

"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what happened?"

It turns out that in this Land of Rain, disease is like a nightmare, the most feared thing besides ninja armies.

This area experiences continuous rain throughout the year, and as the rainfall intensifies, the river becomes increasingly turbid, creating a breeding ground for germs.

In damp environments, rodents and ants run rampant, often invading people's homes, and food is prone to mold due to dampness. All these harsh conditions provide an ideal environment for the spread of viruses.

If someone were to compile a list of the birth dates of all adults in the Land of Rain, they would find that very few were born during the coldest season.

After all, newborn babies are as fragile as newly sprouted flower buds, easily susceptible to disease. In the harsh winter, when everything withers and food is scarce, many young lives are unable to withstand the double torment of disease and hunger.

Thus, in the cold winter of the Land of Rain, besides the incessant sound of raindrops, the most common sound is the desperate sobbing of women.

Medical skills and medicines are like unattainable dreams; for ordinary people, they are luxuries among luxuries, with prices so high that they are prohibitive.

In a dimly lit corner, Sachiko's family was shrouded in gloom. Her mother, who was seven months pregnant, suddenly started coughing and catching a cold the day before yesterday. Each cough seemed to be hollowing out her body.

Seeking medical treatment has become a fantasy, and even the warmth of a sip of hot water has become a luxury.

Her mother could only rely on her unwavering will and grit her teeth to persevere; every cough of hers made Sachiko's heart clench.

Time passed in agony, and today, my mother's condition has worsened to the point where she has a persistent high fever. She is delirious and struggling in pain on her bed.

Looking at her indifferent father, Sachiko felt both angry and helpless. That man, perhaps his emotions had long been worn down by the pressures of life, or perhaps he was in despair over this sudden disaster; he took no action.

Sachiko was extremely anxious. She couldn't bear to see her mother gradually passing away under the torment of illness. In despair, she made up her mind to fight with all her might and give it her all.