Drizzle poured endlessly, as if the sky had forgotten how to stop.
This small nation, squeezed between the Fire, Wind, and Earth Countries—three great ninja nations—seemed to be weeping.
In the damp air lingered a faint scent of blood.
Shhh!
Countless footsteps echoed, clear against the rain-soaked ground.
"Is this the reinforcement unit from Konoha?" A ninja thought to himself, crouching behind a broken tree. Glancing at the several hundred figures wearing Konoha forehead protectors, his heart involuntarily sank slightly.
Just as he was about to leave to report back, his peripheral vision caught sight of three particularly small figures trailing behind the main group.
Three brats barely older than twelve.
"Filling ranks with fakes... has Konoha really sunk this low?" He sneered slightly.
Swish!
However, in the next instant, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes—except it brought not clarity, but...
A fear of approaching death.
But being assigned reconnaissance missions meant he had some skills himself; his body suddenly leapt backward, dodging that deadly strike.
In an instant, a katana appeared in his hand, ready to block the continuous attacks coming his way.
Hiss!
Bluish electric arcs flared, surrounding the [Chakra Blade] slashing downward fiercely!
Upon impact, instead of the sound of metal meeting metal, the katana was severed clean in half—and then came a burst of lightning.
"Ahhh!"
The ninja cried out in pain as the arm holding the katana was sliced off entirely.
At the same time, its wielder immediately followed up with a punch straight into his chest, though not very forceful.
Zap!
But [Lightning Release chakra] spread like a spiderweb from his chest across his entire body in an instant.
That numbness spreading throughout his limbs completely robbed him of his ability to fight. It was only then he finally got a good look at his attacker.
A youthful, handsome face—most strikingly marked by snow-white hair.
"Hatake Sakumo!"
Instantly, realization struck him. In Konoha, there was only one man known for both his swordplay and his silver locks—Sakumo Hatake.
"One of the Iwa ninjas?"
Sakumo spoke coldly. Behind him, Tsunade's silhouette gradually became visible too.
The Iwa jonin whose body had been paralyzed by the Lightning Release struggled to lift his gaze, then cracked a sinister grin on his face.
His lips and face turned purple in seconds—then all life drained away.
"Did he take poison?" Tsunade approached, murmuring at the sight of his death.
Sakumo nodded. "This guy really knows how to hide. Somehow, he managed to remain undetected even from us."
As he spoke, Sakumo's gaze shifted toward the main group ahead. At the front of the group, Junko Watanabe stood with one hand forming a seal while keeping both eyes closed.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and looked at the two of them. "There shouldn't be anyone else left. He was the only one."
Tsunade nodded. Without their Sensor ninja and Sakumo's skills, even with hundreds of men, this individual might truly have escaped using his strength and concealment abilities.
"How far are we from Jiraiya's camp now?" Tsunade asked, glancing sideways.
Within the group, a Konoha ninja pulled out a small booklet—it was actually a miniature map. After staring at it for several seconds, he pointed toward the southwest and said, "Once we cross that mountain ahead, we should arrive."
Instantly, hundreds of ninja—including Minato, Nawaki, Yan Uchiha—looked toward that direction.
"I see."
Said Tsunade. The rain had just begun to ease when it started coming down harder than before.
"This weather is so damn annoying!"
Tsunade frowned. It wasn't her first time in the Land of Rain, but that gloomy weather still never failed to ruin her mood.
But this was exactly what defined the Land of Rain—the rain never stops falling.
"Move out," Tsunade ordered, then dashed toward the southwest.
Hundreds of ninja followed closely behind her...
...
After crossing the mountain, what came into view was an abandoned village. Many of the roofs looked as though they could collapse under the heavy rain at any moment.
"He actually chose to hide here? Where did the villagers go?" Nawaki, at the back of the group, lightly furrowed his brows.
Beside him, Minato also frowned and answered, "This area has been the heart of the battlefield. Civilians would have scattered long ago..."
"Did they really just... abandon their homes like that?" Nawaki continued.
"Not abandoning them means walking straight into death."
Yan Uchiha stood nearby, his eyes flickering. In ninja wars, civilians couldn't even be considered helpless livestock—they were like ants crushed underfoot without a second thought.
"It's likely the villagers never managed to flee at all," Sakumo said solemnly after hearing their conversation. "They must've been massacred. Judging by how long the stench of rotting corpses has lingered here, the massacre wasn't recent."
"A massacre?!"
Both Nawaki and Yan Uchiha widened their eyes—neither had experienced war yet. Minato's brows remained tightly knit—he'd sensed it too.
"Was this done by our side?" Nawaki asked, voice catching slightly.
"No Konoha ninja did this," Tsunade turned her head and replied. "Besides, it was Jiraiya who led us here…"
"During the era of The Second," Minato added, "Konoha established a strict rule: no civilian casualties during ninja wars."
"You know about that already?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
Minato had already prepared his answer. "It was taught to me by my Master Jiraiya."
Of course, Jiraiya hadn't actually taught him this—it was from memories of his former life.
"Oh? Did Jiraiya really teach you this?" Orochimaru asked suspiciously.
"Enough chatter. Move forward."
"Tsunade seems to have a bias against Orochimaru," she said, her face twisting with anger.
Orochimaru ignored her completely, and without delay, the group made their way toward the wrecked village.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As they neared the village entrance, over a dozen figures suddenly burst out from within the ruins.
The tallest among them stood at the front, a faint smile playing on his lips as he spoke, "You've finally arrived, Tsunade."
Beside Jiraiya stood a ninja wearing sunglasses, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
Tsunade and the others immediately rushed forward to confront them.
When Minato saw him, he couldn't help but crack a small smile.
It was Master Jiraiya—the one he hadn't seen since they parted ways at Mount Myoboku long ago.
...
(...to be continued.)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>