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The Land of Waterfalls sat between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, surrounded on all sides by four other nations. It's made up of countless waterfalls—massive ones that acted as natural barriers against invaders. The waterfalls were like a fortress made of water, forming the first line of defense for the country. Behind those falls, hidden caves and pools created a maze-like terrain that was nearly impossible to navigate. The Hidden Waterfall Village was located beneath one of the largest waterfalls.
Most villages in the Land of Waterfalls were tucked away in water caves behind the falls. The public ones were few and far between. The merchant caravan Aki was traveling with had just entered one of the accessible villages, a place called Chokusui. Aki couldn't hide his amazement at the sight—there was a colossal tree towering over everything, and beneath its canopy, a village lay encircled by a lake. Bridges connected the small islands dotting the water, giving the whole place a magical vibe. Once they arrived at a local inn, the merchant told them he needed to meet with a broker to handle business, so everyone settled in for a break.
Aki was itching to explore—this place was just too fascinating—but Danzo had given strict orders to stay put and stay alert, so he reluctantly pushed down his curiosity. Just then, Akimichi Torifu showed up and said, "Go look around. Danzo said we've got some free time now. I can't leave 'cause someone's gotta guard the cargo. So you go stretch your legs or whatever. But hey—don't forget to bring me back a bunch of grilled meat and rice balls, or I swear I'll punch you."
Aki grinned, thanked Torifu, and headed out into the village.
As he walked through the village, he saw kids splashing and playing in the lake. Women were doing laundry by the shore, chatting happily. "If I didn't already know this country was gearing up for war, I'd never guess it from the atmosphere," Aki thought. "There's no sign of mobilization, no tension on anyone's face… Everyone looks so peaceful."
Just then, someone bumped into Aki. The guy mumbled an apology and quickly walked toward a nearby lakeside house. Aki watched him closely—something felt off. The man wasn't wearing a Hidden Waterfall Village forehead protector, but Aki could tell he was a ninja. The moment they collided, Aki instinctively activated his Sharingan and saw the chakra in the guy's body—definitely close to Chūnin level.
Curiosity killed the cat, Aki reminded himself, but he couldn't resist. Quietly, he started tailing the man.
When the man entered the building, Aki carefully used chakra to scale the wall, then slipped inside through a window when he saw no one was looking. Just as he landed, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He quickly leapt up to the ceiling beams and used a Transformation Jutsu to blend in with the rafters.
Three people entered the room. One of them motioned for the others to sit and said, "Lord Takiage wants us to hand over the Hero Water. What do you two think?"
One of them—the man who had bumped into Aki earlier—jumped up and said angrily, "Lord Takiage's been gathering ninja. It's obvious he's planning for war. That's not what our village stands for. I won't agree to handing over the Hero Water for something like that! Starting wars for the sake of it won't bring peace. If that's the only reason you called us here, then don't bother saying anything else."
The other person nodded. "Shinpachirou's right. We don't want the Hero Water used to fuel a war. Who knows how many more of our ninja would die? You know what happens when someone uses it. Besides, this is a foreign war—our Hero Water is meant to protect the village, not attack others. So drop it, Harano."
Harano, the one who started the topic, sighed. "I get where you're coming from, but you don't understand—Lord Takiage's putting pressure on us. If we refuse, he'll destroy our village."
Shinpachirou exploded. "There's no such thing as a 'Kage' in the Land of Waterfalls! That guy only calls himself Takiage because the Daimyō supports him. If he really wants to start a war with our village, let him come! What, he thinks we're pushovers?"
The third man stayed quiet for a bit, then said, "Harano, are you saying we should give up the Hero Water to save the village?"
Harano nodded. "Tamafuji, you know we can't take him on. The current Takiage has more than a hundred Jōnin under him. We've only got you—and just three Chūnin. If we fight, we're done. The village would be wiped out."
The three of them went silent, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Tamafuji walked to the window, gazing up at the massive tree outside. He sighed. "Let it go. The village is more important than anything. If it's destroyed, what's the point of keeping the Hero Water anyway? That tree still stands—maybe someday we'll have Hero Water again." With that, he pulled a cloth-wrapped scroll from his clothes and tossed it to Harano. Shinpachirou did the same.
Harano looked at them and said, "You probably think I'm a coward, or even a traitor… but if it means keeping the peace, I think it's worth it. And one more thing—I think we should stop being so open about this village. We don't need too many outsiders coming here." With that, he headed downstairs.
The other two exchanged a look and followed.
Aki, still hidden, whispered to himself, "Hero Water, huh? Sounds like a powerful drug or something. Something like that would be safer in Konoha's hands." He quietly dropped down from the beams, slipped out the window, and began tailing Harano.
He reactivated his two-tomoe Sharingan to scan the area and locate Harano, then summoned his ninja hawk to send a message to Danzo before continuing to shadow Harano into the deep forest.
They walked for a long time until Harano suddenly stopped. Aki sensed multiple chakra signatures up ahead and quickly jumped into a tree, using Transformation Jutsu to hide again.
Soon, a group of ninja wearing the Hidden Waterfall headbands showed up. One of them said, "So, Harano, what's your village's answer? Will you hand it over or not?"
Harano asked, "Will Lord Takiage really exempt our village from taxes and military service?"
The ninja replied, "Lord Takiage gave his word—if you give us the Hero Water, your village won't have to pay taxes or provide ninja for ten years. You can trust us."
While they were talking, Aki studied the group: One Jōnin, three Chūnin, six Genin. I can't beat them and take the scrolls by myself. That map must show where the Hero Water is hidden… but what should I do?
Just then, Aki's ninja hawk landed in front of him, and two figures silently appeared beside him. He wasn't surprised—they were none other than Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Kagami.
Danzo glanced at Aki, then at the group of ninja below, and whispered, "What's going on? You had your hawk call us—didn't I tell you not to cause trouble?"
Aki quickly explained everything he'd heard about the Hero Water. "Danzo-sama, I really think Konoha should be the one to safeguard something like this. Even if it turns out to be useless, it's too dangerous to leave in the hands of ninja who already see us as enemies."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, staring at the ninja below. "So the map to the Hero Water is on Harano?"
Aki nodded. "Yes."
Kagami hesitated. "If we try to steal the Hero Water now, won't we be giving ourselves away? We're too few—if they figure out who we are, it could cause serious problems."
Danzo's eyes flashed coldly. "The Cloud ninja have been getting active along the Waterfall borders lately. If the Hidden Waterfall suspects that they stole the Hero Water… well, what does that have to do with Konoha? Let them search for the Hero Water first. Once they find it, we move. We don't know the terrain well—if we mess up the search, we're in trouble."
Harano handed the map over to the Waterfall ninja, let out a heavy sigh, and walked away. The others checked the location marked on the map and headed out.
After more trekking through the forest, they reached a lake. Danzo crouched on a tree branch, watching as the Waterfall ninja scouted the area. "Looks like the Hero Water is nearby," he muttered. "Let's go."
With that, Danzo launched his jutsu: Wind Release: Peacock Hurricane Slash. Dozens—no, hundreds—of wind blades spiraled out like a peacock's fan, slicing down at the ninja below. Danzo then lunged straight at the lone Jōnin, with Kagami right behind him.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" Kagami shouted, spitting out a barrage of fireballs that exploded in every direction.
As soon as Kagami attacked, Aki threw several shuriken. "Manipulated Shuriken Technique!" The shuriken, attached to wires, caught Kagami's flames and formed a web of burning wires, tearing into the Waterfall ninja from all sides.
Then Aki charged straight at the Genin, aiming to cut off their reinforcements and reduce the pressure on Danzo and Kagami.
"....."