Chapter 52: Worries
After crossing the Land of Fire border, Kael's group encountered no further incidents. And after witnessing Kael's clash with Namikaze Minato, Mr. Kawabe no longer dared to show even a hint of disrespect towards them.
The Land of Fire was a land of forests and valleys, dominated by towering trees.
In a dense forest clearing, Mr. Kawabe's caravan slowly came to a halt. Night was falling, and it was time to make camp again.
"Finally almost there," Kael sighed, finding a comfortable patch of grass to lie down on.
Watanabe Toneri chuckled. "Getting bored? We're used to this kind of thing," he teased. "And having your summons act as eyes in the distance is more convenient than having hundreds of ninja. Seriously, Kaze and I have never had such an easy escort mission. It's almost like a walk in the park."
After nearly half a month of traveling together, Kael had become quite familiar with Toneri and Kaze. Toneri, who initially seemed cold and aloof, occasionally showed his true, more relaxed side around Kael.
"Yeah, Kael, your summons are really convenient," Tanabe Kaze chimed in, grumbling slightly. "Next time, let's take a different type of mission. Escorts are just too boring. With your Wind Eagle, doing tedious escort duty feels like a waste of time."
"Complacency leads to decline. As shinobi, you are still too immature!" Watanabe Musashi, leaning against a nearby tree trunk, frowned and reprimanded the two young men.
Toneri's mouth twitched, but he quickly stood up straight. "Yes, Father!" he replied stiffly.
These two are quite amusing, Kael thought, watching them with amusement. Toneri had the same stern face as his father, but his personality had a surprisingly childish side. Yet, in front of his father, he always tried to act mature and composed, clearly seeking his approval.
"I hope you truly understand," Watanabe Musashi sighed, looking away from his son. He gazed up at the dense canopy overhead, which formed an almost impenetrable wall of leaves, and seemed lost in thought.
"Judging by Konoha's reaction, the situation between the nations is even tenser than I thought. Konoha usually deploys less than a hundred shinobi to patrol each border, but this time, the numbers seemed almost doubled. It looks like the Third Great Shinobi War might just be waiting for a spark. The only question is whether Iwa or Suna will make the first move against Konoha... In these turbulent times, what path should the Hidden Hot Water Village take?"
Thinking of their Village Leader, whose combat strength might now be completely gone, a strong sense of crisis washed over Watanabe. In every Great Shinobi War, the small villages like theirs always suffered the most. These wars often lasted for years, sometimes nearly a decade. During that time, no one dared to commission missions from the major villages, and no shinobi could safely leave their village to undertake tasks. The entire Shinobi World would descend into chaos. Anyone not from one's own nation, even a stray dog, would be treated with hostility. Economies would grind to a halt. Even for a powerhouse like Konoha, it was a crippling blow; for a village like the Hidden Hot Water, it was potentially devastating.
And that was the best-case scenario. Usually, during wartime, the Five Great Nations would forcibly demand military passage rights through smaller countries, marching their armies across their lands. Demands for military supplies were commonplace. Sometimes, they would even conscript shinobi from smaller villages to fight for them, leading to utter destruction and depopulation. Worst of all was the fate of having one's nation and village completely annihilated, like the Uzumaki clan of the Land of Whirlpools, or the Sky Ninja.
Consider the Hidden Rain Village, situated in a terrible geographical location. If not for the emergence of Hanzo of the Salamander, it would have been wiped out by the major powers long ago. Yet even Hanzo, a demigod in his time, ultimately had to bow to reality.
After the First Great Shinobi War left all five major nations severely weakened, they were forced to sign a peace treaty, ushering in a period of peace that lasted nearly twenty years. However, the development of most nations, with the exception of Konoha, was hampered by inherent limitations. As the economic gap between the nations widened, discontent grew within the villages, eventually coalescing into a powerful movement: the rise of the war hawks. Their core belief was that military force was the key to plundering resources and expanding territory for their villages.
And so, the Second Great Shinobi War, instigated by Konoha years prior, officially began.
When Konoha declared war on Suna and Iwa, they needed passage through the Hidden Rain Village, which lay between them. But Hanzo, then in his prime, proud and ambitious, refused this humiliating demand. Enraged, Konoha declared war on the Hidden Rain. For reasons unknown, Iwa and Suna later followed suit. However, their main focus remained on Konoha. Thus, the conflict essentially became a grand alliance of Iwa, Suna, and Ame against Konoha.
The shinobi forces of the four villages clashed in massive battles within the Land of Rain. Caught between Konoha, Iwa, and Suna, the Hidden Rain Village became the central battlefield, torn apart by the relentless fighting. The prolonged, brutal conflict devastated the Land of Rain, leaving its people destitute and its lands scarred and deserted. Although Hanzo's personal strength was immense, he soon realized his country was being destroyed around him. Both civilians and Rain shinobi suffered catastrophic losses. Hanzo wasn't defeated by his enemies, but by reality. He was finally forced to submit, signing an armistice with Konoha and granting them military passage through his territory.
"I just hope the Hidden Cloud doesn't go to war with Konoha," Watanabe Musashi murmured. "Otherwise, the Hidden Hot Water will be the one to suffer... After all, our village doesn't have a demigod like Hanzo..."
The Land of Hot Water was situated directly between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud. If those two villages went to war, the Hidden Hot Water would be the first caught in the crossfire.
Lost in his troubled thoughts, the night passed quickly.
"Alright, let's move out!" Before dawn, Watanabe Musashi, unable to sleep, roused everyone impatiently. Having been away from the village for so long, he was anxious and wanted to finish the mission and return as soon as possible. After waking Kael and the others, he immediately started walking down the road.
Kael and the others, still half-asleep, squinted and exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what had gotten into the old man now.