Soft. Compared to the wet cave wall that I used to lean on for a night's sleep, it was an entirely different sensation.
Warm. I felt that a cloth of some sort was on top of me. From the sense of touch alone, I could deduce that I was lying at the current moment.
'How peaceful,' I thought. Without finding the need to face the reality, I enjoyed the sound of heavy rain. It was a wonderful thing, to let everything go and simply enjoy this darkness.
'If only this would continue forever.'
I couldn't help but wish. If only this wistful moment lasted forever, so that I won't have to open my eyes ever again—
'Nagato.'
My eyes opened wide. My relaxed breathing quickened, and I woke up in a panic.
"Nagato."
I muttered. Out of anticipation, I looked around the tent that I was resting within—not that that was of concern.
More than a week has passed, and I wasn't even sure if Nagato was alive at this point. Every second mattered. I had to move, right now—
"Lie back down, kiddo." Then came, a feminine voice. Though it was harsh, there lied a subtle kindness within, "If you are talking about that red-haired boy, he's safe."
I froze. Although it was the word from a stranger, my reaction upon hearing the woman's voice was to calm down. That's when I realized.
My hands. They were still intact. I was still breathing just fine. I was alive, which meant—I was rescued by the ninjas from Konohagakure.
"We managed to find out where your friends are, and brought them here as well." The woman, whom I noticed to have a blonde hair and hazel-coloured eyes, said gruffly, "Worked only thanks to you living at the abandoned outskirt. If you want to ask how, thank the idiot named Jiraiya."
I quickly processed what the woman stated. Through unknown means, they managed to learn my motive and locate Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato's location. They restored Nagato's health. If so, there was one action that I should take.
With sincerity that stemmed from my heart, I knelt down. Whatever happened in the past didn't matter at this moment. All that mattered was the fact that Nagato was safe.
"Thank you."
And now, I had to think.
Yahiko and Konan, there was nothing that these ninjas could benefit from two of them. If this woman ensured their safety, it was for the best that I believed it.
However, Nagato was a different case. Those special eyes of his, which were potent enough to kill two Konohagakure ninjas... s***.
I found the cold sweat dripping down from my back.
It seems that in order to save Nagato, I ended up placing him in a lion's cave.
"...Stand back up. I don't need thanks from a kid like you." The woman sighed, before standing up, "Follow me."
I had no idea what was going on in this woman's mind, and I didn't care. It was hard enough trying to hide my heartbeat, which was beating loud and fast.
__________
One red-haired boy was lying down peacefully, on top of a spare bed, which was only available thanks to the war momentarily entering a resting phase. On the side, one orange-haired boy and blue-haired girl were slouching on hard chairs, nodding off due to the built-up fatigue.
"...Nagato, was it?" Jiraiya muttered to himself, with a troubled expression.
Previously, through the ability of a member of Yamanaka clan, they peered into the memory of Akashi. It was thanks to such that they became aware of the sick boy named Nagato, along with Yahiko and Konan.
But that wasn't it. They saw far more than that.
'Nagato. According to that brown-haired boy's memory, it was him who killed two ninjas of ours.' Jiraiya thought grimly, 'But it was because his parents have been killed wrongly; his action can't be faulted.'
The others who were aware of this information didn't think the same though. Some recognized Nagato as a potential weapon. Some wished to kill him immediately. The only reason why Nagato was still alive and intact, was thanks to Jiraiya and Tsunade's interception.
'But... this does bring me to a shock,' Jiraiya massaged his forehead, 'It was nothing but a cold. Yet, this boy came close to dying.'
Just what kind of condition were these kids living in?
Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh. The war. It was the war that brought misery upon these children. It was them, the ninjas, who imposed such a life on the kids.
Placing his hand back down, Jiraiya returned his eyes to Nagato.
'Let's look brightly.'
At least Orochimaru wasn't here to pester him like the other cases, challenging his ideals and stating that he was too soft.
It may be a dumb decision to make. However, Jiraiya wished to protect these kids, now that they have entered his sight—even though they still were in the middle of the war.
After all, these kids, the orphans, they reminded what his life used to be in the past.
'It's safer here than in the middle of the battlefield.'
Just when Jiraiya thought so, two figures came in from the entrance of the tent.
__________
"You got to be kidding me." One regal-looking ninja, wearing the forehead protector of Konoha, spat on the raining ground, "Kids? Now of all times?"
He stomped his foot in annoyance, "When we are living every day off of the food pills and dried ration?!"
Spiky black hair. Red marks on cheeks. Anyone would immediately be able to recognize that this man was a member of the Inuzuka clan.
Inuzuka clan was a well-known clan of Konohagaure, known to bond with his or her canine partner to perform various techniques. They were the specialists when it came to tracking.
"And those damn kids..." The man growled, "I remember those smells. That house where Unchi and Oshikko were killed... the lingering smells were none other than theirs."
If the higher-ups were unaware of this fact, it was trouble. If the higher-ups were aware of this fact and hid it, it was more than trouble. They were essentially sheltering their own enemies, the man thought.
And more importantly, the two dead shinobis in Nagato's home were none other than the man's teammates, who worked as the team for years. There was no way that he would let the matter like this go.
The man lowered his head and gazed at his ferocious-looking dog partner. Ruffling the dog's back, the man whispered,
"You and me, Sanimaru. We'll kill those little demons before they have a chance to do anything here."
Unknown to the man, Orochimaru, who stood at the back with his arms crossed, was watching the man with a stoic expression.