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The Rain Country Frontline.
The Konoha shinobi, who were at a disadvantage, had been pushed back outside the Land of Rain by the combined forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
If it weren't for the interference of Amegakure's shinobi, coupled with the fact that Sunagakure and Iwagakure weren't on good terms, Konoha would have been completely overrun.
When Orochimaru arrived at the camp located at the intersection of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, he could feel the low morale among Konoha's forces.
Fighting against three nations simultaneously, the shinobi at this outpost were few in number, and there were hardly any elite fighters.
With each successive defeat, their morale naturally plummeted.
Although Orochimaru's arrival slightly lifted their spirits, it was still very limited.
After all, the number of shinobi Orochimaru brought was not large.
If things continued this way, Konoha would lose the Rain Country Frontline without even putting up much of a fight.
To recover the declining morale, Orochimaru led an assault directly into the Land of Rain.
The chaotic battlefield was filled with slaughter everywhere.
Shinobi clashed, and ninjutsu collided against ninjutsu.
Flames burned, torrents of water swept over, rocks flew through the air, and the ground was cratered and torn.
The cities of the Land of Rain gradually turned into ruins, and in this already small nation, there were few places left untouched.
The citizens of the Land of Rain, led by the Amegakure shinobi, did their utmost to avoid the shinobi onslaught.
Amegakure treated Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha as enemies.
After all, it was they who were destroying the Land of Rain.
On the frontlines in the Land of Rain.
Orochimaru, with his own power alone, managed to hold off the majority of the forces from the three villages of Iwa, Suna, and Ame.
A gigantic purple serpent rampaged through the enemy shinobi, countless snake shadows flooding and engulfing everything.
Under Orochimaru's onslaught, the weak could only wait silently for death.
"So strong..."
A young boy in a green vest crouched on a collapsed rooftop, surrounded by an adult and another boy who appeared much younger.
Their white pupils indicated their affiliation with the Hyūga clan.
"Young Master, try not to advance too far," cautioned Hyūga Kazekiri, a Jonin of the Hyūga clan tasked with protecting the clan's main family, speaking to Hiashi.
"Understood, Kazekiri-nii," Hiashi replied, pursing his lips as he watched Orochimaru rampage across the battlefield and the green figure moving nimbly through the fray.
Just these two individuals had managed to turn the tide of the battle on the Rain Country Frontline.
He wondered if he could ever reach such a level in the future.
A strong sense of admiration filled his heart.
Kiyoshi remained silent. When he saw an Ame shinobi rushing toward them, he moved to intercept.
"Hakke Kūshō!"
Kiyoshi's palms emitted high-density chakra shockwaves, smashing into the Ame shinobi's body.
The Ame shinobi was sent flying backward, collapsing to the ground without moving.
"Kiyoshi is a rare genius in the Hyūga clan. He will be of great help to you in the future, Young Master," Kazekiri advised.
Kiyoshi's mastery of palm techniques far exceeded what most eleven-year-olds in the Hyūga clan could achieve.
"I understand," Hiashi nodded, stepping forward to meet an approaching Iwa shinobi.
His hands opened, and a 八卦 (Hakke) symbol seemed to appear on the ground.
"Jūkenpō! Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!"
Hiashi's hands became a blur, striking the Iwa shinobi rapidly. When he finished, the Iwa shinobi remained motionless as Hiashi walked past him.
The Iwa shinobi then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
"As expected of the main family, you've already mastered the essence of the Hakke Palm," Kazekiri praised sincerely.
Kiyoshi remained expressionless, merely glancing at Hiashi as he engaged another enemy.
Watching the technique Hiashi used, Kiyoshi gritted his teeth.
Wasn't that the Hakke Palm, which was only allowed to be learned by the main family?
If he were allowed to learn it, he could become even stronger than Hiashi.
But in the Hyūga clan, he had no power to resist; even his future was predetermined. He could only vent his anger in battle against enemies.
Kazekiri noticed Kiyoshi's reaction.
He said nothing more.
Kiyoshi still didn't realize that he was just a fledgling trapped in a cage.
He would eventually understand that a caged bird could never escape.
"Boom!" A loud noise echoed.
It was followed by an enraged shout.
"Orochimaru!!"
A massive explosion erupted as a figure from Iwagakure charged straight at Orochimaru.
At the same time, Dai was intercepted by a barrage of fireballs from the Sunagakure side.
Amegakure shinobi began to silently withdraw from the battlefield.
Because the battle had escalated.
Jin walked into the desolate city.
There were hardly any people visible on the streets.
Only a few shops remained open, waiting for customers.
"The impact of the war is really significant."
He had been traveling for a day and a night and was planning to rest, so he entered the city.
Among the shinobi, only he could do something like this.
For shinobi, the mission was always more important than themselves.
He stepped into a ramen shop.
"Welcome."
The shop owner was sitting behind the counter with a gloomy expression, but when he saw the customer, he forced a smile.
Jin saw the menu posted on the wall behind the counter.
Looking at the prices.
"Why is it so expensive!?"
This small, remote town had prices ten times higher than those in Konoha.
"There's nothing I can do, sir," the owner said with a troubled expression.
"Everything here has become ridiculously expensive; I'm barely making ends meet."
"Alright, alright."
Jin waved his hand in understanding. Even in a place as safe as Konoha, prices had tripled, so it was no surprise that it was worse in these small towns.
He took out the standard currency of the Land of Fire and slapped it on the table.
"Give me twenty bowls of your specialty ramen."
The owner was stunned—wouldn't that be too much? But he said nothing more; after all, the customer was paying.
Moreover, in the Land of Fire, no one dared to cause trouble. Even a child posed a significant threat, and although Jin wasn't wearing a forehead protector, the owner was sure he was a shinobi.
Jin had removed his forehead protector for convenience.
Soon, the ramen was served.
Jin eagerly began devouring the noodles, eating faster than the owner could prepare them.
Ding-ling-ling.
The doorbell rang.
"One bowl of miso ramen, please."
A deep voice sounded, drawing Jin's attention to the newcomer.
The person's face was tightly wrapped, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and gray pants. The most striking feature was the glowing green eyes.
Wasn't this Konoha's first mercenary, Kakuzu?
Jin's gaze made Kakuzu alert, and he quickly glanced at Jin. By then, Jin had already lowered his head to continue eating.
The ramen shop fell into silence.
Kakuzu quickly finished his ramen as soon as the owner brought it out.
After paying, he left immediately.
Walking out of the shop, he headed toward the city outskirts.
When he reached the outskirts, he turned to look behind him.
Jin, with his hands in his pockets, was following him.
(End of Chapter)