In the Land of Rain.
This country, perpetually surrounded by rainfall, had now become the central battleground for the three major ninja villages.
There were no longer any intact buildings to be seen, and even the number of survivors had dwindled.
The wealthy nobles and elites of the Land of Rain had long since fled the country.
The remaining commoners were left to survive under harsh conditions.
The ninja battles had left the civilians as the most injured parties.
Just having two ninjas pass through a village could lead to a massacre due to suspicions that they were harboring enemy ninjas.
For those living here, no one knew whether tomorrow or death would come first.
The surviving civilians had only managed to establish small, hidden markets—these were the last places where some semblance of order remained.
But no one knew when these places might vanish.
Perhaps the next moment, a foreign ninja might pass by, and everything would be destroyed.
At the fish stall in one of these markets, a blue-haired girl was tugging on the arm of a red-haired boy, both of them standing at the stall.
Their eyes were filled with longing as they stared at the fish on display.
The blue-haired girl swallowed hard and pleaded with the stall owner.
"Please, sir, we haven't eaten in days. Could you spare us some food?"
The stall owner's face showed impatience as he waved them away.
"Go away, don't get in the way of my business."
Orphans like them were all too common these days. There was no way he could help every one of them.
Helping one would only lead to more.
The girl continued to plead.
However, the red-haired boy standing behind her, with his long bangs covering his eyes, was silently observing.
He saw an orange-haired boy poking his head out from under the stall. Upon noticing the red-haired boy watching, the orange-haired boy flashed a bright smile at him.
The orange-haired boy stealthily took a fish and tucked it into his arms, before slipping back under the stall and retreating the way he had come.
The blue-haired girl then spoke.
"Alright, we won't trouble you any further."
She quickly grabbed the red-haired boy and they hurried away.
By the time the stall owner noticed the missing fish, he didn't bother to chase after them, instead letting out a deep sigh.
"Surviving is tough enough as it is."
As a citizen of a small country, his life was worth less than that of a dog in a great nation.
Even this small market—who knew how long it would last.
In the alleyway, the trio reunited.
"Jackpot! Jackpot!" The orange-haired boy, Yahiko, grinned from ear to ear as he placed the fish into the basket they had prepared.
One of the three baskets was already full.
"Let's aim to fill all three baskets today!" Yahiko raised his fist with enthusiasm.
"Oh!" The blue-haired girl, Konan, also raised her fists in excitement.
Both of them turned their gazes toward the silent red-haired boy, Nagato.
Faced with their expectant looks, Nagato reluctantly raised his arm.
"Let's do it."
Even though he knew stealing was wrong, the three of them had no other way to survive.
Seeing Nagato's response, Konan and Yahiko beamed with joy.
The trio then continued their routine, stealthily gathering food throughout the market.
Konan and Nagato served as the distraction, while Yahiko took items from behind the stalls.
Things went smoothly until they reached a fruit stall.
Just as Yahiko grabbed an apple...
A shadow loomed over him.
Looking up, Yahiko saw the fruit stall owner glaring down at him with a dark expression.
"Heh heh..." Yahiko gave the stall owner an awkward yet polite smile.
But the stall owner wasn't amused, grabbing Yahiko and tossing him into the street.
"Get lost!!"
Rubbing his sore backside, Yahiko quickly got up, grabbed Konan with one hand and Nagato with the other, and dashed into the crowd.
Even after being caught red-handed, Yahiko's face showed no sign of discouragement. He still wore his usual bright smile.
"If only I could be more like him," Nagato thought to himself as he looked down at his wrist, which Yahiko was pulling.
Living like Yahiko, perhaps life wouldn't be filled with so much pain.
The trio ran until they reached the alley where they hid their belongings.
Yahiko raised his arm once more.
"The Great Escape was a success!!"
"Oh yeah!!" Konan enthusiastically raised her hands as well.
Once again, the two of them looked expectantly at Nagato.
Nagato forced a smile and raised his arm.
With that, the three began checking their spoils.
Although it didn't meet their original expectations, it was enough to last them a while.
"Konan, you take the lightest one," Yahiko said as he divided the baskets, giving the smallest one to Konan.
Yahiko then wrapped his arm around Nagato's shoulders.
"We'll carry the heavier ones, as the men should."
Konan gave them a strange smile as she watched Yahiko drape his arm over Nagato.
Both boys shuddered.
For some reason, they suddenly found Konan's smile terrifying.
Without a second thought, they quickly shouldered their baskets and walked ahead.
"Wait for me!"
Konan hurried to catch up.
The three of them made their way toward the market's exit.
The entrance wasn't guarded, apart from the few stalls set up on either side.
No one paid attention to the trio as they came and went.
However, from a hidden corner near the exit, two pairs of eyes followed their movements.
The forehead protectors of the observers marked them as Rain ninjas.
One of the Rain ninjas, about to move and intercept, looked confusedly at his companion.
"Why didn't you let me catch those three thieves? They've caused a lot of losses."
In the Land of Rain these days, any merchant who could still sell goods wasn't having an easy time.
These supplies were provided by the Rain ninjas at a very low cost, meant to keep the country's citizens from starving.
In essence, all the goods belonged to Amegakure.
The other Rain ninja shook his head.
"Look at those people. Do any of them seem to care?"
He pointed to the merchants.
"Life is hard enough. If we can let something slide, we should."
The Rain ninja seemed melancholic.
After all, they were just three kids. And in the Land of Rain, every survivor was a small victory.
That's why they felt pity—hoping that if it were their own children, someone would allow them to live like this.
Meanwhile, the trio hurried toward their secret base, carrying their baskets.
Nagato followed silently behind Konan and Yahiko, his long bangs hiding his strange eyes.
"One day, I'll open a shop where everyone can eat their fill," Yahiko said excitedly.
It seemed that no matter what, Yahiko's optimism never wavered.
"Konan can be the hostess," he added, wrapping an arm around Nagato once again.
"And Nagato, you'll be the chef with me."
"People will line up to eat the food we make."
Both Yahiko and Konan laughed cheerfully, and even Nagato managed a rare smile.
As Konan and Nagato listened to Yahiko's dreams for the future...
A kunai, its tail wrapped with explosive tags, came hurtling down from the sky.
Nagato was the first to notice.
"Look out!!!"
He quickly tackled both of them to the ground.
Boom!!!
A violent explosion echoed through the area.
In the distance, the sound of fighting grew louder.
The fierce battle had begun.
(End of Chapter)