Emiya Shigen...
Had never liked this era.
It was only after growing up that Tsunade came to understand certain things.
For instance, her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, had mentioned before that Emiya Shigen despised this era—he loathed war and the conflicts between shinobi, detested their constant schemes and betrayals, and hated everything about this world.
Except for her…
Shigen had always been fond of her when she was a child.
Her youthful dream of becoming a medical ninja made her the sole inheritor of his will in that field.
Unfortunately…
Tsunade thought back on her years as a shinobi.
She had grown into more than just a medical ninja—she had inevitably become part of the very world that Shigen despised.
She had become…
A butcher in the war.
Anyone who joined a war would be inevitably stained with blood. There were always those who wished to kill her, and naturally, she had to kill them first.
Even…
The power that Shigen had given her had been used in battle.
No.
Not necessarily.
Because that man had always saved people.
No matter how much he seemed to dislike the world, he would still do everything in his power to help those in pain—just as he tirelessly healed the wounded in war, and just as he had stepped forward to use his reputation to put an end to the First Shinobi War.
Hanzo was right.
If he were still here—
This world would never have fallen into such chaos.
"Let's go."
"Let's return to the village and report in…"
Tsunade spoke as she walked toward her teammates, frowning as she wiped her hands, trying to rid them of the mud and blood.
"Tsunade, use this."
Orochimaru pulled off his cloak and handed it to her.
Though he didn't fully understand why Tsunade was so fixated on cleaning her hands at that moment, he knew she must have been feeling uneasy about the war.
As her teammate, Orochimaru was always understanding.
"Hah, how could I use your cloak?"
Tsunade instinctively refused, rubbing her hands more forcefully before giving up with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Forget it… It won't come off anyway."
"Haha…"
Jiraiya, still leaning on Orochimaru's shoulder, laughed as well, his mood lighter now that they had won.
"Just find a clean place to wash up, and it'll be fine…"
"Really?"
Tsunade couldn't bring herself to smile.
She lifted her head to the dark, rain-filled sky above the Land of Rain. Watching the raindrops fall from the heavy clouds, she muttered something bleak.
"Is there even a clean place left in this era?"
"…"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya both fell silent.
The truth was—
There was no such place.
Everywhere was soaked in blood and filth.
After the battle, as they rested near the battlefield, three war orphans wandered into the area.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
The children had a simple request: they wanted to learn ninjutsu from Jiraiya. He had gained a reputation as a traveling warrior, a hero.
Although they had originally hoped to train under another ninja, that person had no time for them.
"You still manage to buy bread?"
Orochimaru eyed the dried rations in his hand before glancing suspiciously at the large loaves in the children's packs.
"In times of war, getting bread isn't easy. You don't look like ordinary orphans…"
"Ah, no, that's not it."
Yahiko quickly explained.
"We got these yesterday from Lord Kakuzu. He's been distributing food…"
"Kakuzu?"
"Yes."
Yahiko continued earnestly.
"Ever since the war reached the Land of Rain, things have been tough. Lord Kakuzu came here and started handing out food to refugees. He even personally takes orphans to safer countries where they can be placed in orphanages."
Originally—
They had almost gone to an orphanage too.
When Kakuzu asked them about a woman named Fusō, he mentioned that Nagato still had living relatives. He had planned to send them off after he finished his food distribution.
But Nagato refused.
His friend, Yahiko, had dreams of bringing peace to the world.
Fine.
Kakuzu respected the Uzumaki Clan's stubbornness.
Whenever he entrusted something to an Uzumaki, these red-haired people would cling to it like their lives depended on it.
Persuading them was impossible.
Unfortunately—
Kakuzu wasn't much of a teacher.
And…
He was far too busy.
He always needed to make more money.
He had no time to train three kids.
Besides—
Before he left, Kakuzu had warned them seriously:
"If you become ninjas, you will die."
Once you became a ninja, there was no escaping the bloodshed.
Even though he had slaughtered the entire leadership of Takigakure, Kakuzu himself could never escape the world of ninja battles.
But the three kids didn't listen.
Instead, they chose another famous figure.
"That's why we're here."
Yahiko looked up at Jiraiya, pleading earnestly.
"We originally wanted to train under Lord Kakuzu, but he was too busy.
"We don't want to go to an orphanage.
"We want to become ninja who will bring peace to the world!"
"…"
Jiraiya felt a headache coming on.
What the hell…
How did he become these kids' backup option?!
Did they think he had nothing better to do than babysit them?!
"The one called Kakuzu was right."
Orochimaru's voice was cold, his demeanor growing darker with each war.
"You three will die the moment you set foot on the battlefield. Even if you do survive as ninjas, you'll only meet your end in war.
"Going to an orphanage would at least give you a chance to live."
"Hm?"
Tsunade suddenly took notice of the long-haired boy.
"Those eyes…"
Jiraiya's gaze snapped toward the boy, and his expression changed drastically.
They were the legendary eyes—
The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths!
The Rinnegan!
In that instant, Jiraiya recalled something the Great Toad Sage had once told him—
That he was fated to find and guide the Child of Prophecy, someone who would one day change the world.
Jiraiya had spent years traveling in search of this child, but he had never found anyone who fit the prophecy.
But now—
It seemed he had.
This boy with the Rinnegan might be the Child of Prophecy!
"I'll stay behind and train them."
Jiraiya made up his mind.
This was the fate the Great Toad Sage had spoken of.
"Besides, Hanzo has surrendered, so the war should be ending soon…"
"But…"
Tsunade frowned.
"This is reckless."
Orochimaru didn't understand Jiraiya's decision, but he respected his friend's choice.
Still, he had his own thoughts.
"Sending them with Kakuzu might have been the best option.
"Our war isn't over yet… It's only just begun."
And indeed—
Not only was it not over—
It was only escalating.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates