At dawn, the raging fires that had burned throughout Konoha finally subsided. The Sky Ninja attacks had occurred three times in total. They had inflicted massive casualties on Konoha during their first assault.
Fortunately, by the time the Sky Ninjas launched their second attack, most civilians had already entered shelters, preventing the casualty count from further escalating.
However, Konoha was once again reduced to a pile of rubble. Houses, streets, shops, and theaters were all destroyed because Shinno's orders were to create chaos at full force, so the Sky Ninjas targeted all intact buildings for destruction.
After three full rounds of air raids, there were almost no complete buildings left in Konoha. And such a scene seemed to have just happened not long ago—no, twice.
What made it even more unbearable for them was... that the Hokage Rock, Konoha's spiritual symbol, was once again blown up. Even Jiraiya's head sculpture was only halfway done, and now it was completely destroyed.
In this Sky Ninja attack, strong ninjas suffered few losses, but the Genin and Chunin were heavily sacrificed, as ordinary ninjas could barely resist the Sky Ninjas' technological weapons before reaching a certain level of strength.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the two elders, wore weary expressions as they continuously handled various affairs in the Hokage Building.
Konoha had suffered three attacks in just two months, and each time it was a massive crisis that almost destroyed the entire village.
They no longer knew what was happening in this world. Why was Konoha repeatedly encountering these almost irresistible attacks? Shouldn't it be the strongest village in the ninja world?
The Hokage had already gone to the front lines, and the people who could make decisions were no longer in the village. The two could only reluctantly maintain this mess.
On the streets of Konoha, Yamanaka Ino was helping to clear the rubble. Because of the existence of chakra, even a little girl like Ino could easily lift an entire collapsed wall.
At this moment, Ino wiped the sweat from her forehead. Looking at the ruined scenery around her, her heart was filled with weariness. She was just a simple girl with no ideals. She felt completely at a loss facing the chaotic situation before her.
However, at this moment, an old man with bright eyes by her side suddenly spoke to Ino, "Little girl, weren't you an idol trainee before? You didn't finish singing that song last time. This time, could you please sing it for me?"
Upon hearing this, Ino reacted as if someone had discovered an essay she wrote in elementary school. Her face immediately flushed red, and she waved her hands, "No, no, no, my level is not..."
Ino hadn't finished speaking, but seeing the old man's hopeful eyes, her voice of refusal gradually grew softer and lower. However, it was just a song.
Slowly, she began to sing softly.
Her soft song drifted through the ruins of Konoha. People who were in grief gradually gathered. Ino didn't know this; she was simply focusing on doing what she did best.
A talent she desperately learned, out of fear of being killed!
The wind was blowing, birds were flying. Her flowing song echoed in everyone's ears. Although it wasn't a supremely beautiful song that would make people unforgettable, at this moment, this simple song allowed their hearts to find some peace.
The song ended. Ino slowly came back to her senses, and then a round of soft applause came from all around.
The old man walked up to Ino, then said with a faint smile, "Little girl, thank you. Perhaps, in this world, there aren't only sorrowful things."
The surrounding civilians also smiled and applauded Ino. Some even asked what her band was called and when their next performance would be.
Ino, who had always struggled to find her place, suddenly seemed to discover something at this moment. Perhaps, she wasn't as useless as she imagined herself to be.
At the same time, not far away, Sakura stood at the main gate. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and pulled open the large doors.
Then, with a creaking sound, the four large gates, damaged, fell forward. Everything around her was broken stones and rubble. Aside from the large gates in her hands, everything else had long turned into a pile of ruins. Yes, it was her home. Once again, nothing was left after being destroyed in the attack.
Sakura watched her parents beside her, her mouth twitching. Her father chuckled twice, then stroked Sakura's head and said, "Oh, relax. This is an unusual situation, so we're living rent-free..."
"We don't need to pay it back anymore?" Sakura's eyes immediately lit up.
"You can pay it back later, Sakura. Your parents are old now; it's up to you next! Hahahaha, just kidding!"
"..." Sakura's mouth twitched. She always felt that she was destined to never escape the fate of mortgage for her entire life.
Just then, Ino rushed over in a flurry. She grabbed Sakura's hand and anxiously shouted to her, "Come with me quickly! I have something to ask you!"
She dragged Sakura for a few steps, then rushed back, bowing deeply to Choji and his parents. "I'm sorry, I have an urgent matter with Sakura. I'll take my leave for now!"
With that, she dragged Sakura away.
The two rushed to the Akimichi family's doorstep, but Ino was told that Choji was currently training, and now was not the time for interruptions or other matters.
Ino fell silent for a moment after hearing this. Then she simply left, giving Choji's parents a few polite greetings.
Choji wasn't a smart child, but once he set his mind on something, he would absolutely never give up halfway.
She knew that Choji and she were already on different paths at this moment.
Ino took a deep breath, then regained her spirit and hurriedly dragged Sakura to Hinata's house, finding Hinata, who was currently in a state of confusion and despair.
Hinata looked at Ino and Sakura, her eyes flickering, but before she could speak, Ino asked seriously, "Hinata! Do you have any missions recently?"
She did, but Hinata had already postponed her missions because her current situation no longer allowed her to carry out any missions.
The most important ability of the Hyuga clan is their bloodline limit, the Byakugan, which allows them to see through objects and conduct long-distance reconnaissance.
However, she had now been robbed of her Byakugan by the rogue ninjas. If she were to return to her ninja team, she would inevitably have to use her Byakugan, like when searching for injured people buried in the rubble. But once she was entrusted with such a mission, the fact that she had lost her Byakugan would definitely be exposed!
The fear of the future made her not dare to speak of this matter.
Therefore, Hinata hastily said, "No, I don't! I plan to rest for a while..."
The Hyuga clan had privileges in Konoha, even though they had never used them. However, this time, Hinata had to temporarily withdraw from the ninja team.
She also sent a messenger to Hyuga Hiashi on the front lines to inform him of her current situation. Other than that, she didn't say anything to Neji.
Upon hearing that Hinata had time, Ino was overjoyed. She immediately grabbed Hinata's hand and said, "Indeed! Hinata! Come join our band again!"
"Huh? Band?" Hinata looked at Sakura, puzzled.
Sakura also scratched her head and said, "It's the one we played last time. I don't know what Ino's gone crazy with."
"I'm not crazy!" Ino immediately turned her head and denied it, then said seriously, "This might sound a bit hurtful, but in reality, we didn't do anything in this war. Even if we went to the battlefield, we would only add trouble!"
Sakura and Hinata's spirits immediately dropped upon hearing this. In their perception, their talent and willpower were insufficient to support them in becoming excellent ninjas.
Hinata had been continuously struck down. Her perception of her own weakness was that she couldn't even defeat children who had just started cultivating, because not long ago, she lost to Hyuga Hanabi, who was six years younger than her, during training.
Sakura, too, had a clear understanding of her own abilities, which was why she dedicated most of her time to studying medical knowledge, hoping that one day she could enter the medical department to work and avoid battles she wasn't skilled at.
Ino continued excitedly, "But now it's different! I've discovered a whole new path! Or perhaps it's us, people like us, who can bring hope to everyone! Let Konoha rise again! Hinata! Martial arts won't save Konoha! Let's become idols!"
Sakura and Hinata looked at Ino, dumbfounded, their brains momentarily even entering a shutdown state. Sakura thought Ino was just being impulsive again, but...
"Ino, you're serious!"
Ino said loudly, "The power of an individual is limited. Even if people like us step onto the battlefield, at most we can only affect a few people. We aren't the kind of great figures who can change the world! But our songs can spread throughout this world! Let everyone know our ideals! Let everyone be invigorated! Sakura! Hinata! Let's become shining figures who can bring hope to others! To save this village on the brink of ruin! Let's become idols together!"
Hinata looked at the passionate and vigorous Ino with a longing expression. The scene Ino described made her feel like someone who couldn't do anything well. But if she could truly find something she could do herself...
Sakura's heart also quickened a bit, but she quickly snapped back to reality from her daydream and then asked Ino, "You're the vocalist, I'm the bassist, Hinata is the guitarist, but Choji, the drummer, isn't coming now, and Shikamaru on keyboards..."
Just as Sakura finished speaking, Hyuga Hanabi, only seven years old, walked over. "Sister? Do you have friends over?"
Ino grabbed Hanabi's hand and, pointing at her, excitedly said to Sakura, "Drummer!"
"Huh?" Hanabi was puzzled.
Then, Tenten also walked in at this moment. "Hinata, did you see Neji?"
Ino again twitched at Tenten and grabbed Tenten's hand, saying excitedly, "Keyboard!"
"Huh?" Tenten was equally puzzled.
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