Led by Nagato, a large group of people unwittingly crossed into another's territory.
After wiping out this minor faction, the group finally gained a temporary safe refuge.
"Lie still. I'll treat your wounds first."
Nagato pushed aside nearby corpses and pressed Yahiko straight onto the ground.
Yahiko was already deathly pale, and thanks to Nagato, his wounds had kept bleeding until now.
How many bowls of chicken soup would it take for him to recover?!
"I'm fine. Treat the others first."
Yahiko continued acting weak—he looked frail, but his voice remained clear.
"Leader, please treat him first."
"We can wait."
The watching Rain ninjas weren't entirely cold-hearted.
Seeing Yahiko in such a pitiful state insisting his friends get treatment before himself nearly brought them to their knees in gratitude.
Truly, this man was a Bodhisattva!!
"Alright, just give me a moment."
"A friend of mine is also a medical ninja; she can help treat you all."
Nagato gave Nonou a meaningful glance, then began treating Yahiko with serious focus.
[Healing Chakra Surge!]
As a green glow shimmered, Yahiko's wounds started closing.
"If I flub this, all this blood loss will have been for nothing."
Yahiko muttered quietly.
"Winning hearts through action—that was your idea."
Nagato chuckled slightly, showing absolutely no concern.
So what if he lost some blood? Even if it were worse, who cares?
While the two chatted, Nonou had already begun moving too.
"Those seriously injured come first. Light injuries wait."
Under Nonou's guidance, the Rain ninjas received treatment in order.
"Those two sure know how to play their roles."
Kakuzu sat alone in a corner, surrounded by empty space.
"Stop muttering. Keep it quiet."
Konan silently materialized beside Kakuzu, sitting next to him.
"Brat."
Kakuzu glanced at Konan once before looking away again.
The two misfit slackers sat together, bickering back and forth randomly.
And yet, they seemed quite content.
...
Before long, Yahiko could walk normally again, though his face still looked slightly pale.
Working together, Nagato and Nonou treated the wounded much more efficiently.
By midnight, all the injured had received proper care.
Except for a few severely injured cases beyond saving, most Rain shinobi survived.
Both Nagato and Nonou, having consumed way too many Military Rations Pills and exhausted themselves, could barely stand anymore.
Finally, these two "idle" people proved useful.
Kakuzu supported Nagato while Konan held Nonou up.
"You two should rest well. We'll talk after recovering."
"Our future in the Land of Rain rests in your hands."
Having said his piece, the 'injured' Yahiko led the others as if preparing to leave.
"Wait."
Just after taking a couple steps forward, a shout came from behind.
Yahiko and Nagato exchanged glances—here comes the main act.
"Is there anything else?"
Yahiko slowly turned around, leaning on his weakened body as he faced the Rain ninja.
"We haven't properly thanked you for saving our lives tonight."
"Are you also Rain shinobi?"
One of the Rain ninja's arms was slung across his neck, lightly injured.
He considered himself quite seasoned among the Rain ninja, yet he'd never seen Yahiko and the others before.
"There's no need to thank us; we didn't do much."
"We four aren't native Rain ninjas. He is our companion."
Yahiko pointed toward Nagato and the others, indicating "companion" referred specifically to Kakuzu.
"We were still young when Hanzō passed away."
Rather than finishing the story outright, he chose to emphasize a key person.
"Oh… Lord Hanzō."
Sure enough, the Rain ninja sighed, filled with nostalgia on his face.
Had Lord Hanzō not died, would the Land of Rain have ever sunk into this state?
"At that time, you all must've gone through a lot too," the Rain ninja shook off his flood of memories and continued chatting with Yahiko.
"Yeah, the war left us all orphans."
"Afterward, life was unlivable, so we fled to the Land of Grass."
"We were fortunate to meet a bounty hunter."
"He took care of us and taught us all his skills."
"Now that he's gone, we decided to return and check things out."
"Didn't expect we'd run into something like this."
"If you hadn't kept wearing those Rain forehead protectors, we might've just stood back and let it play out."
Yahiko added a bitter smile after speaking—those were painful "memories."
"Forehead protector…"
"This is where we come from."
The Rain ninja sadly chuckled while touching the protector around his neck. Tonight, the ninja world almost lost the Rain ninja for good.
"What are your plans now?"
"Will you go back to being bounty hunters?"
After regaining his composure, the Rain ninja steered the conversation toward the real issue.
His wariness towards Yahiko and the others had dropped to its lowest point.
Their earlier act paid off—Yahiko's story was flawless.
"Yeah, we've got to make a living somehow," Yahiko replied confidently.
"With your country in its current state, can you really bear to leave?"
"Don't the people struggle to get enough food? Struggle to afford even basic clothing?"
"Bullied by foreign forces constantly—where's even a trace of the dignity from Hanzō's time?" The Rain ninja grew more emotional as he spoke, his tone rising sharply.
"What can we even do if we stay?" Yahiko thought bitterly. Even during Hanzō's time, the Land of Rain hadn't been much better off.
"Join us! Restore peace to the Land of Rain!"
This chapter isn't over—
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – please bookmark: m.
"In that case, Lord Hanzō would surely rest in peace."
Clearly, this guy was a devout follower of Hanzō of the Salamander.
"I'm afraid our abilities fall short though," Yahiko humbly replied.
"And besides, would your leader agree to let us join?"
Yahiko modestly tested cautiously.
"Village Head Murakami has already died in battle."
"I am the current leader. If I say yes, then it's approved."
The humble comment about their abilities was completely disregarded.
If they were really that unskilled, wouldn't that make them useless anyway?
"No thanks, we don't like being restricted."
Konan cut in sharply, catching the Rain ninja off guard.
He could already see Yahiko's expression changing, which showed that these people still had a connection to the Land of Rain.
"No strings attached. From now on, you're free to do as you like."
"I know my strength is lacking. This leadership role was only ever meant to be temporary."
"Little brother, as long as you can earn everyone's respect and lead us in restoring the Land of Rain..."
"What harm is there in giving you this position of leader?"
As he spoke, someone pulled him from behind.
"Don't drag me. We can't defeat those wandering ninja on our own."
"They are all citizens of our Land of Rain, and they've saved our lives."
"So why shouldn't they take the leader's place?"
He swatted the hand behind him away, speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"I've never seen such a foolish person."
Kakuzu rolled his eyes. He'd never met anyone this clueless before.
"Let's stop talking about who is or isn't the leader. We agree to stay."
"For the future of the Land of Rain, let's work together."
Yahiko looked as if he had made up his mind, his face grave and his tone resolute.
"Great! Welcome aboard!"
Every coin has two sides—joy always comes with sorrow.
But none of that mattered to Yahiko and the others anymore—the show had wrapped up perfectly.
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade — Bookmark it: (m.