Beneath a gloomy sky that drizzled rain, the entire Land of Rain reeked of smoke. War's shadow loomed everywhere, and people lived each day never knowing if they'd live to see another.
Yet amidst this chaos, there was one place untouched by war—a peaceful, serene sanctuary.
Near an abandoned village, by a small riverside hut.
Heiyan, disguised as the Ink Master, had been living here with Yahiko and Konan for some time now.
Two young kids, barely ten, had lost their parents and home in the war. Forced onto a path of wandering and escape, they hadn't had a full meal or a good night's sleep in ages. They lived every moment in fear, barely scraping by.
Until the Ink Master's arrival.
Now Yahiko and Konan no longer wandered, stole food, or shivered in the rain at night. They had a warm, comfortable place to rest.
They experienced joy and happiness again—long forgotten emotions.
And safety.
Yes, being together with the Ink Master brought great peace of mind, a deep sense of security.
On a large bluestone by the riverbank, the tall Ink Master sat cross-legged, spreading open a wide scroll across his knees.
Squeak squeak.
Every few minutes, mouse cries echoed. One after another, ink mice the size of palms returned from all directions, bringing gathered intelligence.
Reviewing all the gathered intel, the Ink Master began to notice a pattern:
Recently, armies from the major ninja villages remained relatively calm. But that didn't mean they had withdrawn—it meant countless hidden currents were swirling beneath the surface, seemingly brewing for an even greater offensive.
Perhaps because both sides had endured enough suffering in this war, no one wanted to remain locked in stalemate any longer.
It was the signal for a decisive battle.
The Ink Master toyed casually with a paper crane in his hand while contemplating going to enjoy the upcoming commotion himself.
This delicate paper crane had been a gift from Konan, who loved origami.
"Ink Master, it's lunchtime."
At that moment, Konan came running over from not far away, her hands wiping sweat from her brow as she gently called out to him, an apron tied around her waist.
"Alright."
True to form, the Ink Master spoke little. Immediately, he put away the scroll and leapt down from the stone.
Inside the room, steaming dishes had already been laid out on the dining table.
Konan was a thoughtful and dexterous girl. Though her meals were simple, they were delicious and satisfying, making one unconsciously eat several bowls.
After finishing lunch, Konan hurriedly collected the bowls and chopsticks, rushing off to the kitchen to wash them.
Yahiko did not go to help. Instead, he followed closely beside the Ink Master, seeming to want to say something, yet lacking the courage to speak up.
"You want to learn Ninjutsu from me?"
The Ink Master suddenly asked, immediately seeing through Yahiko's thoughts.
Yahiko was stunned, then gritted his teeth bravely. "Yes! I want to become stronger! Please, master, accept me as your disciple! Whatever you say, I will obey without question!"
"Stronger... and then what?"
The Ink Master didn't agree immediately. He asked further.
Faced with his question, Yahiko lowered his head in thought for a moment before lifting it again, clenching his fist as he spoke:
"I want to become a powerful ninja like Ink Master and use my own strength to protect the weak, eliminate wars from this world, and maintain peace."
As he said these words, a solemn and determined look appeared on his face, and his eyes shone with conviction.
Hearing such an answer from Yahiko, Ink Master also fell silent for a while. Under the former's nervous yet expectant gaze, he finally nodded in agreement.
"That's great!"
Yahiko was so excited he immediately jumped up and rushed into the kitchen to share the joy with Konan.
Konan had just finished tidying the kitchen and wiped the water off her hands. Upon hearing the good news, she couldn't help but smile brightly, genuinely happy for Yahiko.
"As for you two, both of you will train with me."
With that, Ink Master turned around and walked out of the room.
Needless to say, the two were even more delighted upon hearing this.
Thus began their training days.
Starting from that day, Ink Master taught the two students techniques for extracting and controlling chakra, demonstrating some basic ninjutsu and requiring them to master it as soon as possible.
Needless to say, Ink Master set very strict requirements for his students. Fortunately, both Yahiko and Konan possessed high talent, enabling them to barely keep up with his teaching pace.
After some time had passed.
Both Yahiko and Konan successfully passed the tests, quickly completing the Ninja Academy curriculum, and even exceeding expectations by finishing exercises like [Tree-Climbing] (basic ninja training exercise) and [Water-Walking] (advanced ninja agility training).
By the riverside.
Shua shua shua.
After correctly performing the hand seals, Yahiko struck a serious pose, raising his right hand in a sword-like gesture to his mouth before blowing forward forcefully.
Hua.
A stream of water jetted from his mouth, hitting a small tree about the width of a bowl at the riverbank. The force bent the tree over.
[Water Release: Wild Water Wave]
"I did it!"
After completing the technique, Yahiko excitedly raised his fist and shouted.
"Not bad."
Ink Master offered a calm evaluation—an acknowledgment of Yahiko's recent efforts.
"Yahiko, you're amazing."
Konan looked at Yahiko with admiration in her eyes, then handed him a handmade origami crane.
She hadn't learned any ninjutsu yet, but tried channeling her chakra into the paper crane. Under her control, the little crane danced gracefully on her fingertips.
"How did you do that?" Seeing this scene, Yahiko looked utterly amazed.
"I kind of figured it out on my own." Konan blushed slightly, secretly glancing at their teacher Ink Master, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she replied.
After all, using chakra for something like this didn't seem very ninja-like; she wasn't sure if Ink Master would be upset about it.
"Although this crane has no combat power, it really looks impressive."
Yahiko didn't think much about it, giving Konan a thumbs-up and praising her.
"It's interesting."
Ink Master suddenly chimed in, encouraging Konan, "Keep exploring. Perhaps one day, you'll develop a ninjutsu style that uses origami in battle."
"Yes, I'll definitely keep working hard!"
Hearing her teacher's approval, Konan felt instantly encouraged and full of energy.
Uh.
Yahiko sensed something amiss as he witnessed the scene.
The teacher had called him merely "so-so," yet described Konan as "very interesting." The difference was impossible to ignore.
After all, during their daily training, he had been the Ink Master's top disciple, while Konan was only a sparring partner—who later overtook him and ascended in rank.
Thinking back now, could it be that the Ink Master had already seen his lesser talent, which was why he received more guidance, while Konan, with her remarkable gift, needed only a gentle nudge?
The more Yahiko pondered, the more convinced he became this must be the truth.
Accepting this reality, he silently vowed to work even harder and never fall behind Konan.
Peaceful days lasted a while before trouble stirred once again.
That day, the Ink Master received an important piece of intelligence.
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