The Rain Country frontline.
The Konoha shinobi, at a disadvantage, had been pushed back beyond the borders of the Rain Country by the combined forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
If not for the interference of Amegakure shinobi and the friction between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, Konoha would have been completely overrun.
By the time Orochimaru arrived at the outpost camp at the border between the Rain Country and the Land of Fire, the morale of the Konoha forces was visibly low.
Engaged in battle against three nations simultaneously, the shinobi stationed at this outpost were not only few in number but also lacked elite fighters.
With each successive defeat, their morale had plummeted.
Orochimaru's arrival provided a slight boost, but it was limited—after all, the reinforcements he brought were meager.
If this continued, Konoha would lose the Rain Country frontline without even putting up a proper fight.
To reverse the tide of low morale, Orochimaru led a direct assault into the Rain Country.
The battlefield was chaos incarnate.
Shinobi clashed with shinobi, jutsu collided with jutsu.
Flames roared, torrents of water surged, boulders filled the sky, and the ground crumbled beneath their feet.
The cities of the Rain Country were reduced to ruins; what little remained of the small nation was now in shambles.
Under the guidance of Amegakure shinobi, the civilians of the Rain Country desperately fled the devastation.
To the Rain shinobi, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha were all enemies—after all, it was their war that was destroying the Rain Country.
On the frontlines of the Rain Country, Orochimaru single-handedly held off the combined forces of the three villages.
A massive purple serpent weaved through the enemy ranks, its countless shadows swallowing everything in its path.
Under Orochimaru's assault, the weak could only await their deaths.
"He's truly powerful," murmured a young man in a green flak jacket, crouched atop the rubble of a collapsed building. Beside him stood an adult and a boy noticeably younger, their white eyes marking them as members of the Hyūga clan.
"Young Master, avoid advancing too far forward," warned Hyūga Kazeto, a Hyūga jōnin tasked with protecting the main family.
"Understood, Kazeto," replied Hyūga Hiashi, pressing his lips together as he watched Orochimaru dominate the battlefield and another green-clad figure darting through the fray.
These two alone had turned the tide of the Rain Country frontline.
Hiashi wondered if he would ever reach such heights.
A pang of envy struck him.
Hyūga Kiyoshi remained silent. Spotting an approaching Rain shinobi, he dashed forward to meet him.
"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"
Kiyoshi's palms unleashed a high-density chakra shockwave, slamming into the Rain shinobi and sending him flying backward, lifeless before he hit the ground.
"Kiyoshi is a rare genius of the Hyūga clan. He will be a valuable asset to you in the future, Young Master," Kazeto advised.
Kiyoshi's mastery of the Gentle Fist far surpassed that of any ordinary Hyūga child his age.
"I see," Hiashi nodded, then charged at an incoming Rock shinobi.
His arms spread wide, a faint Eight Trigrams diagram seemed to materialize beneath his feet.
"Gentle Fist Technique: Sixty-Four Palms of the Eight Trigrams!"
Hiashi's hands became a blur, striking the Rock shinobi with precision. By the time he finished, the enemy stood frozen, and Hiashi walked past him without a glance.
The Rock shinobi collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
"As expected of the main family. You've already grasped the essence of the Eight Trigrams Palm," Kazeto praised sincerely.
Kiyoshi's face remained expressionless, but his eyes flickered toward Hiashi's next engagement.
Watching Hiashi wield techniques reserved solely for the main family, Kiyoshi gritted his teeth.
Had he been allowed to learn those moves, he could have surpassed Hiashi.
But in the Hyūga clan, he had no power to resist. His fate was sealed, and his only outlet for frustration was the enemy before him.
Kazeto noted Kiyoshi's reaction but said nothing.
Kiyoshi was still a fledgling trapped in a cage.
One day, he would realize: a caged bird can never escape.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield, followed by a furious roar:
"Orochimaru!!"
A figure from Iwagakure charged straight at Orochimaru.
At the same time, Might Dai found himself intercepted by a barrage of fireballs unleashed by Sunagakure.
The Rain shinobi quietly began withdrawing.
The battle had escalated.
Uchiha Kin walked through the desolate streets of a crumbling city.
Few pedestrians remained, and only a handful of shops stayed open, waiting for customers.
"War's impact is brutal," he muttered.
Having traveled nonstop for a day and night, he decided to rest and entered the city.
Among shinobi, he was likely the only one who'd prioritize personal comfort over mission urgency.
He stepped into a ramen shop.
"Welcome," greeted the owner, his face lined with worry. He forced a smile at the new customer.
Kin glanced at the menu on the wall behind the counter.
"Why so expensive!?"
This remote town's prices were ten times higher than Konoha's—already inflated due to the war.
"Times are hard, sir," the owner sighed. "Everything's skyrocketed. I'm barely breaking even."
"Fine, fine." Kin waved dismissively. Even in Konoha, prices had tripled. He slapped a stack of Land of Fire banknotes on the counter.
"Twenty bowls of your specialty ramen."
The owner gaped. That much would kill a normal person—but he held his tongue. The customer was paying, after all.
And in the Land of Fire these days, even a child could be dangerous. Though Kin wore no headband, the owner was certain he was a shinobi.
Kin had stashed his headband for convenience.
The ramen arrived swiftly, and Kin devoured it faster than the owner could cook.
Ding-a-ling.
The door chime rang.
"One miso ramen," came a gruff voice.
Kin glanced up.
The man's face was wrapped tightly, clad in a black shirt and gray pants. Most striking were his glowing green eyes.
Isn't that the hardest-working man in the shinobi world—Kakuzu?
Kakuzu sensed Kin's gaze and turned sharply, but Kin had already looked down to resume eating.
The shop fell silent.
Kakuzu ate his ramen quickly, paid, and left.
Once outside the city, he turned to face his pursuer.
Kin stood there, hands in his pockets.
...
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(End of Chapter)