Senba Suzume had not lied.
The central town of Amegakure had been utterly destroyed by the war.
Shiratori Rin held Senba Suzume's hand and looked around.
The once neatly arranged houses were now nothing but broken walls and crumbling ruins.
Bricks, stones, and rubble were piled into messy mounds.
The air was thick with a strong smell of burning, mixed with damp fishiness and mildew.
"Watch your step."
Senba Suzume's reminder came to Shiratori Rin's ears.
Shiratori Rin looked down and saw that he was stepping on a pile of rubble; a slight misstep could cause him to lose his footing or kick a sharp fragment.
"War is truly terrifying."
Shiratori Rin exclaimed.
Senba Suzume did not deny it.
He continued to walk towards the central area, holding Shiratori Rin's hand.
The outline of steel buildings emerging in the distance made Shiratori Rin breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the central area had not been destroyed by the war.
He certainly didn't want to live in ruins forever.
Two towering structures of steel stood before Shiratori Rin.
Between the two towers stretched an iron net nearly ten meters high, covered in sharp spikes.
After Senba Suzume appeared beneath the iron net, it wasn't long before two dark figures leaped down from the towers, landing in front of Senba Suzume.
Their masks couldn't hide their excited emotions,
"Shu! You're finally back! We almost thought..."
The two Ninja didn't continue speaking.
"It's good that you're back!"
They patted Senba Suzume's shoulder.
A relaxed smile appeared on Senba Suzume's face.
He glanced at Shiratori Rin.
Without Shiratori Rin, he might have truly died.
He had been sent by Hanzou-sama to investigate intelligence in Hidden Sand Village, and was accidentally discovered by the Ninja of Sunagakure.
The Sunagakure Ninja pursuing him thought he was severely wounded and certain to die, but they didn't expect him to return alive.
The two Rain Ninja's gazes swept over Shiratori Rin.
They looked at Senba Suzume in confusion and reminded him, "Shu, it's not suitable to bring civilians here."
Once war broke out, no one could look after civilians.
Civilians were very likely to be mistakenly killed as Ninja.
Not to mention such a small child.
Getting caught in a Ninja battle would make survival even more difficult.
Senba Suzume nodded, "I know."
The two Rain Ninja were stunned.
If he knew, why would he still do this?
Before Senba Suzume could speak further, Shiratori Rin spoke first: "Big brother, I insisted on coming in myself, please don't blame Brother Qianyu."
Shiratori Rin released Senba Suzume's hand, stepped forward, and stood in front of Senba Suzume in a protective stance.
[Ding!]
[System detected Senba Suzume's Fondness Value +2000]
[Currently collected Fondness Value totals 10000, activating Cursed Spirit No. 002 — Cursed Womb: Death Painting, Elder Brother Choso]
[Choso (10%)]
The Cursed Spirit activated by Fondness Value was actually Choso?
Why?
Was it because Choso always reminisced about the good old days with his nine brothers?
"He's not an ordinary child; he possesses extremely powerful Medical Ninjutsu."
"If it weren't for him, I would be dead by now."
Senba Suzume solemnly explained to the two Rain Ninja.
"What?!"
The Rain Ninja's shocked gazes fell upon Shiratori Rin.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
Such a small child could use Medical Ninjutsu?
And saved Senba Suzume?
Shiratori Rin looked at Senba Suzume, then raised his head to face the two Rain Ninja: "I'm here to protect Amegakure with everyone and drive out the enemy!"
"..."
The Rain Ninja scoffed, "You? You haven't even fully matured yet! Go home and drink your milk!"
Senba Suzume said, "His parents died in the war."
The smile on the Rain Ninja's face immediately vanished.
"He has no family left?"
The Rain Ninja asked Senba Suzume in a hushed voice.
Senba Suzume nodded, "His Medical Ninjutsu is very strong; I'm taking him to see Hanzou-sama."
Seeing Senba Suzume's serious demeanor, the Rain Ninja couldn't help but question it.
Could this child really use Medical Ninjutsu?
But how old was he?
The number of Medical Ninja in the entire Amegakure was not large.
After the war broke out, the Medical Ninja of Amegakure were constantly targeted and killed by Konoha and Sunagakure.
Now, the entire Amegakure couldn't even find three Medical Ninja.
The two Rain Ninja exchanged glances.
They opened a tightly shut iron door beneath the iron net.
The rusty iron door let out a creaking sigh.
Shiratori Rin took Senba Suzume's hand again and walked inside the iron door.
After they entered, the two Rain Ninja closed the iron door.
Inside the iron door was almost a city built of steel.
Due to its small footprint, buildings were constructed exceptionally tall to save space.
Being built of steel, even if war broke out, they wouldn't easily collapse or be damaged.
Shiratori Rin and Senba Suzume walked along the street, which was empty.
Occasionally, dark figures would flit overhead.
"Is there no place to eat here?"
Shiratori Rin hadn't seen a single restaurant along the way.
Senba Suzume shook his head, "Ninja's food is distributed at fixed times."
"Is Hanzou-sama very powerful?"
Shiratori Rin felt it was necessary to gather some information about Hanzou in advance. "I heard my parents talk about Hanzou-sama. They said Hanzou-sama is the strongest Ninja!"
Senba Suzume looked at Shiratori Rin's innocent eyes, nodded, and affirmed, "Hanzou-sama is indeed the strongest Ninja! Without Hanzou-sama, we would be no match for Konoha and Sunagakure at all. Amegakure would forever be a battlefield for Konoha and Sunagakure!"
Senba Suzume's voice was filled with admiration for Hanzou.
"I believe Hanzou-sama will lead us to completely drive out Konoha and Sunagakure!"
"The future Amegakure will no longer struggle for survival between Konoha and Sunagakure!"
"The villagers of Amegakure will no longer be tormented by war!"
The light in Senba Suzume's eyes grew brighter and brighter, a faint blush appeared on his face, and he excitedly gripped Shiratori Rin's wrist.
Shiratori Rin: "..."
Senba Suzume was actually a crazy fan of Hanzou.
"Hanzou-sama is amazing!"
Shiratori Rin nodded heavily and vowed, "I want to become a Ninja as powerful as Hanzou-sama too!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Senba Suzume's eyes.
He didn't crush the child's dream.
"I believe you can become a more powerful Ninja than me."
A steady voice came from a distance.
Senba Suzume froze, then immediately looked forward.
A familiar tall figure appeared ahead.
"Hanzou-sama!"
Senba Suzume immediately released Shiratori Rin's hand and bowed.
Hanzou walked up to Senba Suzume and helped him up: "It's good that you're alright."
Senba Suzume's eyes reddened, and his face was full of guilt: "This subordinate is incompetent."
Hanzou patted his shoulder: "This mission was inherently dangerous; it's already not easy for you to return safely..."
"What's more," Hanzou's voice revealed strong confidence, "even without intelligence from Sunagakure, I can drive them out of Sunagakure!"