Daimyo /Chapter 59 Yahiko

"Why? The Land of Rain is small, and Hanzou is very strong. Have you considered the cost and benefit?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the documents, motioned for the two Advisors to sit, and had his subordinates bring two cups of herbal tea.

"Hiruzen, precisely because Hanzou possesses formidable strength, allowing him to grow stronger and continue expanding could very likely lead to an invasion of the Land of Fire."

"Right, Homura's analysis is correct. Rather than passively defending, the Village should take the initiative and shift the battlefield to the Land of Rain."

"Hiruzen, you disagreed when I suggested war. What do you have to say now? Let's go to war!"

Danzo said with a hint of smugness.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, moved to the window, and stared at the Hokage Rock with slightly weathered eyes.

He puffed on his pipe.

"Alright, let's declare war on the Land of Rain. My three Disciples will lead the charge."

"Good, Hiruzen. You can tell your three Disciples. We will mobilize the other Ninja of the Village."

Danzo and the other two left the Hokage Office, satisfied.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe. "Someone, find Jiraiya and the other two."

"Sensei, you called for us?"

Jiraiya and the other two stood before the Hokage's desk, quietly awaiting Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his Disciples, who were now taller than him, feeling both relieved and worried. He picked up and then put down the mission scroll.

"Yes, you've grown up. You are now capable of standing on your own. The Village is about to go to war with the Land of Rain, and I want you to command the war."

"No problem, Sensei. You can trust us with this."

Jiraiya confidently accepted the mission.

"Good. Go prepare. Make it a swift victory." Saying this, he handed three mission scrolls to the three of them.

Jiraiya and the other two took the scrolls, looking forward to making a name for themselves on the battlefield of the Land of Rain.

Three days later, Konoha Village's front-line base.

"Orochimaru-sama, when do we launch the attack?"

"We agreed to launch the attack together at three o'clock."

At three in the afternoon, a large number of Konoha Ninja, led by Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, stormed into the Land of Rain. The Rain-Fire War officially began.

"This is bad, Hanzou-sama! Konoha Village's Ninja are attacking the Land of Rain from three directions. Our front-line troops are overwhelmed. Please send reinforcements as soon as possible."

"Damn Konoha Village. Let's go, I'll deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi's three Disciples."

Hanzou led his subordinates and quickly rushed to the front line.

Soon after, they encountered the Konoha Ninja squad led by Orochimaru.

"Hmph, Konoha Ninja actually dare to invade the Land of Rain. You must pay the price!"

Hanzou engaged Orochimaru. Orochimaru was no match for Hanzou. He summoned a giant snake, barely managing to hold his own for a short time.

"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"

Orochimaru was shocked. Without him realizing it, Hanzou had plastered a large number of Exploding Tags on his back.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

At the critical moment, Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived, defending against Hanzou's attack.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi's three Disciples are all here. Let me see how different you are."

Hanzou summoned Ibuse, who spewed out a large amount of poisonous mist, causing the Konoha Ninja present to collapse.

Tsunade and the other two held their ground and did not fall.

"Not bad."

Hanzou launched an attack. Tsunade and the other two teamed up to fight Hanzou.

The strength of the four was clearly not on the same level. Hanzou fought one against three, gaining the upper hand.

Finally, Hanzou, impressed by Tsunade and the other two, gave them the nickname Konoha's Sannin and spared the Konoha Ninja.

The war in the Land of Rain continued.

Mitsuki Kōmei stepped onto the land of the Land of Rain. Thick dark clouds obscured the sky of the Land of Rain, and the drizzling rain seemed to be stained red. The wind in his ears sounded like someone's wailing.

Not far away was a collapsed house, the bloodstains on the wall had turned black, and a pale, swollen hand was clenched into a powerless fist.

Mitsuki Kōmei advanced little by little. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Apart from the sound of rain, there was no other sound. Even the insects seemed to have covered their mouths in fear.

"I saw it first, so it should be mine."

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

In the ruins not far away, two small boys were fighting over a moldy piece of bread.

One of them had orange hair.

Mitsuki Kōmei crept closer, his masked head poking above them, and suddenly spoke.

"Finders keepers, shouldn't you share some with me?"

The two small boys froze, trembling as they released their grip on the bread.

The bread fell into a puddle on the ground, covered in muddy water.

The two small boys rolled their eyes upwards, slowly raising their heads, and upon seeing Mitsuki Kōmei's mask, they screamed in terror.

"Run!" the orange-haired boy shouted, lifting his foot to flee.

The other small boy reacted, pushed the orange-haired boy, and quickly ran away.

Mitsuki Kōmei watched the boy run off, then grabbed the orange-haired boy by the collar and lifted him up.

"You stained my bread and you still want to run? What's your name?"

"Yahiko," Yahiko's eyes were already welling up with tears.

Mitsuki Kōmei, holding Yahiko with one hand, looked for a place to shelter from the rain.

"Hmm, very good. Continue about my bread."

"I can get you another one, but you'll have to wait a few days," little Yahiko Shrink his neck.

"Hmph, I can't wait. How about this, you become my Disciple, and we'll forget about the bread."

"Really? What can you teach me? I want to learn powerful Ninjutsu."

Mitsuki Kōmei waved his hand, severing several large trees in the distance that required several people to encircle.

"How's that? Powerful enough?"

"Enough! Sensei, that's what I want to learn!" Yahiko kicked his little legs and waved his small hands. "Sensei, can you please put me down first?"

Mitsuki Kōmei obediently let go.

"Ahhh!" Yahiko, in freefall, plopped onto the ground.

"Ouch, that hurts! Sensei, why did you suddenly let go?"

Mitsuki Kōmei looked puzzled. "Didn't you tell me to put you down? It's not my fault."

Mitsuki Kōmei followed Yahiko to his temporary camp, a relatively clean cave.

Inside the cave were several wooden boxes covered with grass, a rusty iron pot, and a few broken bowls with chips in them.

Mitsuki Kōmei walked out of the cave and caught a few fish.

"Sensei, are we eating fish today? It's great not to be hungry!"

Mitsuki Kōmei roasted the fish and watched little Yahiko devour them.

After eating a few fish, Yahiko leaned against a wooden box, patting his stomach.

"Sensei, when do we start learning Ninjutsu?"

"In a few days, when we get home. Pack up your things, throw away anything unimportant."

Yahiko immediately picked up the iron pot and put it on his back.

Mitsuki Kōmei had a black line on his face.

"Do you have anything of sentimental value? Photos, letters, parents' keepsakes, anything like that. Don't bring anything else."

Yahiko rummaged around for a bit, then shook his head.

For the next few days, Mitsuki Kōmei kept taking Yahiko on various excursions, roasting fish when they were hungry.

"No! Don't hurt Mama!"

Mitsuki Kōmei, who was wandering around, heard a little girl crying.

Following the sound, he rushed over. A blue-haired little girl was crying, shielded behind a woman. A Konoha Ninja, holding a kunai, was smirking as he stabbed at the woman.