122.Three Years (2)

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Dark clouds loomed in the sky.

Within the thick cloud cover, bright flashes of lightning occasionally streaked across, followed by booming thunder.

The land covered by the dense overcast sky was shrouded in continuous rain, obscuring the horizon.

At this moment, inside a towering, pitch-black structure below:

"The situation for the Village Hidden in the Rain has been getting worse. Since the Hidden Sand Village joined the battle, the Leaf and Sand have strategically placed the battlefield within the borders of the Land of Rain, which poses a great threat to our nation."

A deep and resonant voice spoke solemnly.

The speaker was a middle-aged man who appeared to be serious.

Inside the room, a slim young ninja standing nearby cast a sidelong glance at him. His pale face wore a smirk that made his words sound somewhat mocking.

"I wonder, Lord Gōta, what effect your words have on the Village Hidden in the Rain?"

He squinted his narrow eyes, seemingly amused by Gōta's words, and his tone was slightly provocative.

This caused Gōta, who had been calm until now, to suddenly become agitated. He clenched his fists, and veins bulged on his hands.

His eyes, filled with anger, bore into the slim young man as he scolded in a low, furious voice, "Jinnaro! Don't think you can give me orders here with your insignificant accomplishments!"

Hearing his furious words, Jinnaro, however, showed no fear. His narrow eyes sparkled with a mocking glint, and his lips curled into a sly smile as he replied, "Oh, so the information network that the Leaf pulled out from the Village Hidden in the Rain is also insignificant, huh? Tsk tsk. Lord Gōta, I wonder what great achievements you've accomplished?"

In response, Gōta snorted angrily and fell silent, his eyes glaring darkly at Jinnaro, as if he wanted to tear him apart.

At this moment,

"Both of you are now Lord Hanzo's right-hand men. Why must you quarrel like this? Your duty is to share Lord Hanzo's burdens," a gentle voice interjected.

It was Kozo, who quickly stepped in to mediate between the two.

Inside the room,

A tall, burly figure sat firmly at the desk. His face was hidden behind a heavy mask.

His hands lightly tapped on the desk, silently observing the two's argument without saying a word.

"Tap, tap!"

Seeing that the two had stopped quarreling, his fingers ceased their tapping, and he stood up, speaking in a deep voice.

"If it weren't for pulling the Hidden Sand into this, the Village Hidden in the Rain would have undoubtedly perished under the Leaf's onslaught. This decision is unquestionably correct."

"We've been in this war, on and off, for three years now, and the nobles of the Land of Fire may have some grievances against the Leaf."

"As I've said, if we continue like this, the real losses will be suffered by the Leaf!"

"Let the villagers endure a bit longer... This war... won't be at a standstill for much longer."

He didn't blame Jinnaro and Gōta for their argument; he simply provided an explanation of the current situation between the Leaf and the Village Hidden in the Rain.

After he finished speaking,

He looked towards the village, which was becoming increasingly barren and difficult to survive in under the endless rain.

In his eyes, there was worry, but then a determined glint flashed.

This was the only way for the Village Hidden in the Rain to escape poverty... I haven't made a mistake...

And behind him,

Upon hearing his words, Jinnaro's lips curled slightly.

***

Inside the borders of the Land of Rain,

"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"...

Several shadows dashed through the dense rain-soaked forest!

The symbols on their headbands indicated their identity—Hidden Sand ninjas.

This was a special squad from the Hidden Sand Village.

Although the Hidden Sand Village had allocated some ninja to help the Village Hidden in the Rain in restraining the Leaf's ninja forces.

However, the Hidden Sand ninjas were far from being benevolent. They were wreaking havoc in the Land of Rain, significantly reducing its population and resources.

The two major nations were much more powerful than the Land of Rain!

Even though many spies from both countries had been removed from the Land of Rain, it did not stop the Hidden Sand Village's ninjas from causing destruction within the country's borders.

"Captain! According to the intelligence, the area ahead should be a prosperous town for trade in the Land of Rain before the war," a Hidden Sand ninja said with a deep voice, looking at a map in his hand.

Upon hearing his words, the captain of the Hidden Sand ninja squad gave him a cold look and said in a stern voice, "Leave no survivors!"

"Remember, gather the essential supplies first. We'll need to stay within the Land of Rain for a long time this time."

In response, several Hidden Sand ninjas in the squad nodded deeply and said in unison, "Yes, Captain!"

The group quickly disappeared from their location!

---

In a slightly run-down town not far away,

Under the gloomy rain, the streets were sparsely populated, and people passed by each other without any interaction, in a hurry.

It was quite different from the bustling atmosphere of Konoha.

However, some individuals still hid under the eaves of houses, selling things in the streets.

Their stalls displayed various odds and ends, mostly consisting of vegetables that looked rather meager.

On the streets,

An old lady looked at a stall with a few slightly withered apples. It seemed like something crossed her mind as she stopped for a moment.

Eventually, she trembled as she took out a small floral cloth from her pocket, carefully unfolded it, and pulled out a few crumpled bills.

She bought the few withered apples, carefully placing them in her bag.

A smile as bright as a flower bloomed on the old lady's deeply wrinkled face.

She walked back to her home with unsteady steps.

"Creak!"

The door was opened.

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, a joyful voice rang out in the simple house.

"Grandma! You're back!!"

A little girl with blue hair eagerly ran to the door. Seeing her grandma, her round, wide eyes were filled with joy.

She hurriedly approached and took the bag from her grandma's hand, assisting her carefully as they walked inside.

The old lady gently stroked the girl's navy blue hair, her deeply wrinkled face brimming with a kind smile as she said in a gentle tone, "Nina, take a look, Grandma bought you something nice!"

Nina peered into the bag, and her expression initially brightened, but then she looked a bit worried.

"Grandma, your illness still needs money. You shouldn't have bought this for Nina. Besides, Nina doesn't like apples. Grandma, you should eat them. Maybe if you eat the apples, you'll get better!"

Nina looked up at her grandma, her sweet smile on full display as she said softly.

Seeing her like this, the old lady gently touched Nina's silky hair, her eyes filled with kindness, and said in a loving voice, "Grandma's illness is all better now, Nina. Eat them, and it will make Grandma happy."

Just then!

A sudden and intense explosion echoed from outside!

People started to panic and scream as they ran for safety!

Hearing this sound, both the old lady and Nina's expressions changed!

The old lady quickly took Nina's hand and led her inside the house.

In front of a small wardrobe, the old lady motioned for Nina to get inside.

"But... what about Grandma?" Nina, hiding inside the wardrobe, stared at her grandma with a mixture of fear and worry.

"Nina, you must listen to Grandma and stay in here quietly. Don't make a sound, okay? Grandma... Grandma will go see what's happening. Nina, don't come out no matter what, okay?" The old lady's voice was gentle as she spoke to Nina.

Then, she slowly closed the door to the small wardrobe.

Nina found herself in darkness.

She wasn't naive; she knew something was happening outside.

Thinking of her grandma being alone outside, she couldn't help but cry quietly.

But she strictly remembered that she mustn't make a sound, so she tightly pressed her lips together, refusing to let herself cry out.

"Boom—"

A violent explosion resounded from outside!