Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 456 Embarking on the Journey

rain.

Fine rain threads wove an endless gray curtain, enveloping the entire world.

The muddy ground swallowed up footsteps, each step accompanied by a heavy sucking sound.

The air was filled with the damp, earthy smell, mixed with the slightly acidic scent of rotting leaves, sticking stickily to the skin.

Yahiko walked at the front, his orange hair soaked by the rain, strands clinging to his forehead.

He didn't use chakra to block the rain, letting the cold liquid slide down his cheeks and drip into his collar. This chill kept him alert at all times.

Behind them, Nagato and Konan followed in a clever triangular formation.

Nagato's quiet black eyes vigilantly scanned every shadow around him. His vast and delicate perception had spread out, and no abnormal fluctuation of chakra could escape his detection.

Xiao Nan walked at the back, with several paper butterflies almost blending into the rain silently hovering around her, serving as the outermost eyes of the three, probing for any movement in the distance.

"stop."

Nagato's voice was soft, but it instantly froze Yahiko and Konan in their tracks.

The three of them crouched down almost simultaneously, blending perfectly into a dense thicket of bushes and concealing their presence.

Yahiko looked in the direction Nagato indicated, and on the other side of the rain, a small team of ninjas dressed in Iwagakure uniforms were moving quickly.

The group of five moved with great vigilance, clearly on patrol duty.

Yahiko's heart clenched slightly.

He knew that there were countless patrol teams like this on this land now.

The ninjas of Iwagakure and Sunagakure spread like a spider web along the border of the Land of Lightning, sealing off everything.

However, their mission this time is not to fight.

Yahiko conveyed this message to his companion with his eyes.

Nagato nodded slightly. He had already locked onto the opponent's route and sensing range, and quickly planned the safest way to avoid it in his mind.

Xiao Nan gently raised her hand, and a paper butterfly silently flew into the sky, confirming from another angle that there were no other ambushes around.

Throughout the entire process, the three of them did not exchange any words, yet it was as smooth as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.

After the Iwa ninja squad passed the bushes where they were hiding and disappeared into the depths of the rain, the three waited quietly for several more minutes until Nagato confirmed that it was safe before they set off again.

"The patrol density of Iwagakure is even higher than described in the intelligence."

Yahiko lowered his voice, his tone tinged with seriousness, "It seems they attach great importance to this front."

"The puppeteers of Sunagakure are also active in the vicinity."

Xiao Nan added softly that her paper butterflies had discovered some extremely subtle traces of chakra threads in the western region, "They've laid many traps."

Nagato didn't speak, but walked silently, using his best skills to avoid danger for his companions time and time again.

They were like ghosts walking on the edge of a knife, carefully avoiding the various action teams from the two major ninja villages.

After another hour of marching, as the sky shifted from dark gray to a lifeless leaden gray, they finally passed through the most dangerous blockade zone.

What they saw before them was a desolate wasteland.

What should have been a small village is now nothing but ruins. Charred wooden beams lie scattered on the ground, and rain washes away the black ash, leaving streaks of soot everywhere.

The earthy smell in the air was replaced by a strong burnt smell, mixed with a faint trace of blood.

A rag doll rabbit, burned to only half its original size, lay alone in a mud puddle, its empty eyes staring at the gray sky.

Yahiko stopped at the entrance of the village.

His breathing became rapid, and his chest felt as if a huge rock was blocking it, causing a dull and painful sensation.

This scene is all too familiar.

It was so familiar that it seemed to instantly pull him back to his war-torn childhood.

Those days of wandering and hunger, those nights of searching for food in the ruins and huddling for warmth beside piles of corpses... each scene seemed to replay yesterday, piercing his nerves with intense pain.

Konan also fell silent. She walked silently to Yahiko's side, reached out, and gently grasped his wrist.

Her hands were equally cold, yet they carried a silent, comforting power.

Life in Konoha was so peaceful and warm that they almost forgot that the true nature of this world was such a cruel gray.

Nagato watched the slightly trembling backs of his two companions, and a strange, stinging pain welled up in his heart.

I am different from them.

Although his childhood was marked by unrest due to war, his entire clan was successfully incorporated into Konoha, his parents were alive and well, and his clansmen were safe and sound.

He grew up in the warm sunshine of Konoha, received the best education at the Ninja Academy, and always had hot food and clean clothes.

He had heard stories of war from his teacher, Jiraiya, and had learned about the cruelty of war in history class.

This desolate ruin, this abandoned doll, the deep, bone-chilling sorrow emanating from his companions... all of this gave him a far deeper and heavier understanding of the word "war" than any book or word could convey.

This is the world that Yahiko desperately wanted to change.

Nagato silently stepped forward, without saying a word, but simply reached out and gently patted Yahiko's shoulder.

His movements were somewhat clumsy, yet they carried an undeniable firmness.

Yahiko was jolted awake from that oppressive memory. He turned his head and saw Nagato's pure yet worried black eyes.

He glanced at Xiao Nan beside him again. The girl's face was expressionless, but her tightly pursed lips betrayed her inner turmoil.

Yahiko took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the surging emotions.

He took Konan's hand in return and forced a somewhat awkward smile at Nagato.

"I'm fine."

He paused, looked around at the ruins, and when he spoke again, his voice had returned to calm, but it carried an unprecedented resolve.

"Let's go inside and take a look, then find a place to rest."