Hearing Hayami Reina’s question, Shibing was self-deprecating as he chuckled. “If I knew any ninjas, why would I be stuck here in the middle of a war? I’d have long gone to a peaceful country and lived a happy life.”

  “Alright, I’ll practice martial arts, then.” Hayami Reina wasn’t too disappointed—she had expected as much. Becoming a ninja certainly wasn’t an easy feat. It would’ve been nice to know exactly when the three of them would meet Jiraiya.

  From the conversation between the three ninjas and Hanzo of the Samander in the anime, it seemed like the trio had encountered Jiraiya after the Second Great Ninja War ended, and at least Konoha and Amegakure had already signed a ceasefire.

  Yahiko and Nagato didn’t object when they saw that Reina and Konan were in agreement.

  “Alright, then it’s settled. From now on, I’ll make time every afternoon to train you all. Don’t compin that it’s too tough—it’s also to make sure you have some basic self-defense skills,” Shibing nodded and began the training.

  A month passed in what was, on the whole, a peaceful and stable life.

  On their way back to the cave,

  "I'm so tired. My whole body aches. Why is it that you and Konan are fine?" Yahiko looked at Hayami Reina and Konan in confusion. The two of them had been through the same training, yet they both recovered quickly, as if nothing happened.

  "Hmm? Yahiko, don't you use ointment?" Konan asked, feeling puzzled. She and Reina always applied ointment to their sore spots after training.

  "Ointment? What ointment? Why didn’t I know about this? Hey! Reina!" Yahiko shot a look at Reina, his expression one of utter disbelief.

  “It’s blood circution ointment, you know? It’s normal to rub a little on after training, especially if you’ve gotten hurt," Reina said matter-of-factly.

  "But… we didn’t know about this ointment!" Nagato sighed, his heart feeling heavy. The suffering of these past few days seemed to intensify with every thought.

  “Where did you get this ointment? I want some!” Yahiko quickly asked. He had no intention of enduring the pain any longer.

  “Of course, it’s from Shibing. Where else would I get it from? Is this really something you need to ask about?” Reina shot him a look that seemed to mock his intelligence.

  “Then… why didn’t he give it to me?” Yahiko was practically defted, his voice slow and heavy.

  Reina smirked, amused by Yahiko’s reaction. “If you don’t ask for it, how is he supposed to give it to you? You know his personality.”

  Just as they were talking, a sudden “whoosh” sound cut through the air, and a kunai with an explosive tag flew toward them.

  “Get down!” Reina reacted first, her face changing as she shouted at the others.

  “Boom!” The explosive tag detonated, sending a bst of wind that knocked them all off their feet.

  As the dust settled, Reina opened her eyes, feeling a tingling sensation on her forehead. Warm blood began to trickle down her face, blurring her vision in red.

  Although she had managed to dodge in time, the debris kicked up by the explosion still struck her head.

  "Are you okay, Reina?" Yahiko noticed the blood on her forehead and quickly rushed to help her up.

  "Little One!!" A cry of pain came from the other side.

  Reina and Yahiko turned to see Nagato and Konan kneeling next to the lifeless body of the small child.

  "Little One is... no longer breathing," Nagato said, his voice hoarse with pain as he cradled the child’s body in his arms, his eyes wide in shock.

  “Don’t worry about Little One for now! Reina’s injured!” Yahiko gritted his teeth as he looked toward the battlefield. Three ninja with Konoha forehead protectors were locked in a standoff with Hanzo of the Samander.

  Hanzo, the leader of the Amegakure ninja, was known as the “Half-God,” one of the most formidable figures in the ninja world. Only the legendary three ninjas of Konoha could stand against him.

  Finally, they had met, and it seemed that it was time for them to become ninjas as well—if the story wouldn’t change because of her, the “butterfly.”

  “We need to tend to Reina’s injury and let Shibing know that the ninja are nearby,” Konan said, her eyes filled with worry. This day had come at st. Their once-peaceful life was about to shatter.

  “I’m fine. Go warn Shibing,” Reina said, wiping away the blood with her hand. “The situation is urgent. Since Hanzo himself is here, he won’t be alone. The Amegakure ninja he brought will still be fighting Konoha’s ninjas nearby.”

  Shibing had always been good to them, and they didn’t want him to be caught in the ninja conflict while guarding the town.

  The group quickly made their way back to the town.

  In the town, Shibing saw the four arrive and said, "You're just in time. I was about to send someone to find you. The ninja are fighting nearby, and soon the battle will reach the town. We need to evacuate immediately!" His voice was firm.

  “Boss, the town’s residents are ready to evacuate. The brothers have already formed squads to cover their escape,” Keiji, who often joked with “old man” remarks, was unusually serious.

  “Good! Split into several teams and evacuate immediately, gather at Changyu Town,” Shibing ordered without hesitation.

  Except for the residents who chose to stay behind, the rest would split into multiple teams and take different routes to evacuate. This was to avoid drawing too much attention and to prevent running into any rogue ninjas or wandering bandits.

  Yahiko hesitated for a moment but finally spoke. “Sorry, Shibing. I don’t want to leave with you. I’m going after the three ninjas who fought Hanzo.”

  He turned to the others. “Sorry, we have to part here. I don’t want to drag you all into this danger, but I have to pursue my dream.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “This is my dream too.”

  “I just want to be with all of you.”

  Without hesitation, the other three spoke in unison.

  “Are you crazy? Going after them is a suicide mission!” Shibing was furious. These kids were usually clever, so why were they being so foolish now? “Those are the ninja who invaded our country! Do you really think they’ll teach you ninjutsu kindly? If they don’t kill you on the spot, that’s their mercy.”

  “We’ve made up our minds,” Reina replied calmly. She had waited for this day for so long. How could she back out now when she was about to meet Jiraiya?

  “Fine, you want to throw your lives away, I won’t stop you. But they’re in the middle of a fight. Rushing in now is equivalent to seeking your own death. At least wait until the battle ends,” Shibing said after a long pause, choosing to compromise. He wouldn’t stop them, but he also wouldn’t let them rush in blindly.

  Reina thought to herself, he’s right. In the anime, the three didn’t rush to find the Legendary Three Ninjas immediately; they searched for several days and endured much hardship before finally finding the three resting.

  The four exchanged gnces and agreed with Shibing’s pn.

  And so, they began their retreat through the forest.

  The guards accompanying them, aside from Shibing, were all familiar faces.

  There was Da Shan, who had been knocked out cold by Yahiko’s surprise attacks.

  Xiong Er, the bumbling thug who had been fooled by Konan and then beaten by svers.

  Keiji, the half-bald thug who always said “Old man, it’s me!”

  Since Shibing was the strongest, this team had the fewest guards.

  Night fell in the mountains and forests.

  “Alright, everyone, stop. We’ll camp here for the night. We’ll continue at dawn.” Seeing that it was getting dark, Shibing ordered the group to rest, also organizing the night watch schedule.

  Reina was about to ask for a turn on the night watch when she suddenly felt a cold chill on the back of her neck, like a needle pricking into her skin. Her body instantly stiffened as the familiar sensation of death crept in. She quickly turned around to see where the coldness was coming from.

  But all she could see was an empty space.

  “What’s wrong, Reina?” Konan noticed the distressed expression on her face.

  The rustling of leaves broke the silence, and everyone’s hearts skipped a beat as they quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

  Four rogue ninjas, dressed in tattered clothes, stepped out of the trees.

  “Heh heh, Lotus Pond, you were right. The ninja are fighting nearby. The residents of the town are sure to choose this route to flee,” one of the rogue ninjas, a yellow-haired man, cackled.

  The rogue ninja known as Lotus Pond was small but had cold, serpent-like eyes that scanned the group. He licked his lips hungrily. “Leave everything valuable and all your food. If I’m in a good mood, I’ll spare your lives.”

  Under Lotus Pond’s cold gaze, the group’s expressions grew darker and