The forest, shrubs, and grasslands were left behind.

Shiratori's footsteps stepped onto scorched, pitch-black ground.

The air was filled with a metallic, blood-like stench.

He looked out, what spread before him was a completely dead wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless black-brown scorched earth, cracked and dry.

No grass.

No trees.

Not even a single intact stone.

Only rusted, unrecognizable kunai and shuriken, half-buried and jutting from the ground.

"This is a battlefield."

Chiba confirmed his suspicion.

"Countless ninjas from Ame lost their lives here."

Kuroi and Sakikawa stood solemnly in place.

Shiratori suddenly crouched down, gently brushing his hand across the ground. The three of them watched his movements.

"What are you doing?" Kuroi asked, puzzled.

Shiratori lifted his head. His black eyes were clear and pure, anyone could see the sorrow in them.

"I'm saying sorry to them."

He lowered his head again. "I came too late... I couldn't bring them home..."

[Affection detected]

[Multiple sources: +1000 points each]

[Total accumulated: 3,000 points]

[Energy transferred to Rika]

[Development progress: 67%]

Chiba crouched down, placing his warm hand on Shiratori's shoulder.

"Hey," he looked at the boy's focused profile, "you never need to apologize. Your arrival was already timely enough."

Kuroi sniffled. He realized that ever since Shiratori appeared, he had become more prone to tears. He patted Shiratori's other shoulder. "Yeah! Don't shoulder everything by yourself! Do you even know how old you are this year?"

Shiratori looked up at the three of them and smiled gently. "On my ninth birthday, I'll make a wish: I hope I can always appear in time for everyone, and help every villager from Ame return home safely."

[Affection detected]

[Multiple sources: +1000 points each]

[Total accumulated: 3,000 points]

[Energy transferred to Rika]

[Development progress: 67.3%]

"Then on my sixteenth birthday, I'll wish to protect you for the rest of my life!" Kuroi said eagerly.

Shiratori looked at Kuroi, openly shocked.

He's only fifteen?

This war was truly devastating!

On Earth, Kuroi would still be a high school student!

Chiba and Sakikawa both smiled.

"Let's keep moving."

Chiba stood up.

Their pace slowed significantly. They had entered the border region of the Land of Rain. The further they went, the closer they drew to the boundary with the Land of Fire.

Chiba narrowed his eyes, raising his alertness. His sharp gaze swept over the charred borderland ahead, where it touched the Land of Fire.

The wind kicked up dust and smoke as it swept past them. Shiratori saw faint, blurry silhouettes in the distance.

Still far away, yet a cold, slick, snake-like sensation, subtle and stealthy, was already drifting across the scorched ground, silently brushing past where they stood.

This feeling... was oddly familiar.

He narrowed his eyes.

In the distance, a crow perched on the carbonized branch of a dead tree let out two cries.

Its black pupils looked down.

At the very front stood a figure wearing a Konoha ninja vest, with long, straight black hair swaying lightly in the wind.

His skin was as pale as a corpse, and beneath his long, narrow eyes, two heavy streaks of purple-black eyeshadow extended downward.

Orochimaru?

The crow tilted its head.

That's too terrifying!

Just half a step behind Orochimaru stood Shikaku, staring straight ahead. Further behind were two other Konoha ninjas, their expressions solemn, bodies taut with tension.

Suddenly, a pair of golden, slit pupils locked onto the crow in the tree.

Orochimaru's lips curled upward slightly into a smile, completely devoid of warmth. It carried a cold, almost gleeful malice.

The crow flapped its wings and flew off the branch.

Nope, not playing anymore!

Orochimaru is way too creepy!

As the distance gradually closed, when only ten meters separated Shiratori's group and the Konoha ninjas, Chiba was the first to stop. Shiratori followed suit.

A dead silence spread between the two groups of ninjas.

Orochimaru's gaze slowly swept over Chiba and the others.

His eyes finally rested on Shiratori's face.

This child...

Looked familiar.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. Why bring a kid to a contract signing?

He stepped forward and pulled a scroll from his ninja pouch, tossing it toward Chiba.

At the same time, Chiba also threw a scroll toward Shikaku.

The moment they had seen Orochimaru, the bodies of Chiba's group tensed up like fully drawn bows, ready to release at any moment.

Chiba unrolled the scroll and carefully scanned its contents.

After confirming there were no issues, he signed the names of Ame and himself.

The two sides exchanged the scrolls again.

Chiba checked the scroll's contents and carefully stored it in his ninja pouch.

"We ask that you inform all Konoha ninjas within the Land of Rain's borders to retreat," Chiba said to Shikaku.

Shikaku nodded. "Understood."

Orochimaru suddenly took a step forward.

In a flash, weapons appeared in the hands of Chiba's group. They watched him with alert eyes.

But Orochimaru ignored them, his gaze fixed on Shiratori, lips curling into a smile. "I've seen you before."

The child he thought would die in the chaos had actually joined Ame.

The fate he had expected for the boy had clearly taken a different path.

But where had Jiraiya gone?

Wasn't he supposed to stay in the Land of Rain to watch over the children?

"Do you remember me?" Orochimaru asked.

Shiratori nodded. "I do."

Orochimaru raised his brows slightly.

He had to admit, the child before him had piqued his interest.

Judging from the attitude of these three Ame ninjas, the child seemed to have some value.

"What do you want?" Chiba asked sharply.

Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Chiba, who swallowed hard.

He smirked. "Just saying hello."

Then he stepped back to his original spot.

"Let's go," Shikaku said, glancing at Orochimaru in reminder.

The Snake Sannin slowly turned and began walking in the direction of Konoha.

Not until the Konoha ninjas had completely vanished from sight did Chiba and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Sakikawa wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked, "You know Orochimaru?"

Chiba and Kuroi both looked at Shiratori.

He nodded gently. "When I was wandering, I encountered him after he'd been defeated by Sensei. He nearly killed me."

The three immediately froze in place.