Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

On a long, rainy night, a long, dark line of people slowly crawled through the damp rainforest. The procession, stretching as far as the eye could see, consisted entirely of families and civilians, numbering about a hundred. They wore raincoats, their faces weary, but their eyes held a burning passion.
Leading the escort was a Rain Ninja squad of fewer than ten people. Judging from their rather meager equipment, they were not elite soldiers, but rather the kind of cannon fodder used to fill in the gaps.
A slightly chubby male ninja from the Rain Ninja Squad glanced at the faintly visible emerald green forest in the distance, a relieved smile appearing on his lips hidden behind a gas mask similar to Hanzo's.
"The people behind quickened their pace; there are only twenty kilometers left until we reach the border of the Land of Fire."

"Captain Heiji, would you like to take a break?"

Upon hearing his words, the cannon fodder rain ninjas behind him looked troubled.
They had been traveling for three days and three nights straight, without stopping except for meals and toilet breaks. Even the ninjas were starting to feel tired, let alone the civilians who had been marching alongside them.
"Alright, pass it on. Rest here for an hour."

Heiji glanced back at the many elderly people and children in the group who were almost fainting, and after weighing the options, nodded in agreement with the suggestion to rest.

News of the respite spread quickly, and the civilians, whose lives were on the verge of collapse, finally got a much-needed breather.
"Phew, I can finally rest. The soles of my shoes are all worn through."

Yahiko, who was traveling with Nagato and Konan, plopped down on the ground, pulled off his worn-out shoes, and looked through the large holes at Jiraiya, who was carrying his mother on his back, in the distance with a displeased expression.

As long as I'm still alive, you bastard, don't even think about having a second child!

Just as he was clutching the shoes and gritting his teeth, Nagato handed him a brand new pair of shoes.

"Give."

"Thank you so much, Nagato, you're truly my savior!"

"A generous gift, five hundred taels."

"what?"

As Yahiko was putting on the new shoes, he froze upon hearing this, staring in disbelief at his childhood friend, with whom he shared an unbreakable bond.
Sensing the other's confusion and astonishment, Nagato showed no remorse. He reached out and pressed down on the stunned Yahiko, cautiously looking him over before explaining in a low voice with a sigh.
"I'm only making an exception for you because of our years of friendship. Anyone else would have to pay extra for this!"

Nagato secretly gestured zero to Yahiko, giving him a look that said, "You've come out ahead," as if he were the one who had lost out.
Yahiko, who wasn't particularly bright to begin with, was actually fooled by the swindler's lies and actually believed him. He glanced at the many civilians in the group who were barefoot because their shoes were torn, and immediately took out five hundred-tael copper coins from his pocket and handed them over.

"Nagato, you're truly my good brother!"

"Hey! Need I say more?"

After reluctantly accepting his first pot of gold, Nagato felt a surge of accomplishment.
Ever since he learned that his great-grandfather had prepared three shops for him, the cunning merchant gene that had been dormant within Nagato showed signs of reviving, and the first thing to awaken was the divine skill of "ripping off acquaintances".

"Oh, by the way, I also have instant noodles and sausages here. If you want them, I can give you a 20% discount."

"Waaaaah, Nagato, brotherhood will always be in my heart!"

Yahiko, whose stomach had been growling with hunger, was so moved by what he heard that he burst into tears. He didn't care whether the instant noodles Nagato pulled out were expired or not, and frantically rummaged through his pockets to collect gold coins.

"Xiao Nan, would you like one?"

Having amassed his second fortune with satisfaction, Nagato, blinded by greed, set his sights on the distracted Konan.

"Thank you, but I don't have much of an appetite."

Sensing the inexplicable covetousness in Nagato's eyes, Konan waved her hand to decline his enthusiastic sales pitch, took out the emergency rations she carried with her from the small bag in her arms, and began to nibble on them.

"If you need anything else, feel free to contact me anytime."

Nagato was not discouraged by the rejection. It is common to encounter setbacks when selling products. After all, not every customer is as easy to fool as Yahiko.

"Ah!"

As Yahiko was slurping his instant noodles, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The mushy noodles sprayed out of his nostrils with a loud sneeze.

"Ugh! Yahiko, you're disgusting."

Xiao Nan, who already had little appetite, saw such a disgusting scene, and her remaining appetite vanished instantly. With a dark face, she stuffed the small piece of pancake she had just taken a bite into back into her clothes.
"Cough cough cough Nagato, this instant noodle tastes a little off. It's not the same as what I usually eat."

After coughing a few times, Yahiko, his face flushed, smacked his lips in confusion.

"It must be because you're too tired, and your sense of taste is playing tricks on you."

Is that so?

"Would you like another glass of Honey x Ice City (same brand) flavored lemonade? I'll give you an extra discount."

"Good! Good!"

Children have their own circles, and adults have their own social interactions. During a break, Yahiko's mother, along with Nagato's mother and Minami's mother, got together to ask for advice on what preparations she should make for her second marriage.
Jiraiya, left to the side, lay idly on the ground. This intensity of training wasn't even a warm-up for him.
"Jiraiya, don't you sense something's wrong?"

At this moment, Hiruko, who had been wandering around outside, approached, his tone somewhat grave.

"It's too quiet, isn't it?"

"Huh? You noticed it too?"

Looking at the languid Jiraiya, Hiruko showed a surprised expression.

“Under normal circumstances, such a lush and fertile area would not be without wild animals, but along the way, we did not see a single small animal, let alone a wild beast.”

"Do you know why?"

"How should I know? I'm not an animal."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the curious Hiruko and shook his head slightly. He was eager to return home and was about to reach the Land of Fire; he had no time to delve into the reasons behind it all.

Perhaps it was a special method used by the Rain Ninja responsible for escorting them, which drove away the ferocious beasts in advance to prevent civilians from being injured.

At this moment, at the very front of the line,

A Rain Ninja who had circled around for a while returned to the temporary resting place empty-handed. Looking at the hard, dry rations in his captain's hand, his face was filled with shame.
But more than anything, there was doubt.
"That's really strange, there isn't a single snake in this area?"

"Didn't you claim to be a snake-catching expert who could smell whether a snake was male or female from ten steps away?"

The Rain Ninja team members, who had initially held a sliver of hope for him, all immediately revealed expressions of disdain.
"At a time like this, don't indulge your appetite. Once you've safely escorted these civilians across the border, I'll treat you to a big meal when I get back."

"Yay!"

"Long live Captain Heiji!"

Looking at the energetic team members in front of him, Heiji smiled faintly. He never thought that he, a genin, would one day become a squad leader and carry out such an important mission.

Indeed, courageous people are usually lucky.

"Get ready to go."

An hour passed quickly. After swallowing the last bite of dry rations, Heiji put on the gas mask that gave him courage and called his men to continue.

"Yes!"

The Rain Ninja Squad members quickly composed themselves, with three of them setting off first to scout ahead for the main force.

"Oh? You're leaving so soon?"

Nagato's face fell as he tried to persuade Yahiko to buy his expired souvenirs; he still had a lot of things to sell.

After a short rest, the fleeing civilians were noticeably better and quickened their pace.

"One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, huh?"

As they walked along, Nagato, who was happily counting her money, suddenly stopped, a look of bewildered surprise flashing across her face.

"Hiccup~ What's wrong, Nagato?"

Yahiko, clutching his belly, turned his head in confusion and let out a stale, smelly burp.

"Did you receive counterfeit money?" Xiao Nan asked curiously, looking at the four hundred taels of coins clutched tightly in his hand.

"No, it's just a strange feeling, like something is watching us."

Slowly loosening her tightly clenched hands, Nagato belatedly realized that her palms were soaked with sweat, making the coins gleam.

"Boom!"

In the darkness, a large red hand gently snapped the neck of a Rain Ninja. Looking at the man's lifeless face, before even a look of shock could form, the owner of the red hand shook his head and casually tossed him aside next to two fresh corpses.

"Just a few cannon fodder?"

"That guy is no cannon fodder."

At that moment, another voice rang out. The owner of the large red hand slowly turned his head, looking at the short man who was slowly emerging from the darkness, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Heiji taking shelter from the rain? But why isn't his name on the list of Jonin from the Rain Village?"

"Han, you need to know one thing: Hanzo's name is not on the list either."

"I see, I understand now."

Reminded by his opponent, Han flexed his massive red fist, his fighting spirit growing stronger. He could finally continue the battle he had started last time.

Meanwhile, at the front of the group, as time ticked by, Heiji, who hadn't seen his three scouts return, frowned deeply.

"What's going on? It's past shift change time, why aren't they back yet?"

"Should we go take a look?"

The other members of the group volunteered, but Heiji, sensing something was amiss, shook his head and refused their requests.
“I will go alone. If there is any danger, I will send a signal immediately, and you will take the civilians and evacuate to the Land of Fire right away.”

"But."

Upon hearing this, the remaining Rain Ninja's expressions tightened, and Heiji, seeing this, immediately waved his hand, feigning confidence.
"Don't worry, don't forget who I am! I'm Heiji, the right-hand man of Hanzo-sama's right-hand man!"

Upon hearing this, the Rain Ninja's expressions improved, and their gazes towards Heiji's retreating figure were filled with admiration.
"That's right, what are you worried about? Captain Heiji is a super strong fighter who single-handedly held off the Iwagakure intruders!"

"It is the greatest honor of my life to work under Lord Heiji."

"Haha! Then wouldn't I be the right-hand man of Hanzo's right-hand man ...

"."

"Huff, huff."

As Heiji stepped into the quiet darkness alone, his breathing gradually became rapid. He had only said those things to stabilize morale. He knew his own limitations better than anyone else. He had only managed to hold off the Iwa ninja last time because he was lucky.

"Please make sure nothing happens to you."

Silently praying for his three missing subordinates, Heiji drew a kunai and groped his way forward in the dark.
"Snapped!"

As he walked, he suddenly stopped, as if he had kicked something soft.

"Uh?"

Mustering his courage, he cautiously crouched down, his fingertips tracing a piece of iron with four vertical bars. Heiji's expression suddenly froze.
Rain Ninja's headband.

"Da! Da! Da!"

"Knowing the danger, you still dared to come alone. As expected of you, Heiji who seeks shelter from the rain."

As two sets of footsteps echoed, the surrounding darkness was suddenly illuminated by a crimson light. Heiji looked in the direction of the sound, his pupils contracting slightly, his voice distorted with shock.
It's you!

"That's right, we killed these good-for-nothings."

Mistaking Heiji's transformed tone for anger stemming from the sacrifice of his subordinates, Komurasaki curled her lip in disdain, but subtly took a half-step back.
"You two actually ended up in a place like this."

Heiji forced himself to stand up. He had to deliver a warning signal of danger to his teammates before he died, so they could evacuate with the civilians.

"That's how war is; you never know where the enemy will pop out from next."

Han twisted his neck, revealing an eager expression.

Like Komurasaki, he was intimidated by Heiji's fearless aura last time and lost face on the battlefield. This time, he was determined to regain all the face he had lost.

How to do?
How to do?
Heiji stared intently at the two menacing enemies in front of him, his mind blank. He was just a useless genin, and the other party could easily slap him into eight pieces.

Because of Heiji's sudden silence, Han, who was about to launch the first attack, suddenly hesitated. The guy in front of him was so weak that it was almost explosive, but why was he still standing there as steady as a mountain?

"Don't be fooled by this guy's weak aura. Don't think you can lower our guard! Not a chance!"

Just as he was undecided, Xiao Zi, standing to the side, coldly mocked,

"That's right, not a chance!"

Upon hearing this, Han seemed to wake from a dream, and a strange sense of apprehension appeared in his eyes as he looked at Heiji.

Heiji's cunning and shrewdness while seeking shelter from the rain are truly terrifying.

However, as time passed, Han discovered that Heiji was still in the same position as before, and his breathing was as steady as a rock, without the slightest fluctuation.

This is truly a formidable enemy I've never encountered before!
Han's forehead began to bead with nervous sweat, and Xiao Zi's palms were also covered in sweat.

Seeing that no one would break the damned silence, Xiao Zi gritted her teeth, and a thick, red, jelly-like chakra burst forth from her body. As the crimson power of the tailed beast condensed, a huge beast head appeared behind her.

"Han, don't hold back! Let's use our strongest moves together!"

"it is good!"

In an instant, two ferocious beasts rose from the ground, breathing furiously on Heiji, who had already fainted but remained standing due to his stiff body.

"Roar!"

"Holy crap!"

Hearing a distant roar, Jiraiya suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with horror.

No wonder there isn't a single snake to be seen in this area; they've all been scared away by the aura of the tailed beasts.

"Kimi, I'm leaving for a bit. You protect Yahiko and the others."

He turned to Hiruko and gave him a brief instruction before disappearing into the darkness in the distance.

"what?"

Completely bewildered, Hiruko stared wide-eyed, about to give chase, when he saw a flock of familiar black crows circling in the distant sky.
"That's... the root?"

If a single crow represents the transmission of important intelligence, then a flock of crows signifies a full-scale mobilization of the Roots.

Border of the Land of Fire
"I didn't expect to run into such a tough battle so soon after arriving. But that's perfect. I'll use them as stepping stones to make the name of the Great Root resound throughout the entire ninja world!"

Fully armed, Danzo Haruka gazed at the two ferocious beasts in the distance, a strange confidence playing on his lips. He then glanced at the four figures behind him, his smile widening.

"This is your first practical exercise outside of class. Don't embarrass the Roots, understand?" (End of Chapter)