After the first Ninja incident, the atmosphere in the shrine changed.
No one said it aloud, but everyone knew in their hearts that the “safe house” they thought it was wasn’t safe at all.
Those two people might return at any time, or other Ninjas might pass by here.
Although the shrine did not leak rain, it couldn’t block the eyes of Ninjas.
Yahiko started going out for a scout every morning, returning only after confirming there were no anomalies around.
Konan packed her luggage more compactly so she could grab it and run at any moment.
As for Nagato, he took on more guard duties, often sitting alone at the entrance of the shrine, quietly listening to the movements in the woods.
And Luna…
Luna was waiting.
Waiting for the system’s next early warning.
She knew those two people wouldn’t be the last.
This was the Land of Rain, a place about to be swept by the flames of war.
Ninjas would only become more numerous and frequent.
Sure enough, five days later, the early warning came again.
That afternoon, Luna was helping Konan pack up the dried wild vegetables in the shrine when a red light suddenly flashed in her mind:
[Destiny Early Warning!]
[Hostile units detected approaching this area.]
[Quantity: 3]
[Combat power evaluation: Genin level.]
[Estimated contact time: about 18 minutes.]
[Suggestion: Immediately lead companions to hide and evacuate. Do not engage in combat.]
Three people.
One more than last time.
With the experience from the first time, she was no longer as flustered as last time.
She put down the wild vegetables in her hand, turned her head, and said in as calm a tone as possible:
“I sense it again.”
Yahiko was repairing a broken sword he had picked up.
Hearing this, he raised his head: “What?”
“That feeling…
Before the Ninja came last time, I had this feeling too.” Luna pointed to her temples, “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but my heart suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and I kept feeling like someone was walking this way.”
She made up a plausible-sounding explanation.
Yahiko stared at her for a moment and didn’t speak immediately.
Luna thought he would doubt her, after all, a reason like “feeling uncomfortable in the heart” was far too vague.
But Yahiko just fell silent for a few seconds, then put down the knife in his hand and stood up:
“Let’s go.”
“Now.” Yahiko’s tone was crisp and decisive, “It’s better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn’t. Last time Luna said someone was coming, and two Ninjas actually came. This time she says she has the feeling again, I believe her.”
He glanced at Luna, his gaze carrying something that had never been in Yahiko’s eyes before—trust born from careful scrutiny.
Luna was stunned for a moment by that look, then quickly recovered: “That woods to the west, the place where we hid last time. This time, hide deeper, don’t stay at the edge.”
“Alright.” Yahiko didn’t say another word, picking up the broken sword he hadn’t finished repairing, “Let’s go.”
The four of them plunged into the dense woods to the west of the shrine at top speed.
This time, they went deeper than last time.
Yahiko led the way in front, stopping only when they reached a low-lying, vine-covered area.
The bushes here were taller than a person, and vines hung down from the trees like a natural curtain, completely concealing the inside.
The four of them ducked behind the vines, squatted down, and held their breath.
This time, they waited even longer.
About twenty minutes later, footsteps came from afar.
Not two people, but three.
Three men wearing dark clothes walked out of the woods with steady steps and sharp gazes.
Ninja tool pouches hung at their waists, and short swords were strapped to their backs.
One of the men walking at the very front wore a forehead protector on his head.
Luna narrowed her eyes, making out the pattern on that forehead protector.
It was a metal forehead protector engraved with a symbol that looked like a canyon sandwiched between two peaks.
Iwagakure.
Yahiko also saw that forehead protector, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Ninjas from Iwagakure appearing here…
This meant that the Land of Earth had officially extended its tentacles into the Land of Rain.
These were not rogue Ninjas, nor were they the scattered soldiers of a small country, but regular Ninjas from the Five Great Nations.
The three Iwagakure Ninjas did not walk directly toward the shrine.
They stopped on the periphery of the shrine, dispersed, and searched for something.
One of them squatted down and checked the traces on the ground.
Then he stood up, made a gesture toward the other two people, and pointed in the direction of the shrine.
The three of them formed a fan shape and slowly closed in on the shrine.
Luna’s heart leaped to her throat.
She could see that these three men’s movements were much more professional than the two rogue Ninjas from last time.
They weren’t just casually coming over to take a look; they were executing a systematic search mission.
The three men entered the shrine.
After a few minutes, they came out.
The leader stood at the entrance of the shrine and said a few words.
Although it was too far away to hear the contents clearly, his tone sounded very impatient.
The other two people also wandered around the shrine and then shook their heads.
The leader frowned and scanned the surrounding woods once more.
Luna felt as though that gaze was about to pierce through the vines where they were hiding.
She held her breath, not even daring to blink her eyes. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
But in the end, the man found nothing, turned around, and left with the other two people.
This time, they walked very slowly, as if confirming something.
Only until the figures of the three men completely disappeared at the other end of the woods did Luna dare to breathe.
“… They’re gone.” She whispered.
Yahiko did not answer immediately.
He squatted behind the vines, keeping his gaze fixed on the direction where the three men had disappeared.
After a good while, he slowly spoke:
“Those are Ninjas from Iwagakure.”
“… Yeah.” Luna acknowledged.
“Ninjas from Iwagakure appearing here…” Yahiko’s voice was very low, carrying an oppressive heaviness, “It means the Land of Earth has already attacked.”
Luna fell silent.
This war wouldn’t end quickly.
Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Konoha Village…
The Five Great Nations would be dragged into it one after another.
The Land of Rain would turn into scorched earth in the next few years.
“Luna.”
Yahiko suddenly called her name.
Luna raised her head and found that Yahiko was looking at her with a gaze so earnest it didn’t look like that of an eight or nine-year-old child.
“That ‘feeling’ of yours…
has saved us twice.” He said, “I don’t know how you do it, but from now on, whenever you have that feeling, just say it directly without explaining.
We believe you.”
He said “We believe you.”
Not “I believe you,” but “We.”
Yahiko, Konan, Nagato.
They were helpless in this world, with no adults to rely on and no Village to shelter them.
They only had each other.
Luna lowered her head, was silent for a moment, and then said softly:
“… Alright.”
That night, after the four of them returned to the shrine.
Yahiko used a piece of charcoal to draw a horizontal line on the pillar at the entrance of the shrine.
“Once.” He said, “From now on, every time we successfully evade danger, I will draw a line.”
He looked at the simple charcoal mark, then turned his head and grinned:
“When this pillar is covered in marks, we’ll probably be able to survive.”
Luna looked at his feigned relaxed smile and didn’t speak.
This pillar would probably be filled up very soon.