Along a winding forest path, a large merchant caravan was making its way on foot.
Trailing behind the caravan was a ragtag group of children in tattered clothes, silently following the footsteps of the adults.
They ranged in age—some as old as fifteen or sixteen, others no more than three or four. Their steps were labored, yet not one of them fell behind. The older ones supported the younger, pressing forward with quiet determination and grit.
They were orphans from the Land of Hot Water—children who had lost everything.
Ever since the death of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of Konohagakure, known as the God of Shinobi, the entire ninja world had entered a strange, uneasy calm.
Though the Five Great Villages maintained an outward semblance of peace, countless conspiracies brewed beneath the surface.
The spark that ignited everything was the recent intelligence leak from Amegakure.
After losing critical information, Hanzō of the Salamander had dispatched a squad of young undercover operatives, including Reiji. But his growing paranoia drove him to send even more ninjas to patrol the borders of the Land of Rain—an act that stirred unrest in its neighboring powers: the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth.
Though the small Amegakure held little sway in the eyes of the great nations, the Second Tsuchikage took the opportunity to provoke Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
He believed Amegakure had fallen under Kirigakure's influence and was preparing to launch a covert attack on the Land of Earth.
Long-standing tensions between the Lands of Earth and Water dated back to even before the Warring States era. Their hostility ran so deep that even a misplaced fart could be framed as a poison gas attack.
Kirigakure had no interest in justifying itself. The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, simply declared, "No point in talking. Let's fight!"
With tacit understanding, both sides dispatched massive forces into the buffer zone between them—the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fields.
When titans clash, it's the little ones who suffer.
Watching the escalating battle, the Second Raikage A slammed his table in protest.
"So that's how it is, huh? You, Second Tsuchikage—acting all serious and dependable—and you didn't even invite Kumo to the brawl? That's low."
And just like that, he launched a surprise attack on Konoha.
In the blink of an eye, four of the five great nations were locked in brutal conflict, turning the narrow stretch of the Land of Hot Water into a war zone.
Fortunately, the ninja from the four nations, while aggressive, still adhered to basic principles. Unlike Amegakure's operatives, they didn't deliberately target civilians.
Still, ninjutsu was devastating. Its power far exceeded what the era could bear.
One misfired Fire Release burned an entire house.
One stray Water Release drowned an entire village.
Back and forth, day by day, fresh waves of war orphans emerged.
Yugakure, known for its peace-loving ways, chose to seal itself off completely—no outsiders in, no insiders out.
The orphans were left stranded.
The Land of Water was filled with lakes and rivers. Without boats, swimming was the only option.
The Land of Lightning was steep, mountainous, and so high-altitude you'd be gasping for air in two steps.
That left the forested Land of Fire as the most viable escape route.
This caravan was just one of many, reflecting the plight of countless children fleeing the chaos.
Thankfully, the caravan's guards were ninja from Konoha—and Konoha's shinobi, at least, had some decency.
They didn't go out of their way to care for the children, but they also didn't drive them away. Their silent approval allowed the kids to follow along.
Occasionally, a kind-hearted kunoichi might even sneak them a little food.
At the front of the caravan, Reiji carried a basket nearly as tall as himself, chatting with a boy dressed like a merchant.
"Nihonmatsu, didn't you say we'd reach Konoha by this afternoon? It's already noon, and I don't see even a shadow of the village."
"What's the rush, Reiji!"
"I'm not exaggerating—this road from the Land of Hot Water to Konoha? I, Nihonmatsu the Great, have walked it a hundred times! If I say we'll get there by afternoon, we're not arriving at night, alright?"
The Great? You're twelve, you brat. Have you even finished growing?
Reiji shot him a deadpan look and rolled his eyes.
"Wasn't it you last time who bragged about the massive statues of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in the Valley of the End? I ran over there all excited, and what did I find? Two bald heads just staring at each other!"
"Cough, cough—" Nihonmatsu stumbled, almost faceplanting.
"Damn you, Reiji! That… that's only because the war delayed things! Otherwise they'd have been finished ages ago!"
"Heh~"
Reiji snorted.
"If you try to scam me again, I'll tell Miss Yuriko you were spying on her while she bathed yesterday."
"Don't!" Nihonmatsu panicked and slapped a hand over Reiji's mouth, his boyish face flushing bright red.
At twelve or thirteen, a boy's heart is just awakening—shy and bold all at once, but above all terrified of having his secrets exposed.
Just as Nihonmatsu was about to beg for mercy, a deep, mature voice rang out from behind them.
"Nihonmatsu, you're picking on Reiji again!"
"I'm not!" Nihonmatsu shouted instinctively, whipping his head around with an indignant glare.
"Dad! It's Reiji who's picking on me!"
"I didn't see that. All I saw was you bullying Reiji."
At that moment, Reiji turned around too, a shy smile on his face.
"It's alright, Old man Katō. Nihonmatsu and I are just messing around."
Hearing this, Nihonmatsu rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.
"Damn Reiji, always playing dumb to fool the old man…"
Seeing that his youngest son was still sulking, Katō rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated, and let it go.
Looking up at the sun filtering through the trees, Katō turned to shout toward the back of the caravan.
"Alright! Take a break and eat lunch here.
Let's push through this afternoon—once we reach Konoha, I'm treating everyone to barbecue!"
Cheers erupted among the porters. They quickly shrugged off their heavy packs, sat down by the roadside, and pulled out their dry rations.
At the rear, the children who had been trudging along came to a halt, their eyes all drifting longingly to the center of their group—toward a small girl.
She looked about four or five, wearing black capri pants and a sky-blue pullover. Though her clothes were a bit large on her, they were noticeably cleaner and more intact than the others' ragged burlap.
Her chubby cheeks and plump little hands stood in stark contrast to the other children's sunken faces.
"Big Sis Rie… do you still have any food left?"
A timid voice came from a dirty-faced girl in the crowd.
The other kids nodded, their eyes fixed on the tiny backpack slung over Rie's shoulders.
Hearing this, Rie tilted her head slightly and looked back, her face scrunching into a playfully cute pout.
"I need to count."
Her clear, childish voice tugged at every child's heart.
She waddled over to the roadside, clumsily removed her pack, unfastened the buckle, and pulled out a small white pouch, muttering all the while.
"There's twenty-one of us… Yesterday morning, there were thirty-one soldier pills in the bag… we ate twenty-one yesterday…"
"Uh…" As she counted, she started using her fingers.
"One, two… uh… there should be ten—eleven left!"
She opened the pouch and began counting them one by one.
"Huh? Why is there one missing? There's only ten!"
"That's not enough!"
Rie suddenly jumped to her feet, puffing out her cheeks.
Around her, the children's hopeful eyes dimmed.
For days now, they'd been relying on this little girl. They were ashamed, yes—but hunger had left them powerless.
"I don't want any! Going hungry for a day's no big deal! Big Sis Rie, give the rest to Meiko and the others!" one boy shouted.
"Yeah, give them to the girls!"
The older boys chimed in too, saying they didn't need any. After all, they'd be reaching Konoha by the afternoon.
But whether they'd actually get food once they got there... none of them were sure.
If Konoha didn't feed them, then that one soldier pill from yesterday might've been their last real meal for days.
"Big Sis Rie, I know it's selfish of me to say this, but… please give the rest to the younger kids."
The girl called Meiko stepped forward.
It was obvious she wanted one too, but she still chose to give her share to the little ones.
Seeing everyone swallowing their hunger and offering their share to others, Rie's little face scrunched in frustration.
"I'll go ask Onii-chan!"
Her clear voice rang out, breaking the tension.
"Don't!" Meiko called out immediately.
"Big Sis Rie, don't you remember how badly you got scolded last time?"
She nervously glanced toward the front of the caravan.
The other kids echoed her.
"Don't go, Big Sis. We can handle being hungry for a day—but if you get yelled at, we'll feel even worse."
Rie looked at all the concerned faces around her and grew flustered. Her cheeks flushed pink as she rubbed the ground with her toe and said shyly,
"Onii-chan only scolded me last time because I messed up the math—not because I went to ask for soldier pills…"
Next to her, Meiko gave a helpless chuckle.
"But you messed up the math just now too!"
She clearly knew that 31 minus 21 equals 10—not 11.
"Maybe Onii-chan didn't hear me~" Rie pouted, looking like she'd been caught doing something wrong but was still being stubborn.
"Whatever, I'm going anyway!"
She shouted dramatically, slung her tiny backpack over her shoulder, and skipped toward the front of the caravan.
The merchants all smiled warmly at the sweet, angelic girl bounding past them.
If not for her and her brother, the kids in the back wouldn't have made it this far—let alone still be in one piece.
They couldn't help much, but that didn't stop them from showing her kindness.
At the roadside, a short-haired girl in a ninja outfit with a pure, gentle face waved as Rie ran by.
"Rie, off to find Reiji again?"
Rie nodded with a bright smile.
"Yep! I'm going to see my brother. You look even prettier today, Yuriko!"
"Really? Maybe it's because of that soak in the hot springs yesterday." Yuriko chuckled.
"Why didn't you come, Rie?"
At that, a flicker of panic flashed across Rie's face.
"Ah—uh, right! Onii-chan was testing me on math yesterday! So I couldn't come!"
The truth? Last night, Reiji had brought Rie along to keep watch while Nihonmatsu snuck off to spy on Yuriko bathing.
Thinking about it, Rie glanced at Yuriko with a sly glint in her eye.
Hmph! Mama was way prettier than you, and I—Rie, the Big Sis—will be just as beautiful one day! I'll charm Onii-chan just like Mama did! Hehe~
With that victorious thought, Rie dismissed her "rival," politely excused herself, and trotted off toward Reiji.
She hadn't forgotten—her little siblings were still starving!
...
Rie jogged over to where Reiji sat, leaning against a big tree with his eyes closed.
She reached out and shook his knee, leaning in close.
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan, don't pretend—you don't even need sleep!"
At her voice, Reiji opened his eyes slowly, rolled them without hesitation, and flicked her forehead firmly.
"Where's your brain? Seriously—think before you speak!" he scolded with mock frustration.
"I know!" Rie pouted, rubbing her forehead with both hands.
"Um, Onii-chan… those little pills you gave me were so yummy... I, uh, ate them all. Can I have some more?"
"Sure." Reiji nodded, expressionless. He reached into the backpack that was almost as tall as he was and pulled out a handful of soldier pills.
"But first, I've got a question for you."
Rie's eyes were locked on the pills. Hearing there was a catch, she still nodded instinctively.
"What's thirty-one minus twenty-one?"
"Uhh..." Rie froze. Looks like he'd already figured out she messed up earlier.
Seeing Reiji grinning at her, she instinctively took a step back, blinking her big eyes, trying to play it off.
But Reiji just shook his head and smiled even wider.
"Okay, okay, I'll do the math!"
Knowing her cuteness wasn't going to save her, Rie sighed like a tiny adult and began counting on her fingers.
"One, two… three…"
"I got it! It's nine! Yep, nine!"
Seeing her looking so smug, eyes darting around, Reiji nearly choked on his own blood.
"You little brat!" He jumped to his feet.
"And here I thought you were the child of a blacksmith—how the hell is thirty-one minus twenty-one nine?! Where'd the rest go?! You trying to kill me with frustration?!"
Rie stuck her neck out stubbornly. "Then it's eight!"
"That's even worse!"
"It's eleven!"
"I swear—are you trying to give me a stroke?! I'm gonna beat some sense into you for your mom! Don't you dare run!"
Chaos erupted.
...
After a while, Rie came running back, face flushed and panting, clutching a handful of soldier pills. She dove into the crowd of kids.
Reiji covered his eyes and slumped back down at the base of the tree, completely defeated.
"This girl… she's normally so sweet and well-behaved. Why is it the moment she starts learning math, everything turns into a disaster?
Is this really true? 'When you don't teach, parent and child live in harmony. Once you do… everything turns to chaos?'"
Still, as he watched Rie seriously handing out the pills to the other children, most of his irritation melted away.
He remembered how she used to cry herself to sleep, curled up in her sleeping bag every night.
Now, at least her face wasn't clouded with sadness anymore. She smiled now—laughed, even—and had made a whole group of friends her own age.
He looked up at the sky, where it felt like Rie's mother was smiling down at him.
Reiji let out a long sigh and gave a bitter smile.
"You really know how to leave me with a mess, don't you?"