An eagle landed by the sea. A tall figure stepped forward, took out the message tube from the eagle's leg, and extracted the note from it.
After standing by the sea for a moment, the figure lit the note on fire. The eagle flew high into the sky again.
"Jiraiya-sensei."
From the distant wooden house, a familiar voice called out.
Yahiko stood at the doorway, shouting towards Jiraiya in the distance, "Dinner's ready!"
At this moment, Jiraiya, who had been standing by the sea, finally came back to his senses. He walked towards Yahiko, a smile returning to his face.
"Jiraiya-sensei, why were you standing by the sea in a daze just now?" Watching Jiraiya change his shoes, Yahiko asked curiously.
Jiraiya paused. "It's nothing."
He ruffled Yahiko's hair and sat down at the dining table. Yahiko sat down next to Konan.
Jiraiya looked at the three children before him, his heart heavy.
"Jiraiya-sensei, is it news about Haruki?"
The silence at the dinner table was suddenly broken.
Jiraiya looked at Nagato, who had spoken, in surprise. Compared to Yahiko and Konan, Nagato was introverted and didn't speak much. He hadn't expected Nagato to guess so accurately.
"Mm." Jiraiya still nodded.
He thought that the four children had a deep bond, and he shouldn't hide it from them. Even if they argued, they always cared for each other in their hearts.
"Jiraiya-sensei, when we went to town to buy things today, we heard the villagers mention Haruki. They said Haruki is a hero who defeated Sunagakure. Is that true?"
Konan seemed to finally give in, her hands on the table, her upper body leaning slightly forward, speaking very quickly.
She stared intently at Jiraiya, eager to get more accurate news from him.
"Tch."
Yahiko turned his head away, looking as if he didn't want to hear Haruki's name at all, but Jiraiya noticed that his ears were perked up.
Jiraiya smiled helplessly and nodded. "It's true."
"Haruki defeated the Sunagakure forces at the Land of Wind border."
Jiraiya thought of the intelligence Tsunade had just sent, which stated that Haruki had summoned six monsters.
Could Haruki now summon six curses?
"How amazing!" Konan said involuntarily, her eyes sparkled.
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing this, Yahiko snorted coldly, "If it weren't for Hanzo, the Land of Rain wouldn't have gone to war with the Land of Wind at all. He kept saying he wanted to stop the battlefield, but he still joined it."
Yahiko's face was filled with indignation.
Jiraiya's gaze lingered on Yahiko's face. He certainly wouldn't blame Yahiko, as he was still young and found it difficult to see the situation clearly.
When he grows up, he will gradually understand everything Hanzo has done.
If he was in Hanzo's place, Jiraiya would have made the same choice as Hanzo.
"Is Haruki injured?" Nagato looked up, his gaze passing through his red hair and falling on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was startled, and his gaze towards Nagato softened. Nagato was a gentle child, his focus was often different from others. This made him even more precious.
"No news, but he should be fine." Jiraiya comforted Nagato.
No news was the best news because, on the battlefield, only death notices were confirmed.
Konan glanced at Yahiko, lowered her head, and whispered, "I miss Haruki."
Nagato pursed his lips and said nothing.
Seeing Nagato and Konan's reactions, Yahiko stood up angrily and said, "He betrayed us, he abandoned us. You think of him, but he might not think of us."
With that, Yahiko rushed out of the wooden house.
"Yahiko!"
Konan was about to stand up, but Jiraiya shook his head at her.
"Let him be alone for a while." Jiraiya advised.
Their long time together had allowed him to understand the personalities of these three children.
Yahiko had a difficult personality. Even if he missed Haruki, he wouldn't admit it.
Yahiko stood by the sea, gazing at the endless ocean. He lowered his head, his eyes red.
He wasn't wrong. It was Haruki who abandoned them and chose Hanzo, who was wrong. They were clearly friends, yet Haruki so resolutely chose Hanzo.
For such a long time, Haruki hadn't come back to see them. They didn't even know if he was alive or dead.
[Ding!]
[System has detected Yahiko's Pain value +5000]
[Your cursed spirit Kenjaku's rank has increased to 45%]
Haruki opened his eyes on the sickbed. The white tent ceiling came into his view.
His gaze shifted to the side, and the figures of Souta and Ruka appeared in his sight. He quickly recognized where he was.
Inside the medical tent in the Amegakure ninja camp.
After having a good sleep, Haruki felt refreshed.
After fighting for two days and two nights straight, even with his excellent stamina, he couldn't endure it. After being carried back, he naturally slept until now.
He lifted the covers and found that he had already changed into a new, clean set of clothes. His gaze once again turned towards Souta and Ruka, thinking that those two had taken advantage.
"Haruki!"
"You're awake!"
As Souta turned around, he saw Haruki sitting up on the sickbed. His gaze immediately softened, and he strode towards Haruki.
"Is there anywhere you're uncomfortable? Is your head dizzy?" Souta immediately asked.
Haruki shook his head. "I'm fine."
Souta looked at Haruki with concern.
"Where's sensei?" Haruki asked.
Souta replied, "Hanzo-sama is in the main camp tent..."
Before Souta could finish speaking, Haruki immediately ran out from beside him.
"Haruki..." Souta called out worriedly.
Haruki ran towards Hanzo's tent.
"Sensei!" He burst into the tent in a panic.
Inside the tent were the two hundred ninjas remaining in the current Amegakure ninja camp. Their gazes all turned towards Haruki.
"Haruki, have you rested well? How is your body?" Yushi, who was beside Hanzo, asked in a timely manner.
Haruki shook his head. "I'm fine."
Hanzo waved to Haruki, and Haruki walked to Hanzo's side.
"Sensei, are we still going to fight?" Haruki looked at Hanzo blankly.
Hanzo's heart suddenly ached. He looked down at Haruki. Although not much time had passed, it felt as if Haruki had grown up a lot.