[Affection detected: Yahiko +5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 31%]
Yahiko looked at Shiratori, and in his mind surfaced the scene of them once holding hands while searching for Jiraiya.
In the blink of an eye, so much time had already passed, leaving him a little dazed.
[Reminiscence detected: Yahiko +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 62.6%]
Recalling their bold ambitions back then, a smile couldn't help but appear on Yahiko's face.
He nodded firmly. "Of course I remember!"
And his dream had never changed. A peaceful and happy life had not eroded his original resolve. His dream of changing this rotten world had never wavered.
Shiratori smiled at Yahiko. "Isn't now the perfect opportunity?"
Yahiko stared blankly at him.
Yes, Jiraiya was gone. There was no need for them to remain in this dilapidated wooden hut.
Since they had chosen to change the world, then it should begin now.
Only... He felt a bit lost. What should he do?
How should he change the world?
The dream was too grand; for the moment, he couldn't find a concrete direction.
Looking at Shiratori, his intuition told him, he had a way.
"Although Ame has welcomed peace, there are still many missing-nin, defectors, and samurai hiding within it. Relying on their strength, they oppress the people of the Land of Rain. Even though the war has ended, the common folk still live in suffering..."
His voice carried a deep conviction.
"Yahiko, don't you want to save them?"
His eyes gleamed brightly. Shiratori understood him.
Yahiko was someone with a heroic spirit.
"Just like Jiraiya-sensei once did, we too can save others and pass on kindness."
Yahiko pressed his lips together tightly.
Yes, he hated Hanzō, who was responsible for starting the war.
But the villagers of Ame were innocent. They were the victims of war.
Yahiko himself had suffered its devastation. He could empathize with their pain.
Of course, he was willing to save them.
But...
Yahiko didn't answer directly.
He stared at Shiratori, pausing for a moment before asking, "What about you? Will you come with us? Or will you keep working for Hanzō?"
Anyone else could leave.
But not him.
He had once been the only one who understood his dream. If Shiratori chose to leave and continue serving Hanzō, then what meaning would his dream have?
His breathing grew rapid. He locked his eyes on him, waiting for his answer.
Shiratori subtly raised an eyebrow, looked straight into Yahiko's eyes, and said seriously, "I'll go with you."
After all, this was also part of his mission. On the path of completing his mission, he believed Yahiko would eventually change his opinion of Hanzō.
Along the way, he could both carry out his task, grow stronger through battle, and collect emotional energy from Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and the missing-nin alike.
Four birds with one stone!
Yahiko smiled. He tightly held Shiratori's hand.
He knew it!
Shiratori would never abandon their dream.
[Affection detected: Yahiko +3000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 31.3%]
"Great!"
Konan didn't care much about dreams. Changing the world or whatever else, it didn't matter to her.
She only wanted everyone to always be together. As long as they could stay together forever, no matter what they did, it would all be fine.
Her smile carried the taste of happiness.
"So, when will we set out?"
Yahiko now felt strength surging through his whole body. He felt as though he could accomplish something great.
In his mind, he had already begun to imagine scenes of driving away villains and saving people together with his friends.
Just the thought of it made his heart surge with excitement.
He wished they could leave right now.
Konan looked at Yahiko and Shiratori, smiling. "We'll follow your lead."
Nagato gave a gentle nod. He felt the same as Konan.
Shiratori turned his gaze toward the heavy rain outside the window.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning, if the rain stops, we'll depart. If it doesn't, then we'll put on raincoats."
He spoke as he looked at the three of them.
Yahiko nodded firmly.
"Alright!"
---
Night fell.
They took the thick futons from the beds and spread them across the tatami in the living room.
The four of them lay on their own futons, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the cabin, listening to the endless patter of rain against the roof.
"The rain's gotten heavier..." Nagato said softly.
Shiratori turned slightly and smiled at him. "Who knows, maybe tomorrow will be a rare clear day."
The corners of Nagato's lips curved faintly.
Konan turned her head, looking at him and Yahiko. Beyond his profile, she saw Nagato's red hair. In her heart, she made a silent wish, that every day from now on could be as beautiful as this one.
Konan closed her eyes and asked softly, "Could you tell us about the things you experienced on the battlefield..."
Yahiko's eyes widened immediately. He held his breath slightly, his heart filled with anticipation. He also wanted to hear. But he didn't want to hear anything that involved Hanzō.
He hoped Shiratori wouldn't bring him up.
That night really was the perfect night for telling stories.
Shiratori stared at the slightly moldy wood of the ceiling and slowly began to speak:
"At first, when I left the cabin, it was just to save people... Too many lives were lost in the war, and I wanted to preserve theirs."
"On the road away from the cabin, I came across a dying ninja. I saved him. His name was Chiba... He was a good person. Though he seemed cold, he had a warm heart."
"He brought me back to Ame, and there I saw many wounded ninjas."
"They lay inside a dark tower, unable even to cry out in pain. Their eyes are something I can never forget."
"And so, I chose to stay."
"..."
The story went on for a long, long time.
When he turned to look at Nagato and Konan beside him, he found their eyes closed. Believing they had fallen asleep, he fell silent, and the story came to an abrupt end.
For nearly three minutes, silence lingered.
Then Konan's voice suddenly broke it: "And afterward? What happened to Chiba?"
Shiratori: "He died."
Konan was quiet for a moment, then asked, "And Kuroi?"
"He died too."
"What about Tetsuma? The one from Ame who helped you make puppets..."
"He died as well. They all died... died on the battlefield, protecting the Land of Rain. With their lives, they halted Suna's advance and secured a peace treaty."
"Alright. It's late. We should sleep now."
At some point, the rain had stopped.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw a tear sliding from the corner of Konan's.
As if he had seen nothing at all, he quietly shut his eyes.
[Affection detected]
[Multiple sources: +5000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 15,000 points]
[Curse Growth - Love: 32.8%]
Objective complete, Shiratori drifted into a deep, peaceful dream. He paid no mind to how much trauma his story had caused the others.
Konan knew that he must have had a hard year. But she hadn't imagined it would be this hard.
Fighting while healing, healing while fighting, and enduring the sacrifices of his comrades all at once.
Yahiko's feelings were complicated.
In his heart, all the ninjas led by Hanzō were nothing more than thugs like him. But the Ame that Shiratori spoke of was nothing like what he had imagined.
The ninjas he described were loyal and compassionate, some even sacrificed their lives on the battlefield when they were only a few years older than Yahiko himself.
The wall of prejudice that Yahiko had built up in his heart now had a small crack.
So sooner or later, that wall would collapse entirely.
Nagato clenched his fists tightly under the blanket.
Ame was too weak, that's why stronger villages bullied them without restraint.
Shiratori, unaware of what they were thinking, had already sunk into his second dream.
The next day, he slowly opened his sleepy eyes.
Dim daylight seeped through the window into the wooden hut.
A chill slipped in through the gaps. The air was fresh. He took a deep breath, snuggled warmly under his blanket.
His eyes shifted, the bedding on both sides of him was already empty.
"You're awake."
Konan was kneeling by his side, a gentle smile on her face.
"Where are Yahiko and Nagato?"
He struggled to sit up from under the covers and asked, looking at her.
"They went to prepare ingredients for breakfast."
Konan smiled softly at him.
He nodded, tidied up the tatami, and then suddenly noticed some cards pinned on the wall. He froze, leaned closer, and looked carefully.
The top card had Jiraiya's name written on it.
Beneath Jiraiya's were cards with the names of Shiratori, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Even eerier, wildflowers had been placed beneath each card.
"..."
He didn't even need to think to know who was responsible for this. He slowly turned his gaze toward Konan beside him.
"We're leaving soon, so I thought we should leave a mark of our presence in this cabin."
Konan's smile was so pure it was almost frightening.
He felt conflicted. Hadn't anyone told Konan that these name cards looked way too much like memorial tablets?
This was seriously unlucky!
He covered his face with both hands.
"What's wrong?"
Konan blinked in confusion, staring at him as he suddenly covered his face.
He took a deep breath, lowered his hands, and forced a smile.
"It's nothing. I'm just... really touched."
Konan blushed slightly, pressing her lips together shyly.
Before long, Yahiko and Nagato returned.
After enjoying a hearty breakfast, the four of them donned rain cloaks and set off lightly equipped.
On the hillside, they stopped in their tracks. Turning back, they gazed at the wooden hut standing by the sea, eyes filled with deep reluctance to part.
"Let's go."
Yahiko took a deep breath, then strode forward with determination, heading in the opposite direction of the hut.
Shiratori glanced at Yahiko's back, then caught up to him and asked, "Do you know if there are any crows nearby?"
Although he already had twenty crows, it still wasn't enough.
One crow had been sent to monitor Kenjaku, another was left in Ame, so that if anything happened in the village, he'd know immediately.
Five crows patrolled the borders of the Land of Rain, and the remaining ones searched across the country for missing-nin, and wandering samurai.
The Land of Rain might be a small nation, but relying on only eleven crows was far too inefficient.
"Crows?"
Yahiko scratched his head in puzzlement.
"What do you even need crows for?"
"We can have them help us find the hidden ninjas from other villages."
"Huh?" Yahiko looked at him in shock.
"Don't tell me you can actually talk to crows?"
Shiratori nodded slightly.
"Something like that."
The Black Bird Manipulation technique was far more than just controlling crows for surveillance and scouting, but he didn't bother explaining the details to them.
"I know where there are crows," Nagato's voice cut in.
"Really?" His eyes lit up with joy.
"Then let's go quickly!"
After all, the more surveillance and bombs, the better!
Nagato nodded and started walking toward the edge of the distant forest, leading him.
He followed closely behind, with Yahiko and Konan trailing after them.
Curious, Yahiko asked, "How do you even do it? Can you talk to all animals? That's such an amazing ability!"
Shiratori shook his head.
"Only crows. Maybe it's because I once saved an injured crow on the battlefield. Ever since then, I realized I could communicate with them."
"What!"
Yahiko stared at him in wonder.
Konan, who was the quickest to accept such things, smiled and nodded. "That's very possible. Crows are intelligent creatures. They must have sensed your kindness."
Inside, he was nodding furiously.
Yes, exactly, spread the word like that.
"We're here."
Nagato stopped walking.
He looked around. Indeed, this area was perfect for crows to live in.
Crows liked to nest at the edges of forests, groves, or small wooded areas. That way, they could easily fly to nearby meadows or riverbanks to forage. Here there was not only a beach and grasslands, but also a lush forest.
Nagato pointed upward to the branches overhead.
He looked up, and sure enough, there was a crow's nest.
Following the line of tall trees, he spotted several more nests.
He rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Half an hour later, countless crows swirled around Shiratori, forming what looked like a small black tornado.
Without exception, each of them had been infused with his cursed energy.
Yahiko and Konan looked on in amazement at the scene before their eyes.
At Shiratori's command, the crows scattered in every direction, flying far and wide. He had gained forty-eight new crows in total, massively boosting his search efficiency.
"Let's head to the town up ahead first."