Prologue
Yahiko wondered why it always rained in this country. Was it natural? But then again, what was natural and what was not in this world? He could not rely on his understanding of his original and very normal world while he lived here.
Well, at least he was always clean, even if he was always wet. And because of that, he had to be careful. Getting sick would be quite a bummer and probably a life-ending event since no one would take care of him.
Since he was only seven years old, his physical condition was fragile, and even a slight cold could harm his body. Mentally, he was far older, and that was probably why he didn't find it difficult to avoid making such mistakes.
He rather enjoyed his current life free of any responsibilities and worries. As so, the month since he started living on his own in the wild was far the most enjoyable time he ever spent in his previous life. He couldn't remember the last time he just felt so free.
Just a boy living in a nice cave in the middle of nowhere. He had made it quite cozy, too—far more room than he could need. A nice fire warmed him and cooked his fish. He enjoyed the two most satisfying sounds in the world: the sound of falling rain and the crackling of logs in the fire.
With the salt and pepper he had stolen from the nearby town, he was set for life. He still had a few sets of clothing to spare. Water was not an issue, since it always rained. And if he needed to wash up, he could jump into the lake outside the cave or just shower under the rain, then dry off by the fire.
Sure, he was a war orphan with memories of his whole village being burned down to nothing but cinders. But it could have been worse. He was alive, he hadn't starved, and he was simply enjoying the peaceful environment. In his past life, he had never been so relaxed as he was now. Nor as happy.
"Woof, woof."
Wild dogs. The smell had lured them here. But Yahiko, even in the body of a child, was an adult who knew that even the most ferocious beast feared fire. So, he took out the torch he had made—a long, thick stick lit from the fire—and grabbed a bag with the remains of his dinner.
Usually, it was enough just to throw the bag at the wild dogs and let them fight each other for it. But just to be careful, he always scared them away from the cave with the makeshift torch.
By now, Yahiko suspected that the dogs had hacked the system and were just waiting for him to hand out free food. Even if they were quite loud, they no longer came close to his cave. And Yahiko was more than happy to give out the scraps.
The question was: what now?
Yahiko knew very well where he was and who he was. He probably should think about what he should do. Find Konan and Nagato? Look for Jiraiya to train him? Try to achieve peace in the world? Somehow, he didn't feel like it. Though getting superpowers did sound appealing, he just liked chilling by the fire and cooking his fish.
He didn't think he could trade his life for all day of fishing and lazing around in his little cave, which was big enough for anything he needed. It protected him from the rain and wind, and as far as he knew, that was all he needed.
Well, he'd let fate decide his future; he was too lazy to think about it. He would probably meet Konan and Nagato sooner or later, since they were all from the same area. And while he didn't feel like a life of fighting was up his alley, as he'd rather not get involved in any of that. He would probably still help them to the best of his capabilities. After all, they were just children.
The shinobi world could kill each other as long as it didn't interfere with his life. And if, by the end, he was stuck in a never-ending dream, he didn't see it as much of a problem. He still didn't know if this was a dream or not.
So, as far as plans went, tomorrow he would go fishing, and if he caught anything good and more than he could eat, he would go to the town and trade his fish for other things. If not, he would have to snatch it. It wasn't like anyone would get hurt if he stole a few things.
"BOOM!"
A flash of light illuminated the darkening skies for a second before thunder resounded through the area. Seeing that there was no way to go out tonight, it was probably best to go to sleep early. Even animals didn't roam around in a storm.
And if he woke early, there would be far more fish to catch before the market in the town closed. Time certainly passed quickly when one was enjoying it. And as he was about to store the cooked fish for breakfast, he heard footsteps outside.
For him to be able to hear them through the rain made it obvious they were close. And it wasn't an animal—animals didn't step on branches or make that much sound. It made Yahiko tense as he awaited his new guest.
Hopefully, it was just some villager. But it could be something far worse. He hadn't encountered a bandit yet, but they weren't uncommon in these parts. Even though Yahiko didn't have anything worth stealing and would give up everything the moment he was asked, who knew what some of them were capable of?
Yahiko didn't want to be beaten up, so he could only hide—where there was nowhere to hide—or try to scare them away like he did with the wild dogs. Taking a long stick with fire still burning on the tip of it, Yahiko waited.
The footsteps got louder with each moment, making Yahiko tenser with every step. He hoped it was just a traveler who had seen the light and was trying to escape the rain. Or just a villager stumbling in. He certainly didn't expect a little girl with blue hair to stick her head into the cave and look at Yahiko.
"Hello," Yahiko said without thinking and smiled, relieved that it was nothing dangerous, and the girl quickly hid herself.
Well, he didn't expect this. And frankly, he didn't know what to do. But he couldn't just leave a girl in this storm to freeze to death. So, he guessed he had made a friend.
Quickly putting down his makeshift weapon back into the fire, Yahiko looked around to see if he had some spare clothing and a blanket to offer. The girl must be completely drenched and freezing by this point.
"Quickly, come," Yahiko called out to her, but she still didn't dare to step inside the cave. "I have plenty of food to share."
Yahiko sighed. She still didn't come in, but since he hadn't heard her leave, it seemed like she was still hiding outside the cave walls. What did she expect to find? Surely, a kid her age was the best outcome, right? He wasn't that ugly and scary, was he?
Seeing that words weren't going to work, Yahiko took out a blanket and ran outside, finding the girl sitting just outside, trembling in the cold. Before she even realized what was happening, Yahiko wrapped the blanket around her and pushed her toward the fire.
"You're freezing," Yahiko said, not really knowing what else to say. "Here, change into this and let your clothes dry. Don't worry, I won't look."
Before she could even reply, Yahiko had already shoved a set of pants and a shirt into her arms and walked to the other side of the cave. He had no intention of spying on a little girl while she changed.
"Are you hungry? What am I asking? Of course, you are." Once the girl finished changing, Yahiko quickly went to check on her. "Here, have some roasted fish. And wait a minute, I'll make some tea. Though I don't have sugar, so it'll be a bit bitter. Oh yeah—let me see—I think I had some chocolate somewhere around."
"Hihihi."
Yahiko stopped fussing as he heard the girl shyly laugh. He didn't even know what had gotten over him; he just thought he had to take care of her all of a sudden. She was just so small, fragile, cold, and scared that Yahiko's heart broke looking at her like that.
"Sorry about that," Yahiko said, calming down and putting a pot on the stones by the fire to heat the water. "I'm Yahiko, by the way. What's your name?"
"Konan. And thank you."
Yahiko had suspected as much. Blue hair wasn't that common after all. Still, he didn't think he'd just meet her like this. But he guessed it was fate turning its wheel as it wished. So, he didn't think too much about it.
It wouldn't be difficult to look after her, and a pair of extra hands to help with chores would only lessen Yahiko's burden. So, he decided to take care of her. It certainly didn't look like she had anywhere else to go.
"You're probably tired," Yahiko noticed quickly, though Konan still seemed restrained and didn't want to let her guard down. "How about you eat, and I'll prepare a bed for you."
She didn't reply as she clutched a cup of bitter tea in her hands and nibbled at the roasted fish. She was scared. Only now did Yahiko notice that her shoulders trembled not from the cold, but from fear. So, it hadn't been long since she'd lost everything.
The Second Shinobi World War still raged on. Smaller towns in this country were destroyed every day. Countless people were left to die as shinobi used towns to hide or simply raided them for supplies. Even the most powerful shinobi needed to eat and liked to wear dry clothing.
There was no need for Yahiko to ask Konan where she was from, as that place likely no longer existed. He knew perfectly well what had happened to her family and everyone she once knew. So, he prepared a bed of dry blankets for her to sleep on tonight.
"Don't worry, I'll keep watch tonight," Yahiko said, trying to stand a bit taller.
Konan barely made it to the bed before she collapsed. The girl didn't even realize how physically and probably mentally exhausted she was. Yahiko made sure that she was covered in blankets and stayed warm before letting her rest.
He then picked up her old, ruined, and wet clothes and stacked them on the rack to dry. After cleaning up and disposing of as many fish bones as possible from the cave to prevent dogs and other animals from wandering in, he placed tall, thick branches at the cave's entrance to conceal and block it for the night.
Taking a seat by the wall near the cave's exit, Yahiko rested with his head leaned back, peering through the gaps in the branches. It wouldn't stop anyone, but it would alert him before anything got in. Then he could either run or poke them with his stick.
As he listened for the sound of wild dogs or anything dangerous that could lurk outside, he heard soft sniffling coming from inside the cave. Konan was crying—probably waking up from a nightmare.
Not really knowing what to do, he went over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder to show she wasn't alone. But he didn't wake her. He didn't ask if she was okay. That would've been stupid—nothing was okay.
Unlike him, she still had attachments. She still mourned the home and family she had lost. He was the strange one—the one who had already forgotten his town and family, and who was now enjoying his life out in the woods. Well, with his past-life experience, he didn't think there was anything wrong with taking it easy.
And no war would stop him. Let them kill each other. Burn their towns. He'd just find another lake and live like a hermit in nature, doing nothing but fishing.
A.N. A new story. Been a bit depressed lately for losing money to a scam, so wanted to write something more light-hearted (trust the progress).
As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.