A timid voice broke the silence.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes as he turned toward the girl standing at the cave entrance.
Drenched from the downpour, she looked about five or six years old, her blue hair plastered to her cheeks. Even in her fragile state, there was something distinct about her. Hayashi recognized her instantly — Konan.
Her expression was timid, completely unlike the calm, cold woman she would become one day.
Their eyes met briefly before she looked down again.
"Um… Ninja-sama, could you please share some food with us?" she asked softly, her tone trembling with hesitation.
Mikoto, who had been tending the fire, glanced up in surprise. They were near the frontlines of the battlefield — encountering children here was rare, almost impossible.
Nawaki looked toward Hayashi. Without a word, his eyes conveyed the unspoken message.
They were still being hunted by Iwa shinobi. If their location was exposed, they'd be dead before they could even react.
The logical choice would've been to eliminate the children. Pity was something a shinobi couldn't afford — not here, not now.
But before Nawaki could move, Hayashi reached out, placing a hand on his wrist to stop him.
"They're just wandering orphans," Hayashi said quietly. "It's fine."
Nawaki hesitated, then sighed and sat back down, though his expression remained uneasy.
Hayashi hadn't stopped him out of mercy, nor because he wanted to "change fate." Too much had already shifted since his arrival in this world.
The truth was simpler — those children were far too dangerous to provoke.
He could already sense two others nearby: Yahiko and Nagato. They were hiding in a cave close by, waiting for Konan's signal.
And killing Nagato… wasn't an option.
Not out of guilt — but because Nagato was Madara's pawn.
If anything happened to Madara's "chosen one," the Uchiha legend himself would no doubt appear to deal with them personally. Hayashi could almost feel those eyes watching from the shadows.
Taking action here would be suicide.
Besides, Nagato's Rinnegan wasn't something that could be underestimated. Even if they somehow managed to defeat him, the aftermath would be disastrous.
Hanzō of the Salamander was proof enough of that.
A shinobi who didn't know when to back down wasn't brave — he was just foolish.
So Hayashi made his decision.
He looked back at Konan. "We just finished cooking. You can eat with us."
"Huh?" Nawaki blinked, surprised. "Since when are you this soft-hearted, Hayashi?"
Could it be that he… liked the little girl? She was just a child!
Konan flinched at first, but then managed a small, relieved smile. She turned toward the cave entrance and waved. "Yahiko, Nagato — come here."
A few moments later, an orange-haired boy stepped inside, followed by a red-haired boy with long bangs covering half his face. A small yellow dog peeked from behind them, wagging its tail eagerly.
"Um, I'm Yahiko," the orange-haired boy said, stepping forward with surprising confidence.
"I'm Konan," she added softly, bowing politely.
The red-haired boy stayed silent until Yahiko nudged him. "Ah, right — this is Nagato. Don't mind him, he just doesn't talk much around strangers."
Hayashi nodded. "I'm Hayashi. This is Mikoto, and that idiot is Nawaki."
"Oi!" Nawaki grumbled, but the mood had already lightened.
Hayashi gestured toward the fire. "Sit. Eat while it's still warm."
The three children bowed politely before sitting at the edge of the small table. The old wooden benches creaked beneath their small bodies.
"Wow, it smells amazing!" Yahiko exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. "I haven't seen food this good in forever!"
Hayashi's tone shifted — calm, but sharp. "How did you find us?"
Yahiko froze, then quickly stood and bowed. "I'm sorry! We were actually… looking for you."
Nawaki frowned. "What?"
"A week ago, in town, we saw you—" Yahiko pointed at Nawaki, "—stealing food."
Nawaki's face turned red instantly.
"We recognized you as shinobi and wanted to find you. So we searched every cave nearby until we finally found this one," Yahiko explained earnestly.
Nawaki buried his face in his hands while Hayashi sighed. "So it's your fault again, Nawaki."
Konan quickly bowed. "We're really sorry, Ninja-sama!"
Hayashi was silent for a while. These kids hadn't even met Nawaki in this altered timeline. It was sheer coincidence — or maybe something more.
Was Madara secretly manipulating events?
Was this meeting inevitable no matter what choices he made?
Either way, one thing was clear — Hayashi had already entered Madara's sightline.
And no one who caught that man's attention ever escaped unscathed.
Finally, Hayashi spoke, his voice calm but firm. "It's fine. Eat."
Thunder rumbled faintly outside as the rain continued to fall.
The children devoured the food like they hadn't eaten in days. Yahiko's eyes sparkled with joy, Nagato ate silently but with focus, and the little dog wagged its tail so hard it almost knocked over a bowl.
Konan tried to keep them in line, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Another bowl!" Yahiko shouted.
"Me too!" Nagato added softly.
"Woof! Woof!"
Nawaki couldn't help but laugh. "At least they've got good manners after eating."
When they finally finished, Yahiko leaned back, rubbing his stomach. "Ahh, that was amazing. Konan, you should really learn to cook like Mikoto-san!"
Konan elbowed him quickly, whispering for him to be quiet as Hayashi stood and walked toward the cave's mouth.
Outside, the rain had softened to a drizzle. The world was quiet again.
Hayashi stood there, staring into the gray sky, his thoughts heavy.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Um…" a small voice called.
He turned slightly to see Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato standing together, their eyes filled with determination.
"Please… teach us ninjutsu!" Yahiko said, bowing deeply.
Thunder rolled once more above the Land of Rain, echoing through the mist.
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