A steady drizzle fell from the sky into the forest, the dark clouds stretching endlessly toward the horizon. The autumn rain had begun so quietly that it was impossible to tell when it would finally stop.
"So cold."
The leaves, washed over again and again by the rain, glimmered with a vivid, almost dazzling green. The raindrops that slipped through layer upon layer of foliage were especially icy.
And one of them landed squarely on the back of the boy's neck.
The sudden chill against his skin made him reflexively bend his elbow and wipe the droplet away. Deep within this rarely traveled forest, he was crouching silently beneath a massive tree… much like the weather itself, he bore a name connected to rain. More precisely, his name was Yuusuke Ame.
Drizzle, forest, humans—none of these things were unusual or worth remarking on. And yet, in this place, there were still things that should have been shocking.
"What a horribly gruesome way to die."
Aside from the sound of rain, only Yuusuke's quiet murmur existed within the forest.
The fine yet chaotic rainfall, the solitary whisper of a human voice—these sounds were nothing more than faint embellishments within an environment of absolute stillness. This silence had nothing to do with the rain itself. Not long ago, an unimaginable roar had erupted in this area, terrifying every living creature nearby into fleeing.
The more violent the commotion before, the deeper the silence that followed; the two were undeniable proof of one another. This was a battlefield where the fighting had already ended—explaining why a corpse, mangled beyond recognition, lay before Yuusuke.
The rain worked tirelessly to wash away the bloodstains scattered across the ground, yet it could not erase everything in such a short time.
Yuusuke felt no fear toward the corpse. Not because he was especially brave, but simply because he was accustomed to scenes like this. The world was at war, and death was no longer rare.
Had the person been alive, Yuusuke would never have approached someone whose face practically screamed danger. But the dead were different. The dead posed no threat at all.
There were three bodies in the area. Judging by their clothing, they belonged to two opposing factions. The battle had been a two-against-one confrontation. What exactly had happened was unclear, but the outcome was obvious: both sides had perished together.
The three corpses lay scattered in different directions, each roughly ten meters apart.
Yuusuke searched them briefly, hoping to salvage anything valuable or usable. To a large extent, this was how he had survived on his own. From the first two bodies, he recovered a gourd-shaped container and a broad-bladed sword that looked poorly suited for use.
He slung the gourd across his back, gripped the sword with both hands, and slowly made his way toward the third corpse. The weight of the items made his movements sluggish.
Fortunately, the distance was short, and he soon reached it.
At the very least, in terms of appearance, this one had died in better condition than the others. Though half of his face was a bloody mess and the other half was smeared with mud, his body still retained a human shape—no one would mistake him for unrecognizable pulp or minced flesh.
To Yuusuke, the difference was simple: this man's belongings would be easier to retrieve. It was far simpler to take items from a body than to fish them out of blood-soaked muck.
Just as Yuusuke bent down and reached toward him—
The eyes on that bloodless face suddenly opened.
Calm as a deep pool, resolute and brimming with killing intent. In that single instant, those eyes alone were enough to reveal exactly what kind of person their owner was.
The intense emotion in that gaze froze Yuusuke on the spot. When he snapped back to his senses, he knew immediately that things had gone terribly wrong.
As he had already realized—this was exactly the kind of person he should never have approached.
An indescribable sense of danger crashed over him. In the split second before disaster struck, Yuusuke barely managed to raise his other arm, holding the broad-bladed sword horizontally in front of him like a shield.
He didn't even have time to feel relief.
The next instant, a razor-sharp arrow formed from flowing water shot toward him at a speed that left no room for reaction.
The "shield" proved utterly useless.
The water arrow shattered it effortlessly, then pierced straight through Yuusuke's body before smashing into the gourd on his back like a hammer blow.
Agonizing pain beyond endurance, the cutting force of the water, shards from the shattered weapon—everything collided with Yuusuke's flesh and blood in an instant.
For a fleeting moment, a subtle change passed through the calm eyes of the "dead man."
But Yuusuke never noticed.
The impact robbed him of consciousness immediately.
When Yuusuke awoke in a haze, he barely opened his eyes, finding nothing but darkness above him. He turned his head slightly, allowing light to enter his vision at last.
He was lying inside a massive tree hollow.
Outside, the drizzle continued.
A pulsing pain radiated from his shoulder and upper body, hammering at his mind again and again, making it painfully clear that none of what he had experienced was a dream.
Using the light filtering in, Yuusuke checked his injuries. He ignored the numerous small cuts scattered across his body. What truly stood out was his left shoulder—it had been pierced cleanly and neatly straight through.
Thankfully, it was only his shoulder. Had the attack been even slightly off, the wound would have been in his neck.
Seen that way, the injury was… acceptable.
Someone had already treated the wound. Otherwise, he would have bled to death without ever waking.
"I… I shouldn't have been unconscious for very long, right?" Yuusuke asked, forcing his tone to remain calm.
Of course, he wasn't alone in the tree hollow.
The man who had "died" earlier sat in the corner opposite him, facing the entrance. His brown armor was soaked dark with blood, and wounds of varying severity covered his body.
He was the one who had injured Yuusuke.
And also the one who had saved him.
"Yeah. Only a few hours," the man replied.
Even as he spoke, he looked nearly dead. His voice was low and hoarse, his breathing faint to the point of being almost imperceptible, easily drowned out by the rain outside.
"That's good…" Yuusuke said.
The man before him radiated danger from head to toe, but at least he was capable of conversation. Still… Yuusuke had no idea what he was supposed to say to someone like this.
Everything that had happened was an undeserved disaster for Yuusuke, yet he could understand the other man's actions. Having just finished a battle and teetering on the edge of death, anyone would attack without hesitation if someone suddenly approached them.
If anything, Yuusuke could only blame himself for being careless.
"Regardless… thank you for treating my injuries," he said, clutching his shoulder as he struggled to sit up. Even such a simple movement sent sharp pain tearing through the wound, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He expressed his gratitude because the man could easily have ignored him.
The other man didn't respond.
After a moment, Yuusuke couldn't help but ask, "Don't you need to tend to your own injuries?"
Compared to Yuusuke's wound, the man's injuries were far more severe. The fact that he was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
This time, the man spoke again, briefly and clearly.
"No need."
He shifted slightly, exposing a gaping wound beneath his ribs—not just flesh, but damaged internal organs, completely ruined.
Yes, his survival was a miracle. But miracles never lasted forever.
Knowing he was doomed, he saw no reason for treatment.
"If you hadn't disturbed me," he added, "I think I would already be dead."
He shook his head weakly. There was no need to say more about himself.
"But you—why would someone your age be in a place like this?"
This was deep forest without human presence. Even if people passed through occasionally, it shouldn't be a child like Yuusuke.
"To… survive," Yuusuke replied. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Yuusuke Ame. I'm a vagrant."
In times like these, a homeless child appearing anywhere—or disappearing anywhere—was nothing unusual. Everything was for the sake of survival.
After speaking, Yuusuke looked at him. The man quickly understood the meaning behind his gaze.
"Me? Is it my turn?"
He had no need to introduce himself. His identity was important enough, and this was enemy territory. He shouldn't have said anything at all.
And yet, in the end, he forced a faint smile, his gaze drifting into the depths of the rain.
"My name is Senju Tobirama.
"I'm a ninja."