Naruto: IHCS Ch. 130

When dawn was about to break, Aomine was still in deep sleep. At the edge of the sky, a faint streak of pale light appeared, while the streets were so quiet that not a sound could be heard.

Every household's doors were tightly shut, everyone immersed in sweet dreams.

A lone figure walked along the streets of Aomine, stepping through the morning dew.

His footsteps were silent, his body lean and strong, and on his back he carried a long blade.

"The morning air really is nice."

Shiratori stretched lazily and let out a yawn. Thinking of his destination, he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

The Land of Grass, he was coming!

He was coming to harvest emotional energy.

Aomine was built near the border of the Land of Rain, very close to the Land of Grass.

Stepping out of Aomine, a vast prairie stretched before him, the grass tall enough to reach his calves.

The green grass swayed gently in the wind, like rolling waves of a green ocean.

If he kept moving forward, he would soon arrive in the Land of Grass. But he did not move. He slowly turned around, and as expected, he saw a familiar figure.

Nagato's red hair was lifted by the wind. Ten meters away, he stood staring at Shiratori.

He had changed.

He was no longer as obedient as before.

"I want to go with you."

Nagato walked step by step to stand before him. His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.

Shiratori fixed his eyes on him, a little caught off guard.

"The battlefield is dangerous..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"I know."

Nagato nodded. He had already prepared himself to accept everything. He wouldn't be Shiratori's burden. He just wanted to help him, and he wanted to become as strong as him.

That strength wasn't only physical, but mental as well.

"As for Yahiko and Konan..."

His words were cut off again.

"I believe Yahiko will take care of Konan. I believe they will take care of Aomine too. Isn't that both your dream and his dream?"

This was the first time he had seen Nagato speak so much in one breath.

Shiratori sighed helplessly, his gaze falling on Nagato.

Letting Nagato tag along wasn't without its benefits.

At the very least, he could copy Nagato's Rinnegan abilities. And while he was at it, he could also absorb Nagato's emotional energy.

Nagato looked at him stubbornly.

"I'm not leaving."

His declaration was resolute.

As early as yesterday, he had already made up his mind to follow him.

He wasn't like Yahiko or Konan.

He didn't feel the same deep attachment to Aomine as they did.

He didn't want to stay there forever.

He wanted to be with Shiratori.

He knew that as long as he followed him, he would eventually find the direction of his heart, and he would grow stronger.

That was something he could never obtain just by staying with Yahiko and Konan.

"You've already caught up, what else can I do?"

Shiratori slung an arm around Nagato's neck and began walking forward with him.

"Did you leave a letter for Yahiko and Konan?" he asked, glancing sideways at him.

Nagato nodded.

"Then we'd better hurry! If they wake up and chase after us, it'll be trouble!"

Shiratori quickened his pace.

Nagato nodded seriously.

The two of them sped up, and by the time the sun rose high overhead, they had entered the Land of Grass.

Looking around, Shiratori saw that the grasslands along the border were completely deserted, not a single person in sight.

[Rage detected]
[Yahiko: + 3000]
[Konan: + 3000]
[Total accumulated: 6000 points]
[Energy transferred to Jogo]
[Development progress: 56.35%]

Shiratori paused slightly in his steps.

So Yahiko and Konan had already discovered that both he and Nagato were gone. But he quickly shoved thoughts of Yahiko and Konan aside and led Nagato deeper into the Land of Grass.

---

Finally, under the blazing afternoon sun, a small cluster of buildings appeared in front of them.

"Let's go take a look." He said to Nagato.

Nagato nodded.

Though called a cluster, it was only about ten small houses.

Crows flapped their wings as they swept across the sky. Shiratori frowned.

"There's no one here, not a single person."

Since there were no people, it also meant there was no danger. He opened the nearest door. The wooden door creaked with age, dust tumbling down in clouds. Shiratori quickly stepped back, waving his hand against the dust.

Every corner of the room was covered in a thick layer of dust, abandoned to spiders.

They checked a few more houses, and they were all the same.

"Maybe they fled the Land of Grass to escape disaster."

A crow swooped down from above and landed on his shoulder.

He reached out and stroked the bird's smooth feathers.

"Take us to a town where people still live."

The crow pecked at his palm, then took flight again, soaring toward the distance.

He looked at Nagato. "Let's keep moving."

Though they had been traveling for most of the day, both he and Nagato were ninjas.

For a ninja, even two days and nights of non-stop travel wasn't an issue.

Following the crow high above, they pressed forward.

---

In the distance, a figure appeared on the road they had no choice but to take. The scent of blood drifted from their bodies.

Suddenly, one figure at the rear staggered, almost falling to the ground. He quickly dropped to one knee, supporting himself.

"Fugaku!"

The leading ninja, with golden hair, immediately stopped, turned back, and crouched beside Fugaku.

Fugaku's face was pale. The bandages around his waist were soaked through with fresh blood. His breathing grew rapid, veins bulging on the back of his hand as the pain tormented him, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"I'm fine, Minato."

Gritting his teeth, he shook his head at Minato, who was holding his arm.

Minato's eyes were heavy with worry. Looking at the wound at Fugaku's waist, how could he possibly be fine? He knew exactly how deep that gash was.

If not for his own failed jutsu, Fugaku would not have been so gravely injured trying to save him.

"Stop forcing yourself! Like this, even if you don't die at the hands of Iwa ninjas, you'll bleed out on the road!"

Beside them, Nanami crossed her arms and glared at Fugaku, speaking bluntly.

Her words were sharp, seemingly lacking compassion, but both Fugaku and Minato understood her nature.

"You two stay here! I'll go handle the objective!" Nanami declared firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

Minato gave a bitter smile, he was never good at dealing with overly forceful women.

Fugaku, however, rejected her coldly, "No. This is our mission. We can't hand it over to you alone."

"Hey! Do you realize what time it is right now?" Nanami frowned, her voice commanding. "Can you even move? To save time, I must go and finish the mission first!"

"Even if I can't move, I must move."

With Minato's support, Fugaku slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

His gaze slid past Nanami, landing on Minato. He spoke calmly, "We have no choice anymore. The Iwa pursuit squad is right behind us. None of us can stop here."

Nanami's eyes fell on the deepening red of Fugaku's bandages. Her expression tightened.

"If I go, at least you two can hide somewhere. In your state, forget fighting Iwa ninjas, by the time you reach the target, you'll have already passed out."

"Enough stalling. They're getting closer."

Nanami closed her eyes for a moment, then snapped them open, her face grave.

Without another word to Fugaku, she spun and sprinted forward.

Moments later, Fugaku and Minato followed.

Seeing them, Nanami bit her lip.

Why? Why, when the mission could be completed with her sacrifice alone, did they insist on risking all three lives?

Minato's gaze lingered on Fugaku's pallid face, guilt flashing in his eyes.

If only he could fully master the Flying Thunder God... Then he wouldn't have dragged his teammates into this.

"Wait!"

Nanami's expression suddenly shifted.

Minato immediately looked at her. "What is it?"

As a sensory ninja, a change in her face meant danger ahead.

Could it be Iwa ninjas? But how could they have caught up so fast? Unless this was a trap laid specifically for them.

But Iwa had no reason to go to such lengths just for their squad.

"There are two people up ahead!" Nanami's face turned pale.

"Iwa ninjas?" Fugaku's black eyes flashed with killing intent.

"No..." Nanami frowned deeply, confusion flickering in her gaze.

"They don't seem like Iwa ninjas... one of them doesn't even have chakra..."

Her words made Minato's face tense.

"Civilians?" He glanced back over his shoulder.

They wouldn't harm civilians, but they couldn't guarantee Iwa ninjas wouldn't. Especially any civilians unlucky enough to be here.

---

"Those two ahead... they're ninjas."

Nagato stopped walking, his Rinnegan fixed on the distance.

"I know."

Beside him, Shiratori nodded.

Even he hadn't expected to run into Minato's squad so coincidentally during a mission.

Above, a crow soared across the vast sky, its pitch-black eyes locked onto the ninjas below.

"Should we avoid them?" Nagato asked him.

"They're Konoha ninjas," Shiratori answered.

Nagato's pupils contracted, his Rinnegan piercing through space to rest on the Konoha ninjas approaching.

He disliked Konoha ninjas, but Jiraiya was an exception. Jiraiya was different from the rest.

---

"Should we save them?" Nanami lowered her gaze, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

Minato pressed his lips together.

"No."mFugaku's cold voice cut through, leaving no room for debate. "We can't even protect ourselves. We can't save them."

Facing the looks Nanami and Minato gave him, Fugaku's pale lips pressed into a hard line. His tone was calm.

"Besides, it's best they don't get entangled with us. That way, they might still live. If they're linked to us, they'll surely die."

Heclenched his abdomen with one hand, his breathing faltering slightly.

"Fugaku," Minato began to speak, but Fugaku immediately cut him off: "Don't mind me! Keep moving! The mission comes first!"

Minato clenched his teeth, nails digging deep into his palm. He had to master the Flying Thunder God. He had to protect his comrades.

Ahead, two dark silhouettes grew clearer. They were just boys, their faces still tender with youth.

In Konoha, they would have been little more than fresh graduates from the academy, still wet behind the ears.

Nanami and Minato's expressions shifted instantly.

Even Fugaku's eyes softened.

No one could simply stand by and watch two innocent boys die in a ninja war.

Even blood-stained ninjas could not accept that two children would be slaughtered so cruelly at such a young age.

Minato closed his eyes briefly. When they opened again, determination burned in them. He quickened his pace, rushing toward the boys.

"We're saving them."