Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Konan and Yahiko

In the light drizzle, the orange-haired boy, bruised from stealing, cursed bitterly. The merchant’s pity had long since disappeared in the face of war. After all, they were also stuck in the mire of war, and no one knew what tomorrow would bring.

“Damn! You said we’d cooperate, but you just ran off with the goods. Thankfully, I kept an eye on things.”

The orange-haired boy, struggling to rise from the mud, cursed while rubbing his aching face and body. He had a piece of bread, squashed and covered in dirt, hidden in his arms.

He quickly tore into the bread, swallowing it in large bites, eyes darting around warily. When he saw his fleeing companions, there wasn’t the slightest sign of betrayal in his gaze.

"Tch, there's no one more familiar with this place than me. People like you aren’t worthy of being my comrades."

Clearly, the orange-haired boy’s earlier actions were an attempt to test the trustworthiness of his new companions. He hadn’t expected that, with just a few pieces of bread, he would be able to judge their hearts.

"To survive, I need at least one or two reliable companions... but not too strong."

As he devoured the bread, the orange-haired boy hid in a corner, licking his wounds while carefully surveying his surroundings. When he spotted a frail girl with light blue-purple hair rummaging through a trash can, he froze for a moment.

It was as if some unseen force had guided him to this moment.

In the dim, rainy corner, after the stronger war refugees and orphans had moved on, the little girl carefully resumed searching through the garbage for her chance at survival.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed. The girl instinctively shrank back, curling up beside the trash can, her weak voice trembling:

“I… I just found some bread paper, I… I can… give… give it to you…”

Her pitiful voice echoed, and even a trash can in this war-torn world became a battleground for the weak to fight the strong.

The girl, clearly from a vulnerable group, could only wait for others to finish before she could get her turn.

With her head lowered, the girl stretched out her malnourished, scarred arm and tremblingly offered the crumpled bread paper, still littered with crumbs. She hesitated as she looked down, unable to mask her reluctance. Her throat tightened.

The towering figure above her cast a shadow, and when she looked up, she saw a piece of clean bread, sweet-smelling and fresh, in front of her.

"Maybe you need this to survive."

The calm voice echoed in the dark corner, and the girl’s amber eyes widened in disbelief as she gazed at the piece of bread.

A ninja boy, draped in noble white clothes, stood above her, exuding an aura of prestige and arrogance. Yet, in his hand was a simple piece of bread, shining like an angel's light amidst the drizzle.

"Is... Is this for me!?"

The girl’s hoarse voice trembled as her eyes darted with a mix of disbelief and longing. The sweet scent made her mouth water, and she couldn’t help but swallow.

Looking at the war orphan in front of him, Uchiha Yosuke calmly nodded. The girl, still trembling, eagerly grabbed the bread and immediately began devouring it.

Her hands were still dirty from rummaging through the trash, but in this moment, survival was all that mattered.

"Th… Thank you, Lord Ninja. My name is Konan."

After greedily swallowing a few more bites of the bread, Konan, her sensitive nature kicking in, noticed the ninja headband and tools at Uchiha Yosuke’s waist. Her tone grew nervous.

Upon hearing her name, Uchiha Yosuke’s eyes flashed with a glint of recognition, but he nodded lightly without giving anything away.

“If you don’t want to starve, come with me.”

Without hesitation, Uchiha Yosuke turned to leave. Konan hesitated for a moment but then, seeing the bread in her hands, clenched her teeth and hurried to follow him.

At this moment, survival was the only hope they had. As they exited the corner, the orange-haired orphan who had been observing from a distance saw them leave. He silently watched the scene unfold.

However, as they walked away, Uchiha Yosuke’s gaze caught the figure in the corner, and his eyes seemed to resolve something in that instant.

“If you want to survive, come along too.”

The orange-haired boy, Yahiko, heard Uchiha Yosuke’s voice echoing in his ears. He froze for a moment, then quickly sprang up and ran after them, nervously speaking:

“Lord Ninja, my name is Yahiko. Whatever you need, just command me. I know this town and the surrounding area well.”

Behind him, two young children nervously followed. They didn’t know what awaited them, but in a world torn by war, they had no choice but to follow.

...

A moment later, Yahiko and Konan, two war orphans, stood in front of a warm, brightly lit house, their expressions a mixture of shock and melancholic nostalgia.

This kind of bright house was something they had only seen when they still had homes. The feeling and the memories slowly resurfaced in their hearts.

"Two bowls of porridge and some bread. After you’re done eating, we’ll check your bodies. If you have chakra training potential, you can stay. If not, we’ll give you a chance to work. The mine still needs workers—you can cook, carry things… It might be exhausting, but you’ll survive."

The calm voice echoed as Uchiha Yosuke nodded to Mikoto, signaling her to make the arrangements.

Yahiko and Konan, who had been nervously listening, nodded anxiously. “Th… Thank you, Lord Ninja.”

They had considered many possibilities, but they never imagined they would get a chance to survive.

Mikoto, the gentle and strikingly beautiful older sister, smiled at them and said, “Come with me, both of you.”

The two children hurriedly nodded. No one could resist the smile of a kind older sister after enduring hunger and cold.

A warmth rose in their hearts as they followed Mikoto like mechanical automatons.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yosuke was back in his office, staring out the window at the quiet, ordinary town. His expression grew distant.

“So it’s here...”

His mind quickly pieced together numerous clues, connecting them with the information he had gathered.

“In the original story, the battle between the Three Ninjas and Hanzo took place in an area with many hills. Aside from the ninjas on both sides, another important clue was that the battle was close to where Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were located.”

As his mind raced, Uchiha Yosuke unknowingly adopted Tsunade’s habit of squinting his eyes and rhythmically tapping his fingers on the table.

“The clues from the original story... Konan and the others were clearly hiding in a cave outside the town. They had to come to the town every day to steal food to survive. So their hideout and the town can’t be too far from each other.”

As he recalled the information, Uchiha Yosuke nodded to himself.

“Putting everything together, the battle between the Three Ninjas and Hanzo will take place just outside the town. The terrain here is part of Konoha’s war zone... this place is dangerous!”

His expression grew even more serious. He didn’t know the exact details of the battle, but he was certain it would be a decisive one.

“Right now, this is the first crisis, but there’s also a second crisis!”

At that moment, the words “Rinnegan” flashed in Uchiha Yosuke’s mind, along with the image of the Uchiha clan’s ancestor, the ancient sage of the Uchiha family.

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**End of Chapter**