The Land of Hot Water.
This is a nation where "country and village are one," unlike the Five Great Nations, similar to the former Land of Whirlpools and Uzushiogakure.
Blessed with rich natural scenery and tourism resources, and with a strong cultural devotion to pacifism from top to bottom, it is one of the rare neutral countries in the ninja world.
During both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, it was fortunate enough to remain untouched. As a result, the military strength of Yugakure gradually diminished over time, earning it the nickname: "The Village That Forgot War."
It was precisely because of this that Hidan, feeling frustration and disgust toward such a peaceful village, slaughtered those around him, became a rogue ninja, and joined the Jashin cult.
Of course, the Land of Hot Water is still peaceful for now.
But that peace has been shattered at the border.
First came a brief earthquake, then violent explosions, and finally the aftershocks of battle, heard across dozens of kilometers.
No one dared approach.
So they reported it to the ninjas of Yugakure. But Yugakure had already been warned by Kumogakure not to approach that area, so they could only report it to the Land of Lightning instead.
Rustle, rustle.
In the darkness, a four-person squad moved swiftly through the forest. The cold wind sliced past their ears, and the rustling leaves masked their footsteps.
Leading them was a tall, well-proportioned female ninja with shoulder-length pale blonde hair and fair skin.
Samui, one of Killer B's swordsmanship disciples. Known for her calm personality and leadership ability, she had been promoted to jōnin by the Fourth Raikage.
But at this moment, her expression was unusually serious, lacking her usual cold detachment.
After receiving the report, the Fourth Raikage had immediately dispatched her team to investigate the situation at the Land of Hot Water's border.
Initially, he had only received a message from the border guards stating that they detected unusual disturbances to the southwest and were heading to investigate.
At the time, he didn't think much of it and simply used a communication summon to contact them for details.
No reply ever came.
Only after receiving Yugakure's report did the Raikage realize something was wrong and sent Samui immediately.
"Sis, that should be the agreed exchange point with Konoha up ahead, right?"
A man behind her, with the kanji "熱" (heat) tattooed on his shoulder, frowned. "This is probably another trick from those Konoha bastards. If it really is them, "
"Atsui, calm down."
Samui interrupted calmly.
"Even if it is Konoha, we don't need to act rashly. We just need to gather intel and return safely to Kumogakure. The Raikage-sama will decide what to do."
The siblings were just like their names, one cold, one hot.
The older sister, a rational and composed jōnin; the younger brother, an impulsive and passionate chūnin.
Rustle.
The team finally broke through the dense forest.
Samui, at the front, suddenly stopped. The others halted instinctively.
"Sis, why did you stop?" Atsui asked.
"…We're here," Samui said, her voice oddly low.
Atsui froze, then looked ahead.
All he saw was flat land.
He instinctively looked around for landmarks.
"Stop looking," Samui exhaled, pointing ahead. "That's where our intel outpost was, the agreed meeting place with Konoha."
The three followed her finger, and saw a vast, sunken darkness.
Their eyes swept across the surroundings. A horrifying realization dawned on them.
"This… is the port?"
In their memory, this port, jointly built by the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Lightning, had been a place of lush greenery and flowing rivers.
Fishing boats would line the waters, the trees tinting the river green, reflecting the deep blue sky above.
But now… Silence. Flatness.
Nothing but a barren wasteland.
Ignoring the stunned trio, Samui crouched and touched the ground.
Feeling the distinct spiral gouge marks, a chill crept into her heart.
So it wasn't that the port had vanished overnight.
It was that everything on the surface had been stripped away, like a pencil drawing erased cleanly from paper, leaving behind a bleak blankness.
Crack.
Atsui, stepping forward, seemed to crush something underfoot.
Looking down, he picked up a metal fragment buried in the soil and wiped away the dirt.
Only then did he see the fine scratches and the faint emblem of Kumogakure.
"This… is a village forehead protector?" Atsui said in shock.
Seemingly realizing something, Samui stood and walked toward a slightly raised area in the darkness.
The others followed cautiously, kunai drawn.
As they approached, a familiar stench filled the air.
Drip…
Samui stepped into a pool of blood that hadn't yet dried. Dark red liquid splashed onto her pants.
At her feet lay rotting flesh and shattered bones.
And strands of purple hair soaking in blood.
She fell silent.
"…Purple hair…" Atsui swallowed, his voice dry. "Could that… be Senior Toroi?"
Only the thick, metallic scent of blood, so strong it felt almost tangible, lingered in the air.
The cold wind whispered past their ears.
Moonlight fell on them, neither warm nor comforting, only amplifying the chill.
The cold seeped into their hearts.
The air itself was filled with death.
Each breath reminded them that death wasn't just an idea.
It had a smell.
They knew well: if that pool of blood belonged to one person, it would mean that person had been utterly crushed, drained completely.
Even for battle-hardened ninja, such a death sent chills down their spines.
The famed Magnet Release ninja Toroi… reduced to such a grotesque end?
'Who did this…? Konoha?' Samui wondered, uncertainty gripping her.
Then she looked toward the massive abyss in the distance.
Her instincts told her; something else was still there.
.....
Meanwhile, Konoha Hospital.
The moon hung high outside the window, casting cold light along the corridor floor.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage's robes, stopped outside a hospital room.
Through the observation window, his gaze flickered.
Inside the white room, IV fluid dripped steadily.
The heart monitor beeped rhythmically.
On the bed, Akimichi Todo slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was numbness in his leg.
Looking down, he saw messy black hair.
"…Huh."
Arata was sitting at the foot of the bed, his head resting on Todo's leg, apparently asleep, even softly snoring.
"This kid…" Todo smiled faintly, a trace of warmth in his heart.
Glancing at the clock, he estimated that it had been a full day since he collapsed after returning to Konoha.
Which meant,
This kid had been guarding him the entire time.
"Cough, cough!"
His burned throat itched, forcing him to cough.
Arata jolted awake, snapping upright.
"Todo-senpai!"
Seeing him coughing, Arata quickly handed him medicine.
"Your condition right now-"
Click.
The door opened.
Arata instinctively turned his head.
Under the moonlight stood Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Arata paused briefly, then said, "…Third Hokage-sama?"