When time and space are too distant, they sever people's perception, trapping them within the confines reachable by their five senses.
This can make people recognize their own insignificance, but conversely, it can also lead to intense desires matching that grand scale. What enables people to survive in such poignant circumstances, aside from intense pleasure, is only personal value.
However, overly narrow boundaries can also hinder all perception, yet conversely limit all possibilities of extension.
Not feeling one's own insignificance, but rather shrinking along with the world itself.
People often say a world shrouded in heavy rain is like weeping.
But for the Land of Rain, this is no romantic poetry—it's a reality no one can laugh at.
The rain in the Land of Rain is an endless rainstorm, also the tears its inhabitants no longer have time to shed, but which rivers wantonly flow through their hearts.
In this heavy rain obscuring the path ahead, three small figures wearing bulky old diving helmets walked hand in hand, trudging side by side along the mountain path.
Whether the severe road conditions under the heavy rain, or the heavy diving equipment—for children of six or seven who hadn't eaten a full meal in a long time, it was quite a huge burden.
But there was no help for it. Lightweight waterproof equipment wasn't something war orphans like them could obtain or keep. And in the Land of Rain, if you got chilled from the rain, you'd likely never get up again.
"Just a little further... I remember there's a cave ahead where we can rest..."
Feeling his companions' steps growing increasingly sluggish, the strength in their hands fading, Yahiki gasped heavily as he turned his head to comfort them.
"Okay..."
Through the bulky diving helmet, the boy's already somewhat muffled voice grew even more distorted in the heavy rain. Yet even so, hearing his voice, the two children on either side, Konan and Nagato, responded in tired and faint voices.
Like the ubiquitous war orphans of today's Land of Rain, they too had met while wandering. Since then, having lost their families' care and possessing no other survival skills, they had survived by stealing food.
Logically, precisely because they needed to wander everywhere, seeking relatively stable places to live, they shouldn't have come to such a wilderness, remote and remote from towns, lacking food.
But that's just how so-called fate works.
Back then, these three children had accidentally passed near a battlefield between Konoha and Amegakure, nearly being hit by kunai with a detonator falling from the sky.
After surviving the attack, they witnessed from high ground Hanzō's battle with the ninjas later dubbed the Legendary Sanin. Touched by that fierce battle, the desire to become strong sprouted in their hearts.
Whether to change the war-torn status quo of the Land of Rain, or simply to survive, they needed strength.
In other words, they needed to find powerful ninjas to teach them ninjutsu.
Hanzō, as the leader of Amegakure, naturally wasn't accessible to war orphans like them, so they targeted the three ninjas who fought him.
Though they had no way to convince anyone to teach them ninjutsu, ultimately, they had no choice either.
However, due to the pressure from Hii Kōri's creations, the Konoha Sanin, who should have returned to the village to rest after that battle, did not head home but instead, after a short break, departed for different battlefronts to reinforce.
Thus, these three children failed to catch up to their targets, and moreover, having wandered too far from towns, couldn't find their way back.
By now, Yahiko was well aware he had led his companions down a dead end. But aside from meaningless apologies and bland encouragement, possessing nothing, he could give nothing.
However, as fellow survival companions, Nagato and Konan couldn't blame him for this. The precocity forced by their environment allowed these three children to see their situation clearly. Ultimately, their actions weren't solely dictated by Yahiko alone; they had acted together but failed to achieve the desired result. If they died like this, it could only be chalked up to bad luck.
For those struggling to survive by all means, there's no room even for sadness and regret this is truly what's called
'sadder than sadness.'
"We... made it!"
Exhausting all their strength to cross that muddy slope, the cave Yahiko mentioned came into view.
Merely a rain shelter cave, yet it was already the greatest wish they could imagine. Uplifted by this, the three children erupted with all their remaining strength, fleeing as if the falling rain weren't water but knives that would chop them into pieces, rushing toward that cave.
Until, at the cave entrance, they saw slightly obscured light flickering by the cave's mouth.
The light of a campfire.
Instantly, the three children froze in place. Encountering others in such an environment was nothing to be moved by countless war orphans had proven this with their lives.
"Come in, brats. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have had the chance to notice me."
The empty cave echoed with a voice devoid of emotion. Hearing such cold words, the three children's movements grew even stiffer.
After a moment, Yahiko nodded vigorously to his companions, then walked into the cave without hesitation.
What met his eyes was a young man sitting on a small stool by the campfire, bowing his head and reading a book. His red-and-white streaked hair, tied in a fluffy braid, was quite memorable.
"The other two. Come in too."
Just as the boy stood at a loss, unsure how to react, the man added without looking up: "Standing foolishly at the entrance, if other ninjas discover you and expose our position, I'll kill you first, then fight them."
"Nagato, Konan, come in quickly."
Hearing this, Yahiko slowly removed his bulky diving helmet. Not bothering to shake off the water droplets on his head, he turned to call his companions outside the cave.
After all, the man could determine their numbers without even looking up. If he truly meant harm, they couldn't escape anyway. In that case, they might as well come in and warm themselves by the fire. Even if they were going to die, at least they could die comfortably.
Whether it was Yahiko's imagination, when the man spoke those words, the temperature in the cave seemed to drop a few degrees, and the shadows cast on the rock wall by the campfire twisted a few times like living things.
Nagato and Konan, hearing this, also entered.
After removing their soaking wet waterproof gear, the three children timidly huddled together warming themselves by the fire, occasionally stealing glances at the reading man with what they thought were hidden glances.
For a moment, the only sounds in the cave were the crackling of firewood and the rain outside.