"Kikyogahara is very secluded, they don't know that the war in the Land of Rain has stopped. They've always lived here, content in their own world. There must be a ninja in the village." Haruki said with certainty.

"I suspect that a ninja is protecting this village."

"What?"

As soon as Haruki said this, Yahiko cried out in surprise.

By this time, they had already arrived on a sparsely populated road, and no one noticed his startled reaction.

"How is that possible?"

How could a ninja protect ordinary people?

They only slaughter defenseless ordinary people and then ransack their homes. Yahiko had seen too many such ninjas in the previous wars. In all these years, he had only seen one righteous ninja like Jiraiya.

"Why not possible?" Haruki retorted.

Of course, he didn't expect an answer from Yahiko. What he wanted to do was accelerate Yahiko's change of perception towards Ame ninjas and Hanzo.

"Every ninja I encountered on the battlefield was fighting to protect their comrades, their village, and their country."

"Ame ninjas protect Amegakure, the Land of Rain, and the ordinary people of the Land of Rain. Sunagakure ninjas protect Sunagakure, the Land of Wind, and the ordinary people of the Land of Wind."

"That's how they fought desperately, only hoping to provide a peaceful environment for the people behind them." Haruki said.

His peripheral vision fell on Yahiko. The wrapper of the candied haws in Yahiko's hand was almost melted by the sun. He still hadn't eaten it.

"But… if there were no Hanzo, Amegakure wouldn't need to fight Sunagakure and Konoha."

Yahiko gripped the candied haws tightly and shouted loudly at Haruki, desperately trying to hold his ground.

Hanzo is a bad guy!

He's a criminal who started the war!

After Yahiko finished shouting, he noticed that Haruki didn't refute him. He just looked at him with calm, gentle eyes.

Yahiko's face began to flush. He couldn't quite explain why. Although he had won the argument, he felt utterly ashamed.

"Yahiko."

"The Land of Rain has always existed as a battlefield for the three warring parties. Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure."

"Great nations fight, but it is the peace of the Land of Rain that is sacrificed."

"The ninjas of the three parties ignite the flames of war on the land of the Land of Rain."

"The Land of Rain has been deprived of its peaceful and tranquil life and stable development environment by the wars between the great nations."

"If Amegakure were not established, and if Amegakure did not resist, the Land of Rain would struggle to survive in the cracks between the great nations."

"Peace is just a luxury. To exchange short-term sacrifice for permanent peace. I think it's worth it."

Haruki and the three others walked along the country road. Haruki's calm voice echoed in the ears of Yahiko and the two others.

His attitude was not as intense as Yahiko's. Instead, it was as gentle as a spring flowing through the mountains. It was this calm narration that achieved much more than Yahiko's shouting.

Yahiko and the two others fell into thought.

"But…"

Yahiko was speechless.

Of course, this didn't mean he couldn't refute him or that he admitted Haruki's words were correct. Rather, he couldn't describe the strange feeling in his heart.

He still felt that Hanzo's actions were wrong, but he simply couldn't clear his thoughts and express his ideas completely.

"Alright, let's not talk about this topic anymore." Haruki suddenly said, glancing at the conflicted Yahiko.

Yahiko immediately felt as if he was suspended in mid-air, neither up nor down, but he also didn't want to argue with Haruki about Hanzo anymore. He forced a smile and put the matter out of his mind.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already moved away from the dense, low-rise buildings and arrived at the back mountain of Kikyogahara. This was a lush forest. Bellflowers grew all along the tree trunks.

Haruki heard the caw of a crow.

"Let's go in and take a look." Haruki said.

Yahiko looked at the lush forest in front of him and asked confusedly, "What are we going in for? To find the Mountain God? Oh, right. If it's a Mountain God, then he must live on the mountain."

Yahiko convinced himself without Haruki needing to explain.

"Could it really be the Mountain God?" Konan still held onto her innocent fantasy.

Haruki led the way, as he had the shared perspective of the crows.

Hearing Konan's words, he smiled and looked at Nagato. "There are no gods in this world."

Konan was a little disappointed. "Is that so…"

She had been really looking forward to seeing a deity.

As they went deeper into the forest, the surrounding temperature became lower and lower. Refreshing cool breezes swept through, and the huge tree canopy above them rustled.

"Let's rest for a bit."

Haruki heard Konan's panting and turned to them, saying.

Yahiko and Nagato both agreed without objection. They sat down, leaning against the thick tree trunks, with spots of light gently moving on their bodies.

Konan squinted her eyes, feeling sleepy, and the few of them were all a bit drowsy.

The forest remained silent.

A figure slowly emerged from the dense bushes. He was wearing a loose yukata, with a gourd hanging from his waist, and wooden clogs on his feet, approaching Haruki and the others.

Haruki looked up, his gaze meeting the man in front of him.

"As expected, not ordinary children." The man smiled and laughed.

His voice startled Yahiko and the others awake.

Yahiko's eyes widened, and he pointed at the man in front of him. "Mountain… Mountain God!"

Haruki: "…"

Yahiko's thick-headedness really was like someone.

He patted Yahiko's head with his hand and said, "This is clearly a person."

"Oh!"

Yahiko hugged his head.

The man watched their interaction with a smile.

"You can call me Mountain God if you like." The man said, stroking his chin.

"No way!" Yahiko shouted at the man.

If he wasn't the Mountain God, why should they call him the Mountain God?

"Hahahahaha…"

The man burst into laughter.

"You're not from Kikyogahara, are you?"

"Why did you come here?"

"Why are you looking for me?"

The man asked a series of questions.

Haruki stared at him, detecting no hostility from him at all.

The person in front of him was like a friendly uncle next door, radiating approachability to everyone without any guard.

(End of Chapter)

Bonus Chapters will be released on the first day of the next week at once.

100 PS = 1 BONUS CHAPTER