I don't believe in the will of fire

The cold air made the little girl shiver when she woke up, and the wet clothes all over her body took away the little heat from her body.

"Put on these clothes and eat these things."

As a ninja who often goes out on missions, Shenyue stores a lot of clothes and food in her scrolls.

"I'll go find some firewood and I'll be back soon."

After Shenyue finished speaking, she walked out of the cave. The little girl looked at the clean clothes and food on the ground. She hesitated again and again. In the end, she couldn't bear the coldness on her body and the hunger in her belly. She put on her clothes and ate big gulps.

biscuit.

Shenyue came back relatively slowly. In addition to collecting firewood, his main purpose was to communicate with the clone about the surrounding situation. In the past few days, there have been several groups of ninjas coming and going, surveying near the battlefield.

These all fall into the clone's perception. Fortunately, so far, no one has come to investigate in the direction of Shenyue's hiding place.

But he is not afraid of ten thousand, but afraid of the worst. Now Shenyue's combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced. For the sake of safety, whenever a situation arises, he will send out his clones to lure these people away and give himself time to escape.

At the same time, after passing this information to the clone who was looking for Kana Tieyun in the distance, he returned to the cave.

The bonfire burned again. Looking at the little girl wearing her own clothes and eating this food, Shenyue didn't know what to do with her for a while. Obviously, she couldn't take care of her for a long time, so she took her to Konoha.

It's impossible, he can't even protect himself in Konoha, let alone protect her.

He thought about it and finally made a decision.

"May I have your name?"

The little girl who was devouring biscuits was startled by this question. She choked and coughed. Fortunately, Shenyue sent hot water.

Feeling the warmth of Shenyue, the little girl finally let down her mental guard and weakly said her name.

"My name is Mai."

"Mai, Mai Uzumaki?"

"Mom won't let you talk about that..."

Mai said softly.

"...I understand." Seeing Mai's face becoming sad, Shenyue finally asked what she was thinking.

"So, Mai, let me ask you, do you want to learn ninjutsu from me?"

"Ninjutsu?"

Mai never seemed to think about this.

"Yes, after learning Ninja, you can protect yourself and the people who are most important to you."

There was a trace of confusion in Mai's eyes. She didn't seem to know the answer, so she just asked: "Can I really do it?"

"Okay. Like me, you are a member of the Uzumaki clan, and you are born with the ability to practice ninjutsu."

Having said this, Shenyue made the decision for Mai.

"Take some rest first. Once your body is almost fully recovered, I will teach you the chakra refining technique first."

This is the best way Shenyue has come up with so far. Giving her the power to protect herself can also be regarded as giving her a way to survive after she leaves.

Therefore, in the following time, apart from developing ninjutsu on his own, Shenyue spent the rest of his time teaching Mai to refine chakra. During this period, news finally came out about the clone sent out to find Kana Tetsuun.

But this news made Shenyue feel a little uneasy.

"The village has reached an agreement with Hanzo of the Rain Country, so our mission is over."

"protocol?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama and Hanzo have reached an agreement. In this war, the Rain Ninja Village will maintain its neutral status. As compensation, Konoha will provide certain funds and materials as the Rain Nation causes losses in the war.

compensation.”

"This should have been discussed a long time ago. In this case, why are we sent to Yu Ninja Village to perform this task?"

Kanna Tieyun's face was not good either, and he flashed a little bit of embarrassment and helplessness, but in the end he still revealed some information.

"It is said that this is the credit of Danzo-sama. Before this, even Hokage-sama did not know what Danzo and Hanzo discussed."

"Then what are we going to do? Go back to the village now?"

"No, although the Rain Ninja Village remains neutral, the threat of the Rock Ninja and the Sand Ninja is still there, and the village is under great pressure. The village means that since we are in the Rain Ninja Village, we should go to the nearest place to support them. The main thing now

There are two fronts, one is the sand ninja front and the other is the rock ninja front. We can choose one at will to support them, what do you mean?"

"Who is the main front on these two fronts?"

"On the Suna-nin's side are Sakumo and Tsunade, and on the Iwa-nin's side are Orochimaru and Jiraiya."

The Sannin, who are only in their twenties, although they have not yet received the title of Sannin, have become the main force on the battlefield with the powerful strength they have shown. With the intentional support of the third generation, they have naturally become their respective fronts.

of leading figures.

Shenyue thought about it, and finally chose Orochimaru's side, because he felt that his situation in Konoha was getting more and more dangerous, and he needed to find someone who could take care of him. Orochimaru was very good so far.

A choice.

He is not afraid that Orochimaru will not be on his side, because he has too many things that can tempt Orochimaru.

Shenyue said his choice, but what Shena Tieyun said next made him feel a little uneasy.

"Okay, three days later, we will meet up in the high woods, where there will be a large army of ninjas to pick us up."

It's not that Shenyue is suspicious by nature, but his current situation forces him to be cautious.

He thought for a while and said: "Three days? I'm afraid that's not possible. My body was injured due to the battle with the ninjas of Yu Ninja Village. I'm afraid it will take a month to recover."

"Injured, what happened!?"

Only then did Shenyue's clone tell the story of the attack. Although Shenyue didn't explain some of the things clearly, with the wisdom of Jōnin Kanna Tieyun, he could still guess something.

He looked at Shenyue, his expression a little sad.

"One month? I understand. I will explain it to the village. Do you need any help?"

"No need, I know some medical ninjutsu. After the injury is healed in a month, I will use the ninja dog to notify you."

"I see!"

"Thank you, teacher. I will take my leave now and pass the news to the main body."

After saying that, with a sound of Peng, the clone turned into a white mist and disappeared.

In the distance, Shenyue, who received the message from the clone, looked at Mai, who was still sitting cross-legged, refining chakra, and accelerated the development of ninjutsu.

————————

Rain Ninja Village

In the building where Sanshouyu Hanzo is located, a guest from another village has been attracted. In the empty office, the two people are sitting opposite each other.

"You are really bold, Danzo. As a high-ranking official in Konoha, you actually dare to come to the Rain Ninja Village alone. Aren't you afraid that you will never come back?"

Danzo turned a blind eye to Hanzo's cold gaze and astonishing momentum, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Aren't we allies now? Could it be that as a ninja demigod, you are going to tear up the achievements you just made so soon?

Agreement?"

Of course, Hanzo couldn't directly tear up the agreement, so he asked directly: "Tell me, what is your purpose in coming to Rain Ninja Village?"

"The purpose of my visit is very simple. In addition to bringing the sincerity of these cooperations, another purpose is to achieve cooperation between you and me."

"Cooperation!? Hasn't the cooperation between Rain Ninja Village and Konoha already been reached?"

"That was the cooperation between Yu Ninja and Konoha, but what I want to talk about now is the cooperation between you and me."

Hanzo's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Tell me about it."