3 Chapter 1 - Rain

The never-ending dull came down, the rain heavy enough to weigh at my body. 'What is right?' a thought, born from nothing, made its way into my mind. The rain reaching out in a cacophony of sounds that dragged me into darkness, the feeling ever present as I tried to drift off into nothing, yet the feeling never left, no matter how I pushed.

'Maybe I underestimated the situation too much, or is it..' Thoughts turned in the mind of a man looking out to the world, far above the ground, high into the dark reaches of old towering buildings that seemed to scratch at the sky, the closest you could get to the cloud, but the heaviest place the rain fell. ' Exactly what I expected?' The rain continued to fall left to thoughts as black reflected within for a moment as it passed by.

The eyes of the man high above looked down on the drowned city below, the mud pressed earth on the ground showed impressions as a woman ran with a child, their bodies covered in cloaks as they ran back to the outer wall of this dead city. 'It seems that the sentiment still rings true, even in a world like this.. the question is not what you're willing to do, but what wouldn't you do for your child.'

The black eyes closed, while my head lowered, the wave of images a few moments ago washing over thoughts, the woman walking into a home with a shinobi, as the child sat outside it, only for them to return after a while as the shinobi fixed his pants and handed the woman something. ' Desperation to save another can be cruel, only to be rewarded with something that can't even help..' Still the thoughts danced, the woman getting bread that was stained by the rain and nothing more as they moved into the wasteland outside this dead city.

"But who am I to say their decision was wrong, where do you go? To the left where nothing is right or to the right where nothing is left..' My eyes moved away, looking to the ever black sky as I watched the rain fall onto my face. Maybe I wasn't ready to leave that place. Maybe I was too lost in myself that I had to leave, to see what the world was like, but it was still more of the same in this world and my last. Blood, corpses, war, and pain laid out in front of everyone as forest and villages ripped homes and people apart.

'But really, what's the point in it? every side must have a loser, and whether you wished to be caught or avoid it, it takes from all sides, the larger villages using other lands to resolve conflict is common in any world, why care for those around you when your goal is to protect your home, not others. it's foolish to blame everyone on one problem, that in itself is the problem with war. Different ideas, plans, beliefs, understanding of the situation, make those who experience hate anything that brought them pain, but I guess that can't be blamed on them either, when it comes to war, no one is right.' the black eyes once again looked down, a hand moving to push the body up as I stood, looking at the ruins of tall buildings and homes that lay threw out this city. My thoughts still moving downward as I looked out to the vast land of rain, I didn't come here for any reason, but why not see the problem with my own two eyes, the very reason the world would change in the future was somewhere out there.

My body disappearing as a foot fell onto the top of water, the surface letting out a ripple as I looked around at the clasped ruins beon the city. My eyes squinting as I watched a ground of child run in rags at the shoreline, blue hair, orange and red in my vision as one laid on the back of another. At had been days but there could only be so many places to go in this ruined land, but it seemed I had finally found what I was looking for.

'For a child born from the Uzumaki clan, he is far weaker, mentally and physically than his clansmen, but I guess that's to be expected. War effects everyone, even children but that doesn't mean they should be apart of it, look at it itachi, war had took for him the very thing that would have made him a great pillar in his village. Only to twist it into something that would lead him down a road filled with mo re of what he hated. Many of them don't really understand, there is no love with out hate, and hate is but a few steps from love.' My eyes looked out as I thought, watching as they moved and slipped into a crack between a cliff face and a ruin. The water moving as once again I disappeared.

Meanwhile..

"I'm fine Yahiko, p-put me down.." A small voice said as red hair shifted on the damp cloths of another, the boys eyes opening slowly as it he looked up from the shoulder of the boy who was carrying him. Only speaking a few words as he watched the other boy shift.

"No.. your not strong enough, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have even hit by the fisherman earlier, I can do this much nagato." Yahiko said, his face turning to look at his friend. Only to see him freeze, looking away as he leaned on his back once more.

"Will be home soon nagato, and I'll look at your wounds so just relax.. please.." Seeing the two of them, Konan spoke slowly as she followed behind, her words making Nagato look back as he let his hair fall over his eyes, the smile on Konan's face making him rest his head once more as he heard the taps of feet on the wet ground below.

"T-thank you.. Yahiko, Konan.." They were the only words that came from his mouth, his face pushed into Yahiko's back once more, as if embarrassed about being carried, this only caused his friends to laugh as they heard his small voice.

They moved across the ruins of the outer city, shinobi or villagers didn't come out this far, the land was already beon fixing and the fighting that took place close to the east was ever presence, why come to a place when it could get you killed, but that's exactly why they did so, who would look for them when these places had already fallen long ago.

"...." In the middle of running, the three were now silent, even if they thought it was the best place to be, they still couldn't take the chance of a random shinobi coming here, if careless they would attract enemy shinobi here, and it wouldn't go well just because they were children. In the midst of the silence, konan eyes looked around, even if she was not well-versed in chakra or Ninjutsu, she could try to see with her own eyes, yet as she looked at the shores of the lake the divided the forest from the city, she thought she saw a figure standing out in its vastness. Her head forced on that point as the rain fell on to her face only for the figure to be gone as if it wasn't there to begin with.

"Were here Konan, come on.." In the middle of her confusion, a voice called out to her, they sound of Yahiko's voice ringing lowly in her ears as she looked up to see him looking back at her.

"Yeah, I'm coming.." She replied back in a soft voice, even if she wasn't sure, she would have to tell the others, if a shinobi crossed the lake and came to the ruin, they would have to think of a way to hide. Her eyes looked over to the broken home, its foundation broken beon belief as it hugged the side of a cliff, It wasn't much but after pushing through the rumble a cave could be found. It was damp but dry and it was theirs that's all that mattered.

They finally made it back, and evern with nagato's injuries, they had gotten a few pieces of bread, and while fish would be nice, they had to make due with what they had. Walking into the dark cave, Konan's small steps rushes to the lantern on the wall, striking a match as she lite it, her body cold but ok at the moment as she watched Yahiko place nagato down to lean on the wall. She still needed to deal with nagato, she was not a medical nin nor did she think she had the ability to do what they could, but she would help her friend regardless.

"Let me see nagato, I'll see if we have anything that can help.." Walking to nagato's side, she spoke gently as she leaned down, her hand reaching for his arm as he tries to over his body with it.

"Nagato, we can't help if you won't let us, I know you don't want to be weak, but it takes a lot to say something is wrong." Yahiko seeing Nagato's hesitation spoke up, looking back at his friends as he took off his rain cloak, hoping it would help in getting nagato to relax.

"...." Nagato couldn't say anything, he knew he was being stubborn, and it was born from how Yahiko seemed to always have a smile, no matter the situation, he would smile even when hurt, which was something he couldn't do. Reluctantly he moved his arm, his eyes looking up to Konan as she smiled at him as well, her hands moving his cloak out of the way as she took on a more serious look.

"Both of you.. I need to tell you.." Konan who was using white fabric wraps to go around nagato's stomach, finally spoke up as nagato's injuries weren't that serious. She wanted to talk about what she saw on the lake but was confused as she looked at nagato, his eyes wete fixed, and not on her but to the entrance of the cave, wide and full of something she couldn't understand. Only to hear the falling of a box, her eyes snapping to Yahiko who was frantically looking in a box of tools they had found on the ground, his body standing as he pointed a knife towards the entrance.

Konan in her confusion finally looked at the caves entrance, her eyes becoming wide as she looked at what had caused this reaction, the light of the lamp cast shadows in the dark, yet it was clear to her ears the steps of a person. Yet as she stood, a figures face came out of the shadows as they slowly moved across his face. He was a fairly tall man of light complexion. He sported a shaved head, apart from a long mohawk of black hair tied in a long ponytail style reaching his lower-back, pronounced eye ridges void of brows, a broad nose, and large black eyes. There was a diamond-shaped Kāma mark on his chin and a Roman numeral "Ⅳ" tattooed below his left eye. A white robe that seemed out of place and sandles no shinobi they knew wore.

His large black eyes looked over them carefully, his face not moving or even showing any sights of interest as he looked over each of them. His head slowly moving to look at Konan then nagato as he tilted a little for the first time.

"Hello.. little ones.."