novelraw Chapter 334 334 The End of War
Chapter 334 334 The End of War
Windwhisper Town, border of the Land of Birds.
Nestled between the four great nations of Wind, Stars, Earth, and Rain, the Land of Birds, due to its unique geographical location and neutral status, had unexpectedly become a special safe haven amidst the turmoil on the western Ninja Continent.
This small country, which didn't even have its own Ninja Village, now saw one of its ordinary border towns displaying a bustle and prosperity starkly at odds with the surrounding war.
Because the war between the Land of Wind and the Land of Stars had severed the main trade routes, and although the Land of Stars hadn't completely closed its borders, it had significantly strengthened border checks, countless merchant caravans and travelers were forced to stay here.
Shrewd merchants had simply turned this place into a temporary trade distribution center. Goods from various countries were traded and circulated here, waiting for a glimmer of hope that the borders would reopen.
The town's streets were consequently jam-packed with all kinds of carts, ox-carts, camel trains, and bustling crowds. Inns were fully booked, taverns were noisy, and the air was filled with dust, spices, and a special atmosphere interwoven with anxiety and anticipation.
On the second-floor wooden attic of an inn in the town center, Jiraiya leaned against the window. His signature white long hair was casually draped, and his gaze thoughtfully scanned the endless stream of people below through the window.
The discussions from downstairs, mixed with the sounds of carts and horses, clearly reached his ears.
"Eh? Yamashita-kun? Weren't you taking goods to the Land of Earth? Why are you back so soon?" A slightly shrill merchant's voice rang out.
The man called Yamashita sighed, his tone full of frustration. "Hey, don't even mention it! As soon as I arrived, I heard that the Land of Earth's Iwagakure also declared war without warning and is fighting the Land of Stars! The entire western part of the Ninja Continent is in chaos now, the trade routes are completely cut off!"
"What? Iwagakure has joined the war too?"
"My god! Two great nations attacking the Land of Stars?"
"This is terrible, my goods are still stuck here!"
"Iwagakure! The Land of Stars is in danger now!"
The surrounding merchants immediately erupted into an uproar, discussions rising and falling.
Some beat their chests and stamped their feet, lamenting their unsold goods and severed sources of income… others were deeply worried, fearing the war would spread further and affect this temporary safe haven.
A middle-aged merchant wearing cotton clothes shook his head and sighed. "Ah, the Land of Stars was such a good place. Reasonable taxes, good public order. I've been trading there for the past few years and never encountered extortion or exploitation. Now, with two great Ninja Villages attacking it, such a good business environment is probably finished."
A merchant with a scar on his face, who seemed to have experienced many storms, chimed in, "How many years has the Land of Stars been established? How many Ninja could they possibly have at most? Sunagakure and Iwagakure are veteran members of the Five Great Nations, with deep foundations. I heard that Iwagakure's Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, back in the day, was a ruthless character who could mobilize ten thousand Ninja to exhaust the Third Raikage to death! I'm afraid the Land of Stars will have a hard time surviving this."
But some held different views. A burly merchant with a loud voice retorted, "You can't say that! I hired Ninja from the Land of Stars to escort my caravan last time. Their discipline, their quality, impeccable! Never took bribes or made unreasonable demands, and their combat power is top-notch!" He gave a thumbs-up. "Much better than the Konoha or Sunagakure's Ninja I hired before! I feel they might not lose!"
By the window, Jiraiya listened to these discussions, his brow gradually furrowing.
He had personally experienced the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars and had a deep understanding of the war potential of Sunagakure, and especially Iwagakure.
Onoki's Dust Release and command ability, along with Iwagakure's tenacious, group-fighting style, were extremely troublesome.
An army of ten thousand Iwagakure's Ninja... Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
Even with the Land of Stars' mysterious Shura and the absorbed Uchiha, Hyuga, and other Kekkei Genkai Clans, facing the full-scale siege of two great Ninja villages, the situation was absolutely not optimistic.
The direction of this war was something even he found difficult to predict, feeling only a fog and a heavy heart.
Creeak-
The door was gently pushed open, interrupting Jiraiya's thoughts.
Ajisai walked in carrying a wooden tray with two steaming bowls of ramen and a few side dishes. Her neat purple short hair looked very efficient, and her light purple training clothes were spotless.
"Jiraiya-sama, lunch is ready," She said in a clear voice, deftly placing the tray on the small low table in the center of the room and setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
It had been almost ten days since they left Amegakure.
With their speed, they had actually reached the border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Stars seven days ago.
However, coinciding with the Land of Stars being at war and the border being under strict control, Jiraiya, considering the high risk of rashly entering a country at war and with whom he had no ties, especially with a sensitive Amegakure girl by his side, decided to temporarily stay and observe in this border town.
Regarding this, Ajisai showed no objection on the surface. After all, the expenses along the way were covered by this supposedly famous 'writer'.
She quietly performed her duties as 'bodyguard' and 'temporary assistant', taking care of Jiraiya's injuries.
Though this guy had astonishing recovery power and was already alive and kicking a few days ago, and she even caught him sneaking out one night to visit pleasure houses, which made her both annoyed and amused.
Watching Ajisai meticulously arrange the tableware, Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh. "Ah, having a woman take care of you really is different. The journey becomes much more comfortable."
"Hmm? Jiraiya-sama, what did you just say?" Ajisai looked up, her eyes questioning.
"Ahaha, nothing, nothing!" Jiraiya quickly covered up with a laugh, changing the subject. "I was just saying, aren't you worried about that kid from the Land of Stars? They're fighting fiercely over there now."
He was referring to the mysterious boy they had briefly encountered in Amegakure, who had left a deep impression on Ajisai.
Ajisai's hands paused slightly for a moment before returning to normal, her tone flat. "What's the use of worrying? As a Ninja, dying on a mission or on the battlefield is very common, isn't it? From the moment he chose that path, he should have been prepared."
Her words carried the unique indifference and acceptance of life and death common among orphans from Amegakure.
Hearing this, Jiraiya pondered for a moment.
He understood this view of life's impermanence held by those who grew up in war, but still said, "That's true, but... he's someone you care about, right? If something really happened to him on the battlefield, you'd still feel sad, wouldn't you?"
"I-I do not care about him!" Ajisai reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, a faint, barely noticeable blush instantly coloring her cheeks, her voice unconsciously rising a pitch, clearly flustered. "He… he's so strong, how could he die so easily! I just… just…"
Seeing her reaction, which practically screamed 'protesting too much', Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle, stroking his beard, a habitual, somewhat teasing smile appearing on his face. "Oh? Is that so? I see~"
Teasing such a pure-hearted yet stubborn young girl always gave him an inexplicable sense of pleasure.
Jiraiya picked up his chopsticks and tapped the edge of his bowl. "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. Let's eat quickly, the noodles will get cold and won't taste good."
Ajisai puffed out her cheeks, seeming to want to argue further, but ultimately picked up her chopsticks in a huff and started eating, though the lingering redness at the base of her ears betrayed her inner turmoil.
Just as the two ate in silence, the originally noisy clamor from the street downstairs suddenly changed tone, like cold water thrown into hot oil, exploding violently!
A voice, sharpened by extreme excitement, pierced through all the clamor, clearly spreading across the entire street and reaching the attic:
"Victory report! Victory report from the Land of Stars! They won!"
"The Land of Stars won! Sunagakure and Iwagakure were defeated! The main forces of both great Ninja Villages were completely wiped out! The Kazekage was captured, the Tsuchikage surrendered!!"
"Whoa!"
The entire town seemed ignited by this news. An even greater wave of sound erupted explosively. Exclamations, questions, and cries of ecstatic joy interwove, deafening.
"What?!"
"How is that possible? It's only been a few days!"
"Sunagakure and Iwagakure… defeated at the same time?"
"Is the news true? Who brought the news?"
"It's absolutely true! It came from the Land of Stars side! The Land of Stars announced it publicly! Even the border checks have been relaxed!"
"Oh my god! The Land of Stars… is actually this strong?!"
In the attic, Jiraiya's hand holding the chopsticks froze mid-air, the noodles in his mouth forgotten as he stared, his face filled with disbelief.
He sharply turned his head to look at the boiling street outside the window, thinking to himself, 'You've got to be kidding me… Sunagakure's defeat is somewhat understandable, but Iwagakure? That old fox Onoki is no simple character… it's only been a few days? Seven days? Defeated twice in a row? This Land of Stars…'
His shock was beyond measure.
This completely overturned his understanding of conventional Ninja World's warfare.
Even in the previous three Great Ninja Wars, he had never seen a situation where a great nation's Ninja Village was defeated within days of the war starting!
'Unless they possessed absolute power like the First Hokage Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara back in the day, who could single-handedly oppose nations, how could they achieve such brilliant, even terrifying, results in such a short time?'
'That Shura, and the hidden power of the Land of Stars… They're far more frightening than I had imagined.'
When he slightly regained his composure from the shock and turned to look at Ajisai across the table, he saw the girl had already put down her chopsticks at some point, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Large teardrops rolled uncontrollably from her yellow eyes, tracing paths down her smooth cheeks and dripping onto the table in front of her.
It was no longer the feigned indifference, but the wild joy and relief of having narrowly escaped disaster.
"He… he's okay… thank goodness…" She choked out, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but filled with genuine emotion.
At this moment, any verbal denial seemed pale and powerless.
She wiped her tears haphazardly with the back of her hand, but they only came more. Finally, she looked up at Jiraiya, her eyes shining with eager anticipation. "Jiraiya-sama! We… we can go now, right? To the Land of Stars, now, please?"
Seeing her tearful yet hopeful expression, Jiraiya felt a mix of emotions… wariness towards the Land of Stars' terrifying strength, but also a touch of relief for the girl.
He took a deep breath and nodded, the teasing expression gone from his face, replaced by seriousness.
"Yeah, it seems there's no need to wait any longer. Pack up, we'll set off immediately. I also want to see with my own eyes what kind of place this 'Land of Stars' is, that made Shisui and Hizashi choose to defect from Konoha, and that can defeat two great Ninja Villages in just seven days!"