Morning.
Nagato felt a deep sense of unease seeing that his mother still had not emerged from her room.
"Brother Shiro, why hasn't my mom come out yet? Is she hurt?"
Shiro could only offer an awkward, forced smile, feeling a sudden and sharp pang of guilt. This might be the only negative side effect of the Angelic fusion. He knew what that entity was like from his previous life—obsessed with making 'that' part of his anatomy stronger and more potent. Although Shiro himself wouldn't become perverse to that degree, the deeper the fusion went, the more he was inevitably influenced. Besides, Fusae had certainly requested a few too many "divine blessings" last night, so it was excusable! Totally excusable!
Shiro patted Nagato's head gently. "Your mother is fine. She was just exhausted from yesterday's events. It will be better for her if she sleeps a little longer."
After speaking, he turned his gaze to Konan and Yahiko. "If you two are awake, hurry and eat your breakfast. After you finish, help pack up the belongings so we can set off together."
"Set off?"
Nagato, who had been worrying about his mother, froze. His small face registered confusion when he heard those words.
"Brother Shiro, are we... are we going to leave this place?"
"Yes, Nagato. I already discussed it with your mother last night. We will all go together to live in a new village. There is no war there, and no bad people. Once we arrive, Nagato can go to school, make friends, and you won't have to worry about going hungry or having villains break into your house."
Naturally, Nagato was extremely excited after hearing what Shiro said. He quickly wolfed down his meal and started packing his few meager belongings with newfound energy.
Perhaps the noise from the three children packing was too loud, because it woke Fusae, who was still sound asleep.
"Lord Shiro." Fusae walked forward and immediately bowed deeply to Shiro, her face flushed.
"Ah, you don't need to call me 'Lord' anymore. Just call me by my name."
"Alright... Shiro."
Shiro had already informed Fusae about his true identity the previous night.
When Fusae learned that Shiro was the Kazekage of Sunagakure, she was stunned for a long time. However, she readily agreed to follow him to live in Suna.
Although the desert environment of Sunagakure wasn't ideal—it was the complete opposite of the perpetually wet Land of Rain—it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Its safety was naturally beyond question. This meant Nagato could grow up peacefully, no longer having to live in constant fear.
And after what had transpired last night, she believed Shiro would take very good care of her and Nagato.
"Mom!"
Nagato, who was busy packing, quickly scampered over when he saw his mother appear. No matter how powerful he might become in the future, right now, he was still just a child who needed his mother.
"Mom, are we really going to live in a new place?"
"Yes, Mom and Nagato are going to a new home. It will be very safe there, and Nagato can make many new friends."
Nagato smiled brightly, nodded, and said cheerfully, "Wherever Mom goes, I go."
"Alright, let your mother eat first. We still have to hit the road soon."
"Okay, Brother Shiro! I'll go back to packing then."
He then scampered away in a flash, full of renewed purpose.
"What a lively child."
Watching Nagato run off, Shiro turned and smiled at Fusae. "Go eat your breakfast quickly. We can leave once you're done."
After Fusae finished her meal, the luggage was mostly packed. Soon, the group of five was ready to depart.
Of course, before leaving, they first visited the fresh grave of Nagato's father to say their final goodbyes.
"Well then..." Shiro looked at the somber mother and son, then at the two other children who were waiting with anxious anticipation, and said with a gentle expression, "Let's go!"
*There was no helping it; Lord Shiro is just too kind-hearted to stand by and see a widowed mother and her son be bullied.*
***
Meanwhile, the intensity of the war in the Land of Rain seemed to have escalated another notch, a development that certainly wasn't without the material aid from a certain shinobi village.
What kind of equipment did the Land of Rain shinobi have before? They mostly just charged in wielding bare blades.
Armor? What was that? Where would the Land of Rain get the money for such luxuries? All their funds went to buying gas masks. If they weren't completely broke, who would willingly give up their lives to fight? They weren't battle-crazed lunatics like the Uchiha.
But now, things were different.
They wore flak vests, shuriken clattered at their waists, and they could even afford to carry a few explosive tags. It was a dramatic turnaround.
Konoha was initially stunned by this sudden change in equipment and tactics, suffering heavy casualties and quickly falling into a disadvantage.
Then, the neighboring Iwa Village saw their chance. *Oho, an opportunity knocks!* They decisively attacked Konoha's exposed rear flank.
Konoha was not pleased. *What is my status? What is your standing? You dare force my hand!* So, they gathered another batch of shinobi and deployed Sakumo Hatake. Originally, Sakumo had been held in reserve to guard against a potential attack from Sunagakure, but since Suna had completely retreated, Sakumo was idle.
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw this and thought, *Good heavens, what is your status? What is my standing? You are neither my disciple nor my peer, so how dare you be idle? I'm so busy every day that I haven't even had time to peek through my crystal ball in days. How can someone your age afford to be idle?* Thus, he immediately ordered Sakumo to lead a force to the Land of Rain battlefield.
And so, the war intensified under these bizarre circumstances.
In just one night, Konoha had pushed the battle lines almost right up to Shiro's location, making the shinobi world recognize Konoha's terrifying strength once more.
Upon receiving the news, Amegakure reacted swiftly. Hanzo the Salamander rushed directly to the front lines that very night, personally blocking Konoha's advance.
This caught Shiro completely off guard. According to the original plot, the war shouldn't have spread this far until months after the three children had met Jiraiya. He never expected the battle lines to be practically on their doorstep.
This meant Shiro's plan to quietly escort the group to the Land of Wind was instantly aborted.
It looked like he had no choice but to reveal himself.
*So much for being discreet,* Shiro thought to himself.
Just then, Shiro, deep in thought, seemed to sense something. He stepped protectively in front of the other four, frowning as he looked into the misty woods ahead.
The four civilians, having experienced war firsthand, seemed to understand what was about to happen and quickly huddled behind Shiro's reassuring figure.
"Brother Shiro..."
Before the sentence could be finished, three whooshing sounds cut through the air.
Immediately, three figures appeared ahead. The leader was a white-haired man with a short blade sheathed on his back—it was none other than Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha. Although he didn't have the "White Fang" title yet, his lethal reputation preceded him.
"May I ask why the Kazekage of Sunagakure is present here?" Sakumo asked, his eyes sharp and wary.
Compared to the shock of Sakumo Hatake and his companions upon seeing the leader of another Great Village here, the three children behind Shiro were even more stunned, their mouths gaping open in disbelief.
"Th-this has to be a joke... Brother Shiro... is... is actually the Kazekage?" Yahiko stammered.
Facing the wary gazes of Sakumo's group and the utter shock of the children, Shiro knew he could no longer hide his identity.
He opened a storage scroll and pulled out the specially made Kazekage official robe and the conical straw hat that symbolized his station, putting them on.
The golden 'Third Kazekage' inscription on the pristine white robe shone brilliantly in the dim light. After all, Shiro had deliberately coated it with a layer of gold dust. It was a cheap trick, but coolness is eternal.