Naruto: I Became a Sword Saint in Konoha

Let's rewind time just a little.

Beneath the hilly terrain where Hoshiyomi and the others were locked in fierce combat, three small figures hurried along in the rain, clad in tattered cloaks.

"Hurry up! If the bread gets wet, it'll spoil quickly!"

A boy with short orange hair cradled a bundle of bread in his arms, shouting anxiously at the two following behind him.

"I know, I know! Just watch your footing, Yahiko, or you'll trip again," said a purple-haired girl, also clutching bread tightly to her chest.

Yahiko turned his head and grinned at her.

"I'm gonna be the man who makes this country stop crying one day! There's no way I'd trip on flat ground, right, Nag—whoa!"

He didn't even get to finish before he stumbled on a stone and went sprawling face-first into the mud.

Both Konan and Nagato burst into laughter.

"Stop laughing! Don't laugh!

Yahiko pouted, calling out in frustration—but even he couldn't hold back and started laughing with them, still lying on the muddy ground.

And because he was on his back, he was the only one who noticed the kunai falling from the sky—tagged with an explosive note.

His face changed in an instant. Forgetting the bread in his arms, Yahiko rolled to his feet and lunged toward Konan and Nagato, tackling them both to the side and into a nearby bush.

"Hey! Yahiko, what are you doing?! The bread's all covered in mud now!"

Startled by the sudden shove, Konan yelped in protest. The precious bread had scattered onto the soaked ground—days' worth of rations, ruined. She tried to push off Nagato and scramble back to retrieve them.

"Don't!" Nagato shouted, pulling her back along with Yahiko.

No sooner had he said it than a string of explosions rang out—BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—deafening and terrifying. Konan shrieked in fright.

When the smoke cleared, the spot where they had been standing was now a scorched mess, blasted apart by the detonation tags.

Konan's face went pale as the realization sank in. If Yahiko and Nagato hadn't pulled her back, she would've been blown to pieces.

"I'm sorry, Yahiko... I thought you were just messing around," she whispered, trembling.

Yahiko waved it off with a grin. "Don't worry about it. We're all okay, that's what matters."

Nagato looked uneasily at the burnt crater and murmured, "But… the bread…"

All three looked down at their now-empty arms and let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

Konan tried to stay upbeat.

"It's okay. We'll just… steal some more. If we're careful, we'll be fine."

But Yahiko shook his head. "No. We just stole food not long ago. They'll still be on alert. If we go now, it's practically walking into a trap."

He glanced up toward the hill where explosions had come from. His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey, I've got an idea—why don't we head up there?"

Konan blinked. "What for?"

"Well, if explosive tags are falling down here, it means there are ninja fighting up there, right? Let's go watch. We'll get to see a real ninja battle!"

He added with a more pragmatic tone, "And besides… in a battle, people die. Maybe we'll find something to eat on one of the corpses."

Konan hesitated. The idea both frightened and intrigued her. She glanced at Nagato, silently seeking his opinion.

Seeing both Yahiko and Konan looking to him, Nagato hesitated before answering.

"But ninja battles are really dangerous. If we're not careful, we could die…"

He cast another glance at the charred crater from earlier, his fear plain on his face.

Yahiko frowned, then firmed his voice.

"Look, we can't go back and steal food again—and we can't starve either. Stealing is dangerous too, right? We've made it this far, we'll be fine. Let's just be careful. Everyone's busy fighting up there. As long as we keep our distance, nothing'll happen."

With Yahiko taking the lead like a true big brother, Nagato finally caved and followed along with Konan.

Shortly after they left, a white head poked out from the ground where they had been standing—it was none other than Tobi.

"Hehehe… Now this is getting interesting," he chuckled to himself. "Nagato's actually heading toward the main battlefield between Hanzō and the Leaf shinobi. I'd love to stay and watch how this unfolds, but I'd better report to Lord Madara first."

"If this mess ends up interfering with his plans, things'll get ugly."

With that, Tobi split off a clone, which instantly vanished into the ground to relay the message. Meanwhile, his original body continued to trail behind the three children—ready to clean up their mess if needed.

…

Deep underground, in a shadowy cavern—

Madara Uchiha sat listening to White Zetsu's report, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement.

"Well now… this is unexpected," he murmured. "Nagato, wandering straight into such a dangerous place. Just what will he experience there…?"

Even Madara himself felt a tinge of curiosity.

At that moment, Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows and offered in a low voice:

"Lord Madara, perhaps you should use the Rinnegan's link to observe what's happening. If Nagato truly ends up in danger, it could jeopardize everything. By watching, you can both protect him and assess the strength of Konoha's next generation. Wouldn't you agree?"

Madara's curiosity deepened. Though he had long dismissed Hoshiyomi Gekkō as nothing more than a salted fish unlikely to stir any real waves, a battle between one of Konoha's rising stars and the so-called 'Demi-God' Hanzō was still worth witnessing.

And as Black Zetsu pointed out, the Rinnegan was not to be risked.

With that reasoning, Madara slowly opened his eyes from meditation, revealing his transplanted three-tomoe Sharingan.

He formed a seal with his aged yet commanding hands. Despite his deteriorating body, his aura remained overwhelming.

As his chakra surged, an illusory overlay of the Rinnegan shimmered over his Sharingan—he was attempting to tap into the shared field of vision granted by the Rinnegan.

…

The three little brats were no match for ninja in terms of speed, so by the time they reached the top of the hill, the battle was already in full swing—Hoshiyomi and the others clashing against Hanzō, with colossal summoned beasts wreaking havoc across the battlefield.

What they saw took their breath away.

All around them, the ninja who once seemed so cool and untouchable now looked… oddly terrifying.

But the five titanic summoned creatures were on a whole different level.

The kids' eyes sparkled with wonder.

"This is insane… So cool…" Yahiko whispered in awe, eyes glued to the chaos unfolding before them.

Konan tried to identify the combatants.

"One side's the Ame-nin from our Hidden Rain, the other is definitely Konoha ninja—I saw their forehead protectors.

"So that man being surrounded… That must be Lord Hanzō, right? Do you think he'll win? Or will the Leaf ninja beat him?"

At the mention of "Konoha," Nagato flinched, lowering his head. A flicker of pain crossed his face. But he still spoke softly:

"I think… we should leave. It's too dangerous here."

But Yahiko and Konan were utterly captivated. There was no way they'd leave now.

"Relax," Yahiko said reassuringly. "We're totally safe. We're so far away, no one's even noticed us. Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Nagato."

Nagato could only sigh and turn his gaze back to the battlefield.

But then, suddenly—

Something strange happened.

Nagato realized… he couldn't move.