Yōsuke, Pakura, and Jūgo arrived in the Land of the Moon to rest temporarily.
The Land of the Moon was once a wealthy nation. To its south lay a place where summer lasted all year round—the Three-Crescent Moon Island—rich in natural resources and home to the captivating tourist destination known as the Coral Coast.
But at this moment, the Land of the Moon was mired in chaos.
During the war between Konoha and the other ninja villages, the King of the Land of the Moon had originally supported Konoha and intended to provide it with a large amount of supplies. However, Prime Minister Shabadaba and the majority of the ministers opposed the king's decision, and a rift formed.
Shabadaba believed that Konoha was already at the end of its rope and that defeat was inevitable. Rather than continuing to cooperate with Konoha, he argued that it would be better to assist the other ninja villages in attacking it.
Although the Land of the Moon was rich in resources, it did not possess its own ninja. Shabadaba believed that through this war, the country might finally establish its own ninja village and build a military force of shinobi.
This proposal gained the approval of most of the ministers.
The king, however, firmly opposed it. He governed with a people-first philosophy, and his desire to support Konoha stemmed only from the fact that the village had once helped the Land of the Moon. But when it came to directly joining the war, the king would not agree under any circumstances.
Yet once the seed of ambition is planted, it is only a matter of time before it sprouts.
When Konoha became the target of all four major ninja villages, Shabadaba could no longer restrain himself. If the war ended, how could he still realize his ambitions?
Thus, Shabadaba conspired with other ministers to stage a rebellion and overthrow the king.
Fortunately, one of the king's trusted aides discovered the plot early and informed him. As a precaution, the king sent his son and grandson away from the Land of the Moon, instructing them to return and inherit the throne once everything had settled.
However, disaster still struck.
Shabadaba hired rogue ninja and built an unshakable power base. The king's forces stood no chance and were quickly defeated.
To avoid further bloodshed, the king was forced to withdraw temporarily from the royal capital.
Meanwhile, the Moon Prince Michiru Tsuki and his son Hikaru Tsuki, who were outside the country at the time, learned of the situation and likewise hired a large number of rogue ninja before returning to support the king.
But the king was ultimately killed.
Now, the Land of the Moon was split between two warring factions: Prince Tsukimitsu on one side, and Minister Shabadaba on the other.
After countless battles, neither side was able to gain the upper hand, and the conflict eventually devolved into a stalemate.
Once prosperous and radiant, the Land of the Moon continued to decline amid internal strife, never again recovering its former glory.
All of this information was gathered by Yōsuke from refugees who had been displaced by the war.
Pakura sighed.
"The king of the Land of the Moon is really pitiful. All he wanted was to support Konoha, which had once helped them, yet his own ministers opposed him and even overthrew his rule."
Yōsuke, however, held a different view.
"In my opinion, both the king and the ministers were fools who failed to understand the situation and recklessly disregarded the lives of their people.
"The Land of the Moon borders the Land of Lightning, while the Land of Fire lies beyond the Land of Rivers. For the king to openly support the Land of Fire was utterly absurd.
"Even if Konoha had once helped them, the Land of the Moon should never have publicly supported Konoha. No matter the outcome of this war, it would not affect the Land of Lightning in the slightest. But openly backing Konoha would absolutely cross the Land of Lightning's bottom line.
"As a neighbor of the Land of Lightning, supporting Konoha was equivalent to making an enemy of both the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure. Once the war ended, the Land of the Moon would gain nothing and instead be treated as an enemy. Worse still, without its own ninja, the Land of the Moon wouldn't even have the qualifications to negotiate with Kumogakure.
"As for those ministers who sought to overthrow the king and join the war in order to build their own ninja force—that idea itself wasn't wrong. Their mistake was hiring rogue ninja. If those rogue ninja helped the ministers seize power, or helped the king defeat the ministers, do you really think they would simply leave afterward?"
Pakura guessed,
"You mean those rogue ninja would demand a share of the spoils?"
Yōsuke nodded.
"It's not a possibility—it's a certainty. Rogue ninja take jobs for profit. A country with no ninja of its own is nothing more than a defenseless piece of meat.
"As a small nation, you must have the awareness of a small nation. Without capital, you have no right to choose sides. You can only survive by enduring humiliation in the cracks between greater powers.
"Even if you want to secretly support one side in hopes of gaining benefits later, you do it quietly—never openly.
"And after the war ends, the real trouble begins. No matter who wins, they cannot avoid the neighboring Land of Lightning. In its eyes, the Land of the Moon is nothing more than a vassal state—part of its territory. The Land of Lightning will never allow it to become a destabilizing factor."
Pakura's voice was filled with regret.
"How tragic… in the end, it's still the innocent people who suffer."
Although the surrounding buildings were already in ruins, one could still faintly imagine how happy life in this country once was.
But all of that was now a thing of the past.
Yōsuke had no intention of getting involved. This was an internal affair of another country and had nothing to do with him.
Just as Yōsuke led Pakura and Jūgo toward the refugee crowd, preparing to leave the Land of the Moon, three ninja-clad figures suddenly appeared in front of the refugees.
These three were rogue ninja hired by Minister Shabadaba: Shilì, Kongō, and Kinrenka.
Kinrenka looked at the terrified refugees with interest and said,
"Among these refugees, there might be rebels who support Michiru."
The burly Kongō agreed.
"Kinrenka has a point. Better to kill the innocent than let a guilty one escape. If they die, they can only blame their king."
Shilì, who had a hairstyle similar to Jiraiya's, smiled cruelly.
"Then let's do it. Kill them all. Leave not a single one alive."
As soon as Shilì finished speaking, Kongō and Kinrenka charged into the crowd, launching a brutal massacre.
Pakura asked urgently,
"Yōsuke, what should we do?"
Yōsuke sighed helplessly.
"We were just passing through, but given the situation, it looks like we've been forced into becoming their targets."
As blood splattered everywhere, Jūgo began to breathe heavily, muttering over and over,
"Kill… kill…"
Seeing Jūgo's condition, Yōsuke knew that Jūgo was on the verge of being overtaken by his violent second personality.
Before Yōsuke could stop him, Jūgo had already burst into mad laughter and charged forward.
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