"It held. I mean it's holding. I didn't see it. Didn't see him cast it, I mean. I was on the south flank, trying to hold the fox off until Yondaime-sama could come, and I got taken out of the fight before he got there. It was... It was terrifying." He curled his hands into fists, brought his knees up to his chest.

"You're about my age, right? You were in the war." It was a statement. Everyone their age was in the war. You didn't have to ask. "After the Fox, it was as bad as that. I remember this border town up north that got completely destroyed by fire during the war. It was like that. Worse, maybe. A lot of Konoha is still... It's still all charred. Burned down. Knocked down."

He stared past Yanagi, seeing the chaos he was describing. The scent of ash and death still hung over the village, muted now by winter rain. There were still funerals being held every week. They hadn't even accounted for all the missing yet.

"Your dad... He's okay?" Genma asked, words tumbling out before he could call them back.