14 - A Land of Endless Rain

The sky over the Land of Rain was always gloomy, casting a bleak atmosphere over the entire country. The constant drizzle seemed to seep into everything—wood, stone, even spirit.

This country was almost entirely governed by a perpetual rainy season, with most of the land drenched in rain nearly every month of the year. The endless downpour had turned what was once a prosperous land into something barely recognizable.

The Land of Rain was littered with run-down towns, its unmaintained roads thick with mud. Every step sank into the muck, sometimes even exposing broken, discolored bones.

The wind on the wasteland was icy. Wild plants seemed to thrive, eagerly soaking up the rain's nutrients, but the fields, once meant for rice, were overgrown with weeds.

Nature had reclaimed what man had abandoned.

The road from the Land of Fire's border to Ame was one of the few still somewhat passable, though the surface was rough. Travelers had to skirt around large puddles, some of which were craters left by explosive tags from battles, where an ordinary person could easily get stuck.

Along one stretch, the road passed by a hillside with an old watchtower, collapsed, leaving only a vine-covered, low wall.

From this vantage, a convoy could be seen slowly moving along the road below.

From the hill's perspective, the convoy seemed to be crawling, barely faster than a turtle.

Beside the crumbling wall, the air twisted into a vortex, and a figure wearing a spiral-patterned, single-eyed mask appeared.

The masked man wore a long robe without any identifying marks.

After a moment, a humanoid figure emerged from the weeds beside him, its body distinctly divided—half black, half white.

"Is that... food?" it asked, looking at the convoy below. "Are we robbing them, or giving it to that kid?"

The masked man ignored the question, his single Sharingan fixated on the convoy in the distance.

Lost in thought, memories surfaced in his mind.

"Obito, congrats on becoming a ninja! Let me give you a bit of advice: Stop wasting food in missions."

"You're asking how I awakened my Sharingan? Good question... Here's another tip for you: Praise food."

"Why waste time on Fire Release? Eating is the real deal. Come on, let's use fire jutsu to grill some fish."

"Obito, I submitted a request for this mission. Mind letting me take it? I want to try some local food in Iwa."

"Damn Hokage Office, always rejecting my requests. Stole my food, eh, money. Obito, play it safe—if you're hungry, use your teacher as a food delivery service."

"Obito? Obito?" His partner's incessant calling stirred Obito's anger.

Can you stop?!

"Zetsu, who do you think you're calling?" The Sharingan glared menacingly at him. "Want to die?"

"Ah, sorry, Madara-sama." Zetsu gestured at the approaching convoy. "Shall we make a move? There are two Uchiha among them. Taking their eyes would be a good haul."

"You telling me what to do?"

"Just a suggestion. Hmm… seems like they've noticed us?" Can the Sharingan see this far?

Suddenly, a fireball shot up from the convoy, slicing through the rainy sky and streaking toward the remains of the watchtower.

"A little… too far, maybe?" Zetsu muttered, watching the fireball soar closer.

Boom!

The explosion sent a shockwave that obliterated the last remnants of the watchtower, leaving a steaming crater. The blast scattered debris in all directions, some pieces hissing as they hit the wet ground.

"It was quite accurate, though." Zetsu resurfaced from the earth nearby, looking around. "They must have pretty good eyes, Madara-sama… huh? Where'd he go?"

The area was now empty, not a soul in sight.

"Oh… he's gone…" Zetsu muttered in another voice.

"I have eyes of my own; I don't need your reminders."

Reverting to his original voice, Zetsu sank back into the ground, and silence fell again.

A few seconds later, a figure appeared in a flash atop the hill.

The newcomer carefully scanned the area. That chakra signature...

"Masashi." Another figure arrived on the hill, landing silently behind him.

"What are you doing here too?" Masashi deactivated his Sharingan, finding nothing of note. "Who's watching the convoy?"

"It's passing below; I just came to check." Shisui examined the large crater and the remnants of the building. His fingers traced the edge of a shattered stone. "Doesn't look like anyone's been here. Must be the rain playing tricks on our eyes."

"There was definitely a chakra presence here," Masashi murmured, doubtful. Something familiar about it... "Could it have been a leftover chakra item?"

"Even if it was, with you blasting it to pieces, we wouldn't find anything now," Shisui pointed out, gesturing at the water rising steadily in the crater. "Though I have to admit, that was some fireball. Getting better with your aim."

"Hm…" Masashi looked sourly at the muddy water seeping into the hole. "Staying in a place like this for three months will be a nightmare."

"I'd say it suits you—easy access to water for your Water Release."

After a final sweep of the area and finding nothing, the two left the hillside.

Back at the convoy, the representative was waiting at the side. As the two approached, a man nervously asked, "Was there any trouble?"

"No, we just sensed some chakra up there and checked it out, but it was nothing."

"That's good... nothing's good..." the man exhaled in relief.

"Kusatsu, you're the leader here; try not to look so tense." Masashi glanced at the civilian workers behind him, who were eyeing them uneasily. Your fear is spreading to them.

They looked ready to bolt at any moment.

The Land of Fire's workers, in comparison, were noticeably steadier. Their movements showed the confidence of people who knew they were protected.

"I know…" Kusatsu nodded. "I'll be careful. This country now… well, never mind. It's already in such a state; there's no point in saying more."

"How far are we from Ame?"

"At this pace…" Kusatsu estimated silently, counting on his fingers, "another two days."

"Any towns we can rest in along the way?"

"There are, though I'm not sure if the buildings are still usable." Kusatsu looked troubled. "The original inhabitants dispersed long ago, and new villages wouldn't register with the daimyō's office, so it depends on our luck."

This place is in complete disarray. Hardly a country anymore.

Masashi shook his head. If it weren't for the Land of Fire official's preparations to waterproof the supplies and the Land of Rain's use of their transportation equipment, the grain would likely have been soaked and ruined by now.

The country's administrative system had practically devolved into regional self-governance, with the wilds devoid of any order. It was only by the intervention of the nearby major nations that it still operated under the name of a country.

What took only a few days in the Land of Fire had taken over half a month here. Every delay made the mission more dangerous, more costly.

In some places, they couldn't even find a detour without first drying the path with fire jutsu.

He'd made up his mind—once they reached the daimyō's palace, he wasn't setting foot anywhere else. What a godforsaken place. Let someone else deal with this mess.

When Masashi saw the grand village on the distant highlands, he let out a sigh of relief.

"The terrain makes it perfect for ambushes," Shisui noted quietly, scanning the surrounding area with his Sharingan.

"And perfect for watching us approach. We're exposed."

At least the Rain delegates haven't tried anything yet, though that might be more concerning, Masashi thought.

He was surprised that they hadn't encountered any attacks, the journey had been far from easy. The poor environment was one thing, but the team from the Land of Rain was particularly untrustworthy.

Their chakra signatures had been unstable throughout the journey, suggesting either poor control or deliberate deception.

At the very least, both Masashi and Shisui had to stay constantly on high alert, maintaining a subtle defensive formation around the convoy.

Finally, their destination lay before them.

Still, everyone remained on guard.

After all, there had been countless examples of people getting ambushed right before reaching their goal.

As the group neared the gates, they swung open, and an armed squad poured out in single file.

The newcomers were all armed, samurai from the Land of Rain. Their armor was poorly maintained, patches of rust visible even from a distance.

"Welcome to the Land of Rain. The daimyō awaits," the lead samurai announced.

In today's shinobi nations, samurai were lower-ranking nobles without lands, often with respectable family backgrounds and higher education.

They worked various jobs, with town samurai serving as land surveyors, tax assessors, and law enforcement officers, while village samurai took on roles in police security and administration. The elite among them could become officials or trusted aides to daimyōs and local lords.

They were known for both martial and scholarly skills, and many trained in ninjutsu. Some even chose to become shinobi.

The envoy from the daimyō's palace whom Masashi and Shisui had met earlier was a samurai in an administrative role.

Though they were also called samurai, they were completely different from the purely combative samurai of the Land of Iron.

Compared to their counterparts in the Land of Fire, the samurai of the Land of Rain seemed a bit shabby.

Their spirits appeared low, and many looked visibly malnourished. Masashi doubted whether they could even perform their role in maintaining law and order in the village.

This was the current state of the Land of Rain. The ninjas lacked the power to fulfill their military duties to protect and support society, and the nobility failed to organize production activities and maintain social order. The mutual support mechanism between them had completely collapsed, creating a vicious cycle.

Kusatsu went ahead to meet the lead samurai from the Land of Rain.

Under the samurai's guidance, the convoy slowly entered the village. Upon entering, Masashi noted that the village wasn't as desolate as he'd imagined.

But lacking rural economic support, it wasn't particularly thriving, either.

At the very least, it faced a shortage of essentials, especially food.

A samurai soon approached to convey an order from the daimyō, inviting their guests from the Land of Fire to his palace.

Called a palace, it was actually a fortress in the village.

Unlike the Land of Fire, buildings in the Land of Rain were mainly stone, with metal drainage pipes both inside and outside, making it far less aesthetically pleasing than the wooden architecture in the Land of Fire.

The daimyō also looked different from what Masashi had imagined. He'd thought the daimyō would look like a frightened, nervous man.

But that wasn't the case.

The man was rotund, his face shining with oil, and didn't seem uncomfortable at all, which contrasted completely with the atmosphere of the village.

Masashi had assumed the samurai would resemble the ragged men he'd seen at the gate, but he was wrong again.

The samurai around the daimyō were in robust health. True to form for the daimyō, despite the widespread hunger in his nation, he managed to maintain his dignified upper-class image.

Compared to the five great daimyōs, he made them look humble by comparison.

"Hohoho," the daimyō laughed awkwardly. "The journey must have been difficult for you. Please take your time and rest in my palace."

"Daimyō-sama, we will protect your safety for the next three months," Masashi replied, seeing that Shisui wasn't planning to speak. "Could you tell us more about the village's situation?"

"Oh... thank you both for your trouble." The daimyō nodded 'graciously'. "After all, those ninjas from Ame are completely unreliable. I also don't like how they talk to me. They show no respect for me as the daimyō."

Best to assume he wasn't just pretending.

"I understand. Then, if we may, we'd like to explore the layout of the palace," Masashi said.

"No problem. Please, go ahead."

He took a step forward and vanished, wasting no time. The daimyō was bound to be one of those difficult types to work with.

Behind him, Shisui caught up.

"Masashi-nii, not in a great mood?"

"He's definitely going to be a challenging client." Masashi sighed.

"Yeah, even though he looks easygoing, he clearly doesn't trust us."

"It doesn't really matter; our mission is just to protect his life. I'll go check out the village. You can examine the palace."

"Be careful, Masashi-nii. Something feels off about this place."

"That's precisely why I want to investigate personally."

After splitting up, Masashi left the fortress and returned to the village, familiarizing himself with its streets and alleys.

The village had a fair number of beggars, making it easy for enemies to sneak in. However, his ninja attire seemed to have a certain deterrent effect, as no one dared to bother him.

The village's buildings were mostly high-rise, while the streets were wide, but manhole covers were everywhere.

Masashi created a few shadow clones, each of which lifted a manhole cover and jumped inside.

By evening, his clones reported back. The results weren't promising.

The village's drainage system was extensive, with overly spacious sewage pipes that spread out like an underground maze.

Apparently, Ame was the same way. In any case, there were far too many factors unfavorable to his mission. Moreover, the anomaly on the hill had continued to bother him.

After running it through his mind multiple times, he was now certain he hadn't seen wrong.

He mentally made a list of people who could threaten his mission in the Land of Rain.

Wait, could it be Obito? Hadn't he gone to the Land of Water yet?

As a reincarnator, Masashi naturally wanted to change Obito's fate. They actually had a pretty good relationship; their houses were close, and they practically saw each other every day.

But no matter how he looked at it, Obito had no reason to interfere in the Land of Fire's operations.

The guy was entirely focused on collecting tailed beasts, and at this stage, Akatsuki was still a dream-filled organization.

If he was genuinely interested in the daimyō's head, though, it would be troublesome. His Mangekyō ability was outrageously powerful.

Masashi couldn't afford to fail his first S-rank mission; he needed the money for food.

If Obito shows up, standard tactics won't work. I'll need something unexpected. I'll just have to use that technique as a precaution.

After all, I already know Water Release techniques, so it's perfectly normal to know a few others, right...?

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