Chapter 39: Amegakure

We set out to the west, all our gear and supplies prepared and stored in scrolls.

We had no idea what to expect; the lands we would travel through to eventually get to the Land of Demons were largely ignored. Only the Land of Rain and Grass had any importance, and that was entirely due to people from those areas and their exports.

The Land of Rain was known because of Hanzo the Salamander, the former leader of Amegakure, and a Kage level shinobi. He was an extremely deadly man, both with his use of various venoms and his skill with a Kusarigama, killing many people throughout his lifetime.

The Land of Grass was known for the large amount of medicinal herbs it exported, as well as an abundance of crops. It was a land that was coveted by the Land of Fire, Wind, and Earth, however no one wished to fight and destroy the land, keeping the battle purely economic.

Both the Claw, Fang, and Mountain were unknown, and held little true value. Nothing of importance was exported, no reputable shinobi. However, they did act as borders for the Lands of Wind and Earth, serving a purpose as a buffer.

So, as we made our way towards these lands, none of us were particularly excited, nor were we wanting to stop and take in the sights.

Looking back at my girls, I saw Kurenai running forwards, keeping an eye out. However, Anko was running directly behind me, her eyes glued to me. Glaring at her, she just scratched her cheek before moving away.

Sighing, I realized that this expedition would be more tedious than I first thought.

~~~

Reaching Tonika Village, I looked between my girls before saying "This is the only time we stop today. From here on out we are just running towards our destination. So, if your hungry, or think you need something, we get it here."

Kurenai nodded, while Anko pursed her lips.

"Food sounds good..."

I sighed, before looking around the streets. Since it was still early, only a few stalls and stores were open, and they weren't selling much.

"Fish or bread, choose."

Anko pouted, before saying "Can I have you make me something?"

"Anko..."

Hearing my exasperated voice, she sighed before moving towards the bakery. Coming out a few moments later, she handed both Kurenai and I a small roll.

Taking a bite, I was surprised to find that they were stuffed rolls, filled with a jelly of some kind. Quickly finishing the roll, I looked at Kurenai and saw she was done as well.

"Anything else? If not, take the Hitai-Ate off. No need to advertise who we are."

"Don't the vests give it away still?"

Hearing Kurenai's question, I pulled out a scroll and handed her and Anko a grey cloak.

"Waterproof, and helps keep the wind out."

Throwing the cloaks on, I watched as they both took their Hitai-Ate off, placing them into their pouches.

I looked them over, before nodding.

"Alright, let's move."

~~~

Like I thought, making our way through the Land of Grass was uneventful.

The entire country was just rolling plains and forests, with a few large villages scattered around, their people tending to the large swathes of land dedicated to various grains.

There were few people traveling around the roads, and when we did see someone we just moved around them, out of sight, before resuming our pace.

It only took us around two hours to reach the border of the Land of Rain, and we could tell due to the higher winds and darker clouds, indicating the unusually wet country in between two dry countries. Reaching the border, we slipped over the wall that was meant to protect the border, and started running through the light drizzle.

"Damn, it's a good thing you remembered these cloaks Kokoro. I can't imagine having to either constantly use chakra or just bear with the water..."

Chuckling, I said "I only thought of it because I was here before, and remembered doing just that. Besides, we don't really know anything about the Land of Demons, so it was better to be prepared. Besides, from this point out the terrain gets rough. Both Claw and Fang are hilly, while Mountain is self explanatory."

Anko sighed, while Kurenai just nodded, looking around.

Falling silent, we continued running, avoiding any small settlements or caravans traversing the muddy roads.

Sadly, we ended up running into a problem.

Amegakure.

It was situated besides a large lake, and a large mountain, blocking the path.

So, we either run over the lake, using large amounts of chakra, traverse the steep mountain and risk causing or receiving rock slides, or run through a village that specializes in assassinations.

We stopped miles from the city, looking at it.

"So... Do we go through it?"

Hearing Anko, I shrugged.

"That in and of itself is risky. They are wary of outsiders, and the Hokage already said that a strong group rules this place. He wouldn't just mention something like that in the same breath as Orochimaru or Itachi if this group wasn't somewhere in the same range of those two..."

"We couldn't run over the lake, at least not fast enough. Look."

Saying so, Kurenai pointed at the lake, where a few barges were floating.

"Damn..."

I sighed, looking back at the mountain. Not only was it steep, but it was slick. The constant rain, as well as Amegakure tending to the mountain, made it smooth and really dangerous to traverse.

Turning my gaze back towards the metal city, I pursed my lips. Konoha was circular, and quite large. Ame was more like a rectangle, with it being quite long, but not that wide. However, that meant that we had a large amount of territory to go through, and if it was even a quarter as competent as Konoha, this would be tough.

See, even if we suppressed our chakra, all it would take is one strong sensor to find us before we had an entire village looking for us.

"So, do we move through the city in the shadows or in the open?"

Looking towards Anko, I said "Shadows. The cloaks may help, but any observant person could see our mannerisms, lack of awareness of Ame, even our different shoe ware."

Both Anko and Kurenai nodded, looking back towards the dreary city.

Sighing, I said "Well, we suppress our chakra and move quickly. Stick to the shadows, avoid people, and stay close. The last thing we need is to run into a shinobi, or that group..."

They nodded, and I could feel their chakra levels drop, reaching around a civilians level.

The reason chakra suppression was tedious was obvious. You had to bottle the chakra up, preventing it from spreading through your body. This meant no jutsu of any kind, as well as a drop in your physical senses.

In a way, you crippled yourself, albeit temporarily.

Taking a deep breath, we made our way towards the metal city, and after looking at the wall I pointed towards a section close to the lake.

"Seems like that section is lower to the ground and has more pipes and handhold. No movement."

Kurenai nodded her head, confirming she didn't see anything either.

We made our way towards the wall quickly, before looking up. Jumping, I climbed up, using the various pipes and handholds to reach the top.

Looking over the part of the city we were near, I saw various small buildings, made from the same gray metal. The people on the streets were dressed in grey or black cloaks, moving underneath any available cover.

Feeling Anko and Kurenai behind me, I pulled up my hood before climbing down the wall, hiding behind an abandoned building.

Looking around, I couldn't see any people hiding in the shadows, nor could I see any areas that looked well used in places civilians wouldn't reach.

Signing to my girls, we moved forwards, staying out of sight. Moving quietly around the civilians, we slowly and methodically made our way through Ame. The city was repetitive, with most buildings looking very similar, no signage or markings except for some graffiti, and no color except for the dull grey.

I was able to keep us in a straight line, making our way as quickly as we could, but not every plan always works out well. After all, we shinobi would be nigh invincible if they did.

A steady, emotionless voice spread around us.

"Who are you?"

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Shorter, but it's kinda hard to write about people just... running through places. I also didn't want to get a little into this... encounter before just stopping, so boom, meet Cliff. He's a nice guy, I swear...

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