Three Years (Two-in-One)

The Land of Rain, as the name suggests, is shrouded in drizzling rain for 70% of the year. This unique climate has shaped its distinct landscape, with most of the architecture in the Land of Rain clinging to various cliffsides to shelter from the downpour.

The harsh natural environment has prevented the region from ever becoming prosperous. Since the Warring States Period, this place has never produced any strongmen, nor has it given birth to any ninja clans, until the rise of Hanzo of the Salamander.

During the First Shinobi World War, the reputation of Hanzo of the Salamander first emerged. Over the course of a dozen years, he gradually carved out the title of Demigod of the Shinobi World, shaking the entire world. Unfortunately, such a renowned figure led nothing more than the weak and pathetic Amegakure.

For many years, Hanzo has led Amegakure to maneuver between the various great nations, hoping that one day he could gain the recognition of the other Great Ninja Villages and become the sixth great ninja village.

Due to its small population, Amegakure does not cover a large area; it consists of a dozen or so buildings constructed against the mountains. The sound of Hanzo slamming his Desk could be heard faintly, only to be swallowed by the wind and rain.

"This is too much! How dare they, Sunagakure!"

The man known as the Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander, slapped his Desk with a loud thud.

Although he has always faced pressure from the three nations of Wind, Earth, and Fire, the major ninja villages have become increasingly excessive in recent years. Sunagakure, in particular, has pushed Hanzo's patience to its limit.

Every time they send someone, they act bossy and arrogant. Hanzo could have sent them to their graves in the time it takes to draw a single breath, yet he is forced, time and again, to listen to them address him by his name and make all sorts of outrageous demands.

This time it was even more absurd: they actually proposed that Amegakure grant unconditional, permanent permission for Sunagakure ninjas to enter and exit the Land of Rain at will, without any obstruction.

For a ninja village, this is equivalent to handing over one's lifeblood to others; it is the ultimate humiliation.

Hanzo naturally could not agree, but Sunagakure's proposal of such an outrageous demand clearly showed they knew Amegakure would never accept it. Even that weak messenger was likely just cannon fodder sent to provide an excuse for future aggression.

Therefore, Hanzo must endure!

Sunagakure must have a backup plan, so he must prepare as soon as possible...

Thinking of this, Hanzo asked his deputy standing to the side:

"Have the guests from Kumogakure not arrived yet?"

"They arrived earlier, but for fear of running into the people from Sunagakure, they have hidden themselves for now."

"Invite them over. No, take them to the tea room."

Hanzo of the Salamander is not without political acumen. Within a few breaths, he smoothed out his emotions and forced himself to calm down.

In recent years, the situation in the Shinobi World has become increasingly volatile. Hanzo of the Salamander feels as if the Land of Rain is sitting on a volcano, with malicious covetousness coming from all directions. The only thing that can improve his mood is the arrival of visitors from Kumogakure.

Several people wrapped in cloaks were led into the tea room, where Hanzo of the Salamander was already waiting.

"Lord Hanzo, long time no see." The leader nodded in greeting while removing his hood.

The title "Lord Hanzo" made Hanzo of the Salamander feel a bit more at ease.

Look at the difference; look at the people from Kumogakure. Compared to them, the people from Sunagakure are like a bunch of bandits!

"Karui, long time no see." The other party was polite and measured, so Hanzo naturally responded with courtesy. Moreover, this envoy from Kumogakure was someone Hanzo truly did not want to offend.

"The supplies for this time have been delivered in full. Here are the sealing scrolls and the manifest." Karui pulled two scrolls from his sleeves and handed them to Hanzo.

Hanzo calmly opened the manifest, and seeing the list of supplies, his heart settled slightly.

The other scroll was marked with the character for "Seal," and Hanzo put it away with extra care. He was familiar with this; it was an Extra Large Sealing Scroll specially made by Kumogakure, capable of sealing a massive amount of supplies within a single scroll.

About three years ago, Kumogakure—the only one of the four inland major ninja villages that does not border the Land of Rain—sent an envoy. With great sincerity and determination, they expressed a willingness to secretly form an alliance with the Land of Rain. To be precise, they were willing to support Hanzo himself.

Ninja tools, weapons, Explosive Tags, various supplies needed by ninjas, and even ninjutsu scrolls were all within the scope of their support. The prices were so cheap that Hanzo could make a huge profit just by reselling the supplies. Most importantly, he could write IOUs without any limit.

This secret support never stopped, wave after wave. Hanzo couldn't even remember how many IOUs he had written to Kumogakure.

At the time, the only request Kumogakure made was that if Amegakure were to seize any spoils on the battlefield in the future, Kumogakure hoped to share them, or at least have priority in trading for those that could not be shared.

At first, Hanzo thought they had ulterior motives. Where is there any trust in the Shinobi World, especially between powers? Who can say what will happen in the future?

But over the past three years, Kumogakure's support has never wavered. Regardless of the wind and rain, regardless of how other major ninja villages threatened them, and regardless of how the prices of supplies rose, you could always trust Kumogakure.

Relying on Kumogakure's secret support, Amegakure, which had become affluent in terms of supplies and money, had gradually grown stronger over these years. It finally looked a bit like a real ninja village, though it was still far behind the Five Great Villages, it at least had some backbone.

Hanzo went from initial disbelief, to mid-term suspicion, and finally to his current state of relief.

When the entire Shinobi World was opposing him and suppressing him, only Kumogakure was firmly supporting him. Even if it was in secret, this support was exceptionally precious to both Amegakure and Hanzo himself.

This also gave Hanzo a glimmer of hope—a hope that he could lead Amegakure further in the future.

However, the longer this almost free support lasted, the more surreal it felt to Hanzo. He even began to look forward to Kumogakure making some excessive demands, just so he could feel more at ease.

To his disappointment, Kumogakure made no such demands this time; instead, they gave even more.

"Lord Hanzo, the lords in our village asked me to remind you that the situation in the Shinobi World has become increasingly volatile in recent years. Amegakure is our important ally, but after all, we are thousands of miles apart. Once the Shinobi World changes, our village will be powerless to intervene even if we want to. In the end, Amegakure must be strong on its own. Besides the supplies, I have brought two companions this time. They are the most excellent ninja instructors. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, assassination techniques, intelligence analysis, and team combat—these are all things they can teach. If you need it, my companions can stay behind to help Amegakure train ninjas for a period of one year. Of course, you may also refuse."

Karui pointed to the two people behind him, and they removed their hoods in response. Neither wore a Headband, and Hanzo guessed they would not have anything on them that could prove their identities.

Kumogakure has always been very careful in this regard.

As for the "lords in the village" that Karui mentioned, Hanzo knew that the person was the head of Karui's department, likely a powerful advisor in Kumogakure. They had been communicating remotely for years, and Hanzo had gained much. The other party's wisdom had benefited him greatly, and in his heart, he had always considered this person a confidant.

It was just that for the sake of secrecy, Hanzo still did not know the person's real name.

"The lord also said that if Amegakure wants to rise in the cracks, it must have the ability to cultivate its own talent. Since Amegakure has no ninja clans, it must build a Ninja Academy. These two are exactly the talent Amegakure needs most. I hope Lord Hanzo will consider it seriously."

Hearing this, Hanzo took a sip of tea. His face remained calm, but inside, he was moved by how his old friend always knew exactly how to scratch his itch.

He used to think that Amegakure was weak because the Land of Rain was poor. But with the support of Kumogakure in recent years, the problems of resource scarcity and poverty were basically solved. However, the lack of ability to cultivate talent had become a new bottleneck for Amegakure.

He, Hanzo, is strong, but being strong and being a good teacher are two different things. He couldn't possibly spend every day doing nothing but teaching students. Therefore, over the years, Hanzo had only been able to select one or two deputies with decent Talent to mentor; he simply couldn't look after the others, let alone replenish the village with fresh blood.

Most importantly, Hanzo excels in taijutsu and Water Release, but he is not proficient in everything. He is particularly unskilled in non-combat disciplines, such as intelligence decryption.

Hanzo looked at the two ninja instructors, a hint of fervor growing in his eyes.

Although these two might only stay for a year, if they could lay the foundation for a Ninja Academy in Amegakure, then in a few years, the Rain Ninja would have a heritage of their own.

As for the issue of trust, Hanzo still believed in his old friend; besides, what kind of trouble could two ninja teachers possibly stir up? A little bit of observation would suffice.

This old friend of mine truly understands me.

"Hanzo is clearly being naive; there isn't much time left for the Rain Ninja."

In the 37th year of Kumogakure (coinciding with Konohagakure), Hanzo's old friend Dada was 10 years old this year, though he stood as tall as a fourteen or fifteen-year-old, his face still carrying a trace of boyishness and nine parts handsomeness.

At this moment, Dada was on the rooftop of the Kumogakure Ninja Academy, listening to a subordinate's report.

Even as the son of the Raikage, Dada still had to attend the Ninja Academy, even if he could pin his teachers to the ground and hammer them—well, that sort of thing had absolutely never happened.

However, it was clear that Dada didn't have the time to attend school every day for six years, so he decisively transferred into a grade.

Since it was just a formality of graduating in a year anyway, Dada simply transferred into the same grade as Uzumaki Hirohiko.

Returning to his student days after many years, Dada felt it was quite refreshing, even though the content of his studies involved killing, destruction, and infiltration.

Moreover, the children in the school were quite precocious.

Well, especially the girls.

Over the past few months, Dada had acquired the nickname "The Noble Prince of Kumogakure," a moniker thick with a sense of romance, and there were duels regarding Dada's "eligibility for courtship" happening almost every week in places Dada didn't even know about.

"Let's duel! The loser is no longer allowed to approach Dada!" and things of that nature.

Such activities happened frequently; at a rough estimate, Dada's courtship rights had already circulated among the girls of the Ninja Academy several times over.

As for skipping class, it was a mandatory course. In recent years, Dada's burden as an "advisor" within Kumogakure had grown heavier, with much work to process, often listening to reports from the Special Strategy Department on the school rooftop.

This also led to the legend of the "Noble Prince's Lonely Rooftop" circulating in the Ninja Academy, which was very popular among the girls.

"The Noble Prince of Kumogakure is actually a lonely person at heart, often skipping class to go to the rooftop alone to embrace the morning dew, the sunlight, and the evening breeze. If anyone can meet him on the rooftop at the right time, he will open his heart to that person."

Dada would say that if you can make it up there, I'll consider it my loss. Every time he received a report, there were at least two jonin guarding the rooftop, and there were even Barrier Ninjutsu in place. If a little girl who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy could make it up there, I, Dada, would be willing to call you the strongest.

But that wasn't even the most impressive part; a week ago, Dada had just sent his dean and homeroom teacher to the Land of Rain. Dada reckoned this achievement was one in a million...

It was definitely not a personal vendetta; they were truly the most suitable candidates.

"I hope the dean and the homeroom teacher can adapt to the climate of the Land of Rain," Dada remarked with a sigh.

The ninja reporting to the side wiped away a cold sweat...

The dean and the homeroom teacher must have been rogue ninjas in their past lives to have encountered such a student in this one...

In recent years, the situation in the Shinobi World had become increasingly unstable. Conflicts between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire had escalated due to uneven development, and with the Land of Rain as a focal point for their power struggles, friction was constant, giving off a sense that a storm was brewing.

As for Kumogakure, because it was far enough away from the center of the conflict in the Land of Rain, and because it had spent the last few years quietly digesting the heritage it had previously acquired, it was able to stay out of the fray for the time being.

It had been 10 years since his transmigration, and Dada didn't quite remember what role Kumogakure played in the original Second Shinobi World War, but in this life, he hoped Kumogakure could pass through the second war smoothly and not be dragged in too early, especially not passively.

After all, the Third Shinobi World War would follow immediately after.

After hearing the subordinate's report, Dada jumped directly off the rooftop. This was also the reason why few people could catch him on the rooftop, because the door leading to it had long been welded shut by him. He usually just jumped up and down, and not many children in the Ninja Academy could do that.

"School should be over by now. Let's go, Hirohiko. Where is Kagari?"

Uzumaki Hirohiko's younger sister, Kagari, was also a student at the Ninja Academy, one grade below Dada and Hirohiko.

The red-haired boy who had been waiting for a long time was unfazed and said, "She said she had some private business, so she won't be coming with us today."

Hirohiko could be considered a famous figure in the Ninja Academy, partly because he was Dada's friend, but more so because Hirohiko was the most outstanding student in the school, consistently ranking first in all subjects.

That was, provided Dada didn't participate in any of the assessments.

The two who left the Ninja Academy together did not know that in the hills behind the school, nine-year-old Uzumaki Kagari pulled a pair of fingerless gloves from her pocket.

"The old rules: let's duel. The loser is not allowed to approach Brother Dada again!" Kagari said, adjusting her glasses as she looked at the several girls in front of her.

"Shut up! You are not allowed to call Lord Dada 'Brother'! If you want to fight, then let's fight. Come on!"

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