Interlude in the Rain

After traveling for over half a month, the transport team, rushing day and night, finally entered the Land of Rain.

Less than two kilometers into the country, a torrential downpour suddenly struck, as if people in the heavens were splashing water. Even with raincoats on, they felt thoroughly damp. Katsuki and Kushina didn't mind much; Uzushio Village was on an island, and the humidity there wasn't much less than here.

However, most of the students, and even the Genin who were accustomed to the Land of Fire, found it unbearable. The team descended into slight chaos because of this, but fortunately, Tsunade and Orochimaru quickly brought the situation under control, allowing them to press on. Battling through the pouring rain, they trudged along the muddy roads, a truly bitter experience.

Compared to the excellent road conditions in the Land of Fire, the roads in the Land of Rain were utterly terrible. Mules and horses would get stuck, requiring great effort to pull their hooves out, and their travel speed dropped to less than a tenth of what it was before.

"What rotten luck! Is the Land of Rain just full of mud pits? Can't they just build decent roads?"

Otoha fell into a pit again. Due to the heavy rain, visibility was extremely limited, making it impossible to see the road ahead. People occasionally stumbled into mud pits. It wasn't that those in front didn't warn those behind; rather, the horses and people passing by had loosened the topsoil, and those who followed were unlucky.

Among them, Otoha was the most unfortunate, having stepped into a mud pit for the third time.

He cursed the Rain Ninja in despair, and only with the help of Katsuki and Hyuga Tenzan did he manage to pull his foot out with difficulty.

"The weather in the Land of Rain is truly bizarre. The heavy rain comes out of nowhere, catching people completely off guard," Katsuki wiped his face, which was covered in water.

"Sigh! The worst part is that this rain feels like it's going to last forever? That's what's truly terrifying," Hyuga Tenzan looked up at the sky with concern. It was a deep, dark ink color. Despite it being just past two in the afternoon, the sky was as dim as if night had fallen.

Katsuki sighed, truly helpless against the terrible weather. Fortunately, he wasn't born in the Land of Rain to take baths, nor in the Land of Wind to eat sand. The thought alone was depressing.

"...Did you guys hear something?" Katsuki's ears twitched. It seemed like a large amount of chaotic noise was mixed in with the sound of the rain.

"Huh? With this much rain, how could you hear anything! Katsuki, are you hearing things?" Otoha pouted.

Katsuki shrugged helplessly at Otoha's reaction. What a strange turn of events. He used to be such a cool Uchiha disciple, and now he's acting like such a goofball.

Hyuga Tenzan's reaction was more decisive. He formed hand seals, opened his Byakugan, and scanned the surroundings. Then, his mouth formed an 'O' shape as he pointed towards the wilderness to the left. "Over there are..."

"Alert, alert! Enemies are approaching," the leading Chunin shouted at the top of his lungs. It wasn't that the approaching enemies were particularly terrifying, but rather that if they spoke too softly, their voices would be drowned out by the heavy rain.

The Genin quickly drew their kunai and short swords. Many carried various weapons; kunai were standard issue, but not mandatory for everyone. Katsuki and the others also reflexively drew their kunai, assuming a defensive stance.

It wasn't Katsuki's first time facing combat. He had clashed with Mist Ninja before. Although he had been completely defeated and nearly lost his life that time, it was still a valuable experience. At least now, he wasn't as nervous or excited as his two teammates. He steadied his breathing, trying hard to listen for the extraneous sounds in the rain.

"They're here."

Katsuki's gaze sharpened. Figures flickered in the rain, and the glint of swords caught everyone's eyes before the people themselves.

"Kill! Kill all these bandits, these fools seeking their own demise!" The leading Chunin was a veteran. He didn't panic upon being ambushed and immediately ordered the Genin to move out and eliminate the bandits.

Young calves are not afraid of tigers, especially when the opponents are just weaklings!

The ninjas guarding the large carts split into two groups: one attacked, and the other protected the supplies. They alternated, essentially using it as a training exercise.

Katsuki, Otoha, and Tenzan charged into the fray. Despite their young age, they had already refined their chakra and were vastly different from ordinary civilians. Wielding their kunai, they easily tore through the necks of the burly bandits. The hot blood gushed out like a spring, quickly turning cold in the downpour.

Mechanically swinging their kunai, they savored the sensation of the sharp blade slicing through skin, cutting muscle, and tearing tendons. The unprecedented feeling of accidentally hitting bone made Katsuki's stomach churn. However, looking around, neither Otoha nor Tenzan showed any signs of discomfort. Instead, they were filled with an unparalleled excitement...

Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Katsuki's eyes turned cold. This was the true face of this world. If you don't kill, you will be killed.

Certain stubborn obsessions from his previous life, rooted deep in his heart, began to dissipate. This was no longer a world governed by law; this was a land of power. And even the laws of his past life were built upon power.

He couldn't say he had a sudden enlightenment, but the discomfort that had been lingering in his heart completely vanished. His kunai moved with greater agility. Long before entering the Land of Rain, he had shed his heavy equipment. He could play around like that on his own territory, but continuing to do so in the Land of Rain would be suicidal.

Treading through the messy mud, Katsuki advanced and attacked with the squad under the Chunin captain's command. He didn't aim for any outstanding performance but tried his best to keep up with the team's pace. Otoha and Tenzan adopted the same attitude, not acting recklessly due to their prestigious backgrounds. Everyone's strength was integrated, transforming into a cold killing machine that annihilated this considerable group of bandits.

Apart from the first wave who carried swords, the rest of these bandits were armed with hoes, wooden clubs, hammers, and saws. Calling them bandits was giving them too much credit; they were essentially farmers and craftsmen, gaunt and sallow-faced, yet they charged forward with ferocious, death-defying courage...

This was also a side effect of war. The battles between the Rain Ninja and Konoha had severely damaged the Land of Rain's already fragile economy. Large numbers of refugees scattered into the wilderness, and to survive, they had no choice but to engage in this "business" with no capital.

However, failure meant losing their lives.

This attack was merely a minor interlude. Over two hundred refugee bandits were slaughtered, their bodies piling up in the wilderness, slowly turning white and rotting as they were soaked by the rain. There was no need for anyone to clean them up; the wild dogs roaming the wilderness would gnaw the corpses clean. The Konoha transport team set off again. Apart from a few unlucky individuals who twisted their ankles by accidentally stepping into mud pits, no one was injured.