Chapter 29

Great changes were always hidden among countless small ones.

During the several missions after they returned to the team, Kushina and Bei Xingye clearly sensed that their teammate named Ye Zi had begun to give off a subtle air of keeping others at a distance. What had once been vague became clear, and what had once been closeness turned into an indistinct estrangement.

On the days they rested after missions, Ye Zi used training as an excuse and no longer went out to eat with Kushina and Bei Xingye. It seemed the only time they had a chance to be together was during missions.

Orochimaru had noticed this as well, but he had no intention of changing it. Even though Ye Zi had begun distancing himself from the others, he never slacked off when it came to the tasks required during missions. Moreover, in Orochimaru's eyes, even if the team fell apart, Ye Zi was still the one most likely to survive.

Even if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki died, it would be enough as long as Ye Zi did not.

A man like a snake, a heart as cold as a snake's, and an indifferent set of values. That was Orochimaru.

That day, the sky was overcast. From morning until afternoon, the dark clouds swelled like fermenting dough, slowly expanding until they turned pitch-black. Carrying a heavy oppressive presence, they pressed down on the earth, as if a torrential rain might fall at any moment.

The thick, roiling clouds blocked out the sunlight. The gloomy sky weighed on people's spirits, and there was hardly a single pedestrian to be seen on the streets. Yet Ye Zi paid it no mind, carrying out dull, wide-ranging physical training at a secluded training ground.

Smack...

Raindrops as large as beans suddenly fell, striking Ye Zi's slightly raised forehead and bursting into glittering sprays. Then more heavy drops came pouring down with a clatter, instantly drawing a blurred curtain of rain between heaven and earth.

Rumble...

Amid the darkened sky and earth, flashes of lightning wandered through the dense clouds like snakes, occasionally shooting out and tearing across the heavens.

The rain instantly grew torrential, pressing his shoulders down slightly. The drops struck his exposed skin with enough force to sting.

For the Land of Fire, whose climate was usually pleasant, such a downpour—one that had brewed for half a day—was something rarely seen even once in several years.

In the midst of that rain, Ye Zi stood beneath the downpour and repeatedly lifted the enormous stone dumbbells, smashing them through the air and sending sprays of mist flying.

The heavy rain carried a chill that slowly seeped into his skin along with the water. Ye Zi furrowed his brows slightly, but still had no intention of leaving.

This youth, who had come close to death countless times, was growing increasingly insane.

The rain was already pouring heavily, yet it showed signs of growing even stronger. Nearly everyone in Konoha had taken shelter indoors, watching this rare downpour. They stared at the rain outside their windows and listened to the sound that filled the world around them, unaware that amid that heavy rain, a youth was still training beneath its weight.

Feeling the dumbbell grow heavier and his body temperature gradually drop, Ye Zi gritted his teeth slightly, dropped the dumbbell in his hand, and turned to return to the courtyard of his residence to continue.

Through the hazy curtain of rain, he saw someone.

I've only written this much. I'm off to work.

When I get back in the middle of the night, I'll update if I have the ability.