Turning Point

The inexplicable tense standoff, the inexplicable return to normalcy – these are common occurrences in war. After the battle with the AB Brothers, Minato Namikaze quickly returned to Konoha.

The news of his becoming the Fourth Hokage soon reached the front lines.

This caused morale on Konoha's side to soar, with most Konoha Ninja even feeling a sense of shared honor… The First and Second Hokage came from the Senju clan, the Third from the Sarutobi clan, but the Fourth was of civilian origin.

On one hand, due to his exceptional talent, ability, and combat power, ninja from ninja clans felt they were both "geniuses" alongside Minato Namikaze. On the other hand, since he truly came from a civilian background, Minato Namikaze felt like "one of us" with everyone.

Minato Namikaze received an exaggerated approval rating for his succession as Hokage.

Of course, not everyone supported him, but the vast majority did.

Frequently undertaking dangerous missions, saving the war situation multiple times, Minato Namikaze symbolized "hope" in Konoha. With his leadership, approachability, strength, character, and achievements, there was no one more suitable to be the Fourth Hokage.

During the war, the Hokage succession ceremony was kept simple, and the ninja on the front lines couldn't see the situation in Konoha. However, the news of Minato Namikaze becoming Hokage greatly boosted the morale on the front lines.

But such major events had little to do with Yuhara. Konoha and the Hokage were too distant from him. During this time, he had been idly staying at the Konoha camp in the Land of Rice.

Orochimaru always treated things he wasn't interested in with a "come when called, go when dismissed" attitude. Clearly, Orochimaru had never taken Magnet Release seriously from the start. Therefore, after obtaining the Second Hokage's corpse, Yuhara was put aside by him.

During this period, Yuhara did learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu. He spent a total of one week mastering this B-rank Ninjutsu… This speed was by no means fast, but it wasn't slow either. He couldn't compare to a genius, but it was significantly faster than the average time.

As for Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, Yuhara hadn't learned it yet because Squad Z had returned to the camp at this time, meaning he had rejoined his unit… However, for the time being, it didn't matter whether Yuhara learned Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu or not. He couldn't use a technique that would instantly drain his mana on the battlefield anyway.

In fact, as soon as his mana dropped below 80%, he started to feel insecure. If his mana dropped below 30%, he would begin to panic…

The reconnaissance towards Iwagakure resulted in the loss of five members of Squad Z. Correspondingly, the survivors brought back a large amount of valuable intelligence for Konoha.

Fortunately, Jian Dong and Tigo were still alive.

Perhaps considering that replenishing personnel would become increasingly difficult, and maintaining a full twenty-four-person squad might be hard, Squad Z was split up after returning to the camp. One part remained at twelve members, while the rest were integrated into other similar teams.

Yuhara naturally went with the twelve-person group, as he was in full condition and ready for the next operation… The others besides him were also selected based on this criterion.

That's right, Yuhara had been 100% cannon fodder before, but now he could be considered a combatant.

Although Yuhara's combat style was still being explored, his personality had basically taken shape… He generally disliked flashy things and completely leaned towards practical and useful ones.

Compared to a lightsaber, he preferred the Holy Sword of Physics.

Compared to messy techniques, he preferred to solve problems with a single blow.

Compared to energy weapons, he preferred kinetic weapons.

Compared to energy cannons, of course, it was the railgun…

In short, Yuhara favored techniques with more pronounced physical effects and firmly believed that the more physical, the more "true."

From this, it could be seen that he was a rather pure person.

Unfortunately, Yuhara had no opportunity to mesh with his teammates. Merely three days after Squad Z returned, they received a new mission.

"Since Amegakure experienced a civil unrest several years ago, the Land of Rain has gradually become more closed off, and obtaining intelligence has become increasingly difficult. The great war has been ongoing for several years, and at this stage when the major powers are gradually weakening, understanding the situation in Amegakure is particularly important to prevent any unexpected developments… Since we have already clarified the situations in the Land of Falls and the Land of Grass, the next target for reconnaissance will naturally be the Land of Rain."

In a corner of the camp, Jian Dong was briefing the team members on the new mission.

According to Yuhara's original idea, since the team's size had shrunk, the difficulty of the missions undertaken should also decrease. However, the actual situation was the exact opposite… This mission had become more like "sending them to their deaths."

Could the Land of Rain be compared to the Land of Grass or the Land of Falls? The Land of Falls had a glorious past, and the Land of Grass had always been insignificant. But what about the Land of Rain? Hanzo of the Salamander in Amegakure was a powerhouse who dared to fight against the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, and Land of Wind simultaneously. Amegakure was by no means an ordinary small ninja village.

During Hanzo's peak, he had the magnanimity to spare the young Sannin, which was the origin of the Sannin title. But did he still have that magnanimity now? People change, and when this change is applied to Hanzo, it can only be said that he has become increasingly corrupt.

The so-called civil unrest in Amegakure was likely Hanzo's attempt to eliminate the "Akatsuki" of the past, because the Akatsuki's ideology spread rapidly in the Land of Rain during the Fourth War, threatening Hanzo's position.

Isolated, xenophobic, and exceptionally dangerous – this was the current Land of Rain.

"Ninja have no right to choose their missions…"

Yuhara was beginning to understand this saying more and more.

It meant that if they told you to die, you had to die. Since Konoha had a new Hokage, perhaps they should die to liven things up? Although not as malicious, it was essentially the same.

After receiving specialized rainproof cloaks, the team began their reconnaissance mission in the Land of Rain.

The route before entering the Land of Rain was safe, as the team would first head south into the Land of Fire, then turn east, and finally enter the Land of Rain from the Land of Fire.

As soon as the team set foot in the Land of Rain, heavy rain began to fall from the sky.

Although Yuhara liked rainy days, that was limited to quietly sitting at home and enjoying the view of the rain outside the window, not lurking in an unfamiliar jungle in the damp and cold winter.

Within half an hour of entering the Land of Rain, Yuhara felt that not a single part of his body was dry. His clothes clung tightly to his skin, layer after layer, making him feel both irritable and suffocated.

Even if it were snowing, it would have been much better than the heavy rain.

In such weather, for some reason, Yuhara always felt that something was about to happen…

A little story after the rain.