Phantom Rain: Tokiya

Gojo Yoru didn't interact much with Konan—that was for her own good.

He had no idea why Orochimaru had come to Amegakure, but it definitely wasn't for sightseeing.

If Orochimaru stirred up trouble in Amegakure, Gojo Yoru, who had come with him, would inevitably draw attention—including the people he'd contacted, like Konan.

So Gojo Yoru had no intention of getting closer to Konan.

Tucking the paper flower into the pocket inside his raincoat, Gojo Yoru continued wandering through Amegakure, occasionally stopping at stalls under awnings to buy local snacks, stuffing his cheeks full like a carefree child.

Hanzo of the Salamander's residence was located in the core area of Amegakure, but it wasn't a steel building—it was a tower reminiscent of traditional architecture.

Despite being in the core area, the surroundings of the tower were as sparsely populated as the outskirts.

The biggest feature of this area was its wide, unobstructed view.

Around the tower, two Rain Ninja wearing breathing masks stood guard—and that was just what was visible outside. Who knew how many were inside the tower?

Clearly, even standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, Hanzo of the Salamander remained extremely cautious.

The scene shifted inside the tower. On an empty corridor, the tatami suddenly bulged upward like a lump.

Then that lump slowly took human form, transforming into a disguised Orochimaru.

As soon as he appeared, Orochimaru formed hand seals, unleashing his Sensing Technique at full power.

Soon, Orochimaru's expression turned deadly serious. He murmured to himself, "It's true after all. This is going to cause chaos."

To confirm further, Orochimaru prepared to sink back into the ground and explore the tower.

Drip. A single droplet of water fell from the ceiling, passing right before Orochimaru's eyes.

The next second, ripples spread across the space in front of Orochimaru, like a mirage in the desert.

A figure wielding a ninja sword slowly solidified from the distortion.

"Phantom Rain... Tokiya."

Orochimaru spoke the man's title and name. Then a crack slowly appeared from his left shoulder to his right waist.

With a splat, Orochimaru's bisected body turned into a puddle of mud on the floor.

"An Earth Clone... an Iwa ninja?" Tokiya murmured. "Could something have gone wrong with Lord Hanzo?"

Even as he said this, Tokiya moved quickly, biting his finger and forming hand seals.

"Summoning Technique!"

He crouched and slapped the ground, summoning a bizarre-looking rat.

The rat sniffed the mud left by Orochimaru, then burrowed into the ground and vanished.

Soon, three-man teams—nine Rain Ninja in total, all wearing breathing masks—shot off toward the southwest of the tower as blurs too fast for the eye to follow.

"Fast..."

Watching the Rain Ninja Body Flicker toward his direction, the real Orochimaru showed no panic on his face. Instead, he looked relaxed, muttering to himself, "Still can't sense that chakra. Looks like he really isn't in Amegakure."

As long as that great figure standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world wasn't around, Orochimaru had nothing to fear.

Not only that, but Orochimaru even thought of using them.

He took out a scroll small enough to hold in one hand from his person, deliberately exposing it to the Rain Ninja's line of sight, then Body Flickered toward Amegakure's Central Street.

Gojo Yoru was eating a Red Bean Pie at the time. This backward little place had nothing worth buying besides its specialty foods.

Gojo Yoru hadn't even thought about bringing a souvenir for Uzumaki Kushina.

He finally understood why, in every Ninja World War, the Land of Fire and Konoha became targets for every nation.

The resources were just too good.

With no harsh environment and trees everywhere, the Land of Fire had fresh air. People living there, unless they died in war or accidents, had a higher average lifespan than those in other countries.

For merchants, unless they had no choice, their first pick was always to do business in the Land of Fire and Konoha.

Gojo Yoru kept eating his Red Bean Pie as he wandered, feeling it was even more boring than waiting in that desolate place.

Back in the desolate place, he had Orochimaru for company. When he ran into something he didn't understand, he could ask this Elite Jonin for advice.

Now, alone in Amegakure, Gojo Yoru had no idea what to do.

Orochimaru hadn't said whether they'd stay overnight in Amegakure, so Gojo Yoru couldn't even rent a room at an inn, take a hot bath, drink some tea, eat some dumplings, and enjoy the rain view.

For now, the only way he could pass the time was by eating—which also fit the persona of a gluttonous kid.

Whoosh—

At that moment, a sharp sound of tearing air exploded by Gojo Yoru's ear.

"Let's go!"

The next second, a hand grabbed Gojo Yoru's shoulder, and a tremendous force lifted him onto a rooftop.

Looking at Orochimaru's grim expression, Gojo Yoru's heart tightened.

Fuck, that expression... he's not being chased by the Demigod, is he?

Quickly taking control of the body to leap forward, Gojo Yoru glanced behind him and, seeing that their pursuers were just a group of Rain Ninja, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Just as he turned back, about to say something—

A scroll suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Orochimaru spoke with a grave expression: "I'll hold off the ones behind us. You must deliver this intelligence back to the village as fast as possible. Do not stop for even a moment."

Shoving the scroll into Gojo Yoru's hand, Orochimaru landed with a Body Flicker, then immediately turned to face the Rain Ninja rushing toward him, forming hand seals: "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The rain-soaked ground instantly liquefied, forming a massive earth dragon that roared toward the group of Rain Ninja.

"Teacher, be careful. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Watching Orochimaru's stirring back, Gojo Yoru didn't insist on staying. Instead, he left those words, used Earth Body Flicker to sink into the ground, and swiftly fled Amegakure.

After tunneling who knows how many miles, having consumed half his chakra, Gojo Yoru finally emerged from underground.

The sky was still covered by thick clouds, a rain curtain shrouding the land in a pale haze. All around, he could only see rocky hills of varying heights.

Though he had left Amegakure, he was still within the Land of Rain.

Without pausing, Gojo Yoru continued running toward the Land of Fire while reaching for a Ration Pill from his pouch to recover his strength.

Suddenly, as if he had spotted something, Gojo Yoru's pupils sharply contracted.

Without time to take the Ration Pill, he immediately formed hand seals to disrupt the flow of chakra within his body while simultaneously channeling Space-Time Chakra throughout his entire being, ready to enter a full-body Phasing state at any moment.

Shh—

The moment he clasped his hands together in seals, Gojo Yoru saw a flash of cold light slicing toward him, concealed by the rain curtain.