A Visit to the Land of Rain

The Shinobi World, the Land of Rain.

Under the steady drizzle, Uchiha Shūichi led the three ninjas behind him into the country.

The Land of Rain had more than 300 rainy days a year, out of 365. Shūichi was actually surprised it hadn't turned into one huge swamp.

He could only chalk it up to the unusual geography and climate of this world. On Earth, even if a place like this existed, it would have become a swamp—or even a lake—long ago.

Still, even though the Land of Rain hadn't become one vast swamp, its environment wasn't particularly suited to human habitation. Most crops struggled to grow there, and the food most commonly eaten by its civilians was a special kind of mushroom.

In the gloomy, damp Land of Rain, mushrooms were practically the only things that could thrive. And with so little vegetation, there weren't many animals either.

The Land of Rain's environment was harsh even by the standards of the many small countries. Perhaps only countries like the Land of Snow and the Land of Frost could match it in terms of natural conditions.

The Land of Iron had a harsh natural environment, too, but it was rich in iron and coal. In terms of natural resources alone, it was far better off than the Land of Rain.

As they traveled, the four of them—Uchiha Shūichi and his companions, all traveling under assumed identities—saw many civilians in the Land of Rain struggling to survive. Even though the Shinobi World was at peace, plenty of ordinary people in the country were on the verge of starvation.

Shūichi's expression remained impassive as he paid no heed to the people who were little better than refugees. Yamanaka Fū, who came from Root, and Hyuga Hōmon, who rigidly followed the rules, were just as unconcerned. Only Yūhi Kurenai sometimes showed a hint of pity in her eyes when she saw the refugees.

Though Kurenai was somewhat moved, she made no inappropriate gestures. Ninjas adhered to rules far more strictly than people in most other professions.

"Lord Shūichi, there's someone ahead!"

That day, while the four were still on the road, Hyuga Hōmon, whose eyes were covered by a strip of black cloth, suddenly spoke up.

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was far too distinctive, which was why Hōmon covered his eyes with the black cloth. Once activated, the Byakugan could see through things, so there was no need to worry about being unable to see.

At Hōmon's words, Shūichi raised a hand, and the four stopped.

"Can you tell who they are? Which village do they belong to?"

"I can only tell that they have a great deal of Chakra, but they aren't wearing anything that would reveal their identities."

Hōmon's answer didn't surprise Shūichi. The four of them had set out without wearing Konoha forehead protectors or their clan crests either.

The Land of Rain was a complicated place, so everyone was trying to keep a low profile at first. That was standard practice for ninjas; the profession was practically made for people who preferred to stay in the shadows.

That was precisely why ninjas with Sensory Ability were so valuable to their villages. Of the four of them, two were specialists in sensing, and Hōmon in particular was practically cheating with his Byakugan's ability to see through things.

That was how Hōmon had easily spotted the ninjas who had also come to the Land of Rain.

"Let's not act yet. Hōmon, we'll follow them and first figure out which village they belong to!"

The others had no objections to Shūichi's plan, so Hōmon kept his Byakugan activated as they followed the group.

Night gradually fell, and the group of ninjas entered a town. Half an hour later, the Konoha ninjas entered the same town.

"These people are probably from the Land of Wind!"

In their room, Hōmon spoke with great certainty.

"Judging by the shapes their mouths make as they speak, most of them have the accent of the Land of Wind. They also keep bringing up the Land of Wind and Sunagakure in conversation. Their muscle and bone structure is closer to that of people from the Land of Wind, too."

Ninjas from the Five Great Nations had slight differences in their muscles and bones. The differences were extremely subtle, but ninjas from the Hyuga Clan could easily spot them.

Lip-reading and identifying someone's accent and conversation were also required subjects for Hyuga ninjas. With such powerful eyes as the Byakugan, failing to learn those skills would be a real waste.

"The Land of Wind... Sand ninjas? In a place like this, those sand-loving bastards won't be able to fight at full strength."

As their name suggested, ninjas from Sunagakure were skilled not only in ordinary Wind Release but also in its variation, the Sand Manipulation Technique. Even the Magnet Release that every Kazekage excelled at had evolved from this secret art of controlling sand.

That didn't mean every Sand ninja was skilled in the technique, but anyone who was skilled in it was certainly among Sunagakure's elite. In the Land of Rain, where a steady drizzle fell, the technique's power would be reduced by at least two or three levels.

"Lord Shūichi, they probably wouldn't send a ninja like that to the Land of Rain. From what I can tell, one of the ninjas from the Land of Wind is a Puppet Master, and the others are probably skilled in Wind Release."

Wind Release, the Sand Manipulation Technique, and the Puppet Technique—those were the paths followed by most Sand ninjas. There were other ninjutsu, of course, but these lineages were more developed and had higher ceilings.

The Sand Manipulation Technique could be taken to its ultimate level and transformed into Magnet Release, making it the most advanced lineage. The Puppet Technique normally had a ceiling around the lower end of Kage Level, but its floor was extremely high: once mastered, it could bring someone to around Chunin level, making it a tradition for the elite.

Wind Release alone was the most widespread of the three. But because it was so common, it had a vast foundation of ninjas—and plenty of elites among them.

"One Puppet Master with a few Wind Release ninjas under him?"

Shūichi rubbed his chin as he voiced his guess. Hōmon shook his head.

"The Puppet Master probably isn't the strongest. I can tell that one of the ninjas skilled in Wind Release has top-tier Elite Jonin-level physical abilities and Chakra reserves."

"The Sand ninjas all call him Jonin Baki!"

Baki?! Shūichi's mind turned, and he immediately recalled the man: Gaara's teacher and the Fourth Kazekage's confidant. After the Fourth Kazekage's death, he had even been regarded as a successor for a time, coming very close to becoming the Fifth Kazekage.

Of course, Baki's near-appointment as the Fifth Kazekage didn't mean he had reached Kage Level. It was simply that Sunagakure had no one else to carry on the village's leadership at the time.

Still, it showed that Baki was unquestionably among the very best Elite Jonin.