Kirigakure's "Timely Rain"

"What's wrong, Shingetsu?"

Hozuki Shingetsu withdrew his gaze from the Kirigakure Administrative Building and shook his head, indicating that nothing was wrong.

"Come on, Ao. If nothing unexpected happens, the clan should be holding a banquet to celebrate my becoming a Jonin. If we don't hurry, we won't get any of the good stuff!"

Ao hesitated, though it was not because of the food. After all, the feast definitely would not begin if the guest of honor did not show up.

"It's an internal Hozuki Clan banquet. Is it really appropriate for me to go?"

"Enough. Ever since six years ago, everyone in the village has known that aside from not having the Hozuki surname, how are you any different from the Hozuki Clan members?"

"Besides, I'm here. Let's see who dares wag their tongue!"

Hozuki Shingetsu patted Ao on the shoulder, signaling that he need not worry.

Hearing those words, Ao's mind instantly returned to the scene of his first meeting with Hozuki Shingetsu six years ago.

Back then, he had merely been an orphan who had just entered the Ninja School. At school, he had been timid and shrinking, never daring to compete with others for anything—until Hozuki Shingetsu arrived.

I probably could never have imagined then that I would one day have this kind of friendship with the Hozuki Clan's young clan heir!

Thinking back on that scene, Ao could not help but smile. He immediately stopped refusing and followed Hozuki Shingetsu toward the Hozuki Clan compound.

"Young Master Shingetsu, you're back from a mission!"

"Judging by your expression, Young Master Shingetsu, the mission must have been a great success, right?"

"Thanks to your support last time, we managed to pull through. We wanted to visit you last week, but unfortunately, you were away on a mission. Now that we've run into you, please accept this small token of our appreciation."

Along the way, merchants on both sides of the street would occasionally come out to greet Hozuki Shingetsu. Hozuki Shingetsu, meanwhile, showed none of the airs of the Hozuki Clan's young clan heir and responded to them all with a smile.

"Oh, Mrs. Aoi, you're too kind. You know me—I've always been happy to help."

After stopping briefly to chat with Mrs. Aoi, who sold seafood, Hozuki Shingetsu continued onward carrying some seafood, greeting others as he went.

"Miss Ozawa, those thugs who harassed you last time haven't come back, have they?"

"Mrs. Ohashi, has your husband's injury improved?"

In short, he was remarkably approachable.

"So this is the Hozuki Clan's young clan heir, the genius of Kirigakure from the rumors? Just as the rumors say, he's helpful and has none of a ninja's arrogance!"

"No wonder they call him Kirigakure's 'Timely Rain'!"

A merchant from the Land of Lightning watched Hozuki Shingetsu's retreating figure. Seeing ninjas and civilians living in such harmony, he could not help but sigh in admiration.

In other countries, even in Konoha, which had always been known for its openness, ninjas might not oppress civilians as casually as in other nations, but they would not mingle with them either. In their eyes, ninjas were ninjas and civilians were civilians. The gulf between them might not be as vast as the difference between nobles and commoners, but they were still essentially two separate classes.

You should thank the heavens if they did not bully you, and you still wanted those noble ninja lords to help you voluntarily?

Unless you paid more.

As for them spending their own money to help you?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

"You can tell you're from out of town, can't you? Around here, who doesn't know Young Master Hozuki's reputation? If you run into trouble in Kirigakure, you can't go wrong by seeking him out!"

Hearing the merchant's words, a nosy passerby gave him a look as though he were some country bumpkin and could not resist saying, half showing off and half proudly, ""

"That's still his reputation, not yours. What the hell are you so proud of? Anyone listening would think you were from the Hozuki Clan too."

Though he cursed the passerby up and down in his heart, the merchant's instincts drove him to probe for more information, hoping for a chance to cooperate in the future.

"Then, according to you, this young Hozuki clan heir can solve any trouble in Kirigakure? Has he never failed?"

The passerby was briefly at a loss for words, but quickly recovered.

"He can solve most things. If he doesn't, then some petty villain must be sabotaging him behind the scenes!"

"Oh? How so?"

The merchant was about to ask more, but he noticed the passerby's gaze, his deliberate pause, and his rubbing fingers. Cursing inwardly, he quickly handed over a banknote with a broad smile.

Only then did the passerby smile in satisfaction and continue, "Think about it! What sort of people can ordinary folks like us offend, and what sort of trouble can we run into? At worst, we lack funds, our goods aren't selling, or some low-level ninjas come around to harass and extort us. These are major problems for us, but would the Hozuki Clan's young clan heir be unable to handle such trivial matters?"

"So, if something can't be handled, it must be because the people responsible for carrying out Young Master Hozuki's instructions didn't do it, or because they ran into some special circumstances and failed to get it done!"

"Special circumstances?"

Seeing the passerby hesitate, the merchant hurriedly stuffed several more bills into his arms.

Secretly feeling the thickness of the bills, the smiling passerby led the merchant to a secluded spot and continued the previous topic.

"Ahem! This is only something I heard, all right? I'm just repeating what a friend told me. I don't know whether it's true or not!"

Before he began, the passerby made a point of stressing this.

The merchant wore the expression of someone who understood perfectly.

Yes, yes, I get it.

This 'friend' could be anyone, as long as it isn't you.

"I heard that quite a few of the Third Mizukage's subordinates are jealous of Young Master Hozuki's talent, so they deliberately make trouble for him in certain matters."

"The Mizukage?"

The merchant was puzzled. How had this become connected to the Mizukage?

"Not the Mizukage—the Mizukage's subordinates!"

The passerby stressed that point. Then, seeing that the merchant still wanted to ask more, he waved him away, signaling for him to leave quickly.

"That's all I know. I have no idea about the rest. And don't go around talking about what I said after you leave!"

Watching the merchant's departing back, the passerby seemed to recall something and emphasized once more.

"Remember, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Mizukage! If you have any trouble, go to Hozuki Town and find Young Master Hozuki!"

After the merchant had completely left, the passerby looked around. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did he spit into his palm and carefully count the large bills in his hand.

"Hehe, after taking the Hozuki Clan's money, I can still squeeze another payment out of these outsiders. Life really is sweet!"

"I wonder what those Hozuki lords are thinking. They'll pay me just for repeating those lines to people on the street. Could the Hozuki Clan really be at odds with the Mizukage? ...But forget it. Who would turn down money? The Hozuki Clan? The Mizukage? What the hell do they have to do with me? As long as I get paid, that's all that matters! Though that KPI thing is kind of a pain..."

Stuffing the bills into the soles of his shoes, the passerby returned to the street, waited for an opening, and began his performance once again...