To the Land of Rain

"The Land of Rain?"

Uchiha Gen furrowed his brow. If he remembered correctly, the Land of Rain was home not only to Hanzo of the Salamander, but also to Madara Uchiha's eyes.

"That's right, we're going to the Land of Rain. After the previous battle, Sunagakure has shifted most of its focus there, hoping to recoup some of its wartime losses by seizing the Land of Rain's resources.

"Besides, Sakumo-senpai will still be here after we leave, and they've suffered heavy losses. There's no need for us to keep defending this area."

Tsunade had no idea what Uchiha Gen was thinking. Seeing his expression, she assumed he was wondering why they were going to the Land of Rain, so she explained.

"I understand. When do we leave?"

Uchiha Gen nodded slightly.

The Land of Rain... With its perpetually rainy weather, it seemed perfect for him right now.

In the rain, both attack stats increased by 100%. Compared to Pokémon, the abilities of creatures from Roco Kingdom were downright devious and absurdly overpowered.

"Let's leave as soon as possible. Hanzo of the Salamander is incredibly strong, and as the leader of Amegakure, he's also a brilliant strategist. No wonder he dared to declare war on three nations.

"I'm just worried about Nawaki's safety after we leave. Your friend will keep an eye on him, but given Nawaki's personality..."

Tsunade looked concerned.

"You can't protect him for the rest of his life. You've already done more than enough for him. If he still hasn't changed after all this time at war..."

Uchiha Gen glanced at Tsunade's worried face. He didn't have a younger brother, so he couldn't understand why she felt that way.

As far as he was concerned, if Nawaki wasn't suited to being a ninja, then he should stay in the village. Even if the Senju's honor demanded that he become a ninja, there was no need to keep protecting him forever. If Nawaki could still get killed by an Explosive Tag, then it was simply his fate.

"I understand what you mean, but... he's still my little brother."

Tsunade lowered her head. She knew perfectly well that she shouldn't feel this way, but the bonds of family were hard to see through completely.

"...I'll have Gengar hide in his shadow and watch over him. But unless he's in genuine mortal danger or someone deliberately targets him, Gengar won't intervene."

Looking at Tsunade's conflicted expression, Uchiha Gen sighed helplessly before speaking softly.

Why should a proud Uchiha like him have to babysit an idiot...

"Hahaha! I knew you'd help!"

At his words, Tsunade's conflicted expression vanished. She cheerfully slung an arm around Uchiha Gen's shoulders and laughed.

"..."

The Land of Rain.

Leaning against a tree, Uchiha Gen opened his eyes. A brilliant golden light flashed, then quickly faded.

"Learning Senjutsu... doesn't seem that hard. Is it because of the Golden Light Spell, or did I always have a strong talent for it?"

Three months had passed since he'd left the battlefield in the Land of Wind for the Land of Rain. Orochimaru's initial assessment had been wrong—or not entirely wrong.

At first, the Land of Rain had been attacked by three sides. The pressure on it had been immense, especially after Sunagakure shifted all its focus there following its setback against Konoha.

The original assessment was that the Land of Rain would likely launch one final all-out assault to bring the war to an end. But then a turning point came.

Kumogakure, in the Land of Lightning, suddenly struck at Iwagakure's rear. The unexpected attack crippled much of Iwagakure's supply lines, greatly easing the pressure on Amegakure.

At the same time, after Kumogakure launched its surprise attack on Iwagakure, Sunagakure inexplicably turned its guns on Iwagakure as well.

In an instant, the pressure on Amegakure shifted to Iwagakure.

As a result, the anticipated decisive battle never happened. Instead, after Iwagakure withdrew from the Land of Rain, the entire battlefield fell into a strangely delicate lull.

All the forces in the Land of Rain began probing one another with small-unit attacks, and the various sides entered a state of chaotic conflict.

During those three months, Uchiha Gen had stayed in the Medical Department and hadn't gone on a single mission. He'd been trying to master Senjutsu.

He'd originally thought that learning the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest would be difficult. After all, in the Shinobi World, aside from Hashirama Senju, who was suspected of having mastered Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu, he'd never heard of anyone else who could use it.

But once Uchiha Gen actually began learning Senjutsu, he discovered it wasn't all that complicated.

With the Golden Light Spell as a guide, Natural Energy flowed into his body as readily as fish swimming in water, swiftly merging with the qi within him.

No, "merging" wasn't quite right. It was more like the qi of the Golden Light Spell devoured the Natural Energy he absorbed.

As a result, Uchiha Gen's qi grew more than it ever had before. In the past, the amount of qi he possessed had depended entirely on the slow, steady improvement of his life-force cultivation. Now, he could absorb Natural Energy to strengthen and replenish his qi.

It was almost like... the legendary path of cultivating to immortality.

However, this had one side effect that wasn't quite a drawback: Uchiha Gen couldn't enter what was known as Sage Mode.

But he could freely learn and use the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest. In other words, under the influence of the Golden Light Spell, Sage Mode—which had originally been temporary—had become a constant state. It couldn't instantly boost his strength for a short time, but it could steadily increase it until the gains surpassed those of Sage Mode. And the improvement came incredibly quickly, tied directly to his life-force cultivation.

"It's just a shame that Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu doesn't have many techniques suited for combat. Most of them are used to restrain opponents or heal oneself."

The golden light faded from his hand. Uchiha Gen stood up in the tree and looked at the full moon overhead.

"I knew I'd find you here."

As soon as he stood, a familiar voice sounded from below. Uchiha Gen looked down and saw Tsunade leap onto the branch he was standing on.

"What brings you here?"

Uchiha Gen kept looking up at the moon as he spoke softly. Tsunade should have been in a meeting right now.