Land of Rain Development Guide

Even in the Land of Rain, it does not rain every single day, though the sky remains a gloomy, overcast gray for the vast majority of the time.

Nagato is currently developing a new type of sensory ninjutsu, attempting to extend his reconnaissance range to cover the entirety of Amegakure so that he can guard against spy infiltrations under any sudden circumstances.

Both he and Konan have become exceptionally sensitive to certain matters due to their past experiences.

Konan stands before the window, draped in the Akatsuki's signature black cloak with red clouds. A stretch of fair skin is visible at her collar, and the pale purple eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes adds a touch of depth to her gaze.

Conflicts between great nations often have a ripple effect; even a skirmish between two major powers can escalate into a full-scale Ninja World War. Once such a war breaks out, the Land of Rain finds it difficult to remain unscathed—a lesson learned in blood.

Therefore, the Akatsuki must investigate the attitudes and actual situations of both nations to prepare a response.

"Konan."

A low voice comes from outside the door; it is Pain.

"Nagato, how are the new additions to the Pain paths?" she asks, turning around.

"From now on, refer to 'me' as Pain," the voice corrects. "He is the only leader of the Akatsuki."

Konan remains silent for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. "Understood."

"How is the intelligence Zetsu sent?"

"It's fine; the cause and effect are basically clear." Konan cannot help but sigh. "It started because Kumogakure attempted to frame the Hyuga Clan while signing a peace treaty, all to extort the Byakugan."

A flicker of contemplation passes through Pain's eyes. Even though he is a corpse, his demeanor is identical to that of a living person, save for a slightly cold expression.

"As one of the two precious ocular techniques of Konoha, its tactical value is beyond doubt. It is no surprise that Kumogakure would make a move."

Konan continues, "Konoha's response was very firm. It is highly likely that Tsunade spearheaded the entire process; she may very well succeed as the Fifth Hokage."

"Whether war breaks out depends on the Raikage's attitude."

"He is still considering it. Zetsu will keep an eye on Kumogakure's movements. If they have any intention of going to war, we will receive the intelligence immediately."

After a brief silence, Pain asks again, "Has the situation in the Land of Rain stabilized?"

"Not very optimistic," she replies truthfully. "Due to the tense situation between Konoha and Kumogakure, the followers of Hanzo who had gone into hiding have become active again. They seem to be planning to contact Konoha."

"I understand," Pain says, standing up. "The Land of Rain no longer needs their strength. I will go with Zetsu to eliminate the threat and bring this country under complete control as soon as possible."

Having said that, he turns his head to look at Konan. "Thank you for your hard work, Konan."

"It is nothing." Konan shakes her head.

"Even so, be sure to rest." A rare hint of softness appears in Pain's eyes.

"I will," Konan interrupts him. "You are the one who needs rest more. The two new Pain paths must be a heavy drain on your body, right?"

"I will adapt soon enough."

Konan wants to say more, but ultimately remains silent. She understands Nagato's personality and knows that persuasion is useless.

After Pain leaves, the office returns to silence.

Konan returns to the desk and picks up the other piece of intelligence Zetsu delivered, which concerns the current Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. And...

Hyuga Kiyonari.

She finds this name in the report, just as she had hoped.

To avoid alerting the enemy, she did not explicitly ask Zetsu to investigate him. It was only because Kiyonari and Naruto were acquainted in the logs that she hoped to have him checked while investigating Naruto. Yet, Zetsu had discovered this new disciple of hers while investigating Tsunade.

Konan sets the report aside and sits back down to continue processing the mountain of documents.

The sound of rain patters against the window, and time slips away quietly amidst the turning of pages.

It is unknown how much time has passed, but when the final stack of documents is processed, Konan finally stops her pen. She cannot help but stretch and stand up to loosen her stiff body.

She glances at the clock on the wall; it is already past ten at night.

"Time to go back."

Returning to her room, she immediately takes off her Akatsuki cloak and hangs it on the rack, then reaches toward her chest. Tucked between her undershirt and her undergarments, she has been carrying something with her at all times.

Konan takes the notebook, now warmed by her body heat, from her bosom and opens it on her lap.

She has read the earlier contents countless times; she could almost recite them by heart.

A guess occasionally surfaces in her mind: could this be the Hyuga Kiyonari of the future, using some method to send this notebook back to the present?

But the mysteries of time are something even the Rinnegan cannot glimpse, let alone a mere member of the Hyuga Clan.

Konan continues to flip through the pages, only to be surprised to find that the pages which had been blank for days now bear new content.

[During a casual chat, Hyuga Kiyonari looked at the dilapidated Amegakure and felt it was a pity. He asked me, "Have you ever thought about rebuilding this place?"]

[Although it was just a passing remark, it was a rare opportunity for me. I hoped he would contact Konoha for aid, but he refused.]

[He said, "I left Konoha to dodge debts; if my whereabouts are exposed, I'm finished."]

Seeing this, a faint smile tugs at the corners of Konan's lips, though it is so slight it is barely visible.

Truly worthy of being a student of the Sannin; this talent for accumulating debt is clearly inherited.

[He spoke some logic that I didn't fully understand. However, I know that there is truly hope for the revival of the Land of Rain, though it is not something I, or my generation alone, can complete. To ensure that those who come after can accurately understand these things, I have decided to record his words exactly as they are.]

Hyuga Kiyonari said: "At this current stage, for any nation, the population is the most important and precious resource. Only with people can the land produce grain, can ore be refined into steel, and can the entire nation continue to move forward."

"The reason great powers are great is seemingly because they possess vast territories and abundant resources, but in reality, it is simply because they can support a larger population. Therefore, if the Land of Rain wishes to achieve a revival, the most important task at present is to attract back the lost population."

I said: "They say it is hard to leave one's homeland; if it weren't for the fact that they couldn't survive, who would be willing to leave? Just as you said, the current Land of Rain can no longer support any more people."

He said: "Look, hasn't the first concrete goal for the revival of the Land of Rain just appeared?"

"The Land of Rain is plagued by constant rain and never sees the sun, so developing agriculture is surely a dead end. However, judging from the structure of the old Amegakure, the steel smelting technology of the Land of Rain is still quite advanced. If these smelting industries can be set in motion again, people will be able to earn money, and with money, they can buy grain."

I said: "The wars of the past long ago caused the energy systems of the Land of Rain to completely collapse. Do you think... I haven't thought of that?"

He said: "Since I dare to say this, then guess... do I have a solution?"