Heavy Rain.
A torrential downpour that choked the heart.
Dugu stood atop Hokage Rock beside White Zetsu Afei. For the first time, beneath the curtain of rain, he felt a heavy rain that truly belonged to him.
During his time in Konoha, he had often heard people discuss the characteristics of the various villages throughout the Shinobi World.
But—
The Konoha Hidden Village, filled with peace and calm beneath the misty veil of rain, felt more like the Hidden Mist Village, famed for being shrouded in fog year-round.
"Drip."
As raindrops borne by the mountain wind cut through the pale, boundless mist, piercing his cloak and falling onto his face with a damp, icy chill, the gray figure standing atop the Second's enormous statue felt a wave of loneliness.
Afei slowly raised his gray sleeve, soaked through by the rain, turned his wrist, and opened his white palm toward the drifting, uncertain rain mist descending from the sky.
His solemn gaze slowed the falling raindrops, causing ripples to bloom across the tree-patterned lines of his palm.
The splashing droplets that escaped Afei's hand released wisps of pale smoke as they rushed downward, merging with the light rain mist above Konoha.
A mountain-like shadow lay concealed in the forest behind him. This was the task Tobirama had given him: if anything went wrong within Konoha, he was to have the hidden Shukaku disperse the mist and restore Konoha's clarity.
A task.
During his time in Konoha, aside from learning the normal workings of the human world, Afei had also learned the various rules of human etiquette and the principles for handling all kinds of affairs.
He was an artificial human Madara had created out of boredom, filled with countless questions from the moment of his birth.
As his thoughts wandered in