Rain Ninja, Paper Jutsu

A group of five arrived safely outside Yugakure.

Yugakure looked much like the towns on its outskirts. Hot springs still sent up curling steam, birdsong mingled with the fragrance of flowers, and the scenery was lovely. The buildings all shared a remarkably consistent style.

This beautiful country really did make it easy to forget the noise of the outside world.

Kyohiko looked around.

Inside the village, plenty of ninja came and went. Apart from Yugakure's ninja, there were ninja from Mist Village and Kumogakure.

Most of them had arrived early.

For now, their group was the only one from Konoha.

"Is this Yugakure?"

Kurenai Yuhi held the book in her hands, her eyes full of curiosity.

A village that had forgotten war.

A peaceful settlement.

Her beautiful eyes swept over the surroundings. She watched the street as they walked, then noticed that her brows had furrowed slightly.

The streets were bustling, but there was plenty of noise, and conflicts broke out from time to time.

When they reached their temporary lodgings.

"I heard Yugakure was a village that loved peace, but after entering, I got the feeling they really don't welcome us."

Kurenai Yuhi spoke quietly.

"Maybe they think our arrival has disturbed the peace of their village."

Minato sighed.

As far as Yugakure's ninja were concerned, people from the major ninja villages were aggressive and combative. There was no way they could live together in complete peace.

With the sudden influx of ninja...

It was only natural for small-scale disturbances to break out in Yugakure.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Now that we're in Yugakure, we have to follow the local rules and avoid getting into conflicts with anyone as much as possible."

"Okay!"

Everyone answered in unison.

"Yeah! Kyohiko, let's have an intense duel!"

"Then let's play rock-paper-scissors. It's a contest that really tests your eyesight and reflexes."

Kyohiko calmly held out his hand.

Might Guy's eyes lit up. He agreed wholeheartedly.

"Exactly! Come on, come on..."

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"..."

Watching the two of them rapidly change their hand signs, Kurenai Yuhi sighed helplessly and turned her attention back to her book.

Those two really had too much time on their hands!

Still.

It had been several days already.

Jiraiya had told them not to go out, and Kyohiko felt the same way. She had no idea what was happening outside.

"I'm back."

"Huh?"

Kurenai Yuhi started and looked up. Kyohiko jumped down from the roof and landed beside her.

She stared for a moment, then looked toward the courtyard—

So it was a Shadow Clone?

"Where did you go?"

"Minato wanted to go to Iwagakure, so I went to see him off."

Kyohiko jumped down.

They had been in Yugakure for several days now. Minato Namikaze had received orders to go to Iwagakure and negotiate over the attack they had suffered this time—

Just as Kyohiko had expected, things had gotten out of hand!

Because...

It wasn't just Konoha that had been attacked. The Kumogakure squad that had come to Yugakure had also been attacked. Their assailants had struck and run, and for now, it was still difficult to determine where they had come from.

With Konoha's attack as a precedent, and Jiraiya spreading the word afterward, the attack on Kumogakure quickly prompted Genji of Mist Village to declare that they had nothing to do with it.

However.

Dodai clearly wasn't convinced—

The relationship between Mist Village and Kumogakure could hardly be called good.

Because the Land of Lightning was mountainous, with harsh terrain and a hostile environment, it valued access to the sea and its resources even more than the Land of Fire did.

Its clashes with the Land of Water over sea routes and maritime resources were far more severe than those with the Land of Fire.

As their respective hidden villages, the two had no shortage of friction between them.

So.

Now the Mist Village ninja in Yugakure had all reined in their bloodlust. They were as obedient as Yugakure's own ninja.

Nearby, Might Guy had been playing for a while when he suddenly noticed Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi sitting off to the side chatting. He froze, then realized what was going on—

"Hey! So it was a Shadow Clone!"

"Having a Shadow Clone doesn't stop us from dueling."

Kyohiko smiled, but still dispelled the Shadow Clone.

Guy immediately lost interest.

He was about to say something when a series of "knock, knock, knock" sounds came from outside.

"Three people."

Kyohiko listened carefully.

"I'll get the door."

Kyohiko got up to greet them.

When he opened the door, he saw three Konoha Genin a little older than them standing outside. One of them looked rather familiar.

Yamashiro Aoba?

Judging by his outfit and style of dress, that had to be him.

The one beside him was probably Namiashi Raidō. Kyohiko didn't recognize the last one. They were a few years older than him and the others, and had graduated in the same class as Kakashi, so they were definitely eligible to take the exam.

"Hello. We're the second team from Konoha taking part in this exam."

Yamashiro Aoba introduced himself.

The villages had all taken this exam very seriously. None of them were sending ninja to participate lightly.

Anyone who came was an elite.

Kyohiko nodded and was about to speak when he heard an odd sound.

"Hm?"

He looked past them.

Kyohiko considered it for a moment, then said, "Come on in, everyone."

"All right, thanks."

Yamashiro Aoba thanked him.

Then they entered the courtyard.

But.

The moment the three turned to go in, Kyohiko vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

A figure flashed past the tree across the street and ran away, but the next moment, he was standing rigidly atop a wall, afraid to move—

A blade was pressed against his neck.

So fast!

He hadn't even seen it happen. He'd only caught a blur, and by the time he focused, Kyohiko was already right in front of him.

What a terrifying Body Flicker Technique!

The intel had been right.

This guy really was frighteningly strong!

Cold sweat trickled down the ninja's forehead as the blade rested against his neck.

"My swordsmanship isn't anything special, but I still advise you not to move. Your Body Flicker Technique definitely can't outrun my blade."

Kyohiko spoke calmly.

He sized the other man up, then couldn't help pausing when he saw his Forehead Protector—

The other man wasn't a Mist Village or Kumogakure ninja, as he'd expected. He was from Amegakure.

There really were Amegakure ninja taking part in this exam.

But.

Why was he watching Kyohiko?

Kyohiko was puzzled. He pressed the blade closer to the man's neck.

"Who are you?"

"Kyosuke. I'm a ninja from Amegakure."

The other man's face turned pale.

Kyohiko frowned.

Kyosuke.

Who was that?

The name didn't ring any bells...

"Why were you following my teammate?"

"I meant no harm. I'd just heard some things about you and got curious, so I followed you to take a look."

Kyosuke explained.

Kyohiko's gaze sharpened slightly.

Even Amegakure's ninja had heard about him?

Someone was trying to put a target on his back!

"Where did you get information about me?"

"Well..."

The other man hesitated.

Just then, a series of sharp whistles rang out.

Sheets of paper flew toward Kyohiko.

At the sound, Kyohiko immediately dodged to the side and slashed backhanded, cutting the incoming paper to shreds. But Kyosuke had already slipped free from beneath his blade and escaped under cover of the remaining sheets.

Paper.

Konan?

Kyohiko looked in the direction the paper had come from—

The other person had concealed their presence well. Kyohiko only caught a sound when they made their move.

Was it them?

Yahiko and the others shouldn't be Genin anymore, and they weren't on particularly close terms with Amegakure. Why would they come to take part in the Chunin Exams?

Or.

Maybe they hadn't come for the Chunin Exams.

Kyohiko hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his blade and didn't pursue them.

"Who were they?"

"Ninja from Amegakure. They don't seem to mean any harm; they're just interested in us."

Kyohiko answered.

"Ninja from Amegakure?"

The others were quite surprised.

Konoha had fought a major war against Amegakure. In recent years, Amegakure's policy had become more closed off and moderate, and they rarely dealt with major villages like Konoha.

They hadn't expected Amegakure to send anyone to Yugakure for this Joint Chunin Exams.