When Will the Rain Stop?

Uchiha Chiba glanced at his surroundings.

Just a moment ago, it felt as if a sharp, piercing gaze had lingered on him for a while... Was it just his imagination?

"Let's go, time to head home," Uchiha Chiba said, looking toward Konan.

Konan nodded and followed in the direction Chiba was heading.

"Wait, Chiba... urgh... take me with you." Yahiko seemed to have caught the scent of blood in the air again, causing his stomach to spasm, and he retched up bitter bile.

Chiba did not respond immediately; he looked at Konan behind him, and she nodded.

"Let's go," Chiba said, pulling his tattered straw raincoat tighter around himself, his tone flat.

Perhaps he could even become Jiraiya's disciple, and then become a member of the Akatsuki. However, to prevent Obito's change and that deliberate accident from happening, in the next seven years, Uchiha Chiba had to become a renowned powerhouse in the ninja world. Only then would he have the strength to save Obito. Firstly, to avoid the tragic scenes from the original story, and secondly, as long as the Fourth Hokage didn't die later, that old geezer Danzo would never dare to lay a hand on the Uchiha clan. Although he felt no emotional attachment, for better or worse, this was the bloodline family of his original body... What if he could become the Hokage?

"It's just a pity... I can't condense chakra for a year... what a waste of time..." Uchiha Chiba muttered to himself, his gaze like a blade of frozen frost, staring fixedly ahead.

Yahiko, walking beside him, caught a glimpse of Chiba and was startled by his expression. He turned to Konan and whispered, "Chiba... his eyes are so scary."

"Scary? I actually think he looks cool~" Following Yahiko's shocked gaze, the young Konan's cheeks were flushed red as she simply watched Chiba's profile.

Yahiko: Oh, for heaven's sake.

Little did they know, behind the three of them, in the distance, perched in a tree...

"That kid looks a bit familiar," a ninja wearing a Konoha uniform muttered, stroking his chin. He had a mask tucked into his belt, appearing to be a member of the Root.

"The reports from Chen and Moon Crow have been silent for two months now... If I recall correctly, they were last on a pursuit mission... That map must still be on Moon Crow's corpse." The Root ninja's arm was covered in bandages, and his codename—"Wood Ghost"—was faintly visible.

Wood Ghost watched the backs of Chiba and the others in silence, his thoughts unreadable.

Back at their hideout, the three of them returned.

"None of the buns were snatched today, let's eat while they're still warm." Konan simply washed her hands with rainwater collected in a basin, then placed the buns on a stool.

The three ten-year-olds gathered around the stool and pressed their palms together.

"Itadakimasu," Konan whispered softly with her eyes gently closed.

"Itadakimasu," Yahiko said devoutly.

Chiba remained silent, only closing his eyes symbolically. He knew the value of food; it wasn't a lack of respect, but his original body had spent months on the battlefield, and if he had kept up his old habits, he would have died a hundred times over.

After eating, Yahiko started chatting casually: "Chiba, Konan, when do you think this rain will stop?"

Yahiko's orange hair swayed in the wind, damp with the falling rain.

"Another month or two, I suppose," Konan blinked. She had studied a bit, and this question didn't stump her.

"It won't stop... as long as people are still here," Uchiha Chiba said with his eyes closed, still attempting to condense his chakra.

"Yeah... you're right, it won't stop... but I want to make it stop," Yahiko said, clenching his fist toward the sky.

"That will take a long time. When the tree rots, the fruit cannot grow," Chiba said, standing up and stretching. Feeling the pain in his dantian, he once again stopped condensing his chakra with a sigh of regret.

Afterward, Chiba returned to the corner and rested quietly.

"What does Chiba usually do? He isn't always like this, is he?" Yahiko asked, looking at Konan.

"Hmm... Chiba must be a bit tired today. Otherwise, at this time, he would still be practicing on the wooden dummy outside," Konan said, pointing toward the dummy outside the hut.

Yahiko looked in the direction Konan was pointing.

A wooden dummy, soaked by the rain, stood silently in the yard.

"But aren't ninjas supposed to use water or fire ninjutsu and things like that? Could it be that Chiba is a taijutsu-type ninja?" Yahiko rubbed his chin, recalling the ninjas he had seen.

Konan sighed.

"Chiba was injured and can't condense chakra; he needs to rest for a long time..." Konan's voice carried a hint of sadness.

The rain continued to patter down.

Outside the Land of Fire, the team led by Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade was only two days away from the Land of Rain.

"Let's rest here. We'll enter the Land of Rain tomorrow, so be prepared for combat at any time," Orochimaru's raspy voice echoed as he waved his hand, signaling the ninja troop behind him to rest.

On the spot, Tsunade clenched her fists. "Damn this war." Ever since her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, passed away due to lingering injuries, the ninja world had known no peace. Her second grandfather, Senju Tobirama, had also died shortly after, his chakra exhausted in war, killed by the two rogue ninjas from Cloud Village, Kinkaku and Ginkaku...

"Orochimaru, are you sure Nawaki doesn't need to be transferred to the logistics unit?" Jiraiya suddenly spoke up, looking from Tsunade to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru shook his head.

"Regardless of anything else, Nawaki is my student. With me around, as long as he doesn't act impulsively, he won't get hurt. Jiraiya, you're worrying too much," the hoarse voice concluded.

Tsunade, standing to the side, also spoke up. Her beautiful eyes flickered as she sighed, "My younger brother wants to become Hokage. That child... his talent is only average, but because he is Grandfather's grandson... everyone in the village places too much importance on him. It has made that child far too headstrong."

At this time, the Sannin were only around twenty years old. As students of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, they had been commissioned to participate in the Second Shinobi World War and were tasked with entering the front lines.

Meanwhile, the White Fang of the Leaf, Sakumo Hatake, was responsible for the front against Sunagakure, with orders to immediately reinforce the Amegakure battlefield once his own engagement concluded.

Seeing Tsunade looking somewhat dejected, Jiraiya reached out, intending to pat her shoulder in comfort...

"By the way, where is Dan?" Tsunade asked, turning to Orochimaru.

Hearing Tsunade call out Dan's name, Jiraiya's hand faltered, and he immediately pulled it back.

"Dan? He seems to be with the Intelligence Division. His Spirit Transformation Technique is proving to be of great help," Orochimaru said, blinking. He had naturally noticed Jiraiya's movement.

"I'm going to go check on him," Tsunade said, rising to her feet.

"Jiraiya, you pervert, what are you looking at behind my back?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes, brandishing her fist in front of Jiraiya.

"Looking at you, of course! Hahahaha!" Jiraiya seemed to have reverted to his usual unserious self.

"You guy..." Tsunade tightened her grip on her fist.

The next second, Tsunade shook her head. "I'm heading to Dan's location first. Remember to call me if anything happens."

With that, Tsunade's figure gradually vanished from the sight of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.