I Have a Bunch of Relatives Who Want to Be Hokage Chapter 13

He told Uchiha Shisui about this without hiding anything.

Uchiha Shingen did not know what Uchiha Shisui thought of Yang Release. He only hoped Shisui would not go down the wrong path and eventually lose sight of what truly mattered.

Two days later, the two arrived at their destination. This territory was a major fief bordering both the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, with a prosperous large city serving as its administrative seat.

The local magistrate received them, and the two finally met their "teammates" for the next three months.

The ten monks.

The Land of Fire was a shinobi nation. A shinobi nation was one that relied on shinobi as its primary military force, but shinobi were not the only profession capable of fighting with chakra.

In the Land of Fire, aside from shinobi, there were also monks.

Monks were organized through scattered temples. The temples were not on equal footing with the Daimyo's Court; they were under its administration, with the Ministry of Ceremonies serving as the government department responsible for overseeing them.

Unlike shinobi, monks were not professional military personnel. They could use chakra, certainly, and the powerful ones could even summon a giant Buddha to unleash an Ora Ora barrage, but their actual line of work was cultural enterprise.

As for the monks Uchiha Shingen had met, their side jobs covered an even broader range. Under the name of monks, they carried out espionage for the Daimyo's Court.

Still, that was right up their alley.

After meeting up with Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui, the monks generously declared, "We'll follow the ninja lords' lead all the way."

Uchiha Shingen smoothly replied, "We're all on the same side. Let's communicate more."

But now that the two groups had met, it was time to set out.

Everything was ready. The grand procession left the city and headed for the border.

The supply convoy, made up of more than a thousand laborers, stretched out like a long snake. To the impoverished and chaotic Land of Rain, these supplies were no small fortune, especially since most of them were food.

The ten monks led the procession, while Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui followed behind them alongside the samurai.

Uchiha Shisui silently digested the Yang Release knowledge he had learned along the way, while Uchiha Shingen considered something else.

That demigod—he wondered how far he had declined by now.

As someone from the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen, this man's peak had come before the Second Shinobi World War.

Back then, Hanzo had been the very image of an overpowered protagonist. He had also been especially fond of playing the talent-appreciating mentor, but unfortunately, he had failed to recruit even one of the truly gifted younger generation.

Later, when it was time for him to do some recruiting, he pulled another ridiculous stunt.

Really, shinobi should cut down on the flashy nonsense. It not only ruined their image, but also got them nowhere for all the effort.

Honestly, Uchiha Shingen was not afraid of him.

For one thing, Hanzo was not only old, but had also been utterly beaten down by the two Shinobi World Wars. Calling him a dried corpse in a grave would not be much of an exaggeration.

For another, Hanzo's skill set was not much of a threat to Uchiha Shingen.

Over the following days, as the convoy gradually approached the border, the weather increasingly resembled that of the Land of Rain.

The sky at the border was always gray and gloomy, with rain falling now and then.

But compared to the heartland of the Land of Rain, this was nothing. The Land of Rain's rainfall frequency was unrivaled in the ninja world.

Upon reaching the border, the convoy finally met up with the people from the Land of Rain.

The people of the Land of Rain wore raincoats year-round, and these contacts were no exception.

Behind them stood a large crowd of civilians. As they looked at the long convoy from the Land of Fire, their eyes shone with something called hope.

Years of constant warfare had pushed the Land of Rain's food shortage to an extremely severe level.

In this country, even nobles could not waste food. Not for moral reasons, but simply because there was not enough food to go around.

Nobles had large families to feed as well.

The only place that probably did not lack food was Rain Village, because Rain Village now robbed the people of its own country.

Only the people of the five great nations could enjoy a stable, peaceful life. Even the poorest, the Land of Wind, remained peaceful in its homeland, though Sand Village seemed cursed to either lose Kazekage or lose wars.

"These people are so pitiful," Uchiha Shisui said with a sigh.

Then he naturally entered a state of combat readiness.

"Bad luck. Nothing to be done about it." Uchiha Shingen looked ahead, where the monks were already walking toward the leader of the Land of Rain delegation. "Come on. The mission begins now."

What a Godforsaken Place

The skies of the Land of Rain were always overcast, and the entire country seemed shrouded in an atmosphere of desolation.

Nearly the entire country was ruled by the rainy season. For twelve months of the year, rain blanketed most of its land.

The Land of Rain was now littered with ruined towns. Its unmaintained roads were covered in mud; every step sank into sludge, sometimes squeezing out fragments of broken white bone.

The wind across the wilderness blew cold in gusts, its chill steeped in cruelty. The wild plants greedily soaked up the nourishment brought by the rain, while the fields that should have grown rice were thick with weeds.

The road from the Land of Fire's border to the capital was one of the few major roads in the Land of Rain that could still barely function, but even it was uneven and pitted. Travelers had to detour around large puddles—those might have been blasted out by shinobi explosive tags, and ordinary people would not be able to climb back out if they fell in.

One stretch of the road passed over a hill. There had once been an outpost atop it, but it had now collapsed until only a low wall remained, overgrown with vines.

Looking down from there, one could see a convoy slowly making its way along the road.

From the hill's vantage point, it was truly slow—barely faster than a crawling turtle.

Beside the low wall, space twisted like a vortex, and a figure wearing a spiral-patterned one-eyed mask appeared.

The masked man wore a long robe devoid of any markings that could identify him.

After a while, a humanoid creature emerged halfway from the weeds beside him. Its body was half black and half white, the divide between the two stark and clear.

"Is this... food?" It looked at the convoy below. "Are we robbing them? Or giving it to that brat?"

The masked man seemed not to hear. A crimson Sharingan showed through the single eyehole of his mask as he watched the distant convoy.

Ignoring his companion's tireless questions, memories of the past surfaced in his mind.

"Obito, congratulations on becoming a ninja! Here's a piece of advice from your brother: with no women in your heart, you can take on the Five Kage single-handedly."

"You asked how I awakened my eyes? Good question! Here's another piece of advice from your brother: three tomoe naturally bloom in tea!"

"What's so fun about Fire Release? Raising fish is the true path! Come on, practice Water Release with me!"

"Obito, I filed an application. Let me have this one, yeah? I've never even seen what Iwa ninja look like."

"Hokage Building, shape up! You actually rejected my application! You ruined my youth! Obito, be more cautious—your teacher is the king of being late!"

King of being late... What a fitting description! He really had been late at the most critical moment!

"Obito? Obito?" His companion's repeated calls ignited anger in Uchiha Obito's heart.

Wasn't he annoying?

"Zetsu, whose name are you calling?" The Sharingan glared at him murderously. "Are you looking to die?"

"Ah, apologies, Lord Madara." Zetsu pointed at the approaching convoy. "Should we make a move? There are two Uchiha inside. Taking their eyes wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Are you teaching me what to do?"

"Just reminding you, Lord Madara. Hmm... it seems they've noticed us." There was a trace of confusion in Zetsu's voice.

Could the Sharingan see this far?

A fireball rose from the convoy, violently tearing apart the curtain of rain that blanketed the sky. It streaked through the air like a white ribbon and plunged toward the ruined outpost atop the hill.

"That shot... came from pretty far away..." Zetsu stared in astonishment at the approaching fireball.

Boom!

The blast wave swept away the last remnants of the outpost, leaving behind a steaming crater.

"And it was very accurate." Zetsu emerged from the ground beyond the blast zone. "Those must be fine eyes, Lord Madara... Huh? Where did he go?"

The surroundings were empty. There was not even a shadow in sight.

"Ah... he left..." Another person's voice came from its mouth.

"I have eyes of my own. I don't need your reminder."

Returning to its original voice, Zetsu sank back into the earth, and silence returned to the area.

A few seconds later, a figure flashed onto the hilltop.

The newcomer opened a pair of Sharingan and carefully inspected every inch of the hill.

"Brother Shingen." Another figure climbed up the hill.

"Why did you come up here too?" Uchiha Shingen had already put away his Sharingan. He had found nothing just now. "Who's watching the convoy?"

"The convoy is passing below. I came up to take a look while I was at it." Uchiha Shisui looked at the large crater before him and the faintly visible wreckage of buildings inside it. "It doesn't look like anyone was here. Maybe we saw wrong in the rain."

"There was definitely a chakra reaction just now." Uchiha Shingen was beginning to doubt it as well. "Could it have been some leftover chakra item?"

"Even if there was one, you blew it up so thoroughly that we can't tell anymore." Uchiha Shisui pointed at the bottom of the crater, where the water level was steadily rising.

"Tch..." Uchiha Shingen looked displeased at the muddy water constantly seeping into the crater. "Spending three months in a place like this will be a pain."

"I think it suits you quite well. It makes using Water Release very convenient."

As they spoke, the two inspected the area once more. After confirming that there truly was nothing there, they left the hill.

When they returned to the convoy, the Land of Rain official had been waiting at its side. Seeing them return, the man named Kusatsu asked nervously, "Did something happen?"

"Nothing. We sensed a chakra reaction here earlier, but there was no one when we checked."

"No one is good... no one is good..." Kusatsu let out a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Kusatsu, you're the leader. It wouldn't be appropriate to be too nervous." Uchiha Shingen glanced at the laborers behind him. The Land of Rain laborers were all watching them uneasily.

He was honestly afraid they might panic at any moment.

They were all ordinary people, yet the Land of Fire laborers possessed an extra measure of composure.

"I know..." Kusatsu nodded. "I'll be careful. This country now... forget it. It's already like this. There's nothing to say."

"How far is it to the capital?"

"At our current pace..." Kusatsu estimated in his head. "Two more days."

"Are there any towns along the way where we can rest?"

"There are, but I don't know whether the houses are still usable." Kusatsu wore a pained expression. "The people who originally lived in those towns scattered long ago, and new villages won't register with Daimyo's Court. Whether we run into one depends on luck."

What a complete mess. How could this still be called a country?

Uchiha Shingen was helpless. If not for the Land of Fire official having made extensive waterproofing preparations beforehand, and for the Land of Rain laborers directly using the transport equipment left behind by the Land of Fire, the grain would probably have been soaked rotten in the conditions they had faced along the way.

This country's administrative system had essentially become one of local autonomy everywhere. There was no order whatsoever in the wilderness, and the only reason it could still maintain itself under the name of a single country was because several neighboring great powers jointly upheld it.

Within the Land of Fire, the journey would have taken only a few days. Here, it had taken more than half a month.

In some places, unless they used Fire Release to dry the ground a little, there was not even anywhere to detour around.

He had decided—once he reached the Rain Daimyo, he was not going anywhere else.

What kind of shitty place was this?!

Chapter 24: It Was Normal for Me to Know Other Things Too, Right?

When Uchiha Shingen saw the great city on the distant high ground, he let out a sigh of relief.

Though he was surprised that they had not been attacked by anyone, the journey had hardly been easy. The terrible environment was secondary; the main issue was that this Rain team was truly unreliable.

At the very least, Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui had no choice but to remain on high alert at all times.

At last, the capital of the Land of Rain lay before them.

Yet everyone remained vigilant.

After all, there were far too many cases of people being assassinated before they reached their destination.

As the group gradually approached the city gates, the gates opened, and an armed unit marched out in file.

The newcomers were all armed personnel—the samurai of the Land of Rain.

In the various shinobi countries of today, samurai referred to lower-ranking nobles who possessed no territories but came from respectable families and had received a good education. They worked in all manner of professions. Village and town samurai served as land surveyors, farmland assessors, tax collectors, and public security officers. Some city samurai worked as police and security personnel, while others held administrative posts. The elite among them were selected as officials or became capable aides to daimyo and local lords.

Accomplished in both letters and arms—that was their hallmark. Quite a few samurai learned ninjutsu after condensing chakra, and some even chose to become ninja.

The Daimyo's Court envoy Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui had met before was a samurai engaged in administrative work.

Though they were all called samurai, they were an entirely different concept from the samurai of the Land of Iron, whose profession was exclusively cutting people down.