It Was Almost Over

The three of them crossed the border in their raincoats and entered the Land of Rain.

The name was no exaggeration.

Kitahara Kaede remembered that it rained constantly in the Land of Rain, but stepping into it himself was another matter.

Their three raincoats flapped in the wind.

They advanced along a dirt road gouged up by artillery fire.

The trees on either side were all bare—not because autumn had stripped their leaves, but because Fire Release had burned them away.

Rows of charred trunks stood embedded in the mud.

After walking about two kilometers, they came upon the first village's ruins by the roadside.

Most of the houses had collapsed.

There was a smell in the air—not of scorched earth, but something else.

Kitahara Kaede recognized it. It belonged to battlefields.

Three bodies lay in the muddy water beside the ruins.

They weren't shinobi. They were civilians.

An adult man, an adult woman, and a child caught between them.

The man's hand was still raised protectively over the child's head.

The rain diluted the blood and carried it downhill into a shallow, pale-red stream.

Tsunade's pace slowed for a step.

She said nothing and kept walking.

A little farther down the road, two children were crouched in the middle of it.

The older one was five or six, with hair matted against his face.

The younger one was three or four, curled up in the older child's arms, staring blankly ahead.

Jiraiya stopped.

He pulled half a ration bar from his coat, crouched, and held it out.

The older child jerked backward, clutching the younger one tight. His eyes were full of terror.

Jiraiya set the ration bar on the ground, stood, and took two steps back.

Only after a long while did the older child cautiously reach out, grab it, and stuff it into the younger one's mouth.

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Tsunade never stopped walking, but Kitahara Kaede noticed her hand clench into a fist.

They later passed another settlement that had been burned down to bare earth.

There were no survivors, only scorched ground and scattered belongings.

A charred doll lay crooked at the foot of a broken wall.

Tsunade hadn't spoken since then.

Kitahara Kaede didn't try to start a conversation, either.

As dusk fell, the three of them turned into a mountain hollow.

The rock walls on either side blocked most of the wind and rain, making it just about suitable for a place to rest.

"We'll stay here tonight."

Kitahara Kaede took off his pack, formed Hand Seals, and lit the dry branches piled in a corner.

The damp air made the flames struggle for a few moments before they caught.

Heat slowly spread, drying the rain from their clothes and raising a thin veil of white steam.

Jiraiya wrung out his raincoat and draped it over a rock, then surveyed the surrounding terrain.

"I'll scout the area."

With that, he disappeared into the rain.

Only the two of them remained in the hollow.

Tsunade sat against the rock wall, knees drawn to her chest, chin resting on her arms.

Firelight fell across her profile, but her expression was hard to make out.

"I hate the rain."

She spoke suddenly, her voice quiet.

"It just keeps falling and falling. You can't see a thing."

Kitahara Kaede sat down beside her, their shoulders almost touching.

"Then we'll live somewhere it doesn't rain."

Tsunade turned to look at him.

Some of the heaviness in her eyes had faded.

"Where? The Land of Wind? That place is full of sand. You can never get your hair clean. Whoever wants to go can go."

"Not the Land of Wind."

"Then where?"

Kitahara Kaede didn't answer.

Tsunade waited a few seconds. When he still didn't reply, she gave him a shove on the shoulder.

"I asked you a question."

"I'll tell you when I've decided."

"That's what you always say."

Tsunade gave a snort, her voice relaxing.

She rested her chin on her arms again and gazed out at the rain.

"Kaede."

"Yeah?"

"After this war... will you really take me to see the ocean?"

"I won't forget what I promised."

Tsunade didn't reply.

They sat in silence for a while.

She leaned a little closer to him.

Their shoulders touched, and warmth seeped through their damp clothes.

Kitahara Kaede didn't move.

The fire crackled. A spark flew up, traced a short arc through the air, and died.

Tsunade's breathing gradually evened out.

Leaning against him, she fell asleep.

Kitahara Kaede lowered his gaze.

The frown she'd worn when they saw the bodies and orphans that day had finally eased.

A loose strand of hair clung to her face, trembling softly with each breath.

He lifted a hand and brushed it away.

His fingertips touched her skin. It was warm.

The movement was gentle, almost casual.

When he was done, he drew his hand back.

Kitahara Kaede looked at the fire.

The Land of Rain.

Hanzo.

Once this battle was over, it would be time for the simulation to end.

The outcome had been decided from the very beginning.

But he'd spent twenty years here.

From teaching a three-year-old girl how to roll dice in a pavilion, to entering the academy together, graduating together, and going to war together...

Twenty years.

Kitahara Kaede glanced down at the head resting on his shoulder.

He didn't let himself think any further.

Footsteps approached through the rain.

Jiraiya emerged from the downpour, vigorously shaking the water from his hair and stamping the mud off his boots.

He stepped into the hollow and saw the two of them leaning against each other.

He paused.

Then he continued inside and found a dry rock to sit on across the fire.

"No one around. It's safe."

He spoke in a low voice, addressing the fire.

Kitahara Kaede nodded.

Jiraiya folded his arms and leaned against the rock wall, his gaze drifting toward Tsunade.

Then he looked away and sat quietly for a long while.

Jiraiya lay down, rolled over to face away from them, and rested his arms behind his head.

His muttering drifted over from beside the rock wall.

"...All right, all right..."

"...When we get back, I'll put this in my book... I'll just write that some bastard stole everyone's goddess..."

"...Heh, I've already thought of a title..."

"...I'm tired. I'm going to sleep..."

A few seconds later, he began to snore.

Kitahara Kaede couldn't tell whether he was really asleep or not.

Another spark popped from the fire.

It flared for a moment, then died.

Jiraiya woke first at daybreak.

He stared at the two of them leaning against each other across the fire for several seconds.

Then he stood silently and walked out of the hollow.

In the rain, they heard him yawn loudly.

The noise woke Tsunade. She raised her head groggily and realized she'd been leaning on Kitahara Kaede's shoulder.

She froze for a second, then blushed.

She sprang away and pretended nothing had happened.

"Let's go."

She grabbed her raincoat, threw it on, and strode outside.

Kitahara Kaede got up and followed her.

Beyond the hollow, the gray sky stretched endlessly overhead.

The three of them set out again.

Jiraiya led the way, Tsunade walked in the middle, and Kitahara Kaede brought up the rear.