On the first morning after they entered the village, the rain still hadn't stopped.
Nine candidates stood in a row outside the stone house.
Konan stood in the rain without an umbrella, one shoulder soaked through. Her voice was as soft and even as it had been when she handed out their wristbands yesterday.
"I have two jobs for you today."
"First, three sections of the outer defenses on the west side have collapsed. Repair them today."
"Second, you'll distribute rations in the west district today."
With that, paper wings rose silently behind her and formed a paper umbrella. She was already walking away.
The nine of them were left staring at one another in the rain.
Broken-Bone Gōta slung his chipped saber over his shoulder and spoke first:
"Fix walls? I fixed walls for eight years in Iwagakure. I escaped to join Akatsuki, and I'm still fixing walls."
"Know what that means?" Uchiha En bent to shoulder the first timber. "Your craftsmanship has been certified by two nations."
Gōta choked on his reply. After thinking it over, he decided it made a surprising amount of sense and happily followed with his hammer.
The porridge stall in the west district stood between two broken walls.
Rain hammered against the oiled cloth roof.
The line stretched from the stall to the street corner. No one spoke or pushed. The people of Amegakure stood in line as steadily as the Iron Tower's foundations.
Uchiha En stood inside the stall, ladling porridge.
One scoop, then another, then another.
Two brothers reached the front.
The older boy was barefoot, and his bowl had a chip in its rim. His younger brother barely reached the stall's support post.
The older boy took his porridge but didn't leave. He crouched beside the post, pulled half