The images on the Sky Screen shifted again, skipping over the small details of passing days to settle on the steadily recovering lands of the Land of Rain.
Under Sarada's leadership, with Kisame's wholehearted support, everything had fallen into place.
The two found a base on open terrain, far from the strife of towns and the chaos elsewhere, and settled there securely.
With Kisame, a veteran of the Akatsuki, holding the fort and Sarada's extraordinary maturity, the new base was free of the threats of looting, vendettas, and harassment from rogue ninja. No one dared provoke them lightly.
Rain fell year-round in the Land of Rain, and its fields had lain barren and abandoned for years. Sarada led the refugees she had taken in to reclaim the wasteland, drain standing water, and repair the old irrigation channels.
Little by little, the muddy, infertile wasteland where barely a blade of grass could grow was transformed into fertile fields fit for cultivation.
Next, the two selected strong, able-bodied young adults with no history of wrongdoing from among the refugees to form a dedicated guard unit. They took turns watching over the base and protecting everyone, establishing the most basic line of defense for their new order.
Once their livelihoods and security were settled, Sarada gathered all the children she had taken in.
Her voice was clear and firm as she slowly recounted the decades of suffering the Land of Rain had endured, spoke of her ideals, and explained what had first driven her.
"The Land of Rain has languished for too long. It could sustain itself once, and we can do it again."
"We will till our homeland with our own hands and rebuild order, making the declining Land of Rain great once more."
"And you are the ones I've chosen to