No one governed the country, and no one rebuilt its cities. The Land of Rain could now be called a country utterly abandoned by the world, reduced to a postapocalyptic wasteland.
That was how Hyuga Akira felt as he entered the Land of Rain from the Land of Fire.
Even without invasions by foreign enemies, the Land of Rain could not regain peace. Now, everyone's enemies were their own people.
For food, and for survival.
A house that looked better than the others became Hyuga Akira's temporary lodging.
He stood at the window, watching the steady drizzle outside. Every time he came here, the scene was the same.
It always made him feel a little nostalgic.
"Teacher, this is Konan." Nagato pointed her out to Hyuga Akira. "The three of us manage this place."
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan had ultimately come together, just as their original destinies had dictated.
"Hello, Teacher," Konan said respectfully to Nagato.
Hyuga Akira nodded, pulled a chair over from the table, and sat down. He glanced at the three standing before him, finally looking at Nagato. "Tell me what happened to you over these past two years."
Since he had gathered with a group of children, unless something unexpected had happened, something unfortunate had happened to his parents.
Nagato looked dejected for a long while before speaking. "After you left, Teacher, Amegakure declared war on the Konoha Ninja. The fighting between Konoha and the Rain Ninja destroyed the city. My parents died protecting me, at the hands of... Konoha Ninja."
He hesitated toward the end. The teacher before him seemed to be a Shinobi from Konoha.
"Go on." Hyuga Akira offered no opinion.
Apart from a few individuals, everyone else was a monster in his eyes. He did not care whether they lived or died.