As the busy day came to an end, night slowly fell over the Land of Rain.
Without the aid of tools and with the interference of rainwater and flooding, the construction project in the Land of Rain was far more challenging than in the Land of Waves.
However, the Land of Rain had more ordinary Ninja than the Land of Waves, and one Ninja could replace several regular workers. With the assistance of Earth and Water Release Ninjutsu, the progress wasn't significantly slower.
Since the power supply had been destroyed and not yet restored, lighting was provided by traditional torches and candlesticks. When the sun set, work had to stop.
After finishing their shifts, the workers ate in the cafeteria, returned home, chatted briefly with family and friends, and then turned off the lights to rest.
They followed the traditional routine of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
When the last candle in the residential area was extinguished, the night was filled only with the sound of rain and faint snoring. This was when the 'rats' began to move quietly.
In the darkness, with only flickering flames providing light, a few pairs of eyes seemed to glow faintly, and shadowy figures moved silently through the gloom.
Swish--
A gust of wind blew, making the rain fall more rapidly.
A dark figure appeared outside Naruto's temporary office building.
Since it was only a temporary structure, the office building was quite rudimentary, and there were no staff on duty outside.
The figure was dressed in a black combat suit, with even his head wrapped in a black scarf, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Standing in front of the office building, the figure formed hand seals, activating a unique secret technique.
His lips moved silently, but no sound came out.
"I'm about to infiltrate. Keep watch for me. If anyone approaches, let me know."
After speaking, the figure didn't move immediately but waited quietly for a response.
A moment later, a faint but familiar voice replied.
"Don't worry, I'm in position. All three of them have turned off their lights and gone to sleep. If anything unusual happens, I'll signal you."
Hearing this, the figure let out a soft sigh of relief.
"In that case, I'm going in."
With that, the figure gradually slowed his breathing and heartbeat, completely merging into the shadows.
He couldn't afford to be careless. Although he had never seen the three brats take action during his time here, the civilians spoke of them as if they were gods.
Having lived in the Ninja World for so many years, he knew better than to underestimate anyone, especially the elderly, women, and children.
Moreover, the reward for this mission was unusually high. If it were just a simple bounty, it wouldn't be this lucrative.
The mission was to gather intelligence on the Land of Rain, but he didn't know what specific information was needed. He didn't have time to play the long game of infiltration, so he decided to head straight for the office building to search for clues.
He was quite confident in his disguise and infiltration skills. Using this ability to blend into the darkness, he had stolen countless pieces of classified information.
This skill was how he made a living, taking on intelligence-gathering missions from the underground bounty station.
Without making a sound, the office building's door opened a crack, and the figure slipped inside like a ghost, crouching by the entrance and scanning the area.
His vision was better than most, allowing him to see the outlines of objects even in the dim light.
"The documents should be on the second floor."
The figure quickly glanced around and saw that it was just an ordinary living room.
Moving quietly, he soon found the stairs leading to the second floor.
Creak...
In the dead silence of the office building, a faint sound, like the rolling of wooden wheels, echoed like thunder, coming from above the stairs.
Creak, creak--
The sound continued, getting closer and closer.
'It was coming from the top of the stairs!'
Without hesitation, the figure's right hand went to the hilt of the sword at his waist, and he immediately looked up.
"Gulp!"
The figure instinctively swallowed his saliva.
In the pitch-black darkness, he couldn't see the other person clearly, only a deeper shadow and a pair of glowing purple eyes that gradually lit up in the dark.
Those purple eyes were eerily mesmerizing in the black void.
"I didn't expect a rat to come knocking first."
A low voice broke the silence, sending a chill down the figure's spine.
He hadn't expected anyone to be in the office building at this hour.
Clang!
The figure's short sword was drawn in an instant, and he lunged at the shadow on the stairs like a panther.
Since he had been discovered, he had to switch to plan B.
While he excelled at infiltration, his combat skills were no slouch either.
Just as he leaped forward, an invisible force, like a mountain, slammed down on him. The immense power struck his body like a tidal wave.
In an instant, he felt as if a giant hand had smashed him into the ground with a loud thud.
The sudden impact left him no time to react. His internal organs felt like they had been jolted out of place, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body.
Before he could even struggle on the ground, a powerful suction force pulled him up as if an invisible hand had gripped him tightly, leaving him no room to resist.
In an instant, he felt like a leaf caught in a storm, completely losing control of his body.
With a whooshing sound and the sensation of weightlessness, he was hurled upward toward the top of the stairs at an incredible speed.
"Ugh!"
Another grunt escaped him as he felt his head being grabbed.
When he opened his eyes again, a pair of eerie, glowing purple eyes with concentric circles stared back at him!
Those eyes were like bottomless whirlpools, threatening to suck his soul in.
"Spare... spare me..."
Nagato didn't give him a chance to beg. In the next moment, the figure felt as if he were watching himself from a third-person perspective.
"A bounty from the underground bounty station? Not a bad idea."
By extracting the figure's soul, Nagato saw all of his memories.
He had planned to deal with all the 'rats' infiltrating the Land of Rain tonight, but he hadn't expected one to come to him.