Land of Rain.
The endless downpour sheeted from the sky, drowning the barren landscape in cold grey curtains. Puddles rippled as heavy droplets struck, while the mud swallowed each footprint like a hungry mouth.
Sasori trudged through it, cloak dragging in the muck, his face twisted in a rare scowl.
Ambushed.
He hadn't feared the Suna shinobi themselves, but when a crowd pressed him from all sides, even he had been forced to retreat. Puppets lost, time wasted, materials abandoned.
The memory of it made his jaw clench. The battlefield was supposed to be his workshop—yet this time he'd been chased away like a thief. With no other choice, he slipped across the border and into the Land of Rain, where Akatsuki shadows gathered.
"You look a little disheveled, Sasori."
The calm voice cut through the rain. Sasori's eyes lifted.
Pain stood atop the eaves, unmoving despite the torrent, orange hair plastered to his face. Rinnegan eyes looked down on him, impassive and godlike.
"Ran into some trouble." Sasori replied flatly. He shook water from his red hair, a sneer tugging his lips. "But don't worry. No tails followed."
He would have left it there. But the memory of that smug boy's words—Danzo's subordinate, the flare in the desert, the interference—gnawed at him. The anger boiled over.
"Pain, do you know someone named Danzo?"
The name made even Pain's mask of calm pause.
High above, in Amegakure's tower, Nagato's real body stiffened. Behind the Rinnegan projection, his gaunt face darkened.
"You encountered Danzo?"
"No," Sasori spat, eyes narrowing. "I encountered his subordinate. An insidious brat."
The word dripped with venom. His tone sharpened further as he recalled the battle. "He fought with a strange chakra giant—an Earth-style creation as monstrous as a tailed beast. Difficult to handle. They escaped… and in the process, they cost me dearly."
"Danzo…" Pain's voice was unreadable, but his silence stretched. Then, quietly, "I know. We will deal with him. He will not escape Akatsuki's justice."
The words faded with the body. In a blink, Pain's projection vanished into the storm.
Sasori stood alone in the rain, staring at the space where he had been. His gaze narrowed. He could tell—Pain despised Danzo. 'Interesting.'
But Sasori was too drained to press. He had lost too many puppets already. His priority was to rebuild, repair, and bide his time.
'That chakra giant… an Earth-style construct like a Tailed Beast?'
…
Elsewhere, in the Kirigakure village.
Uchiha Obito lowered the report in his hand.
His one visible Sharingan spun slowly, thoughtful. "Earth-style… like a Tailed Beast." he echoed under his breath. A faint grin curved under his mask.
So even in the Land of Wind, threads were tangling—threads that might be useful.
…
Hidezawa, meanwhile, had no idea how many circles of influence his actions had stirred.
He only knew one thing: his rewards this time were outrageously good.
"Eight free points…"
He almost laughed aloud. That was no small sum. Enough to push his physical stats higher—much higher—and still have a surplus to play with.
And then there was the special prize.
[Ninja World Dr.]
Hidezawa blinked at the glowing words. Rarely had he earned such rewards. At first, it looked meaningless, like some trinket dropped from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Ninjutsu Professor. But the more he studied the description, the more his eyes lit up.
It wasn't just cosmetic.
This reward was a prototype skill. Based on Hiruzen's terrifyingly broad ninjutsu mastery—but adapted by the system.
Once activated, if Hidezawa attempted to learn a ninjutsu, as long as he understood the theoretical structure, he would inevitably succeed.
And beyond that—
"Can be upgraded to the maximum level… LV6."
Hidezawa's heart skipped. That meant an instant skip—an ability equal to what should have cost him twenty-one points to grind through.
Locked to his current physical stats, yes. But even so, LV6 meant jōnin-level mastery. And one step higher would touch the domain of elite-jōnin.
With his monstrous physical base, with cursed seals and system bonuses layered on, this was a terrifying gift.
He clenched his fist, excitement shivering down his spine. 'Not bad at all.'
…
"I never thought we'd become 'heroes'…"
Back in Konoha, Yugao's voice drifted on the breeze outside the Hokage's office. She still looked dazed, as though the word didn't fit her.
Shisui's expression wasn't much steadier. "It's strange. I feel like I hardly did anything worthy of that title."
Hidezawa only smiled faintly. He could tell both of them were struggling with an overgrown sense of responsibility. To him, the Hokage's words were just words. 'Heroes, scapegoats, pawns—it's all paperwork.'
'If I can slack off, collect my pay, and move on quietly, isn't that the best?'
But for these two… their consciences would gnaw at them. That much was clear.
He stretched, feigning cheer. "Don't think too much. We're back in one piece. Tonight—we gather. A celebration. Our first mission together, and a success."
"A celebration?" Shisui blinked, then broke into a rare smile. "Yes… that's a good idea."
The trust he'd begun to place in Hidezawa deepened further. During the battle, he had been forced to draw on his hidden power—the Mangekyō Sharingan. He hadn't told anyone, not even clan elders. Yet Hidezawa hadn't pressed, hadn't pried, hadn't even mentioned it in the report.
That silence had meant more than words.
"I'll treat tonight." Yugao's voice firmed. "I didn't contribute much. Let me handle it."
Hidezawa grinned inwardly. A sponsor? Perfect.
Coming from Root, he always suspected Danzo had skimmed his mission rewards. His coin purse was perpetually empty. Compared to him, Yugao as a standard Anbu lived comfortably.
"Damn it… even the reward they promised before, they waited until now to lump it together." he muttered under his breath, though he wore only a gentle smile as he parted ways with the two.
There were still other matters on his plate. Danzo. Kabuto.
By now, Kabuto should be outside the village, his message already en route to Danzo. And that message would be far more detailed than the smoke and mirrors Hidezawa had fed Hiruzen.
He walked with hands tucked in his sleeves, already half-lost in thought.
Then a blur caught his eye—Kakashi, striding quickly toward the Hokage building, face grim.
Hidezawa almost raised a hand in greeting, then remembered. 'I still owe him ramen money'. He dropped his hand, turning away.
"Next time." he murmured.
His mind returned to what mattered. Nine points. Eight from the mission, plus one leftover. A windfall.
"System. Upgrade my physical attribute."
[Overall Physical Attributes upgraded to LV7]
The moment the confirmation echoed in his mind, his body trembled. Power surged through him, heat in his veins, clarity in his senses.
'This… is incredible…'
At LV6, he had already felt nearly unstoppable. His body had become a machine: chakra reserves vast, recovery rapid, strength and speed beyond most jōnin.
But LV7—LV7 was something else. His perception sharpened to a needle's point, his chakra control smoother than silk.
And then he felt it—something new, a hum within his cells.
'This power… it can even mend wounds.'
He flexed a hand, marveling as unseen warmth coiled in his palm.
A new prompt burned across his vision.
[Physical Attributes has reached a certain limit. Original restraints broken. New ability acquired.]
[Yang Style: LV1]
Hidezawa froze. Then slowly, a grin tugged his lips.
'Breaking restraints, strengthening the body, and now… Yang-style?'
A wild thought brushed his mind. Ashura's path?
But before he could explore it further, his senses caught a presence.
From a shadowed corner, Aburame Tatsuma watched him silently.
*****
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