Next, Aoshi carefully examined Ide Hiroya's injury and confirmed there was no serious issue—it just needed time to heal.
The boy had already received treatment earlier, so there was no need to expend chakra again unnecessarily. Ide Juchiro had only insisted on bringing a medical-nin along because he deeply cared for his son and wanted to be prepared in case of emergencies.
With all preparations complete, the caravan officially departed from Konoha and began its journey toward the Land of Rain.
Two days later, they crossed into Rain Country territory—and the weather changed drastically.
The once bright sky had darkened, swallowed by thick clouds. Sheets of rain poured endlessly, as if the heavens themselves were weeping.
For Sasaki Ayame, who was visiting the Land of Rain for the first time, this relentless downpour felt deeply alien. Having grown up in Konoha's warm and sunny climate, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in such a bleak atmosphere.
"Does it ever stop raining in the Land of Rain?"
"Not never," Ide Juchiro replied with a wry smile, "but it's rare. And even when it does, the sky stays gray. Seeing the sun here is almost like seeing a rainbow—it hardly ever happens."
Even Aoshi found it bizarre.
There was no logical explanation. The rainfall was constant and unnatural—far beyond what normal weather patterns should allow. In the end, Aoshi could only attribute it to one of the many mysterious quirks of the ninja world.
"There's movement ahead—lots of ninja!"
Mikoto's sharp voice cut through the sound of rainfall, prompting the caravan to halt instantly. Aoshi and the others tensed, ready for combat.
"Uncle Ide, stay in the carriage. No matter what happens, don't come out."
"Understood. I'm counting on you all."
Knowing he'd only be a burden, Juchirō quickly climbed into the carriage and shut the door tight.
Soon, a large group of ninja surrounded them. Aoshi scanned the scene—twenty enemies.
They had only five people on their side. A fight would mean a four-to-one disadvantage. Unless they possessed overwhelming strength, that difference in numbers would be a huge problem.
"We're Konoha shinobi on a formal mission to the Land of Rain. Who are you people?" Mikoto didn't strike immediately. Instead, she calmly stated their affiliation.
As the most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the name 'Konoha' carried immense weight across the ninja world—few would dare provoke them without reason.
Sure enough, upon hearing her words, unease spread among the enemy ranks. One of the three apparent leaders—a kunoichi—looked to the man in the center.
"Kiyoshi, they're from Konoha... should we back off?"
"But we're low on food. If we don't take this chance, we'll starve," another man argued, though his voice wavered with uncertainty.
Despite their numbers, they were nothing more than a ragtag band of rogue ninja—scavengers trying to survive the chaos left in the wake of the Second Shinobi World War.
The Land of Rain had remained in turmoil, and survival here was no small feat. Forced to rely on raids, groups like this one had turned to looting caravans.
Unfortunately, they'd picked the wrong target this time—a supply caravan under Konoha's protection.
Now all eyes turned to Kiyoshi, the man in the center. As the strongest among them, Kiyoshi was naturally their leader.
He stepped forward to address Mikoto. "We have no wish to fight Konoha. Let us take the cargo, and we'll spare your lives."
It was a calculated offer, one meant to avoid unnecessary bloodshed while still securing their goal. As rogue ninja, they knew full well that crossing Konoha was risky business. But if a battle broke out, he still believed their group could win.
Kiyoshi had once been a jōnin of Kirigakure.
The two others who had spoken were also former Kirigakure ninja, slightly weaker than him but still formidable. The rest hailed from smaller villages, many of them chūnin-level.
For a group of rogues, their strength was nothing to scoff at.
But Mikoto wasn't going to back down. Though the mission had been classified as C-rank, this unexpected encounter clearly elevated it to at least B-rank.
Still, that wasn't the client's fault; it was pure bad luck.
More importantly, ninja earned their livelihood through missions. If they ran at the first sign of trouble, who would ever trust Konoha again?
"You wish!" Mikoto activated her Sharingan, and three tomoe spun to life in her crimson eyes.
Kiyoshi immediately looked away, his expression twisting with alarm. "Sharingan! She's a Uchiha! Don't look in her eyes—she'll trap you in genjutsu!"
As a former Kirigakure jōnin, he knew exactly how dangerous the Sharingan could be. At his warning, his group quickly averted their gazes.
Then, Kiyoshi made his move. In an instant, the battlefield became engulfed in a thick white mist, robbing everyone of their vision.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu.
Though it was only a D-rank technique, it was a signature of the Bloody Mist and designed to neutralize dojutsu users like the Uchiha.
Without sight, Sharingan genjutsu became almost useless. Worse, the rogue ninja were trained to fight in these exact conditions. Even those from smaller villages had undergone drills under Kyoshi's leadership.
"I can't see a thing!" Tomoki blurted out, flustered.
"Stay calm," Mikoto's voice rang out. "Form the manji formation! Don't move unless I say!"
Then, she swiftly formed hand seals. Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Poof! Three identical Mikotos appeared, surrounding the team and covering all directions.
Minato and the others obeyed without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Aoshi didn't waste time. He formed hand seals and unleashed one of his newly acquired techniques—Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.
A powerful gust of wind erupted from his mouth, roaring across the battlefield with chakra-enhanced force. The thick mist that had blinded them was instantly blown away.
"What the hell?!" Kiyoshi, who had already closed the distance to strike Mikoto, was caught off guard.
His mist—dispelled in a single instant? Even Mikoto looked surprised. She hadn't done it.
A sinking feeling settled in Kiyoshi's gut. He had assumed the others were just weak genin. But now he realized—he'd made a critical misjudgment.
No ordinary genin could easily dispel the Hidden Mist Jutsu of a former jōnin. Still, it was too late to retreat. He had to follow through.
If he could just eliminate the Uchiha woman first, the rest might fall easily.