A fully furnished wooden hut, waterproofed and even wired with lamps, built in a single day—
This was the efficiency of shinobi.
In the Land of Rain, the sky was always dim, rain never truly stopping—only shifting between heavy and light.
Outside the new hut, Jiraiya leaned against the wall beneath the extended roof.
Beside him stood Kaito in his "wandering swordsman" disguise.
Through the window, they watched the three children finally drift into sleep.
Only then did Jiraiya speak.
"Today… really, thank you."
"If you hadn't helped, it would've taken me another day or two to build a shelter like this for them."
Kaito folded his arms, mask hiding his expression as he listened to the rain.
"It's fine. This is my last day in the Land of Rain anyway. Think of it as a small favor to the kids."
"I see."
Jiraiya nodded, then asked quietly:
"Then tell me something."
"…Why pretend to be a samurai?"
Kaito paused.
Jiraiya continued:
"A real samurai values etiquette, loyalty, and discipline.
But you? You talk too freely. Your manners, your posture—none of it fits bushidō."
"And earlier, while carrying supplies, you used chakra."
That was the giveaway.
Kaito chuckled softly.
As expected—trying to fool veteran info specialists was pointless.
His disguise had holes everywhere.
"What are you implying?" he asked lightly.
"Are those kids that important to you?"
Jiraiya's tone suddenly sharpened.
"Or rather—
is there one of them you care about so much that you couldn't help stepping in?"
"…"
Silence fell.
Rain pattered around them.
Kaito finally let out a quiet sigh and lifted his mask onto his forehead.
"You intelligence types are annoying. No privacy at all."
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
"That voice—!"
He stepped forward, into the rain, staring in disbelief.
"It's you! The surgeon?!"
Kaito stood calmly, arms still crossed.
"It's me.
War's happening, so I thought I'd visit the battlefield. Is that a problem?"
Jiraiya's breathing quickened.
This man's identity was too dangerous—he had searched for information everywhere and found nothing.
And yet after spending so long with him…
Not once had he detected a trace of Transform Jutsu.
"This face…" Jiraiya muttered.
"Is it your real one?"
Kaito nodded—then shook his head.
"It's my face. Just… modified slightly."
He looked up at the dark sky and stepped forward, ignoring Jiraiya's tense stance.
"Tell me…"
"Don't you think this world is diseased?"
"Diseased?" Jiraiya echoed, pained by memories of the war—friends dying, names written one by one on casualty lists.
Kaito continued:
"The disease is in people's hearts.
This world lacks a guide—someone to push humans toward what must be done."
"…You're saying you want to be that savior?"
"No, no~" Kaito waved his hand.
"I'm just a passerby. A nobody."
"No single person can save the world.
Even if someone stood at the top, it'd only be temporary."
"A real savior…
must create an organization powerful enough to overturn this rotten era and rebuild the world properly."
"Twisted philosophy," Jiraiya snapped.
"You're suggesting destroying the world once to rebuild peace."
Kaito only smiled.
A native would never understand unification. Too complex, too slow… and I don't intend to change this world anyway.
"I'm just talking. Whether you listen or not, that's on you."
He opened an umbrella and walked toward the misty riverside.
"Wait!" Jiraiya called.
"One last question."
Kaito stopped, standing on the water.
"You… do you know a Konoha genin named Kaito?"
A cold chuckle.
"That cunning little brat.
What do you want to know?"
Jiraiya blinked—surprised this mysterious figure even knew Kaito.
"You've been in the Land of Rain for half a month, right?
Then you must've heard something.
Is he alive?"
Kaito smiled faintly and continued walking.
"I saw that reckless kid running for his life on the road."
"As for where he is now…"
"No idea."
His figure dissolved into the mist.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, eyes burning.
"I knew it!! He's alive!!"
Kaito was not someone he knew well—
but Tsunade, Nonō, and even Orochimaru's reactions when Kaito "died"…
He had watched them break.
"Good… this will make everyone so happy!"
"Summoning Technique!"
The Rain War Ends
The battle between Konoha and Amegakure officially concluded.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had survived Hanzo's trial by fire—
and the world now knew their title:
The Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
But the relief was short-lived.
News came next:
The Land of Grass had fallen to Iwagakure.
Iwa's elite forces were resting, preparing to invade the Land of Fire within six months.
Just as Kaito had once said—
the root of war lies in human hearts.
Conflicts never end, not while nations differ in culture, wealth, and power.
Konoha Forces Withdraw
Cedar Camp and other bases began regrouping at Bug Canyon.
Commanders finally relaxed.
Ninja longed to return home.
On the Fire–Wind front, Hatake Sakumo repelled an invasion force of elite Suna puppeteers—Chiyo's own son and daughter-in-law.
Suna's morale collapsed.
Sakumo escorted the bodies home and visited infant Kakashi.
At Bug Canyon — Uchiha Support Unit
Uchiha Mikoto packed her belongings. The war ahead would be guerrilla-style supply disruption—handled by different squads.
Her comrade Kaede, once obsessed with strength, now stood emotionless beside her.
"Only the two of us left," Kaede whispered.
"It hasn't even been a year…"
Mikoto hugged her gently.
"It's alright. Let's go home. We'll rest—things will get better."
Kaede finally broke down, crying into Mikoto's shoulder.
Behind them, the dormitory was nearly empty.
Only Uchiha Kishin and one maimed chūnin remained alive.
Losses were devastating.
Rustle—
A blonde girl entered—the tears on her cheeks long dried.
"...Mikoto. Kaede-san."
"Nonō?!" Mikoto turned, relieved. "You're alive!"
Nonō didn't smile.
She spoke with trembling control:
"Sensei…
has died."
BOOM—
Mikoto's mind went blank.
"No…
No, you're lying— which sensei? Orochimaru? Tsunade? Or—"
Nonō looked away.
"You know who."
The impact hit Mikoto like a blow.
She staggered, falling into Kaede's arms.
Kaede held her tightly.
"Cry. Let it out."
"AAAAAH—!!"
Mikoto screamed.
Her eyes twisted with grief and rage—
And her Sharingan evolved.
Mangekyō?
No—
Three Tomoe Complete.
Meanwhile… Kaito
Kaito returned to Cedar Camp—
Only to find it empty.
"…"
Seriously?! You all packed up THIS fast?!
How the hell am I supposed to go home now?!
After cursing internally, he decided—
I'll head back anyway.
Another Crisis
Days passed. Jiraiya taught Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan survival skills.
Kaito had already departed, but the kids left a frog-shaped tag in his memory, labeled "The Surgeon."
Jiraiya respected that.
Then—
BANG!
Yahiko burst into the hut.
"Sensei!! Something's wrong—Konan and Nagato ran into an enemy!!"
"What?! Take me there!!"
A starving Iwa shinobi, unwilling to retreat despite losing the war, had turned to attacking civilians for food.
He spotted Konan.
"A beautiful little orphan… I bet you'll look even prettier when I carve you open."
Nagato froze, mind flashing back to the moment his parents died.
Just as he broke—
A familiar shadow caught the Iwa-nin's wrist mid-strike.
"War's over," Kaito said calmly.
"What exactly are you doing?"
He glanced at the man's vest.
"…Ah. Iwa-nin."
Without further hesitation—Kaito kicked him so hard he skidded meters across the muddy ground.
"Thought you were Konoha, honestly. Guess running nonstop messed up my perception."
Konan immediately burst into tears and clung to him.
Nagato finally exhaled, trembling.
"Kaito-nii… you're really alive…"
The Iwa shinobi staggered up, blade drawn.
He wanted revenge—on Kaito, on the children, on anything alive.
Jiraiya and Yahiko arrived just in time to see the scene.
"Kaito?! What are you—"
"Die!!"
The Iwa-nin lunged.
Kaito didn't turn.
His hands sealed faster than the man could see.
"Suiton: Rain Manipulation Technique!"
Rainwater hardened—
forming countless needle-like impacts.
Pup! Pup! Pup! Pup! Pup!
"AAAAAAH—!!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"That's—Seiu's technique?! The Ame jōnin?!
You mastered it after seeing it once?!"
Kaito scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Actually… it's similar to a D-rank technique I developed, Water Drop Technique.
I just… refined it while running for my life."
He looked at the groaning Iwa-nin.
"But my version can't kill.
Seiu's was stronger."
Inside the Hut
After Jiraiya mercy-killed the Iwa shinobi, he dragged Kaito inside.
The children listened wide-eyed.
Kaito casually pocketed his intel scroll again.
Jiraiya understood immediately.
"…You collected it.
All this time—while surviving alone."
Kaito shrugged.
Nagato blinked.
"What's in that scroll? Is it special?"
Kaito and Jiraiya exchanged looks—
Neither intending to tell the children about war intel.
Kaito answered smoothly:
"It's my ninjutsu research notes."
"Can you teach us?" Konan whispered.
"I… I don't want to be helpless again."
Jiraiya hesitated, recalling Orochimaru's warning.
Then—
"Kaito—?"
Jiraiya blinked as Kaito suddenly said:
"Jiraiya-sama. Nagato's eye… looks strange. Is he sick?"
In truth, Kaito couldn't see beneath the bangs.
But the story needed to progress.
"What?" Jiraiya turned sharply.
Nagato hesitated—then slowly pushed aside his hair.
Revealing—
Six concentric rings.
Jiraiya gasped.
Kaito smashed his teacup on instinct.
"Oh no. At this age?! He's come down with…"
"THE RINNEGAN?!!"
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