Early the next morning, the rain that had poured all night finally stopped. For the perpetually rainy Land of Rain, this was already considered rare good weather.
Inside the wooden house, the remnants of the extinguished bonfire still carried a faint warmth. Chōjūrō, who had just awakened from his slumber, opened his eyes groggily.
"Ah! Mizukage-sama, what happened to you?!"
Chōjūrō, as Terumi Mei's guard, instinctively looked for her as soon as he woke up. He had no idea what had transpired during the night, but the sight before him startled him. At this moment, Terumi Mei had dark circles under her eyes, her eyelids fluttering as if she were struggling to stay awake, and her usually radiant face appeared utterly exhausted.
Seeing Terumi Mei's haggard appearance, Chōjūrō was taken aback and shouted in alarm.
"Keep your voice down! Don't shout so loudly!"
Terumi Mei, startled by Chōjūrō's sudden outburst, quickly motioned for silence. She then cast a cautious glance toward Raiden, who was still sleeping nearby. Upon confirming that he had not woken up, she let out a small sigh of relief.
"Mizukage-sama, this is…" Chōjūrō hesitated upon seeing Terumi Mei's condition.
A deep sense of guilt immediately washed over him.
"Yeah, with someone as unpredictable as him around, how could you possibly sleep peacefully?"
"As Mizukage-sama's guard, I failed to recognize this and selfishly fell asleep myself."
"I even let Mizukage-sama stand watch all night... What kind of guard am I?"
Chōjūrō clenched his fists in remorse, his face full of self-reproach. Just as he was about to apologize, Terumi Mei suddenly stood up, visibly tense.
"You… are you awake?" Terumi Mei asked in astonishment, her gaze locked onto Raiden, who was now sitting up.
"This kid was screaming so loudly—of course, I woke up."
"You look like this... You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"
"Honestly, it wasn't necessary. If I wanted to attack you, it wouldn't make a difference whether you resisted or not."
Raiden casually scratched his head and waved his hand dismissively as he spoke, glancing at Terumi Mei's exhausted state.
"N-no… it's not what you think..." Terumi Mei opened her mouth as if to explain but suddenly stopped. Lowering her gaze to her hands, she fell silent, resembling a flustered young girl.
Raiden frowned slightly, puzzled by Terumi Mei's reaction, then glanced at Chōjūrō in confusion.
"Since you're all awake, let's go. Take me to Sasuke Uchiha."
Raiden didn't dwell on Terumi Mei's behavior. He stretched, spoke indifferently to Terumi Mei and Chōjūrō, then grabbed a poncho from the side, draped it over himself, and stepped out of the wooden house.
As soon as Raiden left, Terumi Mei hurriedly cupped her flushed face in both hands. Due to the dim lighting in the room, Chōjūrō couldn't see her expression clearly, but Terumi Mei could feel the heat radiating from her own cheeks.
"Mizukage-sama, should we go?" Chōjūrō asked quietly after packing up his belongings. Though he didn't know what had happened, he could tell that Terumi Mei was acting very differently from before.
"Mm…"
Outside the House – A Tense Atmosphere
The moment Raiden stepped out of the house, the tension in the air became palpable. Although it wasn't as extreme as yesterday, his presence immediately put the Kiri-nin on high alert. Every single one of them instinctively locked their eyes onto him.
Noticing this, Terumi Mei sighed and waved her hand, signaling the Mist ninjas to withdraw. The group quickly vanished from sight, though Raiden, with his Kagura Mind's Eye, could still sense them lingering in the shadows.
Now, on the surface, only Chōjūrō remained as Terumi Mei's visible guard.
"I received intelligence that Sasuke Uchiha was spotted in a nearby town."
"We should head there first to gather more information."
Terumi Mei walked up beside Raiden, speaking in a soft voice. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on his face, as if lost in thought.
"Alright, let's go."
Raiden glanced at the sky and nodded. With Chōjūrō leading the way, the three of them set off toward the nearby town.
He Yu Town – Land of Rain
He Yu Town was a small settlement located in the heart of the Land of Rain. Though modest in size, with only a few thousand households, the country had developed significantly under the leadership of Yahiko and his team. Despite its small stature, the town had decent infrastructure, including a hospital and a thriving commercial district.
Many homes had access to electricity, and the once-muddy dirt roads had been replaced with concrete. Unlike hidden villages, the town wasn't heavily guarded, so Raiden and his group entered without attracting much attention.
As they strolled through the bustling streets, Chōjūrō couldn't help but marvel at the scene.
"This trip to the Land of Rain has truly exceeded my expectations."
"At first, I assumed a small nation like this would be impoverished, but judging by these people's lives, they're better off than we are in the Land of Water."
"The leader of the Land of Rain is truly impressive!"
Chōjūrō had been too focused on pursuing Sasuke to fully appreciate the region before, but seeing the peace and prosperity now left him in awe.
As a ninja from the Mist Village, he had experienced firsthand the era before Terumi Mei's rule—the notorious "Village of the Bloody Mist." His own childhood had been filled with hardship, making this sight all the more astonishing.
"I heard that Akatsuki actually controls the Land of Rain."
"Looking at it now, even though they're a rogue organization, they've done a good job maintaining stability."
Terumi Mei walked beside Raiden, watching the peaceful town around them. She found it difficult to reconcile Akatsuki's infamous reputation as a terrorist organization with what she was witnessing.
"Akatsuki?"
"The peace you see here was achieved at the cost of chaos in other nations."
"In the past few years, I can't even count how many smaller villages and countries Akatsuki has crushed."
"This harmony exists because someone else already paid the price for it."
Raiden shook his head slightly. He understood Akatsuki's actions far too well. As a mercenary group aiming to reshape the ninja world, they were far from benevolent. Even Nagato and Yahiko, despite their ideals, had committed acts they hadn't wanted to under the influence of the masked man.
Yes, for now, the Land of Rain seemed stable. But peace built on the suffering of others would never last.
The Encounter with Uchiha Sasuke
Just as Terumi Mei was about to respond, two cold flashes of light suddenly shot toward them—Kunai, aimed directly at their chests.
Caught up in thought, Terumi Mei failed to react in time. When she finally noticed, it was already too late to dodge.
"Mizukage-sama!" Chōjūrō shouted, rushing forward, but he couldn't make it in time.
Just as the kunai were about to strike, a hand swiftly reached out and caught one mid-air.
Terumi Mei turned her head, just in time to see Raiden grabbing the kunai meant for her—only to witness another kunai pierce into his own chest.
"Ah!" Terumi Mei gasped, stepping forward in concern. "Are you alright?!"
"Why didn't you dodge? Did you protect me on purpose?"
Terumi Mei's mind went blank at that moment. She didn't think before speaking and blurted out her thoughts without filtering them.
Ever since she had seen Raiden yesterday, his face had been occupying her mind. She didn't understand what was happening to her, but she had spent the entire night thinking about him. His presence had left a deep impression on her heart.
She couldn't believe it herself—she, the Mizukage, was acting like some infatuated girl. And now, seeing Raiden injured while trying to protect her, she found herself even more overwhelmed by emotion.
Raiden, however, only gave her an odd look before casually patting his chest. The kunai that had supposedly struck him simply fell to the ground.
It was only then that Terumi Mei noticed—there was no injury on his chest at all.
"This kind of attack wouldn't even scratch me."
"By the way, your Mizukage is way too weak."
Raiden scratched his head and glanced at Terumi Mei with a bemused expression.
Terumi Mei, who had been filled with concern just moments ago, froze. Her previously flushed face turned an unnatural shade of purple, looking as if she was about to explode.
"Who dares to attack us?!"
Her expression darkened as she turned toward a shadowy corner at the end of the street, her voice cold and commanding. She was furious—not just because they had been attacked, but because Raiden had the audacity to underestimate her.
"You're not coming out?"
"Fine. I've decided—I'll obliterate whoever just attacked me!"
Terumi Mei's brows furrowed, and her tone turned chilling.
"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Without hesitation, she formed hand seals and spat out a stream of scorching red liquid toward the distant houses.
Raiden, upon seeing this, immediately flared his chakra, wrapping the surrounding civilians in an invisible force and pushing them out of harm's way.
Once the civilians were safe, Raiden turned his attention back to the end of the street, keen to see who their attacker was.
The moment Terumi Mei's jutsu was unleashed, a figure darted out from the shadows, narrowly avoiding the molten substance.
Raiden's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight, while Terumi Mei smirked and wiped a bit of acid from her lips.
"We were looking for you, but I didn't expect you to come to us first."
"Sasuke Uchiha!"
The one standing before them was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, now having spent years away from the village. At this moment, he was clad in a loose white kimono, its front open, revealing his chest. A long sword—most likely the Kusanagi—was secured at his waist.
Now around fifteen or sixteen years old, Sasuke exuded the fierce spirit of a young warrior. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword as his sharp gaze flicked past Terumi Mei and Raiden, completely disregarding Chōjūrō.
"Fourth Hokage, I need to speak with you."
Ignoring Terumi Mei entirely, Sasuke locked eyes with Raiden and spoke in a commanding tone.
His arrogant demeanor made Raiden frown slightly.
"You've certainly made a dramatic entrance, but kid… you could work on your manners."
Raiden folded his arms across his chest and studied Sasuke for a long moment before speaking leisurely.
(End of this chapter)