Uehara Naraku had been forced to train his taijutsu for a whole week, yet his life energy had only increased by three points—an efficiency painfully slow.
Fortunately, this grueling training would soon be over.
The internal conflict in the Rain Village was about to begin. No one could have guessed that a team consisting of only Pein's Six Paths, Konan, and Naraku would topple Hanzo the Salamander's rule.
For now, the main combatants were Konan and Naraku.
Because Nagato's body was incapacitated and Pein could not fight continuously for long periods, it would be Konan and Naraku's responsibility to eliminate the Rain Village's ninja outposts and any rogue Rain ninjas outside the village, forcing Hanzo the Salamander to gather all his forces.
Once Hanzo assembled all the Rain ninjas to defend himself, the Six Paths of Pein would strike as a unit, wiping out any opposition.
The naïve boys who had once been deceived by Hanzo and Shimura Danzo had finally grown wiser.
Naraku received a mission to clear one ninja outpost and the associated intelligence. The outpost housed two Chunin teams—eight ninjas in total, including two Chunin captains.
His task was to eliminate seven of them and deliberately leave one alive, so that the Rain ninjas would carry word back to the village, announcing the start of the war.
Ideally, it would cause panic in Rain Village.
This required some acting skill.
But Naraku considered himself one of Akatsuki's four great performers, capable of competing with Black Zetsu, Obito, and Uchiha Itachi for the "best actor" title—so acting was hardly a problem.
Eastern Land of Rain.
A hidden outpost nestled beneath a cliff.
The cliffside outpost was staffed by two Chunin and six Genin. Their routine duties were to monitor for invading armies, wandering ninjas, or anyone daring to oppose Lord Hanzo.
Chunin Kamakura lazily strolled to the mouth of the outpost cave, gazing at the torrential rain outside. He muttered in a daze, "Every day it's bad weather… I wonder when this cursed rain will ever stop…"
Bang… bang bang bang…
A strange sound echoed in.
It was unlike the crashing of the rain.
Stopping mid-sentence, Kamakura listened carefully. Anyone raised in the Land of Rain could instantly distinguish the sound—it was rain hitting a bamboo umbrella.
Kamakura quickly spun toward his teammates, signaling silently with his fingers: enemies were approaching!
After all, who would come to the Rain Village outpost in this downpour? They weren't tourists, that was for sure.
"Um… are you ready?"
Amidst the heavy rain, a youthful, shy voice called out.
Before the Rain ninjas could respond, a purple energy beam sliced the entire cliff in half, sending torrents of rain cascading down…
Ignoring the rain soaking their faces, the Rain ninjas stared at the collapsing cliff. The scene struck their minds like a thunderclap.
"…What… what kind of jutsu is that?"
"One strike, and the whole cliff is cut in half…"
Only Chunin Kamakura maintained some composure. He leapt behind a nearby rock, shouting a warning: "The enemy is strong! Everyone, stay alert and dodge!"
While alerting his subordinates, Kamakura cautiously raised his head to observe the foe who had destroyed their outpost…
A young ninja holding a bamboo umbrella.
Kamakura instinctively refused to believe his eyes. Such power… coming from someone so young?
Yet it was undeniable.
Naraku stepped forward with measured steps, a smile on his face as he looked at the Rain ninjas.
"Shall we begin?" he asked softly.
"You little brat! What's your purpose here?!"
Kamakura gripped his kunai tightly, his nerves fraying. He could no longer tell whether the moisture on his forehead was rain or sweat.
"Why waste words?"
Naraku lifted his umbrella, smiling innocently while speaking the words of blood:
"I came… to kill you all."
His youthful face smiled, yet the words sent chills through Kamakura—it was as if he were staring at a demon incarnate.
This boy was undeniably evil.
"Damn it! Kill him!"
Kamakura charged with his kunai, shouting for his subordinates to follow. Under his command, a group of Rain ninjas, armed with swords, chain weapons, and shuriken, surged forward.
Naraku sighed, holding his bamboo umbrella.
"Life is so short… why do you insist on taking shortcuts?"
A golden light flashed around him.
It was a circular golden shield that enveloped his body, deflecting the rain ninjas' weapons.
Virtual golden blades appeared around the shield. With a flick of his hand, they struck, piercing the approaching ninjas in an instant.
"…."
Kamakura was horrified. Shuriken, kunai, or swords—none could penetrate the seemingly fragile golden shield. It was hopeless.
With a casual gesture, Naraku had slain most of the outpost's ninjas. Only Kamakura and another Chunin remained.
Fortunately, the other Chunin maintained his wits. He rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed a surge of water.
"Water Release: Water Turbulence!"
The C-rank water jutsu was harmless against Naraku. He twisted aside effortlessly.
Suddenly, the water splashed into a whip, wrapping around Naraku's body.
"Water Release: Water Flow Whip!"
Kamakura held the other end firmly, having regained his composure. He instructed his companion, "Go report back to the village. I'll hold him off…"
"…."
The other Chunin nodded and sprinted away, knowing Kamakura couldn't defeat the boy. But at least the intelligence could be delivered.
As long as Kamakura could stall Naraku a little, he might use the stormy weather to blend in and escape the battlefield.
"Ha… abandoning your comrades just to run away? Not very honorable, is it?"
A card appeared between Naraku's fingers. He twirled it deftly before flinging it toward the fleeing Chunin.
Though just a card, it was sharper than any shuriken.
The card cut through the pouring rain and struck the fleeing ninja. A muffled explosion followed…
The Chunin was reduced to nothing.
Breaking free from the water whip, Naraku lifted his bamboo umbrella and looked at the remaining Kamakura.
"Even if you intend to report back to Hanzo, I should get to choose who lives to leave this place, don't you think?"