Kawa Kaze and Sakumo moved ahead of the group. The moment they stepped into the Land of Rain, their expressions grew alert.
As soon as they entered the hidden outpost, a ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector and holding a kunai blocked their path.
All of them were already within Kawa Kaze's sensing range.
"Who goes there?"
Two ninjas in Konoha's green flak jackets stepped forward. Judging from their presence, they were at least chūnin-class.
"I am Hatake Kawakaze, jōnin of the Hatake clan."
"This is my elder brother, Hatake Sakumo."
After speaking, Kawakaze took out his identification for inspection.
One of the ninjas cautiously accepted it with his kunai still raised. Neither lowered their weapons even once.
Only after repeatedly confirming the documents did they finally relax slightly.
"Asakawa Rōnin, reporting to Lord Kawakaze!"
"Chūnin Jirō, greeting Lord Kawakaze!"
Kawakaze took his ID back, though he felt something wrong with the atmosphere of this camp.
"What happened here?"
Sakumo frowned, scanning their surroundings. Something about this place deeply unsettled him.
"My lord," Asakawa began, "we have been waiting for the main force to arrive."
"But Rain-nin attack and assassinate us frequently."
"We are only the advance negotiation team. Our strength is lacking… and our casualties are heavy."
Asakawa's ability to articulate the situation was far better than Jirō's. This time, he was the one explaining.
"Who is currently leading this team?" Kawakaze asked, wanting to speak with the captain to address the crisis.
"Aburame Funsei-sama is dead."
As he spoke, Asakawa's face twisted painfully.
"We should go inside and look around," Sakumo said, stepping into the camp first.
Kawakaze had no choice but to follow and observe for now.
Inside, the camp was in ruins. Many tents were so damaged they weren't even suitable for sleeping, let alone sheltering from the wind and rain.
From within some of the tents came the sobs of wounded shinobi.
Nearby, several uninjured ninjas stood up and gathered around—finally, reinforcements had arrived.
It was Nawaki and Minato's first time witnessing the aftermath of war; both had turned pale.
"These two are Jōnin Hatake Kawakaze and Hatake Sakumo," Asakawa introduced loudly.
"I've heard Lord Kawakaze is a genius of the Hatake clan."
"And Lord Sakumo is the head of the Hatake household."
Many of the ninjas present had heard of the brothers. This made giving orders far easier.
"All right. Quiet down."
Kawakaze raised his voice, cutting off the chatter. "This is not the time."
"The main force is still on the way. They will arrive in about a week."
"Until then, you will follow my instructions."
"Any objections?"
His sharp gaze swept across the chūnin and genin. None dared meet his eyes.
"No objections, sir!"
"Good."
"Anyone here proficient in Earth Release?"
...
Kawakaze first ordered the earth-style users to build mud huts to house the wounded.
Then the rest were assigned to replace the tattered tents and set up new positions.
Tasks were distributed based on individual skill.
The sentry positions were relocated for better visibility.
After the adjustments, and after food was prepared, the once-dead, despairing camp began to feel alive again.
The earlier assassination attempts had terrified the shinobi.It wasn't their fault—if even a jōnin from the Aburame clan had died, what chance did lower ranks have?
Kawakaze received special treatment as well—the Earth Release ninja built a mud hut just for him.Crude, but far better than a tent.
Inside, Kawakaze and his five companions were eating together.
There was still some pasta in the pot—surprisingly well-preserved for a battlefield.
Each person had a small bowl, and they happily enjoyed the food.
"What's your plan now?""Are we still just waiting?"
Sakumo asked his brother for his thoughts.
"My style is simple—I don't wait around to be attacked."
"If the Rain-nin dare come again, they'd better be prepared to die."
"If I'm not mistaken, these attacks are Hanzo the Salamander's smokescreens."
"He's fighting on three fronts—he doesn't have time to deal with us properly."
"He's sending small squads to harass us and stall for time while he defeats his real targets one by one."
"That's his strategy."
Sakumo frowned, thinking it over. It made sense.
He was an assassination expert, but when it came to large-scale strategy, he was the weakest of the weak.
Might Duy, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He was eating more than anyone else.
Kawakaze understood that taijutsu training consumed enormous energy, but stealing food from children was going too far.
Nawaki and Minato were pitiful—they didn't manage to grab any and could only look at Kawakaze with hopeful eyes.
They were still growing, so Kawakaze couldn't help giving them extra noodles.
Duy, however, was overjoyed.
Ignoring him, Kawakaze continued discussing strategy with Sakumo.
"We're being harassed by Rain-nin, which means Hanzo's real target isn't Konoha."
"I plan to strike first—at least make sure they don't dare cause trouble before our main force arrives."
When Kawakaze explained his idea, Sakumo immediately volunteered.
"Leave it to me. I'll deal with these annoying rats."
"You and Duy stay here and defend the camp."
"I'll take Minato and Nawaki. They need to face real bloodshed."
He finally voiced what he had been thinking.
A small elite squad was perfect for the boys' growth.
Large battles were chaotic—even a jōnin could die to a stray kunai.
"Isn't that too risky?" Sakumo asked. He preferred a gentler way of teaching disciples.
"Don't worry. I've marked them both with Flying Thunder God seals."
That was his trump card—the biggest assurance of their safety.
If they couldn't win, he would simply teleport in and save them.
"…Alright. Then Duy and I will stay here."
Sakumo patted Duy's shoulder. Duy quickly imitated him.
"Don't worry, Kawakaze-kun! We'll be here in camp!"
With noodles hanging from Duy's mouth, Kawakaze found it hard to believe this man would someday father someone even stronger.
"Minato, Nawaki—any questions?"
Both boys were very polite—they swallowed their food properly and put their bowls down before speaking.
"We're ready."
"Finish eating, then come with me."
Kawakaze stood up and left the hut. There were still things he needed to ask.
He found Asakawa resting inside a tent.
"Lord Kawakaze."
"Sit down, please."
"I have a question."
Kawakaze smiled slightly and sat beside him.
"From which direction do the Rain-nin usually approach?"
"Any special abilities?"
Kawakaze had almost no memory of typical Rain-nin abilities, so he could only learn from Asakawa.
"They always come from the north side of the camp."
"I didn't notice any special abilities."
"They hide their chakra presence, and most of them use underwater escape techniques."
"In the rain, their water clones are… a bit troublesome."
For a chūnin, Asakawa had done well to figure out this much.
Kawakaze didn't make things difficult for him. This information was likely beyond what Minato and Nawaki knew.
Otherwise, they would appear ignorant and embarrass themselves.
Kawakaze patted Asakawa's shoulder, thanked him, and left.
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