Everyone's gaze shifted to the person who had spoken.
He was a short, half-grown boy.
To be honest, what he said was tempting.
But rebelling against a superior…
"Poisoning, assassination, traps."
The flaxen-haired kunoichi spoke softly from the side.
They had done things like that many times before—just less often this year.
"As long as Mu Yu dies and we all keep our stories straight, no one can touch us."
As her words fell, everyone sank into silence.
Judging from the way their eyes flickered, it was obvious—they were tempted.
Killing comrades wasn't exactly new to them.
In small ninja villages, selection was far more brutal than in the great villages.
They couldn't afford the best education, so instead they chose the most vicious survivors.
"Do it," the tall ninja said in a low voice.
With their lives under threat, they had no choice but to resist.
Hyuga Arin had no idea that his temporary subordinates were plotting to kill him.
Even if he did know, he probably wouldn't care.
He abandoned work altogether and walked down from the tower.
He was here undercover—not to be a corporate slave.
On the muddy ground, he held a purple umbrella over his head to block the rain.
There were few people in the city. During times of turmoil, everyone chose to stay home.
The Land of Rain was never peaceful—internal strife on one hand, foreign ninja on the other.
It had never known tranquility.
The pedestrians he passed wore clothes patched over and over again.
All around were crude houses made of stone and mud.
Perhaps because of the terrain, these houses were well-suited to dealing with rain and didn't easily flood.
In Konoha, you could still see traces of modern buildings.
But here—calling it a city was generous. It felt more like a village stuck in the Warring States era.
Poor food. Poor clothing.
And diseases brought on by constant dampness.
"What a tragic country," Hyuga Arin couldn't help sighing.
In the game, all of this was just background flavor.
Only by actually living here did one understand how harsh life really was.
As Hyuga Arin walked down the main road, lost in thought—
A red-haired boy with bangs covering his eyes jogged over.
Hyuga Arin's eyelids twitched slightly.
The boy handed him a bundle.
"This is for you," Nagato said softly, his voice trembling a little.
"Huh?"
Hyuga Arin took it, completely baffled, and peeked through the gap.
Inside was a bento box.
Nagato turned and was about to run away when Hyuga Arin suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
Nagato turned back.
"You should at least explain this," Hyuga Arin said, shaking the bento lightly.
He had come out to eat anyway, but being randomly given food like this was still confusing.
"My mom made it," Nagato said with his head lowered.
"It's really good."
Hyuga Arin hesitated, then suddenly lifted Nagato's bangs—
Revealing black pupils.
Not Rinnegan.
So Madara hadn't transplanted the Rinnegan yet.
In that case…
"Then let's eat together," Hyuga Arin said, raising the bento.
"This portion's too much for me alone."
He was genuinely interested in Nagato.
In Hyuga Arin's view, Nagato's future idea of achieving peace wasn't wrong in direction—
He just lacked resolve and got talked down by Naruto's Talk no Technique.
"Come back with me," Hyuga Arin said, tilting the umbrella to cover Nagato.
Raindrops pattered against the canopy.
Since he already had food, there was no need to look for a shop—
And this city didn't look like it had any decent ones anyway.
Nagato hesitated, then obediently followed behind him.
Hyuga Arin brought Nagato back to the central tower.
"The Central Tower…"
Nagato looked up at the cylindrical structure with unconcealed envy.
"To get to the top, you have to climb a spiral staircase."
"Oh?" Hyuga Arin asked curiously. "Is this place famous?"
"It's the most famous building here. From the top, you can see the whole city—but it's never open," Nagato said, a little excited.
Hyuga Arin fell into thought.
The central tower was probably the only landmark left here—
Whether it would still exist in the future was another matter.
The tower was now firmly under Hyuga Arin's control.
He shoved the documents on the desk aside and pulled over two chairs.
"Sit."
With interest, he opened the bento.
Grilled fish. Tempura. Vegetable dumplings. Rice.
Not many varieties, but the portions were generous.
There were several pairs of chopsticks inside.
He handed one to Nagato.
"I'm curious," Hyuga Arin said as he picked up a piece of fish,
"Why did you bring me food?"
Nagato pressed his lips together and said softly,
"Because you're a good person."
"Pfft—"
Hyuga Arin burst out laughing. "That's a pretty good joke."
In this world, anyone might be a good person—but Hyuga Arin knew himself well.
There was no way he qualified.
If those Rain ninja heard this, they'd probably try to strangle Nagato on the spot.
"You avenged Aunt Shunai," Nagato said quietly.
"Those rogue ninja killed her whole family."
That gentle woman—
Whenever she saw wandering children, she always helped them.
And in the end, she was brutally murdered by rogue ninja.
"It was just profit-driven," Hyuga Arin replied calmly.
"I don't know who I avenged. They were simply good hunting targets."
He didn't like being labeled a good person.
If he ever had to farm someone later, it made things awkward.
Nagato clenched his lips.
"I can feel it. You really did avenge Aunt Shunai—even though you didn't know who she was."
Hyuga Arin's chopsticks stopped midair.
He narrowed his eyes at Nagato.
Kagura's Mind Eye…?
So young, and already awakening a bloodline ability?
Now he understood why Madara chose Nagato.
Nagato wasn't the only surviving Uzumaki.
There were probably many others hidden across the ninja world.
But Nagato had immense chakra—and possibly Kagura's Mind Eye on top of that.
Madara couldn't have found a better candidate.
"Kid," Hyuga Arin's expression darkened,
"My name is Mu Yu. Remember it well."
"When you hear that name in the future, it will always be accompanied by the title of brutality."
Of course, whatever Mu Yu did had nothing to do with Hyuga Arin.
Nagato lowered his head, silent, lost in thought.
Hyuga Arin looked at the boy.
He remembered Nagato's possible drops:
Rinnegan.
Uzumaki bloodline.
Summoning: Outer Path Demonic Statue.
Crystal of Pain.
Emblem of Akatsuki.
Five items.
None of them were strictly exclusive—others could drop them too.
They didn't have to come from Nagato.
A strange thought suddenly surfaced in Hyuga Arin's mind.
"Kid," he said slowly,
"Do you want to become my disciple?"
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