Rain was both the giver of life, and that which washes it away in the flood season. It masks scents, cleanses the earth, and feeds the river systems that run throughout the country.

In the land of Rain where storm clouds never part to reveal the light of the sun, rain was the only constant. It was a dark and dreary land, but for those who lived within it, it was still their home; a home that had become the battlefront of a war not of their own making.

Death was a constant in war, both for the combatants, and the civilians caught in between.

Staring at the scars, crevices, and fissures left behind in wake of various Jutsu clashing, Shirou could already imagine the scale of the damage the Land of Rain had already endured. Nawaki's state before Shirou had found him had also helped consolidate in his mind the nature of the world he now found himself living in.

Nawaki could barely be considered an adult, and here he was, dead on a battlefield, his corpse hardly even intact before Shirou's intervention.

In this world, children were no longer children from the moment they qualified to take duties as a Shinobi.

Old enough to kill, old enough to be considered an adult.

Shirou inwardly sighed. There was no childhood to be had here. In the age where one should be socializing and enjoying time with friends, kids were instead taught how best to kill and hone their chakra.

Honestly, Shirou would have argued against such policies if he himself wasn't considered a child in his present body. It would be hypocritical, and seeing the dangers that the world already imposed even for civilians, being capable was more of a means to survive than anything else. A moment of carelessness, and you were dead. Just like that.

Nawaki's prior state was the greatest proof, and motivation for Shirou.

With enough strength, he could protect those he cared for.

With enough strength, he could be a hero for those unable to help themselves.

"So," a voice drawled under the constant pitter patter of rain. "Nice weather huh?"

"Yup," Shirou answered flatly. Glancing towards the brown haired boy beside him, Shirou hummed in thought.

Other than his name, Jutsu, and training, Nawaki knew next to nothing about his background. It was certainly the most ideal form for a new recruit for the Akatsuki, but if possible, Shirou still planned to help the guy recover his memories eventually.

What baffled Shirou was just how laidback and optimistic Nawaki was despite his apparent memory loss.

Nawaki was walking carefreely with his elbows pointed forward, and head leaning on intertwined fingers behind his head. The constant rain had matted his hair down over his forehead, and thoroughly soaked his clothes. He'd made a show of trying to find something to keep himself dry, but ultimately gave up when the torrential downpour ruined all his efforts.

Nawaki's idle comment was spoken with a twitching brow.

From the way Nawaki would shiver from time to time, it was clear that he was far from used to Rain's weather patterns, granted he was either a tree hugger from Konoha, or a kid from Iwa, or some other hidden village. It was natural that those with bodies not assimilated to Rain's conditions would not fare too well. The breeze that was blowing caused Nawaki's body to shiver.

"Does it ever stop?" Nawaki complained, shifting his position and rubbing at his arms for warmth.

By 'it' Shirou was fairly sure Nawaki was referring to the rain. "Nope," was the single word answer.

To be fair, Shirou was only answering with one liners at this point due to how talkative Nawaki was upon waking up. His memory loss had made him curious about almost anything that caught his eye. Worse, he was one of those naturally cheery people with big enthusiasm and confidence that went over one's head.

Even the rain, troublesome as it was for Nawaki only caused him inconvenience rather than depress him. He had an exuberance that seemed to outshine the general dreariness. One could say that it was as expected of a Protagonist-type, but Shirou didn't feel this as strongly as when Nawaki had spoken these words.

"Hey, let's save the Land of Rain."

Staring at the destitution the people in the land of Rain lived in, these were the very words that had slipped through Nawaki's mouth with resolution. Even the carefree air around him had vanished, replaced with a solemn demeanor that could captivate the attention of those who looked upon him.

"Yeah. One day soon."

Shirou had instantly agreed with Nawaki on this point. Nawaki had taken the words right out of his mouth.

So long as there were people that needed to be saved, a hero would rise…He would be that Hero.

They would have to take it one step at a time, but through persistence, they would surely reach their goal.

"You know," Nawaki perked up while Shirou led the way back to Konan and the others. "I've been meaning to ask, but how many of us can actually fight in this resistance group?"

For a second, Shirou gave pause.

Amnesic as Nawaki was, there was no comparing him to Konan and the others who'd just began learning how to mold their chakra, and how to be a shinobi. It was like the difference between a child who could walk, and a baby who could only crawl.

In the end, telling the truth to Nawaki now was likely a better decision than keeping it when it would likely be discovered anyway.

"Including myself and you, we have five."

Nawaki blanked, nearly tripping over his feet. "Duuuuude…really? The others must be pretty experienced then? You know, like unit leaders and Warhawks? What level are they?

Level? Did he mean rank?

Shirou's confusion must have been showing as Nawaki crossed his arms and eagerly elaborated.

"Like Chunin?"

Oh, so that's what Nawaki meant. In any case, Shirou shook his head, knowing the truth would hurt.

"Special Jounin? Jounin?" Nawaki ventured again when a strange face made its way over Shirou's features.

Silence was the only answer here while Shirou mulled a response. Unfortunately, this only stoked Nawaki's curiosity further. If they were neither Chunin, Special Jounin, or Jounin, then could it be-

"K-Kage level?"

Shirou glanced at Nawaki and could see the boy's eyes twinkling.

Nawaki was obviously getting the wrong impression here. No matter how Nawaki must have thought about it, to hear of a resistance group going against Hidden Rain's Village leader…wouldn't that mean that he had joined a force that could rival Hanzo's? At least, it sure looked like it from a third-person's perspective.

Soon the answer came.

"Academy."

Utter silence followed.

"...Well, shit." Nawaki slumped heavily. "We're dead."

He could agree with the sentiment.

This was going to be an uphill battle.

Surveying the area from a position hidden within a hollowed-out chamber of debris, Jiraya carefully maneuvered himself to a better vantage point up above a fallen slab of stone. Taking cover behind him, Orochimaru and Tsunade waited on Jiraya's input before they would proceed onward with the target of investigation in sight.

"There it is," Jiraya pulled out a sealing scroll, injected chakra into it, and produced a report which he held in his hands. Glancing from the report, then towards the barrier of fog ahead, he frowned. "It's larger than dictated, but it's to be expected with reconnaissance deeming it too risky to venture further in."

Beside Jiraya, Orochimaru leapt up to the same platform, the debris falling beneath his feet as he stabilized himself.

"If you're done marveling Jiraya, let us know if you're able to understand it or not?" Orochimaru chided, a snake summon slithering up his leg and shaking its head. "My summons can't get a read of what's in the barrier. They enter one way, and somehow exit the same way. Some kind of Genjutsu."

Jiraya shook his head grimly. "I'm afraid not. It's an Uzumaki Sealing Art. The granny would have a way better chance at this than I would. Still, I don't suggest blindly entering. It's possible at our level, but it may prove careless without understanding how the barrier works."

"So, you're suggesting to wait?" Orochimaru got straight to the point, unbinding some of the gear he was wearing to reveal a green flak jacket beneath it all. Agility was what he was going for here.

"For a period of observation," Jiraya answered, only for Orochimaru to narrow his eyes and point out the obvious.

"Someone's not going to like that." Orochimaru glanced at each other, and then glanced down at the one who'd hardly spoken for hours. "Waiting causes you to think, and thinking is the last thing on her mind right now but...she's a shinobi. She'll understand."

Jiraya opened and closed his mouth, tongue wetting his lips as he tried to get the words out. "...Say, Orochi-"

"No. You're the one explaining to her."

"Grk," Jiraya made a choking noise and deflated at Orochimaru's refusal.

However, as Jiraya was debating how he'd go about his current task, Orochimaru spotted movement in the distance and pulled Jiraya back under cover with Tsunade.

Up ahead and moving in the direction of the Uzumaki Barrier was a rather renowned shinobi of the elemental nations. The man wore a wetsuit-like outfit with breather valves attached to a metallic mask that covered his lower jaw. It was common Rain attire, but the ginormous Salamander summon the man was riding on was too iconic.

"That's Hanzo of the Salamander," Orochimaru cautioned. Out of his teammates, he was the one who'd kept a detailed analysis of all the shinobi to watch out for in Rain country.

Following Hanzo's lead was a retinue of Rain shinobi, no more than an elite dozen.

As soon as the name 'Hanzo' was spoken, Jiraya and Tsunade visibly tensed, but fortunately, the infamous shinobi hadn't set his sights on them. His focus was entirely on what lay concealed within the Uzumaki barrier.

After a few tense minutes of silence, the vibrations of the giant salamander ebbing through the ground gradually abated. Only Hanzo's silhouette could still be seen in the distance when he traversed through the first layer of fog.

Noting that it was safe, Jiraya tentatively took point back on the look out above the group. A bold idea was taking root in Jiraya's head, his features pensive. "Hey, this is going to be a wild suggestion but-"

"Let's follow them," Tsunade directly beat Jiraya to it, literally.

She jumped out of their cover and began tailing Hanzo and his procession of shinobi, Jiraya shrugging and chasing after.

Orochimaru shook his head, but soon caught up.

It wasn't as if it was a bad suggestion.

With someone leading in the front to serve as a warning for any danger, they could at least tread with a lighter layer of caution.

One thing was for certain though, their mission's target assigned by their teacher was somewhere in that barrier.

They couldn't falter after coming this far now.

In the former dilapidated village, Shirou had just returned to Konan and the rest with Nawaki in tow. At present, he was in the middle of introductions.

"This is Nawaki. He'll be joining us from now on," Shirou introduced, letting Nawaki stand awkwardly under the scrutiny of the three plus Chibi.

Nagato and Yahiko didn't end up staring for long before Yahiko grinned invitingly.

"Sup bro, I'm Yahiko," Yahiko extended a hand to Nawaki who eagerly reciprocated the gesture if only to alleviate the awkwardness.

Nagato was more subdued in his greetings, giving a curt introduction before retreating back to take some time to observe if Nawaki was trustworthy or not.

As for Konan, well, her nose twitched before narrowed her eyes on Nawaki and silently turned away. It was a cold shoulder, a reaction that neither Yahiko or Nagato expected, but Yahiko came to the rescue and diverted Nawaki's attention away.

Nagato gestured at Konan, but Konan wouldn't explain her actions towards Nawaki. Nagato would just have to figure it out himself.

The only reason Konan likely wasn't making a scene was because Shirou was staring in her direction.

Shirou knew Konan. Sure, she wasn't the most talkative or cheerful, but the most she'd do could be to ignore you or keep silent. The look on her features however was aversion. Clear and simple.

"Well, let's just get along, yeah?" Shirou clapped his hands and drew attention to himself.

Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, and Nawaki gathered around Shirou when he began rummaging for a few items he'd been keeping in a pouch he may or may not have pilfered from a Shinobi he'd encountered earlier.

In any case, having acquired a place to call home, a stable supply of food, and like-minded comrades, everyone now had the leisure to think of a better future.

For such a means, personal growth in character and ability was a must.

Fortunately, Shirou had been rewarded with methods to allow everyone to grow stronger a tad faster. It had to do with his most recent quest completion rewards and Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato's awarded student starter packs he'd never gotten around to giving.

[Establish a Faction Quest rewards:]

[EXP Scrolls: x4]

[-Boosters that enhance overall performance of the body by 25%]

[Chakra Scrolls: x4]

[-Used to heighten Chakra Mastery levels by 10%]

[Nature Affinity Scrolls: x4]

[-Used to better facilitate the rate of nature of transformations by 10%]

[Extra scrolls may be purchased in the shop or earned as further rewards when students rank up Shinobi levels. Note: Scrolls do not work on the mentor. The mentor creates the path forward. The students follow.]

Staring at the pile of scrolls Shirou had taken out, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato didn't think much of it. The scrolls Shirou was showing them may as well have just been from the shinobi pouch Shirou had pilfered.

Nawaki on the other hand perked up. He'd never seen such scrolls before, and felt his curiosity stir when Shirou began to hand them out.

"For you, all." Shirou nodded reassuringly. "I have enough to give you all one of each scroll."

"How about yourself?" Yahiko asked, noticing that Shirou didn't keep any scroll on his person.

"I've used it already," Shirou skirted over the issue, but no one called him out on it as it sounded reasonable.

After Nawaki got hold of his own set of scrolls, he couldn't help but turn them over in his hands.

"Hmm?" Nawaki hummed in thought, his brows knitting together. He might have lost his memories, but he still remembered his training. He was now certain that he'd never seen these kinds of shinobi scrolls before. "What do these do?" He asked Shirou.

"It would be easier to tell by just using it," Shirou shrugged, scratching the back of his head. He had no clue about the technicalities of it all. All he had was a description of their use.

"Woah."

An exclamation distracted Nawaki as he glanced to Yahiko beside him who was now enshrouded in a layer of blue chakra. The same soon occurred to Konan and Nagato as they unwound the straps sealing their respective scrolls.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Nawaki too, unwound his scrolls.

In an instant, Nawaki froze, a violent twitching over his lips.

"Something wrong, Nawaki?" Shirou asked. Of everyone present, he was the only one who had no experience in the sensation. Was it painful, pleasant?

"N-Nothing." Nawaki managed to get out, inwardly crying. T-The hell were these things when he was training?!

Stiffly sitting down, Nawaki felt as if his world view had been shattered as he hurriedly concentrated on his chakra pathways to make the most use of the opportunity to reconsolidate his foundation.

As for Shirou, he let out a breath and hardened his resolve.

Even with the use of the scrolls, it hadn't changed the current status quo. Right now, even if Nagato and the others wanted to be of help, they couldn't as they were still in their infancy as aspiring shinobi. As for Nawaki, Shirou wasn't planning on taking him anywhere dangerous any time soon considering that he'd found Nawaki as a corpse prior. It was an indication that Nawaki was also not at a level to guarantee his life in battle.

A quiet period for training was frankly in everyone's best interests, and yet, the true issue was whether others would be willing to leave them alone or not…

[-Side Story: Quest Alert]

Speak of the Devil…

Shirou had feeling it had been to quiet lately. It was always one thing after another, and with rewards generally came strings attached to a subsequent task. He could only imagine what it was going to be this time.

"Excuse me for a second," he said before walking to another corner of the room, seemingly to use the time to train while the others immersed themselves in the scroll's effects.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Nawaki gave a quick nod, but Konan was different. Between choosing to consolidate her gains from the scroll and her concern for Shirou's behaviour, she knew which one won out.

Konan narrowed her eyes as Shirou left, but Shirou didn't think much of it at the time, as he was too distracted with the information that only he could see.

[Scenario Story 1: Rise of the Sannin]

[The leader of Rain approaches. If not rebuffed, he will snuff out all resistance to his power and hegemony of the country]

[Mission target: Halt Hanzo]

[Hidden Tasks: ?]

[Rewards: Dependant on mission completion level]

[Difficulty: S]

[Estimated Time of Arrival:]

[03:00hr]

[02:59hr]

[02:58hr]

Shirou grimaced, teeth gritting as he took note of the timer.

How was he supposed to pull this off as he was now? He no longer had the Archer Install Card. Instead, he only had the memory of the vast armory he'd been granted access to. Through Tracing, he could call upon the weapons of the bladework's within him, but the physical capabilities of a Heroic Spirit that the Install Card granted him were no longer applicable.

Reinforcement should enable him to pull through, but if there was one thing he'd learned in his time in this world, it was that Shinobi were versatile. He couldn't just take things for granted.

At his current disposal was Tracing, Reinforcement, Chakra, Magic Circuits, and the Wood Release. With a combination of these skills, he had to somehow work something out...

The sound of creaking caused Shirou to round on the person who'd snuck up on him with worried eyes. "Konan?"

"You're doing it again," was the deadpan response.

"Doing what?" Shirou took a step back as Konan advanced, a finger jabbing on his sternum.

"You have that look on your face that says you're trying to shoulder everything on your own."

She stared at him, and he stared back, neither giving ground until Shirou grew sheepish at getting caught red-handed. "Well, if you put it that way-"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"..."

Konan was a hundred-percent right in her assumption. The newest task Shirou had gotten was one he intended to do without Konan and the others tagging along to endanger themselves. It was just that simple. He loathed to get a repeat of the previous time where Konan and the others had a real chance of dying.

"If you ask for help, then there's no way any of us would refuse," Konan insisted. She was completely missing the point that Shirou didn't want to put them in danger…yet in the same vein, Shirou was missing the point that they didn't want to put Shirou in danger either.

"You're not alone," Konan stressed, this time a tad weaker as she cursed at her own inability.

"..." Shirou couldn't answer back with acknowledgment for the life of him.

"You're really not going to ask us for help, are you?" Konan slumped her shoulders, jaw clenching. "It's because we're too weak, isn't it?"

Shirou's silence here was answer enough.

Konan was crushed.

"Alright, fine, but listen closely," Konan reeled in her grief and turned into driving force. Jabbing Shirou's chest with a finger again, she glared at him. "If you can't use us to help, then use others when able."

It was off tangent, but Shirou shut his mouth in realization at the words. The mission didn't exactly specify that he'd have to face Hanzo on his own.

The title 'Rise of the Sannin' must mean something.

Still, morally speaking…

"Using others is-"

"Wrong?" Konan snorted, features wrinkling. "Is it so wrong to be selfish. I'd rather them over you."

"Konan."

"What? It's true. The others would think the same…Well, Nagato for sure, but Yahiko doesn't have my confidence. He's an idiot. As for the other guy- he smells of leaves. He's not from here, is he? He's one of those tree huggers killing our people."

So that was why Konan was so apprehensive around Nawaki enough to distance herself from him.

Shirou had to stop this sort of behaviour before it took root and flawed her future character. "Konan you can't always be suspicious of others," he chastised.

"Hn." It obviously didn't get through to her.

Shirou inevitably dropped the subject. At the very least, Konan had helped him come up with some ideas.

Standing up to prepare for the newest mission, it was unexpected when Konan suddenly grabbed tightly onto his sleeve.

"Promise you'll be careful. Promise that you'll return," she whispered, neither rushed nor collected.

Her fingers were balled so tightly in her grip that her knuckles were white, a trembling transmitted through her hands.

If he didn't promise her here, Konan really wouldn't let him go.

"I promise."

The words eventually left his mouth, giving Konan some degree of assurance.

[02:37hr]

[02:36hr]

[02:35hr]

It was time to go.

Thanks for reading! Happy Canada day and Coming 4th of July!

Note: If there are discrepancies in timeline, I knew I was probably going to mix something up writing this far back in Canon, which is why the story has the AU tag.

Next update: Fate Alternative

P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious

Book links:

Fatedlegacydark. ca

The Lonely Peak

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