Rain will pour.
A ceaseless rain that covers everything without bias or prejudice.
There is no comfort in the steady drone, only a growing sense of detachment.
It is the great cleanser.
A water that touches all. Porous skin wrinkles as body temperatures wane and ebb.
The Village of the Hidden Rain.
Rain was life, rain was protection.
The rain watches over all without need for morality or justice.
Fires that sweep through the rain, burning through villages.
Earth that crushes bones into minced paste, flattening entire markets.
And clouds that thunder with the sharp light of their lightning that seared flesh.
Amid the pouring tempest, puddles of red were forming into branching streams and rivers carried off in the downpour.
People die, eyes rolled back, bodies spasming as blood mixes with the rain and penetrates into the soil.
Charred arms reach out to the heavens, splayed fingers slowly curling with resignation.
Eyes that lose their brilliance, faces that wilt away from sagged grey water-logged skin.
Why?
The answers were carried away in the constant deluge, leaving only lingering doubts and despair regardless of who truly orchestrated the operation.
Disgruntled bitterness was the same for those who knew not of the weight of death.
They who rationalize death.
They who see it as a necessity or bargaining chip.
Why were the lives of those who only wished to live so trivial? So meaningless?
Civilians would never understand, nor wish to comprehend that level of ruthlessness. Rather, the remaining emotions were one and the same.
Dying eyes with their eyelids peeled back stared upon the unending squall up high and the shadows of shinobi ravaging an impoverished town.
What wrong had been committed?
What travesty would condone such brutality against a nation that declared its neutrality?
Nothing.
It was all meaningless.
So long as the rain pours, the land will remember the acts carried out on this day.
A curse to the Leaves, to the stationary Rocks, and the idle Clouds, in a land now ravaged by violence and death.
Droplets continued to pour from turbulent skies.
Hiding resentment.
Hiding sorrow.
Hiding pain.
All concealed within the pitter patter of the rain…
Mito tightened her expression while staring blankly towards the distant mist barrier. There was neither rejection or acceptance in her eyes, but rather, it was exhaustion.
The violence and brutality of the Clan Wars should have ended with the creation of the Hidden Villages, such was the First Hokage's dream. His will of Fire was one that many should have carried from generation to generation, but the violence persists.
Tobirama's loss had been the tipping point, ending the last vestiges of leaders who directly experienced Hashirama's dream and vision.
Relics like Mito or that stubborn old man Onoki were all that were left.
Letting out a breath, Mito pried her gaze away from the fog barrier and refocused on the bustling state of Leaf's command center. She was given an honorary seat to oversee the proceedings given her status and wisdom.
Danzo had not wasted time before he carried out his operations.
Massacres condoned by Hidden Leaf and concealed behind false forehead protectors or 'slashed' missing-nin were festering Rain's resentment.
Sakumo was nothing if not efficient. As expected of a professional, he could be as cold blooded as any shinobi for the interests of their village, but Mito suspected that Sakumo wasn't as unfeeling as he made himself to be. At the very least, he shared warmth with his allies, unlikely to abandon them. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were in good hands, but this wasn't about Sakumo.
Mito sighed.
Blood was flowing through the rivers, and it was only going to be a matter of time before Hanzo intervened. Such was his duty as Rain's Hidden Shadow, but what Mito detested were the ramifications that Danzo considered prudent to ignore or simply sideline.
Already the Uzumaki boy was subjected to the harsh realities of war, and Hanzo was playing the game of profit and loss.
How many lives were worth the persuasion of one? It was a choice Hanzo was making and that the Hidden Leaf was playing into.
Of course, with Danzo's ploy, it would be difficult to pin all the blame on Hidden Leaf, but for Hidden Rain and its citizens, the distinction did not matter.
They'd hate all who fought on their lands and killed their own in a war Rain never started.
The injustice was blatant, and the Great Hidden Villages had the power to circumvent finer 'details' in engagement.
Mito clasped her hands behind her back, but didn't bother providing her input.
She narrowed her eyes at Danzo who was issuing out orders in the command room while adeptly glancing over reports.
It was all methodical and efficient to a high degree.
Danzo wasn't a student of Tobirama for no reason. While Hiruzen took more after the First Hokage's legacy. Danzo inherited most of Tobirama's cold stubbornness which even extended to a strong dislike of the Uchiha, one of Hidden Leaf's strongest Shinobi Families that founded the Village.
"There was a settlement that surrendered without a fight. They wish to be taken in as prisoners of war-"
"Use Earth Jutsu and bury them. Make sure Rock's head band is the last image they see. Any survivors will not forget it. Rain will be wary of granting Rock any more access to their lands after this let alone sign any treaties."
Two birds, one stone.
Danzo didn't even blink as he gave the order, turning his attention to other matters regarding the deployment of Hanzo's shinobi.
Hidden Rain was bleeding, eaten away by colluding snakes and jackals.
There was no justice here.
Only vested interests and the will to prevent competing Hidden Villages from gaining an edge over the other at the expense of a weaker nation.
Worse, even Mito could not deny the importance of securing and persuading the target given what was at stake.
If another Hashirama was made with an Uzumaki's vitality and chakra reserves- no; if another God of Shinobi that was not aligned with Hidden Leaf were to fall into the hands of an enemy nation, it would spell the end of the tenuous balance between Great Villages.
Danzo's orders were brutal, but they were keeping the line contained through force.
The entire thing could blow up at any moment if proper intelligence were to be discovered by the Shinobi of other Great Hidden Villages. They were no doubt aware of Hidden Leaf's erratic actions, but could not yet pinpoint the justification.
Regardless, given what Tsunade had said about the Uzumaki boy's naivety, Mito was getting a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Mito could only hope that Kushina's brother did not take after her, but who was she kidding?
Uzumaki were impulsive hot heads driven by their sense of right and wrong, all of them.
Clicking her tongue, Mito never felt the weakness of her age more than she did now.
Shirou's wood clone returned intact and relayed all that it had seen and heard outside the fog barrier to Shirou.
Within the small settlement concealed within the fog barrier, Shirou grew increasingly quiet as he digested the words of his clone who promptly dismissed itself.
The situation had presented even more variables than what he had been considering.
The brief moment in which he'd used the 'Archer Card' had managed to provide him with a better sense of awareness than he had possessed before, and that sense was tingling.
Throughout this entire ordeal, his position could be summed up to a single phrase.
A prized commodity.
Regardless of blood ties, allegiance or motivations, the underlying goal was his recruitment.
Shirou did not yet know enough about why so many large players were putting so much importance on him, but what was clear was the intensification of conflict his existence wrought.
Frowning, Shirou used the experience he'd seen from 'EMIYA' to look underneath what was underneath.
He could see what Hanzo was doing by painting Hidden Rain's plight as the battleground of the Great Villages, but he could also see the covetous nature of Hanzo's actions. That man wasn't also without his underlying motivations, but in this instance, his words weren't wrong.
Just thinking about Nagato, Yahiko, and even Konan's impoverished and orphaned lives was proof enough of the inhumane environment caused by the war.
It had to stop.
Unfortunately, Shirou could not see the war stopping even if he sided with Hidden Leaf or any other Great Hidden Village. He'd be brought away, sheltered, and likely indoctrinated to a true cause that could look past all the atrocities done in Hidden Rain.
That wasn't an answer.
It could never be the answer to forsake people's suffering.
Therefore, regardless of Hanzo's intent, Hidden Rain was Shirou's only option to put an end to the war and conclude the current quest line acting as a noose over his neck.
It was how Shirou was going to go about moving forward that was the cause for the dilemma here.
The town he was using as his base was nothing more than a burgeoning center of operations with no active shinobi to defend or exert influence other than Shirou, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and Nawaki.
Should the barrier be fully breached and Hidden Leaf's forces discover the settlement, it would be a slaughter. This was taking into account the assumption that only Hidden Leaf would be the sole monopoliser of Shirou's existence other than Hanzo.
Everything would only deteriorate further if Hidden Rock and Cloud were to intervene.
It was all so complicated. Add in supposed blood ties and family into the mix, and it only gets messier, but even still, there was only one answer.
To protect the Akatsuki and grow its numbers, Shirou would have to venture out of the fog barrier to give time for the organization to firmly plant its roots.
Cooperating with Hanzo would also help solidify the Akatsuki's foundation by preventing internal conflicts with Hidden Rain's citizens and using Hanzo's forces to facilitate shinobi training in the Akatsuki.
Hanzo wished to use Shirou for his cause, and in turn, Shirou would use Hanzo to further his own means until the day they turned their hidden daggers on the other. Hanzo calculated lives on a scale, but he lacked the emotion and character to care for the weak and destitute outside his consideration. In contrast, Shirou's forces lacked both numbers and capable personnel, but the same could not be said for Hanzo's. If he were able to persuade others to his cause, he would be able to fish in a larger pool of water.
Both had things to gain from cooperating, and they both knew it.
Shirou would be a double-edged sword that Hanzo was more than willing to use.
The enemy of an enemy could be allies in one instant, but adversaries in the next.
A dangerous tightrope had to be walked.
Having made up his mind, Shirou made sure he was alone before moving to pack his things for a personal meeting and continued negotiation with Hanzo.
He would be the only one to go as he didn't wish to endanger Konan and the others who lacked proper experience and foresight.
War was a bloody hell that Shirou wished children like Konan and the others would have no active part in.
He himself was of the opinion that he would bear the responsibility by himself. A life that was granted meaning by pursuing another's ideal would never carry the same worth as the life of another. Therefore, Shirou never put much thought into how much danger he would face.
However, the same could not be said for those who had grown dependent on Shirou.
Shirou noticed it late as the sound of crumpling paper alerted him to a paper crane that flew into the room where he was packing.
Not even a second later, the room's sliding door opened to reveal Konan panting for breath with Yahiko, Konan, and Nawaki not far behind.
"Ha ha ha," Konan panted for breath while using a hand to wipe her mouth. However, the scrutiny and glare in her eyes did not wane.
"What do you think you're doing?" She pressed him.
Yahiko, who would have tried to defuse the tension in the air, took one look at Shirou's packed belongings and his serious demeanor, and chose to harden his stance.
"Right," Yahiko stepped up next to Konan. "Where are you planning on going without telling any of us?"
"He's going by himself," Nagato muttered, shying away from Konan who's glare only intensified in Shirou's ensuing silence.
"What are you thinking now?" Konan seethed, her stance growing adamant. "No, don't even start!"
Shirou closed his opened mouth, Nawaki wincing as nothing cut as sharp as a woman's accusatory eyes.
"You went alone last time, and look what happened?!" Konan marched towards Shirou, jutting a finger at his chest with each word. "We. Saved. Your. Ass! If we didn't come, you'd be captured by the tree huggers or Hanzo! Don't even try saying you're going alone for another stupid reason!"
"I-"
"Shut up!" Konan's tone was frigid. "Stop thinking we're stupid. Do you really see us as just children? Kids of other Great Hidden Villages our age have kill-counts in the double digits. Rain is at war; you really think we lack the maturity to understand?"
Yahiko, Nagata, and Nawaki remained silent, but their terse expressions conveyed everything. None of them were fools.
The reason Shirou kept exposing himself to danger was for their sake because they were weak. On their own, they could not protect the settlement that could barely be called their new home. Rather than let the enemy find them in a vulnerable state, Shirou was trying to use himself and Hanzo to put the battlefield elsewhere.
"We're coming too." Konan's words were final. She looked ready to scream at the first signs of rejection or protest.
"We're not as strong as you, but we'll pull our weight," Yahiko seconded, clapping Nagato on the back.
"Y-Yeah!" Nagato flinched as he was pushed into the spotlight, but regardless, he too was of a similar opinion.
"You're going to meet up with Hanzo, aren't you?" Nawaki cut in. As the only true Shinobi trained person in the room, he understood the underlying goal. "Cooperation? Even better to take us with you. Far as I see it, few if any Shinobi in Hidden Rain are as qualified to be a teacher than Hanzo."
That was a surprisingly good point.
Shirou's mouth twitched as he warred with his inner thoughts.
No, rather, he was browbeat into submission when Konan and the others threatened to chase after him while wringing his neck by the collar of his shirt.
"So, you've returned," Hanzo greeted with a flicker in his eye. "With company I see."
Shirou stood silently while Konan and the others had their bravado deflate from Hanzo's piercing gaze.
Having followed Shirou out of the fog barrier, Hanzo's forces were the first to greet Shirou and the others as they'd set a direct perimeter around the barrier.
Code Name Tuna had been the first to greet them while recovering from her injuries in an outpost modeled for an emergency medical tent. However, the greetings were brief, and Tuna was in no condition to socialize given the glares of her superiors.
Shirou briefly nodded at Tuna, but Hanzo's elite Jounin quickly ushered Shirou and the others to Hanzo.
Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, and Nawaki had been doing a splendid job in maintaining their composure but Hanzo wasn't a figure to be taken lightly. The weight of his presence and demeanor alone inspired a feeling of dread further enhanced from the mechanical wheezing of his gas mask.
Hanzo of the Salamander, the only true deterrence Hidden Rain had against the Great Villages.
"I take it you've come as a friend?" Hanzo chuckled, grizzled eyes narrowing. "It would be too foolish to think otherwise given you stand before me in your real body. Therefore, you too must see the true perpetrator of our land's pain and anguish as little more than a proxy battle of the Great Villages."
Hanzo briefly glanced at Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, and Nawaki.
"Your allies appear bright for their age," Hanzo found himself nodding, less because he could truly determine their skill, but more because he could sense them already readying their chakra in the case of a fight.
"We both have things we want, and if that means using each other, then by all means," Shirou said while easing his guard. He could tell that the object of Hanzo's greed was himself, so it was unlikely for Hanzo to jeopardize their cooperative relationship when it was just beginning. "I am no real Shinobi-"
"That much is obvious. You're too green behind the ears and your present self lacks the intent to kill and intimidate. It's almost like the killer I battled in the mist are two separate personalities," Hanzo mused, recalling the time Shirou had been channeling his inner EMIYA. "But that can be worked on in due time. All I require is allegiance. Will you join me and fight on behalf of the Hidden Rain?"
It was a choice Shirou had already made.
"I will fight for Rain," he said. Not for Hanzo, but for Rain's people.
Someone like Hanzo would have surely caught the distinction, but he wasn't foolish enough to acknowledge that progress in recruiting Shirou was progress.
What was left now was to show the atrocities of the Great Villages first hand.
Leaf's current strategy to force Hanzo's hand was most ideal. So long as Hanzo didn't move, Leaf would have no choice but to assume that Shirou was still in the barrier, and would continue their massacre of Rain's inhabitants.
Profit and loss, Hanzo could afford to wait a tad longer as Leaf's brutality would only solidify Hanzo's grip on Rain through shifting public opinion.
Hanzo's expression softened before he threw Hidden Rain forehead protectors to Shirou, Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Nawaki.
"Henceforth, you'll be Hidden Rain's Team Seven," Hanzo decided. "See Tuna in a week and she'll brief you on your team's first mission."
"Why a week?" Yahiko mustered the will to ask.
Hanzo snorted while looking at Shirou.
The answer was obvious.
"Personal instruction," Hanzo answered, arming himself with his kusarigama. This was part of the deal for cooperation.
Shirou and the others would let themselves be used while they were weak, and in turn, Hanzo would make them strong even while knowing that their allegiance wasn't solely to him.
But Hanzo wasn't worried.
He'd surely have time to impart the vision of his peace that he'd yet to forsake.
With Shirou, the potential successor to Hashirama's title, the impossible could become possible.
"I'll see if you brats have what it takes to be a Shinobi!"
[Hanzo Hattori]
[Subquest: Enemy of my Enemy]
[Designation Set: First Teacher]
[Unique Skill: Sickle Storm and Salamander Summon]
[Teaching Bonus Unique: Increased Poison Resistance]
[EXP Student Bonus Up]
Hanzo's poisoned blood had never coursed through his body so strongly.
Thanks for reading!
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