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When World War II ended, every nation and every village tucked away their claws, trying to heal in silence, licking their wounds while quietly regaining strength. They all had the same plan: grow stronger, then bare their fangs again to snatch whatever they wanted. Every nation was like that—except the Land of Rain. Something was happening there, something hidden, unnoticed. And maybe, by the time the world turned its gaze back toward this little country, they'd be shocked to find that the small, rain-soaked nation, despite its size, had already become powerful enough to stand among giants.
In the blink of an eye, years of peace slipped by.
During those years, Hayato never once stopped training, though he wasn't grinding away at it like before. Instead, most of his time went into reading and studying the scrolls and books stored in the Archive Pavilion. In fact, over those few years, he managed to finish every single scroll and book the place had to offer.
So, even though his day-to-day training slowed down and his growth in raw strength wasn't especially fast, what he gained instead was something deeper. All that knowledge—on chakra, on ninjutsu, on the experiences of countless shinobi—had solidified his foundation in ways sheer training never could. At this point, his grasp of chakra and ninjutsu insight was nearly on par with the great leaders of other villages—people like the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
You could say these past years had laid down the perfect groundwork for the strength he would build in the future.
While Hayato was busy deepening his roots, the Land of Rain itself was undergoing a massive transformation. Though the skies remained heavy with endless rain, the people's faces were no longer shadowed with worry. Whether shinobi or ordinary civilians, as long as they weren't lazy freeloaders, anyone could earn enough to keep their stomachs full.
Part of it was thanks to the shinobi. More and more of them had started working the fields alongside the farmers, using jutsu to boost crop yields. They spent much of their time among regular villagers, and little by little, the old wall between ninja and common folk began to fade. It hadn't vanished completely, but it was thinner than ever—thin enough that shinobi were starting to feel like part of the community.
And since the food surplus largely came from the shinobi's research and hard work, the civilians no longer feared them. Instead, they were grateful—thankful that these once-distant warriors were now helping make sure no one went hungry.
A positive cycle was born. No, ninja and civilians weren't equals yet, but compared to other nations, the Land of Rain was miles ahead in bridging that gap.
"Big brother Hayato, off to train again?" Konan asked with a smile. Seeing the Land of Rain change little by little filled her with joy. These days, she wore that smile almost every day. To her, this was the ideal country she had always dreamed of—and the fact that she had helped build it herself made the feeling even sweeter. Watching the villagers and shinobi alike wearing those satisfied, hopeful smiles gave her a sense of fulfillment like nothing else.
"Yeah. I've already read every scroll and book in the Archive Pavilion. So from here on, it's time to throw myself back into real training," Hayato replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The past few years—the quiet, peaceful years—were the happiest he had lived since the day he crossed into this world. In fact, he hadn't once triggered his transformation during that time. If not for his unnatural recovery speed and stamina, he might have even forgotten that the blood of the Hulk still flowed in his veins.
"Hayato, you're still so serious. I'll train with you!"Konan beamed, wrapping herself around one of Hayato's arms.
By now, Konan had grown into a charming young girl—so much so that she felt worlds apart from the little child she once was. Even though she was only about ten years old, years of helping manage the affairs of the Rain Country had given her an air of maturity you'd normally only see in grown women. She carried a kind of intelligence and elegance far beyond her age, the sort of presence that made people instinctively respect her.
Because of that, in the Rain Country, Konan was known as either Lady Goddess or Lady Angel. Her reputation was second only to Hayato's—and honestly, the only reason for that was because Konan always pushed the credit for every achievement onto him. If she hadn't, her name might have long surpassed Hayato's, maybe even overshadowed him completely.
The two of them often went to train together. This time, Konan joined Hayato again. Training with him now was nothing like the rough, desperate days from before.
Hayato's training still carried that fiery intensity, but it no longer gave off the kind of brutal, miserable feeling it once did. Instead, it was structured and efficient, the result of all the knowledge Hayato had gathered over the years, tailored perfectly to his own condition.
As for Konan, she kept refining her Paper Style. Even though much of her time was tied up with running the Rain Country, the presence of the grand library—and Hayato's constant influence—meant she often buried herself in books as well. Her understanding of chakra and ninjutsu had gone far beyond the Konan in the original story.
Because of that, her strength was already astonishing. Despite being only around ten years old, she had already reached the level of a jōnin. At this pace, if she kept training, it wouldn't take more than a few years before she touched Kage-level power.
All of this—the maturity, the strength, the happiness—was because of Hayato's presence. The Konan standing here was far more cheerful, far more fulfilled, than the Konan we once knew.
And speaking of that past, we can't avoid mentioning Nagato.
After being nearly killed by Hayato—who had transformed into a green-skinned giant—Nagato was saved at the last second by Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. From that moment, he vanished from the Rain Country and never returned. Even if the Akatsuki were to be founded later, their base would never again be located within the Rain Country.
"....."