Outside Amegakure, Diarmuid held an umbrella over Tsunade's head, shielding her from the downpour.
The two walked side by side in silence, but the atmosphere between them was pleasant. Shizune followed a few paces behind, carrying her own umbrella with a slightly aggrieved expression, looking every bit the awkward third wheel.
"Come to think of it, I've never actually asked you... why?" Tsunade suddenly broke the silence.
"Why what?" Diarmuid asked softly.
"Why did you do all those things and turn yourself into an S-rank wanted criminal?" Tsunade asked, looking at him.
Diarmuid reflected for a moment before replying, "To be honest, I initially thought about joining Konohagakure. But it was wartime back then, so obviously, that was impossible. As for everything that happened later... it was partly out of boredom, partly just going with the flow. There isn't much of a 'why' to it. Things just naturally progressed to this point."
Tsunade fell silent for a short while before speaking up. "And here I thought there'd be some grand, dramatic backstory. Turns out it's nothing special."
"It was never anything special to begin with," Diarmuid chuckled.
"Alright, this is far enough," Tsunade said, halting her steps and turning to face him.
Diarmuid glanced up at the rain-slicked sky with a hint of reluctance, then smiled. "My legs work perfectly fine. I can walk you a few more steps."
"Let's stop here, Diarmuid. I haven't promised you anything yet," Tsunade countered firmly.
Diarmuid blinked, taken aback, before letting out an amused chuckle. "Your tone has changed. Before, it was 'I would never consider it,' but now it's 'I haven't promised you anything yet.' Can I take that to mean you're actually giving it some thought?"
Tsunade shot him a sharp glare. "Don't push your luck. I'm only saying this out of consideration for a friend, nothing more."
"Wow, then I must be pretty incredible. We've only met twice and we're already friends? Does that mean if we meet two more times, we can become even closer?" Diarmuid teased with a grin.
"Is your mouth always this smooth?" Tsunade asked, looking at him with a mixture of helplessness and exasperation.
"Hahaha, you caught me," Diarmuid laughed heartily.
Accepting that he couldn't escort her any further, he stood his ground. He then asked with a tinge of regret, "You haven't even stayed for a whole day. Are you really not going to lodge here for a few days before leaving? Don't worry, I promise I won't make things awkward for you."
Tsunade looked at a puddle in the distance, watching the ripples created by the relentless rain. Her gaze grew distant. After a long pause, she shook her head. "It has nothing to do with that. I simply despise this place. To me, the Land of Rain is just like its weather, a ceaseless, dreary downpour full of sorrow."
Understanding her sentiment, Diarmuid pressed no further. He nodded and said, "Fair enough. But I hope that one day, because of my presence, you'll come to like this crying nation. At the very least, I hope it stops being a place that holds nothing but sad memories for you."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "Are you always this smug?"
"Hahahahaha! I prefer to call it confidence," Diarmuid roared with laughter.
"Just keep being a good rogue ninja. I'm leaving," Tsunade said, waving her hand dismissively.
"I'm a wanted criminal, not a rogue ninja," Diarmuid corrected with a smirk.
"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," Tsunade smiled, gesturing for Shizune to join her.
Holding her umbrella, Shizune quickly caught up. Tsunade stepped out from under Diarmuid's umbrella and joined Shizune under theirs.
"By the way, do you need any help with that trouble of yours?" Tsunade suddenly inquired.
With a calm smile, Diarmuid shook his head. "Just a problem child, nothing troublesome. I wouldn't dream of bothering you with it."
"Is that so?" Tsunade cast a subtle glance toward the distant mountain forests before looking back at him. "In that case, I'll be on my way."
"Yeah," Diarmuid nodded, offering nothing more.
Without another word, Tsunade turned around and walked away into the curtain of rain, leading Shizune with her.
They had only taken a few steps when Diarmuid suddenly called out, "Hey, where are you two heading anyway?"
"For someone like me, I just wander the earth. I'll go wherever the wind blows," Tsunade replied without turning her head.
"Hahahahaha! Is that what you call freedom? If this were the past, I definitely would have recommended you become a pirate," Diarmuid laughed loudly.
"I am a direct descendant of the Senju clan, there is no way I would ever become a pirate, you idiot," Tsunade retorted, still walking away.
"Then how am I supposed to find you? At least leave me a way to contact you," Diarmuid urged, dropping the previous topic and pressing for an answer.
Tsunade paused in her tracks. She looked back at Diarmuid, a brilliant, radiant smile gracing her face. "If it's fated, we'll meet again! Hahaha! Besides, what do you want to find me for anyway?"
"Because I'll definitely miss you, obviously," Diarmuid replied with shameless candor.
Tsunade froze, her face instantly flushing crimson. In a fit of embarrassed annoyance, she snapped, "You idiot! Now there's absolutely no way I'm leaving you a contact!"
With a huff, she turned around, grabbed Shizune's hand, and hurriedly marched forward.
Watching her slightly flustered retreat, Diarmuid shouted at the top of his lungs, "Then when are you coming back?!"
"When I run out of money, I'll come find you again!" Tsunade hollered back, cursing under her breath without turning around.
Diarmuid chuckled, throwing one last line after her: "In that case, I wish you a spectacular losing streak at the tables!"
Tsunade was so incensed by his words she nearly exploded on the spot. Shaking her fist, she whipped around and yelled, "The next time I see you, I am absolutely beating you to death!"
"Then it's a promise!" Diarmuid laughed uproariously.
Tsunade didn't reply this time. Her and Shizune's figures quickly blurred into the misty, drizzling rain, vanishing from Diarmuid's sight.
Withdrawing his gaze, Diarmuid let out a soft chuckle to himself and shook his head. "It's been a long time since my heart fluttered like this, even if only a little."
Truth be told, because he didn't hold much affection for this world, Diarmuid knew he was destined to be a mere passerby here. His feelings toward Tsunade were born out of a natural fondness; he had no intention of forcing anything. Yet, it was precisely this casual, unforced mindset that made him realize, at this very moment, that his heart had truly skipped a beat for the first time in ages.
But that was all it was for now. As for what the future held, he would just have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Tsunade continued to grumble curses about Diarmuid as she trudged through the rain. Shizune kept glancing at her, her expression torn, looking as though she wanted to speak but couldn't bring herself to.
After walking for a while, Tsunade finally noticed and turned to Shizune, puzzled. "What's wrong, Shizune?"
Shizune hesitated for a moment, but a warm, relieved smile eventually broke across her face. She said softly, "Tsunade-sama, you always talk about how much you hate the Land of Rain... but this is the first time I've ever seen you smile continuously while being here."
Tsunade stiffened. She quickly wiped the smile from her face, her expression turning deadpan. "What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up, let's go. We're going to the Land of Birds to hit the casinos."
"Huh? But Tsunade-sama, we don't have any money!" Shizune said, completely bewildered.
"What do you mean no money? Didn't that guy Diarmuid just give you fifty million ryo?" Tsunade snapped, glaring at her.
"But… but that was meant to pay off our debts!" Shizune stammered in shock.
"Pay off debts?" Tsunade looked at her as if she had uttered the ultimate absurdity. She then declared with absolute righteousness, "Shizune, since when has Tsunade ever paid back money she owes? Stop dreaming, alright?! Come on, we're going to feast, drink, and live it up!"
"Please no, Tsunade-sama, we really shouldn't..." Shizune tried to protest, but Tsunade had zero intention of listening. She grabbed Shizune and took off sprinting through the rain.
Shizune's umbrella couldn't keep up with Tsunade's sudden burst of speed. The cool raindrops lashed against Tsunade's face, causing her wet blonde bangs to plaster themselves against her forehead.
"The rain... the Land of Rain..." Tsunade felt the water droplets on her skin and murmured softly, "Maybe this place isn't so universally detestable after all..."
Snap.
Diarmuid closed his umbrella. When he was alone, he never bothered using one anyway. The rain couldn't even touch his clothes. The only reason he had brought one along earlier was to seize the opportunity to share a romantic stroll in the rain with Tsunade. Now that she was gone, there was no point in keeping it open.
Holding the folded umbrella in his hand, Diarmuid turned his gaze toward a nearby mountain forest. He casually unclipped the pipe hanging from his waist, placed the stem between his teeth, and took a deep drag.
The tobacco ignited into a soft glow without needing a flame. Exhaling a thick, leisurely cloud of smoke, Diarmuid said with an easygoing grin, "Hey, kid. You've been tailing me all the way from the village. Did you really think your stealth was that flawless?"
The moment he had stepped out of the teahouse back in Amegakure, Diarmuid had sensed someone tracking him. However, he hadn't been certain whether the tail was after him or Tsunade. Now that Tsunade had departed and this brat was still lingering, there was no doubt about it, the kid was here for him.
"Tch, I got spotted?" a slightly annoyed groan complained from the depths of the forest.
Moments later, a figure stepped into view. He was short and lean, with long blond hair tied back into a high ponytail. He wore a black raincoat that looked far too large for his slender frame, completely enveloping his hands and feet. Yet, despite the oversized gear, Diarmuid recognized that face instantly.
It was none other than the ninja world's number-one terrorist, the bomb maniac, and the self-proclaimed pioneer of the "Explosion is Art" school of thought: Deidara.
"Did you honestly think your stalking and infiltration skills were impressive?" Diarmuid mocked.
"Hey, I never said I was good at that stealth crap, un!" Deidara replied loudly, entirely unbothered.
Diarmuid looked at the kid with amusement. "So? What are you following me for?"
"An international S-rank wanted criminal, the leader of the Yorozuya, Rodriguez Diarmuid... Rumor has it that you're the strongest ninja of this era, un! I, the great Deidara, am curious to see if that's true. I came here specifically to challenge you!" Deidara announced, puffing out his chest proudly.
Diarmuid: "???"
Sensing Diarmuid's utter bewilderment and the slight hint of disdain behind it, Deidara quickly added, "Don't look down on me just because you're an S-rank criminal, un! I've already successfully completed three S-rank missions! In two of them, I took down so-called S-rank rogue ninja myself. So if I were to defect right now, I'd be an S-rank criminal too! You better not underestimate me, un!"
It was true. Though the blonde brat hadn't even reached his teens yet, he had already pulled off three S-rank missions for Iwagakure. Every single one had been a success. The only reason Onoki stopped assigning them to him was because whenever this little psycho made a move, it was an earth-shattering disaster. Sure, the objective was achieved, but the collateral damage was astronomical!
So while he was young, his power was undeniable. Having only completed three S-rank missions didn't mean he was capped at three.
Diarmuid stared at Deidara with a mixture of pity and amusement, exhaling another puff of smoke. This kid's chunibyo phase is severe.
"And why exactly should I accept such a pointless challenge?" Diarmuid asked.
"There's something in it for you, of course! If I win, you hand over the leadership of the Yorozuya to me, un! If I lose, I'll become your underling! How about it? Isn't that totally fair and reasonable, un?" Deidara proposed without a shred of hesitation.
Diarmuid couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! You've clearly got a screw loose, kid. But since I've got time to kill... beating a child on a rainy day is only natural. It's about time someone taught you a basic truth," Diarmuid said, a terrifying, savage grin curling the corners of his lips. "There are levels to being an S-rank. The only reason I am classified as an S-rank wanted criminal is because that is the absolute highest rating the system goes to, brat!"
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]