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Chapter 292: The Rain Orphan Cave From Childhood
The sky over the Land of Rain had never been this clear.
The heavy, lead-gray clouds had long since dispersed, replaced by an azure sky so deep it was almost transparent. Sunlight poured down without obstruction, brightly illuminating the land that had once been eternally shrouded in dreary rain.
However, it had rained for far too many years.
Even though it had only been clear for two days, the ground remained slick and wet, littered with puddles and potholes. The soil was soaked into a soft mud; a single step would sink ankle-deep into the muck, accompanied by a squelching sound.
Alex and Konan walked side by side along the muddy path.
Sunlight bathed Konan, making her pale purple dress seem to glow. Her light blue-purple hair fluttered gently in the breeze. The tips of her hair still carried remnants of morning dew, catching fractured light under the sun.
Konan didn't use any of her abilities to keep herself 'clean' while walking. Mud splattered against her dress and soaked her shoes and socks, but she paid it no mind. She didn't even look down.
Her gaze was fixed on the distance, as if searching for something, or perhaps recalling a memory.
Alex walked beside her, equally allowing the mud to stain his robes. He didn't speak, only occasionally turning his head to look at her with a gentle, quiet gaze.
They walked together for hours.
They crossed a muddy field, skirted a flooded depression, and climbed over a ridge scarred by rainwater erosion.
Finally, the entrance to a cave appeared before them.
The opening was small, half-hidden by creeping vines and weeds. If one didn't look closely, they would never realize a shelter was hidden here. The rocks around the entrance had been polished smooth by time.
More than twenty years ago, three children had gone in and out of here, day after day, year after year.
Sunlight hit the entrance, turning the hanging vines a vibrant, dripping green.
Konan stopped in her tracks.
She just stood there in the mud, staring at the entrance of the Rain Orphan Cave, motionless. The sunlight cast her shadow long and thin over the damp ground.
Alex didn't rush her, simply standing quietly behind her.
After a long time, Konan spoke softly.
"This is it."
Her voice was so light it was almost carried away by the wind.
"The first home Yahiko and I shared when we were kids."
She stepped forward, brushed aside the vines, and ducked inside. Alex paused for a brief moment before following her in.
The Rain Orphan Cave wasn't large, but it wasn't overly cramped either. The entrance was narrow, but it opened up inside, about the width of two or three rooms. The ceiling wasn't exceptionally high, but an adult could stand straight without bumping their head.
Dark green moss grew on the walls. Streaks of seeping rainwater marked the walls. The floor was uneven rock, though a few spots had clearly been leveled by human hands, covered with long-rotted wooden planks.
At the very back was a slightly raised rock formation, serving as a natural platform. Sunlight slanted in from the entrance, leaving the cave half in light, half in shadow. Fine dust drifted through the air, dancing lazily within the beams of light.
Konan's eyes settled on that platform.
"There." She raised her hand, pointing to the rock. "That's where Yahiko and I slept. We didn't have blankets back then, so we just laid down some dry grass and huddled together for warmth."
Her voice was calm, as if she were telling someone else's story.
"The winters were freezing. So cold we couldn't sleep. Yahiko would just ramble on about anything and everything—stories of heroes he'd heard, his visions of the future. He said he was going to build a village so all the orphans would have a place to stay, food to eat, and would never have to cry again."
The corners of Konan's mouth lifted slightly, as if she were smiling, yet also holding back the nostalgic sting of unshed tears.
"I thought he was just saying silly things. In a world like ours, how could that be possible?"
She gently shook her head.
"But he really went and did it. It wasn't just talk."
Alex stood behind her, listening in silence.
Konan took a few more steps toward the other side of the cave. There were several deep gouges carved into the wall there, crooked and jagged, as if a child had painstakingly scraped them out with a stone.
"Yahiko carved these." Konan reached out, her fingers lightly tracing the grooves. "He'd carve a tally mark every so often to track how long we'd lived here. When Nagato joined us, he had Nagato carve them too. Nagato didn't talk much back then, but every time he made a mark, he was so focused, carving it stroke by stroke like he was carrying out some sacred duty."
Her fingertips lingered on the carvings for a long time.
"The three of us lived in this little cave for years."
Alex walked up beside her, his gaze falling on the tally marks. Some were deep, some shallow, some straight, some crooked. But every single one was clearly visible, as if the ones who carved them had never forgotten this place.
"Times were incredibly hard back then," Konan continued, her tone still carrying that calm, detached quality. "When we didn't have food, we'd catch fish in the river or dig for wild vegetables in the mountains. If we were lucky enough to catch a rabbit, it felt like an absolute feast. We had no clothes, so we stripped them off corpses, washed them, and wore them. Yahiko always said I dressed better than him, but it was all just the same ragged cloth."
She paused. "But back then... it didn't really feel all that bitter."
Konan turned around, leaning her back against the cave wall, sweeping her gaze over the small space. The slanting sunlight illuminated her face, softening her profile with a warm glow.
"Every day, all we thought about was what to eat today, and where to find food tomorrow. There were no other worries or anxieties. Yahiko was always smiling, acting like he wouldn't be afraid even if the sky fell down. Nagato didn't talk much, but whenever I was sad, he'd just sit quietly beside me. He wouldn't say a word; he'd just be there for me."
"I thought back then that those days would last forever."
A faint tremor finally entered Konan's voice.
"I thought the three of us would always be together. In this cave, by that river, in this land of endless rain."
She didn't continue.
The cave fell silent. Outside, the wind rustled through the wet grass, carrying the fresh scent of soil and wildflowers. Occasionally, a few birds flew past the entrance with crisp, bright chirps.
Alex stepped in front of her. He didn't speak; he just reached out and gently took her hand.
Konan looked down at their intertwined hands. Her fingers were slightly red, stained with moss scraped from the wall, but he didn't care in the slightest, only tightening his grip.
"Later, Yahiko said he wanted to change this country. Nagato said he'd follow Yahiko, so I said I'd follow them both. And just like that, we walked out of this cave and into that wider world."
She looked up at Alex.
"You already know what happened after that."
Alex nodded. He certainly knew.
The boy who walked out of the cave founded Akatsuki, hoping to change the Land of Rain through peaceful means, only to ultimately die in a conspiracy. The quiet boy fell into extremism after the death of his best friend, styling himself as a 'God'.
And the once gentle, resilient girl, after losing everything, guarded their inherited will alone—until she met him. Over the ocean outside Amegakure, fighting Obito Uchiha together. Rewriting the fate where she was meant to die.
"Alex." Konan spoke suddenly. "If they could see the world as it is now... what do you think they would feel?"
Alex fell silent for a moment before answering. "They would be very happy."
"Happy that you found someone you want to protect. Happy that you are no longer alone."
His voice was calm and unwavering.
"Happy that the ninja world has finally achieved true peace. And happy that... the sun has finally come out over the Land of Rain."
Konan stared at him blankly, her eyes turning slightly red. She pressed a hand to her chest.
Alex had been born right here. Their very first meeting had been a life-or-death battle against Obito Uchiha. In that fight, without Alex's help, she would have undoubtedly died at Obito's hands. Not only would she have had no chance of surviving, she hadn't even wanted to survive.
With Yahiko and Nagato dead, it was Alex who gave her the hope and purpose to keep living.
And now, all of it had been realized.
Konan turned to look toward the entrance. It was bright and sunny out there, the sky a clear, brilliant blue—a stark contrast to the endless, dreary rain in her memories.
"Yeah," she said softly. "The sun is finally out."
She smiled. "Once the Holy City is built, I'm really looking forward to seeing the looks on Nagato and Yahiko's faces when they're resurrected and see this brand new world."
Konan squeezed Alex's hand, turning toward the exit. "Let's go. We're done looking here. On to the next place."
"Where to next?"
"The town," Konan replied with a soft smile. "The place where Yahiko and I first found Nagato. And the place we used to steal bread and food from all the time."
She stepped out of the cave, standing back in the sunlight.
The sun felt incredibly warm, drying the damp edges of her dress. She took a deep breath. The air smelled of mud, grass, and sunshine, completely devoid of the lingering, cold dampness of the rain.
Alex walked out, standing beside her. He looked down at her mud-caked dress and shoes, then at his own equally ruined robes, and suddenly chuckled.
"Next time we come, wear older shoes."
Konan tilted her head to look at him. "You actually care about that?"
"It's not that I care," Alex shook his head. "I'm just afraid you'll slip."
Konan stared at him for a few seconds before turning her head forward. "I've run up and down this path countless times as a kid. I've never slipped once."
"That was then."
"It's the same now."
"Now that you possess the Kekkai Mora, your strength is too great. It makes you even more prone to slipping."
Hearing Alex's inexplicable tone and catching his meaningful expression, the tips of Konan's ears turned red.
"W-what are you even talking about..." she muttered shyly. Unbelievable... he can make a dirty joke out of anything, even a literal muddy road.
Alex just smiled, not arguing the point. He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Konan's waist. They began walking toward the nearby town.
The sunlight was perfect.
Their silhouettes gradually faded into the distance along the muddy path. The two sets of footprints they left behind were deep and shallow, slightly crooked, but always side by side, never parting.
The Rain Orphan Cave remained lying quietly behind them, its vines hanging low, the sun slanting across its entrance as if no one had ever been there.
Only the rows of crooked, jagged tally marks on the wall continued their silent tale.
Many years ago, three children had spent a profoundly difficult, yet incredibly simple period of their lives right here.
And now, that child had finally returned, bringing the sun with her.
. . .
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