The rain in Ame never truly stopped.
Even when it eased, it was only a brief pause before the sky unleashed all the gray it had been holding back.
For a week, that became the rhythm of my life.
Not the sun.
Not the clock.
Just rain, ragged breaths, and pain throbbing from head to toe.
Day Two
I thought yesterday's training was enough to kill me.
Turns out it was only the warm-up.
The next morning, Yahiko woke me with a gentle kick at the edge of the mattress.
"Come on, wake up! If you rise slower than the rain, it'll ruin your reputation!"
I wanted to reply: nobody wakes up faster than the rain in Ame.
But I had no energy.
Training started with laps around the slippery courtyard.
I fell three times in five minutes. Yahiko laughed every time, while Nagato gently lifted me each time, patting my shoulder as if my bones might shatter.
Konan didn't say much, just observed and gave occasional tips.
"Keep your feet lower. The ground is slippery."
I tried. She was right. Still, I fell twice more.
Once, I crashed into a pile of wood, and Yahiko laughed loudly while ruffling my hair.
"Is this training or a slapstick competition?" I thought, but deep down, I knew… Yahiko was deadly serious.
That night, I slept like a stone. More precisely… I passed out.
---
Day Three
I woke up with pain that made me want to cry.
Not ordinary pain—pain that made me question every life choice I'd made, including why I decided to join the Ame Trio.
"If it hurts, it means you're still alive," Yahiko said lightly, looking at me as if judging whether I deserved breakfast.
"I'm not sure," I muttered, trying to stand.
Physical training became even harsher. Push-ups on wet ground, squats until my thighs almost exploded, zig-zag running through puddles. Rain stabbed my bones, mud clung to every crevice of my clothes, my wet hair plastered to my face.
I felt more like a mud creature than a ninja.
Konan added balance drills under the rain. I fell five times, sliding like an amphibious ice skater. Nagato tried guiding me to feel chakra again, but still… nothing.
The only difference was…
"Your eyelids don't twitch like before," Nagato said.
I stared, confused. Was that a compliment or a clinical observation? At least… it was progress.
That afternoon, we helped villagers evacuate houses with severe leaks.
I saw what life in Ame truly was: children playing in puddles as if it were a game, mothers cooking on broken stoves, elders hugging their knees, staring at the sky with no hope.
War had silenced everything. Even laughter felt out of place.
Konan handed a folded paper to a little girl.
"This is for you."
The girl smiled. For a moment, the world didn't feel as bad.
I watched—and almost choked on the stale soup I had brought myself.
---
Day Four
I began to recognize their training pattern.
Morning: running and push-ups.
Afternoon: balance, attack, and defense drills.
Evening: learning to sense chakra.
Night: evaluations, cleaning the hideout, helping villagers, and… Yahiko still found ways to make me squat repeatedly while holding mud on my face.
I fell several times while trying to attack Konan.
Once, I slipped and crashed into Nagato, who only raised an eyebrow and said,
"Julian, do you want to be a ninja or a mud skater?"
I wanted to reply, but mud covered my mouth.
---
Day Five
On some morning—I lost count; the rain made every day feel the same—I sat cross-legged, trying to sense chakra like Nagato taught.
He tapped my shoulder lightly.
"Relax. Breathe from your belly. Let your body follow."
I tried. Silence. Until suddenly—
somewhere between my ribs and stomach, a small warmth appeared.
Tiny. Almost like an illusion.
"Wait…" I whispered.
Nagato's eyes opened slightly.
"Feel it?"
"Maybe… I think? I… I'm not sure."
Yahiko leaned closer, squinting like a gardener inspecting a new seed.
"Good! Just repeat that a thousand times!"
I looked at him, hoping it was a joke.
Unfortunately, Yahiko didn't know the meaning of comforting jokes.
Yet… behind all the torment, something had changed.
My body was still weak. Chakra was still hard to touch.
But for the first time since arriving in this world, I felt… maybe I could survive.
---
Day Six
Day six was a mix of physical training and helping villagers.
I fell nearly every ten steps while carrying wet boards.
Once, I slipped and knocked over Konan's soup—she glared at me sharply.
"If you want to survive in Ame, don't destroy other people's soup," she said flatly.
I could only nod, holding back laughter and guilt.
Yahiko, for some reason, laughed loudly.
"That's called multitasking training, Julian! Physical strength and patience at the same time!"
I felt like a comic relief character accidentally thrown into a war.
---
Day Seven — Living in Ame
A week in Ame taught me one crucial lesson:
Ame didn't hate humans.
Ame simply didn't have time to care.
The city lived by a simple rule: if you weren't strong, you'd be swallowed.
Every day I saw it: apartment walls riddled with weapon marks, rusted train tracks, the smell of metal and rain that never left, shadows watching from afar, and people surviving with empty eyes.
And amidst it all… three young people still smiled.
Yahiko with his dreams.
Konan with her quiet steadiness.
Nagato with his gentle presence, defying this harsh world.
Every night, we ate hard bread and thin soup that was barely more than water. Yet it was the warmest meal I'd ever had.
And I realized something:
I wanted to protect their smiles.
Not because I was a hero.
Not because I had power.
But because… they shouldn't have to live in a world that swallows hope.
They shouldn't have to die for unheard dreams.
On the seventh day, Yahiko gathered us in the muddy courtyard, hands on his hips like a small squad commander.
"You're still slow, still weak, and still can't sense chakra properly," he said, patting my shoulder.
Thanks. Very motivating.
"But—" Yahiko grinned widely,
"You haven't given up. That's the only requirement to survive in Ame."
Konan nodded quietly.
Nagato gave a faint smile.
I exhaled, staring at the still-raining sky. My body wasn't ready. My spirit trembled. The fear of their future still gripped me.
But… during this week, they taught me one thing:
In Ame, being weak isn't a sin. Giving up is.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
I had no intention of giving up.
---
Light Comedy Throughout the Week
Every time I fell in the mud, Yahiko called me "Julian, the professional mud skater."
Once, I tried hopping from stone to stone, slipped, and nearly landed on Nagato, who was sitting calmly. He only said:
"If your goal was to knock me down, congratulations. Mission failed completely."
When I was utterly exhausted, Konan secretly placed a piece of bread in my mouth while I lay there, like feeding a baby. I could only open my eyes, stare at her, and choke on the mix of hunger and embarrassment.
Yahiko always found ways to turn physical training into a "slapstick competition"—like making me run while carrying a bucket of water that always spilled on my head.