The rain was falling.
Always.
But this time, it cleaned nothing.
It only diluted the blood.
Kaido stood atop a collapsed building, motionless, watching the street below. At his feet, a body lay still warm. A man. A mercenary. Not a ninja of Amegakure.
An outsider.
An invader.
He had tried to steal food. Then he had seen Ren. Then he had smiled.
He hadn't had time to scream.
Kaido lowered his gaze to his right hand.
Blood was still flowing between his fingers.
— …Too fragile.
No emotion.
No hesitation.
He had struck once.
The neck had given way.
Ren, behind him, was trembling.
— H-He's dead…
Kaido turned slowly.
— Yes.
— You… you killed him…
Kaido crouched in front of him.
His eyes were calm. Too calm for a child.
— Listen carefully, Ren.
He placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
— In this world, there are no good sides.
Ren swallowed.
— Only… those who live.
— And those who die.
The tone was factual.
— He was going to kill you.
— I decided it wouldn't be you.
Ren remained silent.
Kaido stood up.
— Get used to it.
⸻
The War Draws CloserIn the days that followed, Amegakure changed.
Not in appearance.
In rhythm.
Patrols grew tense. Ninjas spoke in hushed voices. Messengers arrived and departed without pause.
The Second Great Ninja War was spreading.
Konoha. Iwa. Suna.
All fighting over territory, routes, resources.
And the Land of Rain…
Was caught in the middle.
— Fighting has broken out in the south, reported a chūnin.
— Konoha units crossed without authorization.
Hanzō listened, unmoving.
— And Iwa?
— They're advancing from the east.
A heavy silence.
— The rain will turn red, someone murmured.
Hanzō closed his eyes.
— Let it.
⸻
Kaido on the BattlefieldKaido wasn't supposed to be there.
Officially.
But no one dared stop him.
He walked through the ruins of a former border village, accompanied by Ren and two other discarded children. No chakra. No future, according to the world's rules.
Kaido had taken them.
Not out of kindness.
By selection.
— Stay behind, he said.
Cries echoed in the distance.
Then an explosion.
A ninja battle.
Kaido advanced.
He saw the bodies.
Shinobi of Konoha.
Mercenaries of Iwa.
All dead.
— Too slow, he commented.
A survivor appeared.
A wounded Konoha ninja, gasping.
He saw Kaido.
— A… child?
He smiled weakly.
— Get lost… this isn't a place for—
Kaido struck him.
Not hard.
Just enough.
The ninja slammed into a wall.
Ren screamed.
— Kaido!
Kaido approached the dying ninja.
— Do you know what will doom you all?
The ninja spat blood.
— You still… believe… this world can be saved…
Kaido watched him die.
Without emotion.
Then the voice echoed.
Kill confirmed
Target: Konoha Shinobi
Experience acquired
Progression – Body: +0.3%
Progression – Will: +0.5%
Kaido did not smile.
But something vibrated within him.
— …So that's how it works.
⸻
The RumorRumors began to spread.
In Amegakure.
Then elsewhere.
— A monstrous child…
— Without chakra…
— He kills ninjas like dogs…
— He walks beneath the rain and bodies pile up…
In Konoha, a report arrived.
A white-haired man read it.
— A child without chakra… in the Land of Rain?
Jiraiya frowned.
— …Interesting.
⸻
Hanzō UnderstandsHanzō observed Kaido from the shadows.
He had seen the body.
He had seen the method.
No rage.
No pleasure.
Just… efficiency.
— This isn't a child soldier, he murmured.
— It's a predator.
A counselor dared to speak.
— Should we stop him?
Hanzō turned slowly.
— And lose what?
— Control?
Hanzō smiled beneath his mask.
— We never had control.
⸻
Kaido's PromiseThat night, Kaido stood atop a hill, facing the rain.
Behind him, Ren and the others.
— Why do you keep us? one of them asked.
Kaido answered without turning.
— Because this world has declared you useless.
He raised his fist.
— I see something else.
The voice echoed.
Subordinates recognized: 3
Link established
Future condition: Mutation awakening
Kaido smiled.
— One day… I will transform you.
Ren felt a shiver.
— Into what?
Kaido turned around.
His eyes shone with a dark light.
— Into beasts.
— Beasts that even villages will fear.
In the distance, thunder rumbled.
⸻