The rain in the Land of Rain has long been seen by its people as the silent weeping of this war-torn and feeble nation.
The cold rainwater seemed endless, washing over muddy roads and dilapidated buildings, while also eroding the faint hope for peace in people's hearts, making the already difficult-to-survive crops even more precarious.
However, since the man who called himself "God" and possessed the Rinnegan took control of the Hidden Rain Village, everything changed.
Pain changed the Land of Rain.
The rain was no longer an endless, sorrowful weeping.
With his will and power, Pain forcibly altered the natural laws in the skies above this land.
Now, the rain in the Land of Rain only falls on Sundays.
For the other six days, it is either cloudy or rarely clear.
Regularity brought order, and with it, vitality.
The residents of the Hidden Rain Village were able to carry out construction, trade, and travel on non-rainy days.
More importantly, the crops that originally struggled to survive in the continuous rain finally had a chance to breathe and grow.
Although the country remained closed and mysterious, its internal Origin Qi was slowly and painstakingly recovering.
Rain transformed from a "symbol of weeping" into a predictable, periodic natural phenomenon with the weight of a "divine oracle."
Today was Sunday.
A torrential downpour arrived as scheduled, enveloping the entire Hidden Rain Village.
Raindrops as large as beans beat densely against the towering steel buildings, crisscrossing pipes, and gloomy waters, creating a deafening roar.
Rainwater gathered and rushed down steep eaves and rusted pipes, washing over this village of Ninjas and making it appear even colder and more grim.
At the top of the highest steel spire, the figure of Deva Path Pain—with his short orange hair, cold expression, and wearing the Akatsuki Organization's black robe with red clouds—stood quietly, like an emotionless stone statue.
His Rinnegan looked down without a ripple at the village beneath the heavy rain.
Beside him, Konan stood quietly.
She wore the same black robe with red clouds, her lavender hair tied up, her delicate face appearing somewhat blurred in the curtain of rain, but her calm eyes reflected the scattered lights and the shimmer of the rain below.
She didn't speak, just accompanied him silently, like the most loyal guardian and executor.
They weren't there to admire the rain.
Not long ago, they received an S-rank mission request from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.
For the Early Stage of the Akatsuki Organization, whose primary goal was "collecting funds to prepare for the final plan," money was essential.
The world had never truly been at peace.
A fragile balance was maintained between the great nations, while small countries still struggled in the gaps, and local conflicts and proxy wars never ceased.
And the Akatsuki Organization happened to see a "business opportunity" in this.
At low but reliable prices, they provided "war contracting" services to small countries or factions that couldn't afford the high fees of the great nations' Ninja villages and were in urgent need of military force.
Relying on the powerful individual strength of the Akatsuki Organization members, their cold and efficient style, and their principle of never questioning political stances, they quickly made a name for themselves in the secret war market.
Even Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Nations, would outsource certain tasks that were inconvenient to handle directly or for which they lacked internal manpower to "Akatsuki," a powerful and efficient mercenary group, in special or emergency situations.
The current Iwagakure seemed like one of the Five Great Nations, but in reality, its internal strength was far from what it used to be.
Although more than ten years had passed since the last Ninja World War, Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses in that war.
Whether it was the huge sacrifice made to eliminate the Sandaime Raikage, or the encounter with Minato Namikaze, who had almost built his fame on the blood of Iwagakure Ninjas during the confrontation with Konoha...
...both had greatly weakened Iwagakure's strength.
These painful experiences led to a gap in Iwagakure's high-end combat power, and much of its backbone had also been depleted.
To this day, in some specific fields or special missions, they even had to rely on external forces and outsource part of the tasks.
The Akatsuki Organization was a "reliable" mercenary channel they chose at present.
At this moment, the Akatsuki Organization was still in the Early Stage of "accumulating funds and recruiting members," and had not yet officially begun the earth-shattering "Tailed Beast Capture Plan."
Therefore, in the eyes of Iwagakure and other employers, they were more of a top-tier mercenary group with extraordinary strength, reasonable fees, and mysterious conduct, rather than a terrorist organization intent on subversion.
"It's time to go."
Deva Path Pain's emotionless voice rang out amidst the sound of rain, breaking the silence.
The mission had been accepted, the target location was in the Land of Earth, and they needed to set off immediately.
Konan nodded slightly.
However, just as the two were about to leave...
"I think you two can wait a moment."
A low, raspy voice with a strange magnetic quality, as if it had weathered many storms, rang out behind them without warning.
The two quickly turned around.
Not far behind them, in the rain, stood a figure wearing a hooded black robe and an orange, spiral-patterned mask, standing there like a ghost.
The mask only revealed a crimson three-tomoe right eye, which appeared deep and unpredictable under the dim, rainy sky.
The newcomer was the man who had claimed to be Uchiha Madara when he cooperated with them after the Akatsuki Organization underwent its great upheaval.
"Madara?"
Deva Path Pain's Rinnegan stared at the newcomer, his voice still cold.
"The target you're about to face this time... is a quite troublesome fellow."
Obito spoke plainly, maintaining the voice that belonged to "Uchiha Madara."
"He is a perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and he is accompanied by an Uchiha girl who possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"What?"
"Hmm?"
Even with Pain's coldness and Konan's composure, after hearing these words, their faces couldn't help but show obvious shock!
A perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
As far as they knew, the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should only be thirteen years old!
What surprised them even more was the "Uchiha girl who possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Where did another Uchiha come from?
Pain's voice carried a rare hint of doubt: "I remember... the survivors of the Uchiha Clan, besides Itachi, should only be his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."
"Did Orochimaru turn him into a woman?"
Konan also frowned slightly, clearly considering this possibility.
This was the reputation Uchiha Itachi's work had!
Under the mask, Obito's mouth twitched.
He didn't expect that Pain, who always appeared cold, would have such a... peculiar train of thought?
"Pain."
Obito's voice carried a bit of speechlessness.
"I didn't expect... you to have quite a talent for humor."