Konan raised a hand and pointed southwest. "If we walk in this direction for half a day, there's an abandoned town. Wandering ninja often appear there. If you want to gather information, that would be the best place."
"Then let's go there." Shin-chan immediately changed direction.
The four of them followed the rain-soaked path toward the southwest.
The Land of Rain consisted mainly of hilly terrain, with endless low hills rising and falling on both sides of the road.
Yahiko suddenly raised a hand, signalling everyone to stop.
"Someone's coming."
They quickly moved behind a large boulder beside the road.
The approaching people drew closer, and their clothing gradually became visible.
"They're from Kumogakure," Konan whispered. "Why are they here?"
Yahiko shook his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the group of Cloud ninja.
The Kumogakure ninja appeared to be searching for something. They could faintly hear phrases such as "Sunagakure," "tracks," and "continue searching."
Yahiko frowned and was about to say something.
"Achoo!"
A loud sneeze shattered the silence.
Shin-chan rubbed his nose, then noticed Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato all staring directly at him.
Their expressions were remarkably identical, as if they were silently screaming, You actually sneezed at a time like this?!
"Sorry." Shin-chan sniffled. "I got soaked in too much rain earlier, so I think I caught a little cold."
"Who's there?!"
A Cloud ninja's furious shout came from the other side of the boulder.
Yahiko took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the rock.
Konan and Nagato immediately followed.
The tall Cloud ninja leading the group looked them up and down. When his gaze passed over Nagato's red hair and the Amegakure forehead protectors worn by Yahiko and Konan, his brows furrowed.
"Amegakure ninja? What are you doing here?"
"This is the Land of Rain. We don't need to explain to anyone what we're doing inside our own country."
The leader's gaze darkened. He was just about to say something when Shin-chan poked his head out.
"A Konoha ninja? A child?"
"I'm not a child. I'm a twelve-year-old officially registered ninja."
A trace of suspicion appeared in the Cloud ninja's eyes. "Since when did Konoha and Amegakure start working together?"
"We're not working together. We're just travelling in the same direction."
The leading ninja placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Yahiko stepped half a pace forward and stood in front of Shin-chan. "Kumogakure and Sunagakure are at war. Neither Konoha nor Amegakure has joined it. Why are you stopping us here?"
"We're pursuing a Sunagakure reconnaissance unit," the leader said in a deep voice. "Have you seen any Suna ninja pass through here?"
"No," Yahiko answered firmly.
The leader stared at Yahiko for several seconds, then swept his gaze over Nagato and Konan before finally looking at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was secretly dragging his foot through a puddle, trying to guide the water into a nearby "channel."
"You, Konoha boy," the leader called. "What are you doing?"
"Repairing the drainage system." Shin-chan stopped what he was doing. "The water here is too deep. If it isn't drained, everyone's shoes will get wet. For your sake, I've decided to temporarily serve as the Land of Rain's Minister of Public Works."
The leader opened his mouth but, for a moment, had no idea what to say.
A Cloud ninja beside him leaned closer and whispered, "Captain, there's something strange about this kid. Could it be some kind of Konoha tactic?"
"What tactic? Sending a lunatic to disrupt the enemy's mind?"
The leader was silent for two seconds before calling to Shin-chan, "What's your name?"
"Nohara Shinnosuke, twelve years old." Shin-chan rubbed his stomach. "Did you bring any food? I've been walking for a long time, and I'm getting hungry."
"We're carrying out a mission, not having a picnic."
"You still have to eat while carrying out a mission. Konoha has a ninja rule called 'You mustn't fight on an empty stomach.' The Second Hokage said it."
"The Second Hokage never said anything like that."
"How would you know? You're not from Konoha."
A vein throbbed on the leader's forehead. "I don't care what your name is, and I don't care what strange rules Konoha has. I only want to know one thing: Have you seen any Sunagakure ninja pass through here?"
"We've already told you. We haven't seen any Sunagakure ninja come through here," Yahiko repeated.
The leader ignored Yahiko and spoke directly to Shin-chan. "What is a Konoha ninja doing in the Land of Rain?"
"Sightseeing."
"Sightseeing?"
"Yeah. I heard the rainy scenery in the Land of Rain is famous, so I came to experience it in person." Shin-chan shook the water from his shoes. "So far, the experience hasn't been very good. Both my shoes are soaked, and I sneezed earlier. I recommend that none of you come here in the future either."
The Cloud ninja beside the leader leaned close to his ear again. "Captain, he must be pretending to be stupid. Konoha couldn't possibly send an idiot into the Land of Rain."
The leader decided to stop wasting time with Shin-chan. His tone became cold and forceful again.
"There has never been any conflict between Amegakure and Kumogakure, but since you're associating with someone from Konoha, we have no choice but to be cautious."
"He's merely passing through, and so are we," Yahiko replied without being servile or overbearing. "The Land of Rain does not reject anyone who comes in peace."
"Peace? Why should I believe that?"
"You don't have to," Nagato said. "But this is the Land of Rain, not the Land of Lightning. You have no authority to interrogate anyone here."
The moment he said that, the atmosphere became tense.
The Cloud ninja behind the leader simultaneously placed their hands on their weapons.
"It seems you have no intention of cooperating."
Yahiko leaned slightly forward and lowered his centre of gravity. Several paper shuriken appeared between Konan's fingers.
Nagato silently shifted half a step to the side, forming an angle with Yahiko.
"Take them down!"
Three Cloud ninja lunged from different directions at the same time. Their movements were sharp and coordinated, clearly belonging to a tactical squad that had worked together for years.
Before Yahiko could move, Shin-chan disappeared.
The Cloud ninja charging from the front heard a muffled impact behind him.
He abruptly turned his head and saw the companion circling in from the right already lying in the muddy water, groaning in pain.
"What?"
Before he could finish speaking, a second muffled impact sounded, and the companion attacking from the left also fell.
The Cloud ninja at the front widened his eyes, staring in disbelief as Shin-chan appeared out of thin air directly before him.
"You..."
One punch.
The Cloud ninja fell stiffly backward, crashing into the mud and splashing water everywhere.
Yahiko was still frozen in his ready-to-charge stance. He looked at the Cloud ninja lying in the muddy water, then at Shin-chan standing there and casually rotating his wrist. His throat moved unconsciously.
He knew Shin-chan was a ninja from Konoha, and he knew Konoha ninja were generally powerful.
But he had never expected him to be this powerful.
In only a few seconds, he had practically wiped out the entire Cloud ninja squad.
The leading ninja's expression changed completely. "The Flying Thunder God Technique... You're that Konoha—"
Before he could finish, Shin-chan disappeared again.
~~~
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