The Land of Rain.
In the world of shinobi, this region is arguably the most chaotic, regardless of whether the era is one of "peace" or total war. Its geography dictates its tragedy: it is a buffer state wedged between giants.
To the north and east, it shares borders with the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire. Amegakure (the Hidden Rain) generally cannot afford to provoke these superpowers, yet its leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, does so with startling frequency. To the west and south, it neighbors smaller nations like the Land of Birds, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Grass—nations that cannot hope to match the Rain's military might.
By any objective assessment, the Hidden Rain is the strongest village outside the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Under Hanzo's leadership, they could easily crush other small villages, but the gap between them and the "Big Five" remains immense.
Hanzo is a man of both immense power and wild ambition. His activity in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars was a desperate bid to elevate the status of his village leader to that of a "Kage." He wanted Amegakure to sit at the same table as the Five Great Nations. But the title of "Five Kage" is a summit occupied by only five people out of nearly 100,000 shinobi; for a small village leader to claim it is often seen as a delusion of grandeur—not just by the world, but by their own people.
Hanzo failed in the Second War. Now, as the Third War grinds on, it looks like he is destined to fail again.
The Hollow Tree
On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, the rain falls in a relentless, oppressive deluge. In this country, a "storm" isn't a weather event; it's the default state of existence.
Deep within a dense forest stands a massive, ancient tree. From the outside, it looks like any other elder of the woods, but its heart is hollowed out. Inside this secret outpost, three Konoha shinobi wait.
A hand pulled back the camouflaged entrance, and a fourth ninja slipped inside. This was the "Ui Squad," and they had been on the front lines for seven days.
"Nothing dangerous. Just a wild rabbit tripping the perimeter wire," Asuma said as he ducked into the hollow, carefully readjusting the camouflage behind him. He held up a plump, grey rabbit. Their next meal was looking significantly better.
Despite their lack of specialized sensory ninjas, the squad had been carrying out their scouting duties as ordered. You can't refuse the Hokage just because you don't have a Byakugan. They relied on "leather boots" scouting—mapping the terrain with their own feet.
Ui had a decent mid-range sensing ability, but long-range detection was out of his reach. Even sending his avian summons into the sky did little good; in a country where it rains three days out of every four, naked-eye visibility from the clouds is nearly zero. Yamashiro Aoba could use his own summons for long-range scouting, but the reliability was spotty at best.
Scouting and infiltration are among the most dangerous roles in warfare. In the ninja world, a scout must be both fast and a formidable combatant. This was why the Hyuga clan was so prized; they could see through walls and were deadly in a fight.
The Ui Squad, however, consisted of:
- Yuhi Kurenai: A Genin specializing in Genjutsu.
- Yamashiro Aoba: A newly promoted Chunin.
- Sarutobi Asuma: A newly promoted Chunin and the Hokage's son.
- Kamishiro Ui: The captain and a "burst-fire" specialist.
The fact that the Third Hokage put his own son in such a high-risk unit, patrolling a hostile border, spoke volumes about his commitment to the war effort. He was willing to die for the village, and his son was no exception.
Crossing the Line
The hollow tree served as one of several caches they had established in the sector, stocked with rations, medicine, and tools. They rotated through these spots to avoid being tracked and to ensure they wouldn't lose all their supplies if one position was compromised.
Inside, a small fire crackled. The smoke was filtered through a series of vents, dissipating into the heavy rain outside. Unless an enemy was literally standing on top of the tree, the squad was invisible. And if someone did get that close, their perimeter traps or Ui's personal sensing would pick them up—much like the rabbit.
"Check your gear, douse the fire. We're moving out," Ui said, ignoring Asuma's prize.
Today's mission was the most dangerous yet. According to the plan, they would move parallel to the border before making a sharp ninety-degree turn, cutting directly into the Land of Rain.
They wouldn't be going deep, but for the first time, they were crossing into enemy territory.