Naruto: Being a Shinobi with no System But...

Rain.

Endless rain fell over the land, the sky a perpetual sheet of dull gray.

On this day, within the curtain of rain at the outskirts of the Hidden Rain Village, the shadows seemed even thicker than the downpour itself.

Konoha shinobi advanced from the east. Sunagakure forces occupied the southern high ground. Iwagakure ninja used Earth Release to raise observation posts in the west. Even Kusagakure had dispatched a team to blockade the northern road.

There had been no declaration of war, no ultimatum.

Before most of Amegakure had even woken, the allied forces of the four Ninja Villages had already completed their encirclement of this closed-off country.

Several pairs of Byakugan had swept the area; the rain carried no chakra, and the village's defenses consisted only of ordinary sentries.

Some Amegakure guards did sense that something was wrong.

But Aburame insects had already slipped into their sleeves. Sunagakure puppets extended wooden arms from the shadows. Before any alarm could be raised, every sentry fell silently.

Exactly six o'clock in the morning.

The sky brightened a fraction, but the gray remained, like a rag that could never be washed clean. The rain eased, thinning from a downpour into fine mist.

The residents of the Hidden Rain Village began to wake.

A housewife opening her window froze. An old man about to head out for breakfast stopped in his tracks. A kid rising early for training stared, eyes widening—

The streets were filled with shinobi from other villages.

Konoha forehead protectors. Sunagakure forehead protectors. Iwagakure forehead protectors. They did not break into homes, but they occupied every main street and vantage point.

Panic began to spread.

Someone screamed and slammed a window shut. Someone else tried to slip out the back door, only to find ninja standing at the mouth of the alley. Parents dragged their children back inside as small faces peeked out through cracks in the doors.

Soon, ninja were already shouting along the streets:

"Everyone of Amegakure, we have not come to start a war."

Their voices, carried through loudspeakers, sounded distorted in the rain.

"This operation is only to investigate the current state of the Hidden Rain Village. Please stay indoors and cooperate with the investigation. Repeating—please stay indoors and do not go out. Food and water will be distributed uniformly at noon."

At 7:20 a.m., the rain stopped.

A small bird, folded from white paper, flew across the gloomy sea and finally landed in a slender hand on the ship's deck.

The kunoichi known as "Angel" read every word written on it.

"The village has been occupied by the allied forces."

Konan looked toward Amegakure.

"No large-scale battles occurred. Jiraiya is leading a team to search the village for information related to us."

A low voice rumbled from deep within the cabin, edged with an inhuman resonance:

"...Is that so."

"God will remember this day."

—

After confirming Nagato was not in the Hidden Rain Village and making the necessary defensive arrangements, Roshi followed Baki back to the Hidden Sand Village.

"There are quite a few special circumstances this year," Advisor Ebizo said as soon as he saw him. "Sunagakure doesn't even need to pay and you're delivering your services right to our door."

"That's why I at least set preconditions last year, Advisor Ebizo," Roshi replied. "Prudence is a virtue."

Chiyo went straight to the point. "Last time you came, you requested that Sunagakure second its aerial forces."

"This time, Sunagakure cannot lend anyone. The Land of Wind's territory is vast, and to deal with retaliation from the Land of Snow, our current manpower is already far from enough."

She laid the unpleasant truth out first.

Lending forces last time had been Sunagakure's way of repaying Konoha for its fairness during the Kumogakure missing-nin incident the year before, as well as acknowledging that, although a certain someone had been harsh with his words all year, his actions had largely benefited Sunagakure.

Roshi smiled. "Lady Kazekage, Advisor Ebizo, if I may, allow me to be blunt."

Chiyo's face darkened.

"Sunagakure does indeed have a high probability of becoming the enemy's target. After all... Konoha has never asked how Sunagakure contacted the Sky Ninja."

"But that Flying Fortress is a product of Sky Ninja technology. I believe you've both already guessed as much."

Chiyo and Ebizo fell silent. Ever since learning that the Akatsuki Organization might be behind the Land of Snow, they had harbored the same fears.

"Perhaps Sunagakure has improved upon the Sky Ninja's fleet and equipment," Roshi continued, "but when it comes to the fortress itself, the Sky Ninja still possess superior technology."

"Furthermore, based on what I've seen and learned about the Akatsuki Organization, given Sunagakure's current condition, even if you become a target of retaliation, you are powerless to resist."

"So, why not change your perspective?"

"In the name of the Bureau, Sunagakure will dispatch aerial combat units to assist Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Konoha in building aerial defense systems—not as a secondment, but as 'technical support and joint exercises.'"

"In return, the other four ninja villages will pay Sunagakure an ongoing fee. Not a one-time payment, but a long-term technical service fee."

"And in the future, if Sunagakure becomes a target, all the ninja villages will also be obligated to provide immediate support."

Ebizo said, "This so-called obligation to support is nothing but empty talk."

"When an attack actually happens," he looked Roshi in the eye, "you know better than anyone how many days it takes Konoha to reach Sunagakure."

"From Iwagakure's side, even if Ōnoki sends full support, it would still take no less than two days."

"Not to mention the time spent on requesting aid. With the enemy's destructive power, Sunagakure would already cease to exist by then."

Shukaku was unruly, and Gaara was still young. Sunagakure truly had no way to withstand that kind of assault.

Their opponent was not one of the Five Great Ninja Villages and would not hesitate because Sunagakure's shinobi might pour out in a desperate last stand.

"Unless you plan to remain in the Hidden Sand Village, there's no way that promise can actually be fulfilled."

But that was fundamentally impossible.

Roshi spoke softly:

"If Sunagakure suffers massive losses in future attacks, it will receive unconditional funding and manpower assistance for reconstruction."

"When that time comes, ensure the safety of your people. As long as Sunagakure's shinobi survive, what you lose are only buildings."

"In the current situation, the more Sunagakure refuses to unite, the harder it will be to face what comes next."

"And the more Sunagakure accepts the alliance, at the very least, Konoha and Kumogakure will stand as its backup."

Chiyo turned her head to look out at the village beyond the window.

Last year, they had been planning new oases and calculating this year's profits. In just a few months, they now might have to rely on outsiders simply to preserve the village itself.

Ebizo sat in gloomy silence, then forced himself to speak. "What can Konoha use as a guarantee?"

Roshi's answer was simple:

"This land, the Land of Wind itself, is the guarantee. As long as people live on this land, they will need security."

"If it isn't Sunagakure, it will be another group of people of the wind and sand under the name of Sunagakure—or under some entirely different name."

"A village will rise here again. So why would Konoha choose a new village filled with resentment?"

It was brutally realistic. Cold.

And undeniably true.

Chiyo closed her eyes. After a long silence, she answered hoarsely:

"...Sunagakure agrees."

Roshi nodded, but he didn't stand. Instead, he said:

"There is one more thing."

"Can Sunagakure keep Shukaku safe?"

Without waiting for their response, he continued:

"The Exchange Student Program we agreed upon last year is about to begin. Let's include that child... Gaara as well."

The identity of Shukaku was no secret to the people of Sunagakure.

But outsiders shouldn't have known.

Had the Jinchūriki spent too much time outside the village each year? Or had he come back too often, drawing attention? Or had Baki let something slip?

Chiyo didn't have the time—or the luxury—to dig for the answer.

Whether to let the Jinchūriki leave the village came down to a single question: would Sunagakure choose to trust Konoha, or take another path?

For instance, opening talks again with the power behind the Land of Snow.

And that led to a deeper problem: why even bother with those people? They held the power to destroy Sunagakure at its very foundations—a power Konoha also possessed.

What could they really offer the village? Vague promises, perhaps a share of whatever Sky Ninja technology they'd scavenged. But Konoha could offer far more, and far more directly.

So Chiyo had to face reality. And right now, reality meant facing the three children in front of her.

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