Naruto: Reshaping the Shinobi World with Sasori

A few days later, the three, led by Arai, sped through the familiar woodland.

They had just crossed the border of the Land of Rain and were currently evading the patrols and reconnaissance of the Rain Village.

Thanks to Arai's extensive battlefield experience and familiarity with the borders of the Land of Rain, this infiltration went very smoothly... but extra caution is needed on the front lines of the Land of Rain.

Their route to the interior required several detours... they couldn't just go straight in.

Once we break through this region and get closer to the heart of the Land of Rain, the pressure will be much less.

Before that, in addition to taking a roundabout route, they also had to maintain a full-speed sprint.

Although the wartime deployment of the Rain Country is not as tight now... it is still very difficult to infiltrate it silently.

Suddenly, Shinji made a gesture.

The next second, the three people who were flying in an arrow shape instantly turned into several streaks of light and disappeared.

A few seconds later, another three-person Rain Village team appeared nearby. After checking the surrounding environment, they quickly retreated.

However, the three members of the Arai group still did not show up.

After a while, once they were sure it was safe, Arai whistled a very faint yet peculiar whistle, like the call of some kind of bird... Yubi and Sasori then emerged from their hiding places and continued on their way.

...

A day later, Arai led the two across a hill. Just as they reached the foot of the hill and stepped out of the forest, he sensed something amiss again and stopped.

A light rain was falling from the sky, and a thin layer of dark clouds covered the sky overhead.

Since entering the Land of Rain, the weather here has always seemed gloomy... the sun is nowhere to be seen, and the air is quite humid.

It's completely different from the Land of Wind.

As expected of the land of rain.

It's truly a place constantly visited by rain.

The three held their breath and remained motionless in their concealed spot in the forest for a long time. Under their watchful eyes, a small puddle on the muddy ground in front of them, which appeared to be a normal accumulation of rainwater, suddenly rippled... A human head emerged from the water, observing its surroundings.

Once he was sure no one was around, the hidden figure in the rain fully emerged from the water and then left.

This is clearly a kind of camouflage technique that allows one to blend naturally into the environment.

Arai, as expected of a seasoned elite Jonin, immediately noticed something was wrong.

"The perception of chakra..."

Yubi felt that the opponent's ninjutsu was somewhat familiar... It was very similar to the techniques used by the two minor characters Naruto encountered on his first mission outside the village.

However, there are some differences in the form and effect of ninjutsu.

It's hard to spot the flaws with the naked eye... Arai's keen perception shows that he also has a strong sense of chakra.

This area is almost the last border defense line of Amegakure.

Once this warning line is crossed, you've officially entered the heart of the Land of Rain.

After the other party left, the three of them immediately walked out of the forest and sped away.

In short, although the journey was quite troublesome, it was ultimately safe and sound.

……

Once they entered deeper into the Land of Rain, the three of them were able to relax a bit more.

"Let's take a break."

After a while, Arai found a relatively safe place and gave her some instructions.

Although it didn't take long to break through the entire defense line of the Rain Country forces, it still took a considerable toll on their physical strength and energy.

Yubi and Scorpion closed their eyes to rest.

Arai was in charge of keeping watch... For a Jonin like him, the mission wasn't particularly difficult at this point.

After all, there were only three of them, and the fewer the number of people, the safer it would be.

Given enough experience in dealing with this kind of situation, and at this juncture, with his abilities, the success rate of penetrating the Land of Rain is relatively high.

But if it's seven or eight people, it could be dangerous.

A few hours later, it briefly regained some of its 'energy'.

The three of them continued their journey... The sooner they arrived in the Land of Grass, the better for them.

Later... the three of them also disguised themselves, changed into plain clothes, and pretended to be locals or merchants from the Land of Rain.

The three walked along the roads of the Land of Rain, wearing raincoats to protect themselves from the rain. Along the way, they passed through some villages or towns, but the scenes they saw were... extremely desolate.

Most of the villages have been destroyed or damaged by the war... In some villages, only one or two families are left living there, and the conditions are extremely difficult.

In contrast, Sunagakure Village, though currently mired in economic stagnation, is in a much better position.

Along the way, you will occasionally encounter some refugees or fugitives.

With the veil of war torn away, the true internal situation of the Rain Country was laid bare before the three.

They also encountered a group of bandits kidnapping civilians... and witnessed a fierce fight between two groups in the rain, seemingly indicating a conflict between two local factions.

However, the three of them did not intervene and were only concerned with continuing their journey.

"Outsiders only saw Hanzo overpowering the three legendary Sannin of Konoha on the battlefield, but the overall situation at the time was that Konoha's military strength could easily destroy the Rain Country's defenses on the border, allowing a large number of Konoha ninja to enter the core area of ​​the Rain Country... It's just that due to the need to fight on multiple fronts, Konoha couldn't focus all its efforts on dealing with the Rain Country... Otherwise..."

These scenes prompted Arai to talk about the 'truth' behind the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Not only the people of Konoha, but also the troops of Sunagakure frequently broke through the defenses of the Land of Rain and entered the country in the early stages of the war.

The current state of devastation in the Land of Rain is largely due to the ninjas from Konoha or other villages.

Of course, the unruly and chaotic forces within the country that are difficult to control are also one of the reasons that make matters worse.

The ugliness and darkness of human nature were laid bare under the ravages of war.

"Although the Land of Rain has produced a powerful figure like Hanzo, whose name will be etched in history... the gap between them and the great ninja villages is still quite significant. Not only Konoha... even Sunagakure, if not for the need to defend against other hostile forces, could easily crush the Land of Rain in a one-on-one situation..."

Yubi thought to himself that he also agreed with Arai's judgment.

"The main reason for the current situation in the Land of Rain is mostly due to Hanzo's close associates, who, for their own selfish gain, have ties with many local forces and are doing everything they can to squeeze money out of the common people... The Land of Rain was forcibly established through Hanzo's ruthless iron fist, and the entire upper echelons of the Land of Rain follow this ideology. In their eyes, they probably don't care about the lives of ordinary people... Whoever has the bigger fist has the most say. These common people of the Land of Rain enjoy such a large territory and the protection from Amegakure only because of Hanzo's battles on the battlefield... Therefore, they should contribute some 'profits'."

"Hanzo couldn't possibly be unaware of all this... but Amegakure's troops, including his own expenses and enjoyment, all require sufficient funds to support them... so he can only turn a blind eye."

"These local forces may seem chaotic, but they have intricate connections with the higher-ups of Amegakure... In other words, even if someone wanted to revolt, it would be difficult to change the status quo of the Land of Rain, because the ultimate enemy they would face is the demigod who single-handedly built the Land of Rain."

"This is a vicious cycle. Even if Hanzo dies... his deeply ingrained authoritarian ideology will still affect many people and future generations... The Land of Rain is like a patient with a terminal illness, which is beyond saving and will only get worse."

Yubi began, "The origin of this disease lies in the flawed governing philosophy... Sometimes, the impact of a failed leader on the fate of a nation far exceeds that of a so-called Shinobi World War."

"Belief and will... are the hidden forces that truly determine whether a village or a country has a future, even when they lie beneath the surface of war."

After he finished speaking, both Sasori and Arai glanced at him.

Arai, in particular, had a sudden glint in his eyes.

"..."

On the one hand, I felt that Yubi's words had a somewhat suggestive meaning.

On the other hand, it was unexpected that Yubi had such a unique understanding and analysis of the political landscape.

They only thought that the Land of Rain was affected by the war and that it was caused by Hanzo's poor management... they didn't think that far ahead at all.

Now that Yubi has said it, I suddenly feel... that seems to be true.

Otherwise, even though the Land of Rain has a relatively short history of development, as long as Hanzo is willing to take action and sincerely reform it, and use his powerful strength to sweep away all the roots of chaos, the Land of Rain can still be "rejuvenated" and full of hope.

Now, it is Hanzo who has brought them both success and failure.

"you…"

Arai hesitated to speak.

"Haha... I'm just guessing, I don't know if it's accurate."

Yubi seemed to know what Arai wanted to say, and under the dripping raincoat, she raised her head and showed off a row of small white teeth.