I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

"That Rat's Tail Juice from the Hokage Building! They actually rejected my application! They've ruined my youth! Obito, you should be more careful; your teacher is a total latecomer!"

The King of Lateness... How apt! He really was late at the most crucial moment!

"Obito? Obito?" The repeated calls from his companions ignited a fire of rage within Obito Uchiha.

Isn't it annoying?

"Zetsu, whose name are you calling?" The Sharingan glared at him menacingly. "Do you want to die?"

"Ah, sorry, Lord Madara." Zetsu pointed to the approaching convoy. "Shall we make a move? There are two Uchiha inside. Taking their eyes wouldn't be bad."

"Are you teaching me what to do?"

"Just a reminder to Lord Madara, um... it seems the other side has noticed us." There was a hint of doubt in Zetsu's tone.

Can the Sharingan see this distance?

A fireball rose from the convoy, tearing apart the rain curtain that shrouded the sky. The fireball streaked through the air like a white ribbon before falling toward the ruins on the hillside.

"It's... a bit far..." Jue stared in astonishment at the fireball flying closer and closer.

boom!

The blast wave swept away the last traces of the outpost, leaving behind a large crater filled with rising heat.

"Quite accurate." Zetsu re-emerged from the ground outside the blast zone. "Should be good eyes, Lord Madara... Huh? Where did he go?"

The surroundings were empty; there wasn't even a ghost in sight.

"Ah...it's gone..." came another person's voice from its mouth.

"I have my own eyes, I don't need you to remind me."

The original sound was restored, and Jue sank back into the earth, returning the place to silence.

A few seconds later, a figure suddenly appeared on the hillside.

The newcomer opened his Sharingan eyes and carefully examined the entire hillside.

"Brother Xinxuan." Another figure climbed the hill.

"Why did you come here too?" Uchiha Shingen had already put away his Sharingan; he hadn't found anything just now. "Aren't you going to keep an eye on the team?"

"The group is passing down below, so I came up to take a look." Uchiha Shisui looked at the large crater in front of him and the faintly visible ruins of buildings within it. "It doesn't look like anyone lives here. Maybe it's just my imagination because of the rain."

“There was definitely a chakra reaction just now.” Uchiha Shingen also had some doubts. “Could it be a chakra artifact left behind?”

"Even if there were, you can't see it after you blew it up like this." Uchiha Shisui pointed to the bottom of the pit where the water level was gradually rising.

"Tsk..." Uchiha Shingen looked at the muddy water seeping from the bottom of the pit with some displeasure. "Staying in a place like this for three months is going to be quite a hassle."

"I think it suits you quite well; it makes it very convenient to use water-based techniques."

As they talked, they checked the area again and, after confirming that there was indeed nothing there, left the hill.

When they returned to the convoy, the person in charge from the Land of Rain was waiting on the side of the convoy. Upon seeing the two return, the man named Kusatsu asked nervously, "What happened?"

"It's nothing. I just sensed some chakra here earlier, but I checked and there's no one here."

"It's good that no one's here...it's good that no one's here..." Kusatsu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Uncle Kusatsu, you’re the leader, it’s not appropriate for you to be so nervous.” Uchiha Shingen glanced at the laborers behind him, who were all looking at him anxiously.

I'm really afraid they'll cause a ruckus at any moment.

They are both ordinary people, but the Fire Country Man has a greater sense of composure.

“I know…” Kusatsu nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on it. This country is like this now… well, it’s already like this, there’s nothing more to say.”

How far are we from the capital?

"At the current pace..." Kusatsu estimated in his mind, "it will take another two days."

Are there any towns along the way where we can rest?

“Yes, there are, but we don’t know if the houses are still usable.” Kusatsu looked distressed. “The people who originally lived in the town have long since dispersed, but the new villages won’t be registered in the daimyo prefecture. Whether we can find one depends on luck.”

It's such a mess, it hardly looks like a country.

Uchiha Shingen was helpless. If it weren't for the magistrate of the Land of Fire taking many waterproof measures in advance, the laborers of the Land of Rain would have directly used the transport equipment left by the Land of Fire. Given the environment along the way, the food would probably have been soaked and rotted.

The country's administrative system is basically a state of local autonomy, and there is no order to speak of in the wilderness. The only reason it can continue to exist as a country is because of the joint efforts of the several major powers next door.

What should have been a few days' journey within the Land of Fire took more than half a month here.

In some places, you can't even dry them out with fire-style techniques, there's nowhere to go around them.

He made up his mind; once he arrived at Yu Daming's place, he wouldn't go anywhere else.

What a lousy place this is!

Chapter Twenty-Four: It's normal for me to know other things, right?

When Uchiha Shingen saw the large city on the distant high ground, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was surprised that he hadn't been attacked by anyone, the journey hadn't been easy. The terrible environment was secondary; the main problem was that the Rain Country's team was really unreliable.

At least Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui had to be on high alert at all times.

At this moment, the capital of the Rain Kingdom finally came into view.

However, everyone remained on guard.

After all, there are far too many examples of people being attacked and killed before reaching their destination.

As the procession gradually approached the city gate, the gate was opened, and an armed force filed out.

Those who came were all armed personnel, warriors from the Land of Rain.

In today's ninja countries, samurai refers to lower-class nobles who do not own land but come from good families and are highly educated. These people engage in various professions. Village samurai serve as land surveyors, land appraisers, tax collectors, and security officers. Some city samurai serve as police and security personnel, while others engage in administrative positions. The elite among them are selected as officials or become capable assistants to daimyo and local lords.

Their defining characteristic is their versatility in both literary and martial arts. Many samurai learn ninjutsu because they can condense chakra, and some even choose to become ninjas.

The envoy from the daimyo's mansion that Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui met earlier was a samurai who worked in administration.

Although they are all called samurai, they are not the same as the samurai in the Land of Iron who specialize in killing people.

Compared to their counterparts in the Land of Fire, these warriors from the Land of Rain looked rather pathetic.

Their overall demeanor was truly appalling; most of them looked malnourished and as if they were constantly starving. Uchiha Shingen seriously doubted whether they could properly shoulder the responsibilities of police and security in a city.

This is the current state of the Land of Rain: ninjas are powerless to fulfill their military function of protecting and expanding society, and nobles are unable to provide organizational forms for production activities and social order. The mutual support mechanism between the two has completely collapsed, leading to a vicious cycle.

Kusatsu stepped forward and met with the leader of the Rain Country samurai.

Guided by the samurai, the caravan slowly entered the city.

Upon entering the city, Uchiha Shingen discovered that it was not as desolate as he had imagined.

However, without the support of the rural economy, it's not exactly a good situation.

At the very least, it lacks basic necessities and food, especially food.

A warrior from the Land of Rain arrived to convey the Rain Daimyo's instructions, inviting guests from the Land of Fire to his palace.

Although it is called a palace, it is actually a fortress within a city.

Unlike the Land of Fire, the cities of the Land of Rain are mainly built of stone, with many metal pipes inside and out for drainage. They look far less comfortable than the Land of Fire, where wooden buildings are prevalent.

The appearance of the Rain Daimyo was also quite different from what Uchiha Shingen had imagined.

He originally thought that Yu Daming should be like a frightened bird, trembling with fear.

He later realized he had been overthinking things.

This guy was fat and had a shiny, oily face. He didn't seem uncomfortable at all and was completely out of place in the city.

Uchiha Shingen initially thought that all the samurai in this city were like the ones he had seen at the city gate, but he was wrong.

The samurai around the daimyo were all incredibly healthy.

As expected of the great name of rain, even though the country was filled with starving people, it did not stop him from maintaining the dignity of a superior person.

Compared to him, the Five Great Kings are practically honest men.

"Hehehe~" The Daimyo of Rain forced out a laugh. It was clear that he wouldn't normally speak like this. "The two Jonin of Konoha must be tired from their journey. Please rest well in this palace."

"Your Highness, we will protect your safety for the next three months." Seeing that Uchiha Shisui didn't intend to speak, Uchiha Shingen had no choice but to step forward himself. "Could you please inform me about the situation in this city?"

"Hmm... I'll have to trouble you two." The Rain Daimyo nodded "reservedly." "After all, those Rain Village ninjas are completely unreliable. I don't like the way they talk; they don't respect me, their daimyo, at all."

Let's just assume they weren't faking it.

“Understood. Then please allow us to take our leave and familiarize ourselves with the structure of this palace,” said Uchiha Shingen.

"No problem, please go ahead."

He lifted his foot and instantly moved away without hesitation.

Yu Daming is definitely the kind of person who's difficult to deal with.

Uchiha Shisui followed behind.

"Brother Xinxuan, are you in a bad mood?"

"After all, he looks like the kind of customer who's difficult to deal with," Uchiha Shingen said with a hint of helplessness.

"Yes, although they seem easy to talk to, they don't trust us at all."

"It doesn't matter. Our mission is simply to protect his life. I'll go into the city and take a look. You can explore the palace."

"it is good."

After exchanging tasks with Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Shingen left the fortress in the city.

Back in the city, he began to familiarize himself with the surroundings by walking through the streets and alleys.

The city has a large number of beggars, which means it would be easy for the enemy to infiltrate.

However, his ninja attire seemed to be quite intimidating in the city, and no one dared to bother him.

The city's buildings are mostly high-rises, and the streets are quite wide, but there are manhole covers everywhere.

Uchiha Shingen created several shadow clones, each of which lifted a manhole cover and jumped in.

By evening, the information from the shadow clone had been relayed back.