The Land of Rain was a place where it never stopped raining.
Endless droplets fell from a grey sky, pooling in muddy streets and leaking through the cracked tiles of half-collapsed houses. The ceaseless downpour made the country feel as if it were crying — not for a day or a year, but for an entire generation.
Though it stood at the center of the continent, few knew what truly happened within its borders. Years of internal strife, mercenary wars, and political purges had left it isolated. The great nations barely spoke its name anymore.
It was precisely because of this chaos that the Akatsuki could rise here.
In the Land of Fire, an organization harboring even one S-rank rogue shinobi would trigger an immediate Anbu extermination mission. But here, in a country already broken, even an army of outcasts could flourish unnoticed.
Senmei Asahi had visited the Land of Rain before — back then as a soldier on assignments, not as an observer. He had passed through its ruins without really seeing them. This time was different.
The rain-soaked streets told their own story: barefoot children digging through trash, beggars huddled in alleys, mercenaries sleeping beside rusted weapons. Despair was so thick it felt alive.
'No wonder the Akatsuki were born here.' he thought. 'A dream is the only thing left for people with nothing.'
At this stage, Akatsuki remained small — a group devoted to ending war and bringing peace to their ravaged country. Their idealism, naive as it was, had earned them followers among the villagers. In a place where even hope was rare, the promise of peace was precious.
After discreetly paying a few informants, Asahi found their base on the outskirts of a ruined district.
Roughly a hundred members — not many. But what struck him was the atmosphere.
Unlike the gaunt citizens of Amegakure, these men and women smiled. They carried tools, built shelters, shared food. In the gloom of this country, their optimism looked almost unnatural.
Nearby, a few Akatsuki members whispered:
"I wonder what the leader will decide — will we really negotiate with Hanzo?"
"Hmph, negotiate? Hanzo only wants to absorb Akatsuki into his ranks. Everyone knows that!"
"But if we refuse, he'll attack us himself!"
"Let him! Hanzo wouldn't be talking if he wasn't afraid of our strength. And as long as Yahiko leads us, we've got nothing to fear!"
"That's right!"
Their faith in Yahiko's leadership was absolute.
Asahi lingered on the outskirts for several days, quietly observing. From the fragments he gathered, one thing became clear: Hanzo of the Salamander had invited Akatsuki to a "peace negotiation". Whether it was genuine or a trap remained unclear.
But Asahi knew Hanzo's reputation — and Shimura Danzo's methods.
'If Danzo has already contacted him,' Asahi thought, 'then this isn't a negotiation — it's a funeral in disguise.'
The Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire. A militant organization this close to Konoha's borders was a political threat. Danzo would never allow such a movement to exist independently, especially one led by charismatic, idealistic shinobi like Yahiko.
And if Danzo still maintained ties to Uchiha Madara's network, then this "operation" might be part of a much deeper game — one designed to push Uzumaki Nagato to awaken fully as the Rinnegan's chosen host, setting the masked Obito's manipulation in motion.
During the next few days, Asahi expanded his reconnaissance radius. Near Amegakure's central district, he found faint traces — Root chakra signatures, cold and clinical.
Danzo's agents were already here.
But of the masked man himself, there was no sign.
…
Meanwhile, deep beneath the drenched land, inside a dim cave lit by bio-luminescent moss, a quiet conversation took place.
"Yo, Obito! How does it feel to see an old acquaintance?" White Zetsu's teasing voice echoed lazily off the wet stone.
"I don't know him." the masked man replied curtly. His voice carried the deliberate gravity of authority, though an undertone of youth still bled through. "And don't call me that. I am Uchiha Madara now."
White Zetsu chuckled. "So what, you want to go greet him, Madara-sama?"
Obito turned his gaze toward the dripping cave entrance. "How could he appear here now? Did he sense something?"
"He's probably following Danzo." White Zetsu said, tone suddenly serious. "He's been lingering near Amegakure for days. If Danzo's been sloppy, that's how he found this place."
Obito's expression hardened behind the mask. "That one is troublesome. If possible, we should draw him away before he interferes. Otherwise, it could ruin the plan."
"Then what do we do?" White Zetsu asked.
Obito paused, thinking, then said coldly, "Leak his presence to Akatsuki. Let them handle him."
"Got it." White Zetsu replied, sinking slowly into the ground until only ripples of chakra remained.
The Zetsu pair had one mission beyond nurturing Obito's path — to monitor, manipulate, and refine him. Obito still lacked the cunning and patience of the true Madara. White Zetsu would let him make choices — each mistake, each improvisation a lesson.
…
Five days later, Asahi confirmed it beyond doubt. Hanzo and Danzo had already forged an alliance. Their operation was ready. Akatsuki's destruction was only days away.
He stood on a ridge overlooking the muddy sprawl of the Akatsuki base.
Laughter drifted faintly through the rain. Faces young, hopeful, bright.
Those smiles unsettled him.
'They really believe peace is within reach.' he thought quietly. 'But in this country, peace is just a mirage reflected in puddles.'
The Land of Rain was darkness incarnate — drenched, blood-soaked, oppressive. Anyone who lived here too long was changed by it. Even those who reached for sunlight couldn't avoid the taint.
The deeper the hope, the deeper the despair when it breaks.
'When those smiles finally collapse,' Asahi mused, 'that's when the true darkness will awaken. And someone will be there to shape it.'
That someone, he knew, was Uchiha Madara.
Perhaps from the very moment Madara had given the Rinnegan to Uzumaki Nagato, the entire sequence — Hanzo, Yahiko, Pain, Akatsuki — had already been foreseen.
The environment, the loss of family, the death of comrades — it was all the perfect crucible for despair. Kakashi Hatake had friends and mentors to keep him tethered; Nagato would have none.
Instead, he would meet the masked Obito — who would lead him willingly into the dark.
Pat… pat…
Hiding in a shallow cave to avoid the relentless rain, Asahi's senses suddenly flared. Sage Mode had heightened his awareness beyond human norms — even without activating it, his perception rivaled a serpent's.
'Three people,' he thought. 'So it's them.'
He stood and stepped toward the cave mouth, water dripping from his cloak.
"Come out," he called calmly. "I've already found you."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three figures appeared in rapid succession, surrounding him — one ahead, two behind.
The one in front was striking: orange hair, handsome features, a confident expression.
Behind him stood a pale young man with red hair veiling his eyes, and a blue-haired woman with a paper flower pinned elegantly in her hair.
The Akatsuki trio. Yahiko. Nagato. Konan.
"What business brings you here?" Asahi asked evenly.
Yahiko's sharp eyes darted over the Konoha forehead protector on Asahi's brow. His expression cooled instantly.
"A Konoha ninja?" he said. "That question should be mine. What are you doing in our Land of Rain?"
"On a mission." Asahi replied simply.
At a glance, his youth made him look harmless — perhaps a newly promoted genin, or at best, a low-ranking chūnin. No one would guess his true strength.
"On a mission?" Yahiko's tone sharpened. "Don't lie. You've been following us for days. We've been watching you, Konoha ninja."
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]