The following morning, just before dawn, Chiya left Konoha with five elite Uchiha ninja.
These five were all clan elites of considerable strength, and among them was Uchiha Masaki.
By now, Masaki had completely abandoned the ways of the Third Hokage's thinking.
He had begun to fully embrace the principles and standards that Chiya stood for.
They linked up with Hatake Sakumo and his ANBU squad, who were already waiting.
Sakumo was dressed in his ANBU attire, his silver hair swaying faintly in the light breeze.
When he saw Chiya, he gave a small nod.
"Everyone is here?"
Chiya asked.
"Yes. We can move out at any time."
Sakumo answered.
"Then let's go."
"..."
The group moved at a swift pace with no unnecessary conversation, only the quick rhythm of footsteps echoing through the forest.
Around midday, they reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
"Up ahead is the Land of Rain."
Sakumo noted.
Without further words, both squads stepped across into the territory of the Land of Rain.
The moment they entered, the sky turned overcast. Fine, needle-like rain began to fall, soaking their clothes through.
The Land of Rain truly lived up to its name.
It seemed permanently wrapped in grey drizzle, the air thick with dampness.
"This miserable weather..."
Masaki muttered under his breath, lifting a hand to wipe the rain from his face.
Chiya looked up at the grey, heavy sky and said evenly.
"You will get used to it."
Sakumo stepped up beside Chiya and asked quietly.
"How do we proceed from here?"
The corner of Chiya's mouth lifted in a faint, knowing smile.
"Keep walking. You will understand when we get there."
Sakumo paused, puzzled, but seeing how composed and certain Chiya looked, he asked nothing more.
After a brief rest, the group pressed on further into the interior of the Land of Rain.
The rain grew heavier and the road turned to mud, but the team did not slow down.
Chiya walked at the front, his gaze steady. He moved through this land as if he knew it well.
Sakumo followed behind, quietly trying to guess where they were headed.
Toward evening, the group arrived at a concealed valley.
At the very center of the valley stood a simple wooden hut, surrounded on all sides by dense forest. Unless you were specifically looking for it, you would never notice it was there.
Chiya raised a hand to signal the group to stop, then said to Sakumo.
"Wait here in the valley. I will go in and take a look."
Sakumo nodded.
"Be careful."
Chiya vanished with a Body Flicker and approached the hut alone.
He gently pushed the door open. A faint, clean scent of wood met him.
The inside was simple but tidy. A wooden table, a few chairs, and some everyday supplies stacked in the corner.
On the wall hung a few hand-drawn pictures, the style young and unpolished.
Chiya's gaze swept the room. On the table sat a teacup, half full and unfinished. Beside it lay an open book.
"Gutsy Shinobi?"
He walked to the table and picked it up to look.
Jiraiya's novel?
Chiya opened it briefly and flipped through a few pages.
'Well, it is a spirited read. Not bad at all!'
After a moment, he set it down and pulled out another book nearby, one on the basics of ninjutsu, its pages covered in dense handwritten notes.
"Clearly someone who takes studying seriously..."
Chiya murmured under his breath, a small smile on his lips.
He walked to a reed mat on the side, sat down, and waited quietly.
Time passed minute by minute. The rain outside gradually let up, leaving only the sound of water dripping from the eaves and tapping against the ground.
About an hour passed.
Then, faint footsteps came from outside. A sharp crack of a branch underfoot followed.
Chiya's ears shifted slightly. Someone was coming.
The next moment, the wooden door was shoved open and several paper shuriken shot toward Chiya like a gust of wind!
Chiya tilted his head just slightly. The paper shuriken grazed past his hair and embedded themselves into the wall behind him.
'They noticed the trace I left and reacted right away. Good instincts.'
He noted it inwardly with approval, his expression remaining calm.
He raised his hands to form seals.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
Then, "High-Speed Body Flicker!"
Chiya was already outside, standing on the branch of a large tree, looking down at the three figures below from above.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
They were much more mature than when he had last seen them. The youthful softness in their eyes had been replaced by something harder.
"Let me see what you are made of."
Chiya said quietly.
He leaped down from the tree and launched the first strike himself.
Yahiko spotted Chiya's figure first and shouted.
"Watch out! Enemy here!"
He formed hand seals, and a water dragon burst from his palms, surging straight at Chiya.
Chiya neither dodged nor retreated. He opened his mouth.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The blazing fireball vaporized the water dragon into mist in an instant.
Yahiko's pupils contracted. He clearly had not expected such powerful Fire Style.
Nagato saw this and pressed his palms together.
"Wind Style, Gale Palm!"
A violent wind swept up the rain on the ground, forming a water tornado that bore down on Chiya.
Chiya fell back quickly.
At the same time, Konan's paper shuriken came flying in from the side. Chiya's eyes flashed and the High-Speed Body Flicker activated again, slipping past them with ease.
"Your coordination is solid, but not enough."
Chiya's voice suddenly came from directly behind the three of them.
They spun around. Another "Chiya" had appeared at their backs without any of them noticing.
Yahiko gritted his teeth and charged with a punch, but Chiya caught his wrist with one hand and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him hard into the ground.
Nagato moved to help but caught a kick to the abdomen and staggered backward.
Konan spread her paper wings and took to the air. Countless sheets of paper transformed into sharp blades and rained down toward Chiya.
Chiya formed hand seals and called out in a low voice.
"Fire Style, Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
The blazing flames burned every sheet of paper in the air to nothing. Chiya stepped forward and grabbed Konan by the ankle, pulling her straight down.
Konan was forced to the ground, her face pale.
The fight was completely one-sided. Chiya moved through the three of them with effortless ease, almost as if toying with them.
Just as Yahiko was about to charge again, Nagato and Konan both grabbed him at the same time.
"Wait, Yahiko!"
Konan's voice trembled slightly. She stared hard at Chiya's eyes. Those deep, dark eyes stirred something inexplicably familiar in her.
Nagato frowned as well and said quietly.
"His chakra... I feel like I have sensed it somewhere before."
Yahiko looked baffled.
"What are you two talking about? He is the enemy!"
Konan paid no attention to Yahiko's words. She took a deep breath and called out, her voice tentative.
"Chi... Chiya-nii?"
Hearing his name, Chiya stopped. The serious expression on his face gradually melted away, replaced by a warm smile.
He formed hand seals and released the Transformation Jutsu.
The unfamiliar face faded, returning to his own.
"It has been a long time, Konan."
Chiya said softly.
Konan's tears spilled over in an instant, as if she could not believe her own eyes.
"Your strength has come a long way."
Hearing Chiya's voice again, Nagato's Rinnegan eyes went wide.
Yahiko stood frozen for a moment before it sank in.
"Chiya-nii?! What are you doing here?"
Chiya walked toward the three of them. Konan moved first and rushed forward.
He held her close, feeling how much she had grown, and gently stroked her hair.
His gaze moved to Nagato and Yahiko, and he smiled.
"I came to see you all. And to talk with Amegakure about a partnership, while I am here."
All three felt a rush of surprise and confusion at once.
The rain continued to fall, but in the air at that moment, there was something new. The warmth of a reunion long overdue.