Chapter 75 – Gathering in the Land of Rain: Uchiha Kagami's Bizarre Adventure

The next morning.

Uchiha Kaien was still curled up under the blankets, basking in the morning sunlight streaming through the window. The golden rays lit up the fine fuzz on his cheeks, giving his face a soft, warm glow that made him look incredibly peaceful.

His legs were tucked up in a familiar sleeping pose that made Namikaze Minato smile to himself.

He always sleeps like this, huh? That smooth skin, glowing under the sunlight... It really makes him look even paler.

Minato stood there for a moment, simply appreciating the view. No ulterior motives—just a quiet admiration for something beautiful.

"Kaien... time to get up."

He gently shook Kaien's shoulder, but all he got in return was a sleepy swat of the hand and a muffled grumble.

"Five more minutes..."

"Ninja Rule #13: A shinobi must always stay alert to their surroundings."

Minato was used to Kaien's resistance by now and took the chance to remind him of yet another ninja rule.

"You stay alert. I'll sleep in peace. Sounds like a perfect team setup to me. And besides, I've got the Beast with me. If anyone other than a friendly face shows up, the Beast'll eat them before they even get near."

Kaien blinked a few times, finally shaking off the fog of sleep. He lazily raised a hand and dismissed the phantom beast curled around him, as if to say he could afford to let his guard down whenever he wanted.

Then came the usual routine—get up, wash up, breakfast.

By 6 AM, they were already at Konoha's main gate.

Senju Nawaki was already waiting, fully geared up and ready to go. Another ninja from the Senju clan stood beside him. Though he wore no clan emblem, his respectful posture behind Nawaki said it all—Kaien recognized him from his time around the Senju compound.

Since Nawaki was heading to the frontlines, it only made sense that someone reliable would escort him safely—at least until he reached Tsunade or Orochimaru.

As for why Minato and Kaien were tagging along with this particular jonin-led squad?

Well, Uchiha Kagami had managed to get himself injured. Again.

Not that it was all for nothing. Posing as a bounty hunter, he'd finally dug up some valuable intel on the Black Thread Monster—also known as Kakuzu.

And that was when things got interesting.

Turns out, Kakuzu wasn't just some random rogue ninja. He was a missing-nin from Takigakure, that small, unique village much like Amegakure. Takigakure was home to the Seven-Tails and also had the legendary Hero Water—said to drastically boost a ninja's chakra. And Kakuzu had once belonged to them.

A ninja capable of sealing a tailed beast? Yeah, maybe it wasn't that surprising after all.

But what truly shocked Kagami was Kakuzu's age.

During one of their clashes, Kakuzu had casually revealed that he had once fought the First Hokage.

Which meant... this guy had been around since Hashirama's time.

By Kagami's guess, Kakuzu had to be over sixty—and yet his combat ability hadn't faded in the slightest. It was borderline absurd.

So Kagami had set his sights on taking down Kakuzu. Unfortunately, in their most recent encounter, he'd been outplayed.

Kakuzu leaked Kagami's whereabouts on the black market, drawing in every greedy bounty hunter looking for a shot at the Sharingan or a hefty reward.

Kagami wasn't afraid of them, per se—but being forced into one battle after another quickly drained his chakra reserves.

And just like that, Kakuzu's plan worked.

Kagami ended up back in the Konoha hospital... again.

Which brought us back to today—Minato and Kaien, now without a team leader, tagging along with Nawaki's group.

Nawaki, now a genin with nearly a year of field experience, had finally decided to follow in his sister Tsunade's footsteps—seeking glory on the battlefield, determined to restore the Senju name, and carve his own path to becoming Hokage.

And it just so happened that Uchiha Madara also wanted Kaien on the frontlines.

So everything lined up perfectly.

Kaien, Nawaki, and Minato—this was the squad now headed to the frontlines in Amegakure.

"You're late," Kaien called out with a smirk. "Senior Deadweight, you sure you won't blow yourself up with your own explosive tags out there?"

He wasn't even joking this time. Nawaki was barely special jonin level—maybe just scraping into jonin territory—and that kind of power was barely enough to keep stray kunai and jutsu from taking him out.

In simpler terms? He'd just graduated from cannon fodder.

"Hah! Don't worry about me! I'm the explosive tag master! No trap using them can escape my eye!"

Nawaki's confidence was practically glowing.

Kaien rolled his eyes but didn't push further. He was here, after all—there was no way Nawaki would die that easily.

After a final gear check, the team set out for the Land of Rain.

Kaien carried all his equipment using the Lightning Flash Blade Creation's storage technique. He'd even managed to mark Madara's iconic war fan, the Cloudpiercer, after much coaxing, pleading, and shameless flattery. It was now his hidden ace.

...

Though the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire, the change in climate was immediate the moment they crossed the border.

The dry warmth of Fire Country was gone, replaced by the damp, bone-chilling air of Rain Country.

Nawaki and Minato both shuddered slightly, instinctively channeling chakra to adjust to the new environment.

Kaien, on the other hand, didn't even blink.

He'd been here plenty of times—after all, conning Nagato wasn't something you pulled off in one day. He visited regularly, checking in, keeping appearances, and updating Madara on everything—including the latest in pink-themed undergarments.

He and Madara were practically in a contest over who would crack first.

"You don't feel anything from the weather?" Minato asked, surprised. "Rain Country's climate is nothing like Fire Country's..."

"An Uchiha can adapt to any battlefield, no matter how harsh."

Kaien tilted his head slightly, his tone full of pride. Like it was some kind of natural-born trait.

"...Right," Minato deadpanned. If you'd said literally anything else, I might've believed you.

Their journey was uneventful.

They were taking Konoha's supply route, after all—if even that was vulnerable to ambushes, then the war effort might as well be scrapped.

Rain Country simply didn't have the manpower to face off against two major villages.

Their war cries were just that—cries. Without Hanzō of the Salamander holding the front, they were getting steamrolled. And even Hanzō couldn't be everywhere—he had to rotate between fighting Konoha and Sunagakure, constantly juggling both fronts in a never-ending loop.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (156 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)