Naruto: IHCS Ch. 139

The rain pattered softly on the newly tiled roofs of Ame, trickling down the eaves and gathering into thin streams along the stone drains.

Hanzō stood atop the iron tower, gazing down at the village below his feet. This was the first time in months he had found a moment to quietly observe the village in its entirety.

The rain soon stopped.

Sunlight pierced the clouds with some difficulty.

He drew in a deep breath. The air carried that unique freshness only found after rain.

"Hanzō-sama."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Tokisame stepped out onto the outer platform of the tower and came up behind Hanzō, bowing slightly. He was the one overseeing the entire reconstruction of the village. No one in Ame knew the details of its rebuilding better than he did.

"How's the progress?" Hanzō asked, his eyes still fixed on the village below.

"The final batch of desks and chairs was installed at the academy yesterday."

"Thirty houses on the east side of the residential district are now ready to be occupied. We're aiming to finish fifteen more on the west side before the end of the week." Tokisame reported as he stepped up beside Hanzō.

"The hospital has already begun operating. We don't have many medical-nin yet, but their numbers will grow."

Hanzō nodded, a flicker of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. His gaze had softened noticeably.

From this height, the progress of Ame's reconstruction was indeed astonishing.

The districts once ravaged by war now stood lined with rows of simple but sturdy houses, their roofs uniformly covered in dark-gray tiles, their walls built from stone, waterproof and durable.

Streets that had been desolate were now alive with movement.

Not just ninjas, but far more ordinary villagers.

Old men sat on porches watching the street. Women carrying baskets moved about the temporary market. Children chased each other playfully over the newly paved stone roads.

Only Hanzō and the Ame ninjas who had worked on the rebuilding knew how much effort it had taken to bring about this scene.

The people of the Land of Rain were finally beginning to believe that peace had come to this weathered land.

"Let's go have a look."

Hanzō turned and started toward the stairs. Tokisame followed closely.

The two descended the iron tower and stepped into the street.

By now the sunlight had fully broken through the clouds, gleaming on the still-damp stone road.

A rainbow appeared in the sky.

The sudden rainbow made the children playing in the street stop in their tracks. They all looked up at the sky at once, pointing at the rainbow and shouting:

"Rainbow!"

"What a beautiful rainbow!"

Their excited voices echoed down the street.

Hanzō and Tokisame also looked up. The rainbow reflected in their eyes.

Several children ran past them, chasing after the rainbow, almost bumping into Tokisame. They had no idea that the two men they passed were the leaders of their village.

Excited cries swept past Hanzō's ears. He tore his gaze from the rainbow and followed the children with his eyes as their small figures disappeared into the distance.

In that moment, a surge of indescribable emotion welled up in Hanzō's heart.

Wasn't this exactly why he had once decided to drive the great nations' ninjas out of the Land of Rain, so that all of the country's children could run freely through the streets?

This scene before him meant their goal had been realized.

To protect this newly reborn Ame, he would give everything.

He would never allow anyone to destroy the peace and tranquility of the Land of Rain now.

Hanzō and Tokisame continued walking, passing a row of newly completed houses.

Each house followed essentially the same design: two stories, with the living area and kitchen on the ground floor and bedrooms upstairs, simple and practical.

At some doorways Hanzō saw potted plants, some had even hung wind chimes. The breath of everyday life was slowly returning to this scarred land.

They turned a corner and entered the commercial district, the liveliest part of the village.

Temporary stalls displayed all sorts of goods: vegetables, handwoven baskets, tools...

The air was thick with the aroma of steamed buns, vegetable cakes, and other foods.

Standing among the crowd, Hanzō and Tokisame could hear the villagers talking:

"The school's enrolling students next month. Are you sending yours?"

"Of course! Before, we had no schools at all. Now that we do, why wouldn't I?"

"I hope my child has the talent to become a ninja!"

"The ninjas brought peace to the Land of Rain. I hope my child will become a ninja who protects this peace!"

"Well said! It's true, we've lost so many ninjas to win this peace. We must cherish it..."

"I still can't believe Hanzō-sama actually drove those ninjas out!"

"Right? Who would've thought he would really expel the great nations' ninjas?"

"Now our Land of Rain has truly regained peace. We'll never again be a battlefield for those big nations!"

"We misunderstood him back then. Looking back, declaring war on the Five Great Nations was a decision that will benefit us for generations!"

"Our Land of Rain will now have ninjas of its own to protect it. We'll never face war again!"

Hanzō and Tokisame walked through the crowd. They headed toward the newly built ninja academy.

The academy was a long, three-story building, the largest in Ame so far.

Its classrooms had wide windows and multiple exits. The training grounds were finished, though the training equipment was not yet fully installed.

Hanzō stepped into the main building. The corridor was spacious and bright, with neat rows of classroom doors on both sides.

Each classroom had blackboards and desks for students, simple but sufficient.

"Each classroom can hold fifty students. The first floor has ten regular classrooms. The second floor has five specialized classrooms and a library. The library's collection is still being gathered, but we already have nearly a thousand books..." Tokisame explained as he followed at Hanzō's side.

Hanzō entered one of the classrooms and ran his fingers across a desk.

Suddenly, his steps halted.

A figure surfaced in his mind.

"Hanzō-sama?"

Tokisame looked at the suddenly distant Hanzō and asked.

He observed Hanzō's expression carefully, then something suddenly flashed across his mind. Unable to help himself, he smiled.

"Were you thinking of Shiratori?"

Hanzō came back to his senses. He walked to the window, looked out at the training grounds, and nodded slightly.

In his mind, he couldn't help but picture Shiratori training together with the students on the field.

"I was thinking, when he comes back and sees the present state of Ame, he'll definitely be shocked."

As he pictured that moment, a faint smile surfaced in Hanzō's eyes.

Tokisame walked up beside him, also gazing at the field outside the window. He nodded:

"Yeah! He'll definitely be happy to see this! I just wonder how he's doing now..."

Tokisame suddenly shifted the topic, looked at Hanzō, and said:

"But recently the riots in the Land of Rain have decreased a lot. Even the border regions, once so chaotic, have quieted down considerably. That shows how much effort he must have put in!"

Hanzō nodded with relief.

"Yes... When I first entrusted such a heavy mission to him, I was worried he'd get hurt. His strength was never the issue, but his heart was too soft, I feared he'd be deceived. But now, it seems he has done an excellent job!"

Tokisame smiled.

His eyes lit up, and he suggested, "When he comes back to Ame, why don't we have him guide the students in learning ninjutsu?"

Hanzō nodded.

"Worth a try."

Although Shiratori was very talented, the talent for learning ninjutsu and the talent for teaching ninjutsu were not the same. It still needed to be tested.

The two walked out of the academy building and arrived at the training grounds, still under construction.

Ninjas were busy installing various training facilities, wooden stakes, targets, climbing walls, and so on.

"Do we have statistics on the student enrollment?"

On the road away from the school, Hanzō asked.

Tokisame was well-prepared. He thought briefly, then answered:

"There are about a few hundred children of the right age, including orphans from the war. According to your instructions, all children will receive a foundation in general education, not just ninja skills. As for teachers, we plan to employ surviving ninjas from the battlefield. This will not only ease their psychological burden but also allow them to pass on more useful knowledge to the children."

In the Land of Rain, sunshine was rarer than rainfall. The sky had only been clear for half a day, and already the sun was setting and clouds were gathering again.

Hanzō raised his head, gazing at the sky as dark clouds closed in once more.

Sunny days were always short-lived. But they had already learned how to move forward in the rain, and even draw strength from it.

Hanzō cast one last glance at the children chasing each other in the street, then turned toward the iron tower at the village's center.

Raindrops began to fall, at first just a few, then more and more.

Yet the villagers did not hurry to seek shelter. They continued their activities, only donning straw cloaks or raising umbrellas.

People in the Land of Rain had long grown used to sudden showers.

A little girl stood under the eaves of a house, staring blankly at the curtain of rain.

She was about six or seven years old, just the right age for school.

Hanzō stopped involuntarily.

This girl... she looked familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before.

"No umbrella?"

Hanzō asked.

Through his respirator, his voice sounded cold and detached.

But the girl showed no fear.

She looked up at him and shook her head slowly.

"Obachan says children of the Land of Rain aren't afraid of the rain."

Hanzō nodded lightly:

"Your grandma is right. What's your name?"

"Yuki," the girl said firmly. "You're Hanzō-sama!"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Hanzō's eyes.

"You know me?"

"There isn't anyone in the Land of Rain who doesn't know you."

Yuki looked at him and said.

Hanzō paused, then chuckled.

"Since you're not afraid of rain, why hide here?"

"I'm not hiding. I'm watching the rain," Yuki explained.

She bit her lip, looked at Hanzō, as though she wanted to ask something, but hesitated.

Hanzō prompted.

"What is it you want to say?"

Her eyes lit up. She asked eagerly:

"Hanzō-sama... Shiratori-nii, where did he go? Ever since I came to Ame, I haven't seen him once."

At that moment, Hanzō finally remembered where he had seen this little girl before.

When they returned victorious from the battlefield, a group of refugees had come to the center of Ame in search of food. She had been among them.

Shiratori had gone straight out on missions the moment he returned to the village. Other than the ninjas, no one knew his whereabouts.

Hanzō answered, "Shiratori went on a mission."

"Then when will he come back?" the girl immediately pressed.

Hanzō shook his head.

"His mission is very difficult. I don't know when he'll return."

A flicker of disappointment passed through Yuki's eyes. Her head drooped slightly.

"But," Hanzō continued, "if you really want to see him, you can enroll in the academy. Once you become a ninja, you'll surely see him often. Who knows, you might even become his subordinate and fight by his side. Would you like that?"

The disappointment vanished from her face in an instant.

Her eyes sparkled, and she nodded vigorously:

"Yes! I would!"

A smile flashed in Hanzō's eyes:

"Good."

When the girl's figure finally disappeared into the rain, Tokisame spoke up, "Looks like Shiratori is quite popular."

There was a trace of mischief in his eyes.

Hanzō chuckled softly.

"For the school's recruitment, use the words I just told her."

He glanced at Tokisame as he spoke.

Tokisame stifled a laugh and nodded:

"Yes."

In the Land of Rain, it was not only Hanzō who was famous. There was also the young Shiratori, who had turned the tide of battle on the frontlines.

Compared to the already-aged Hanzō, Shiratori, still just a youth, naturally held a stronger appeal for the children.