The next day, after getting Mujie's report, Charlie felt a mix of emotions. The Land of Grass had somehow managed to offend every neighboring country and earned the hatred of every shinobi village. Mujie had really played the fair-weather friend angle to the fullest.
After hearing the report, Charlie slipped quietly into the Land of Rain. The poisonous smoke ring surrounding the outskirts couldn't stop him.
Soon, he reached the location described in the intelligence. But when he saw a small girl with pale blue-purple hair lying motionless on the ground nearby, Charlie fell silent.
Had he arrived too early? Or too late?
Charlie was stunned when he received an unexpected generous reward along with a complete shinobi scroll titled [Secret Technique: Shikigami no Mai – Dance of the Paper Jutsu]. He hadn't anticipated completing a special mission at all.
Special mission were incredibly rare compared to the three regular daily tasks; in fact, since arriving in the Land of Grass, he had only encountered three.
These included Konan's order, "I want a warm home!" which he had completed, and Black Zetsu's, "Let me see Mother one last time," which remained unfinished. Both completed orders had been highly rewarding, so the payoff was definitely worth it.
Special mission usually came from important characters, and since Charlie had been stuck in the Land of Grass without meeting many key figures, it made sense that he'd seen so few special missions.
As for Black Zetsu, Charlie recalled an odd encounter while submitting some artwork. He'd seen a strange man buying drawing paper and brushes, who also asked the shopkeeper if they had any detailed catalogs of... poop illustrations.
The man clearly had no ryo, and after being scolded by the shopkeeper, was kicked out for loitering. Something about him had seemed oddly familiar, so Charlie out of sheer impulse bought him a cheap brush and some parchment.
Just as the man left, a cloaked figure appeared from the treeline and pulled him into the shadows. Charlie's blood ran cold as realization hit, he had just handed supplies to the infamous White-Faced Black Zetsu, the one who had manipulated the shinobi world behind the scenes. Of course, Charlie never saw them again.
Now that he thought about it, the Kannabi Bridge was located within the Land of Grass. That meant Madara's remains were likely still buried deep underground somewhere nearby, entangled with the roots of the God Tree.
As for Black Zetsu's mission, Charlie knew it was practically impossible to complete at this stage. It might only be possible during the Fourth Great shinobi War. So, the quest remained unfinished and was mostly ignored.
After finishing Konan's mision and feeding her, Charlie took her to the location indicated by the intelligence office. Running into Konan on the road had been a surprise in itself.
Originally, Charlie had planned to visit Nagato's home first. After all, both Konan and Yahiko were orphans wandering the Land of Rain, and finding two orphans so quickly wasn't easy.
As fate would have it, the three of them had met when they were about ten years old, not long before crossing paths with Jiraiya's team, who had just earned the title of Sannin. Unexpectedly, Charlie was the first to find Konan collapsed on the road.
The three kids hadn't reunited yet, and no one knew if Nagato's parents were still alive. Charlie believed that if Konan learned she still had family, it would bring her great joy.
The next day, they arrived at Nagato's house. Just as Charlie had suspected, Nagato was still there. But it seemed he had arrived too late.
The main gate was wide open, something unusual in this war-torn area near the Konoha battlefield, where most people had fled or kept their gates tightly shut. An open gate was a clear sign of an invasion.
Charlie's heart sank as he hurried inside, but it was already too late. Nagato's father lay dead on the ground.
Only Nagato and his mother, Fuso, remained alive. They were members of the Uzumaki clan, living under assumed names in the Land of Rain.
Despite the grief, Charlie and Konan helped Nagato and Fuso bury the body quickly, knowing the dangers of wartime. Charlie felt a deep sadness, he had hoped to bring the whole family back with him to the Land of Grass, which desperately needed people. But he had arrived just a step too late.
After they took care of the remains of the Konoha shinobi, night fell. Since three civilians were involved, Charlie could only stay at Nagato's house for one night. He didn't want to pressure the grieving family to move immediately.
After a simple dinner, the two kids went to rest, one exhausted from a long day of travel, the other mourning the loss of his father. Both Konan and Nagato were drained.
That left Charlie and Fuso alone in the living room. Having just lost her husband, Fuso's face was marked by exhaustion and sorrow, especially in that quiet, heavy moment.
The war wasn't over yet, and with her secret identity hanging over them, what chance did a widowed mother and her orphaned son have in this chaotic world? Fuso was overwhelmed with uncertainty about both the present and the future.
Earlier, she had managed a faint smile while preparing dinner, but once the children were asleep and darkness settled in, the weight of her grief finally broke through. Charlie noticed her distress and, after a brief moment of hesitation, stepped forward.
"Mrs. Fuso!" he called gently.
Startled, Fuso quickly wiped away her tears and forced a tired smile. She was deeply grateful to this shinobi who had appeared out of nowhere with the children, rescuing her and Nagato from danger.
However, she knew that their identities, the last of the Uzumaki survivors, were a secret that could never be revealed to other shinobis. "Sorry for disturbing you," Charlie said quickly.
"It's alright," she replied softly.
Charlie sat down directly across from her. Given the current state of the Land of Rain, the final battle was looming. Once Jiraiya's team moved deeper into the territory, the war's decisive fight was inevitable, and no one could predict what challenges might arise.
Charlie himself had a lot on his plate, he needed to lead three people safely back to the Land of Grass and find Yahiko, one of the Akatsuki's founding members. His plan was to find Nagato first, then Yahiko and Konan.
If Nagato's family was still intact, he would take them away; if not, he intended to persuade Nagato to leave. Time was of the essence, they had to evacuate soon. Otherwise, disaster would strike.