With a few invisible hands fanning the flames, news that the Koeda clan—a family of some renown in the shinobi world—had defected en masse from Iwagakure spread across the continent in less than a night. Wherever Konoha had spies planted, this piece of intelligence was already being whispered from one ear to another.
Rogue ninja…
To be honest, that wasn't unusual.
As the saying goes, "a great tree will always have withered branches." Since the founding of the Five Great Villages decades ago, every village had seen its fair share of shinobi defectors.
Only this time—
It wasn't one or two individuals. The Koeda clan had defected as a whole. And more shocking still, they had actually succeeded in escaping from Iwagakure. That fact alone made many wonder: had the village been so badly wounded in the recent Shinobi World War that such a blunder could even occur?
After all—
The fewer the number of defectors, the higher the odds of slipping away unnoticed.
But a clan exodus? How had they hidden that from so many stone-nin? Were the Iwa shinobi blind?
Rumors like these quickly found their way into Iwagakure itself through countless channels, and, inevitably, they reached the ears of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in, Akaishi."
Looking up from his papers, Ōnoki watched as a massive man entered—broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, a bulbous nose, and a yellow scarf wrapped around his thick neck. He moved like a walking mountain until he loomed in front of the Tsuchikage's desk, lowered his head, and asked:
"Tsuchikage-sama, you summoned me. What mission do you have for me?"
"Baniwa has sent word. He's found traces of the Koeda clan. Those traitors are heading south—into the Land of Rain."
"You want me to reinforce Baniwa?"
"Exactly."
Ōnoki nodded. "Baniwa is capable, but that Koeda Kyoichi… he commands both the secret technique Camouflage Concealment and Earth Release: Earth Spear. His strength is formidable. Add to that Koeda Dazen, Koeda Seinosuke, and Koeda Yūsuke—all jōnin of their clan—and Baniwa won't be able to chew through a bone that tough."
At the mention of Kyoichi's name, Ōnoki's voice faltered for a beat.
Truthfully—
He regretted it. He regretted not seeing sooner the talent hidden within Koeda Kyoichi. Had he realized earlier, he would never have left the clan to trail after that fool Rōshi. But regrets were useless now. The Koeda clan's defection was already ironclad fact. What mattered was eliminating Kyoichi before this genius could grow into a threat to Iwagakure's future.
For that, he had pulled back one of his most trusted assets from the eastern coast—Akaishi, the bulwark against any Kumogakure raids from across the sea.
"When do I depart?" Akaishi asked bluntly.
"The sooner the better."
"Then I'll make my preparations and leave at once."
As Akaishi turned to go, Ōnoki's voice cut in again:
"Akaishi—I'm granting you full discretion. However you do it, I want one thing only: the Koeda clan's heads, brought to justice."
Akaishi stiffened. The sheer killing intent radiating from the Tsuchikage washed over him like a crushing wave.
He bowed deeply.
"As you command, Tsuchikage-sama."
"Go."
Ōnoki waved him off, the matter settled.
---
The rain fell as though the heavens themselves had burst open, a ceaseless torrent drenching everything below. Roads turned to sucking mud, each step a struggle. Even shinobi found it hard to move freely in such conditions. As for ordinary folk, all they could do was trudge and stumble, half-drowned in the mire.
"Damn this rain—when is it going to stop!?"
Sixteen-year-old Koeda Hagane wiped at the water streaming down his face, grumbling in frustration.
He had a straw hat on his head and a rain cloak over his shoulders, but after walking in this downpour for so long, it didn't matter—he was soaked through like a half-drowned dog. Of course, he wasn't alone. Aside from the children and expectant mothers huddled in the ox-carts, every member of the Koeda clan looked just as bedraggled as he did.
"Hahaha! Hagane, weren't you the one saying more rain was a good thing?"
Beside him, fifteen-year-old Koeda Iwafune laughed. He was just as drenched, but his mood seemed untouched, his cheer cutting through the dreary weather.
"I said a little more rain would be good! This is way over the top!" Hagane snapped.
"What can you do? This is the Land of Rain, after all." Iwafune shrugged.
Indeed—
The Koeda clan had already left the Land of Grass behind and stepped into the borders of the Land of Rain.
There were several routes from Land of Grass to Land of River. Without detouring too far, they boiled down to two:
1. Through the Land of Rain, emerging directly into Land of River in the southern continent.
2. Through the Land of Fire, cutting southwest across Land of Fire's territory before reaching Land of River at its border.
After a brief council, their clan head, Dazen, made the call: take the Amegakure route. Best not to risk brushing against Konoha's temper.
Yes, Land of Fire had the milder climate and better roads. But even though Konoha's shinobi had helped them escape Iwagakure, that didn't mean Konoha would guarantee their safety. For all they knew, the Konoha might turn around and sell them back to the Iwa in exchange for concessions.
Given the reputation of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—the so-called "God of Shinobi"—such a maneuver wasn't impossible at all.
So, for safety's sake, they stepped into this rain-soaked land instead.
"Hagane. Iwafune. Quiet. Up ahead… there's movement."
The warning came from Koeda Yūsuke.
Though only fourteen—two years younger than Hagane and one younger than Iwafune—he was already a jōnin. And when the three of them scouted together, command naturally fell to him.
At his words, Hagane and Iwafune instantly shut their mouths, eyes sharp and ears straining for the slightest sound.
The three were the vanguard. Their duty: to scout ahead, check the roads, and uncover any hidden dangers.
"That sound…" Hagane whispered after a moment, brow furrowing. "Explosions?"
"More precisely," Yūsuke corrected grimly, "the sound of explosive tags detonating."