The rain had not stopped.
Ever since the Koeda Clan entered the Land of Rain, not once had the downpour relented—not even for a few minutes. From day to night, from the moment one closed their eyes to the moment they opened them again, the rain was always there. The only thing that changed was its intensity: sometimes a fine drizzle like threads of silk, sometimes a torrential downpour as though the heavens had overturned their basins.
Today, for once, it was one of those rare days of misty, gentle rain.
Though they were still drenched, it was far better than forcing their way forward under a sky-splitting storm.
"At our current pace, we'll need at least ten days before we reach the southern border."
From atop a ridge, Konan stood on the cliff's edge, gazing down at the winding road below. The caravan stretched out along the path—this was the Koeda Clan, migrating in full.
Among them, mingled figures of the Akatsuki could be seen.
Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki, marched with the group. At the rear, Konan—whose strength even surpassed his—had been assigned to guard the back alongside Kyoichi.
"Ten days?"
Kyoichi looked up at the sunless, overcast sky. "Then ten days it is. This isn't the sort of matter we can rush."
If only shinobi were involved, they might already have reached the Land of Rivers by now. But the Koeda Clan numbered more than two hundred in total. Not to mention seasoned shinobi—even those who could merely refine chakra numbered fewer than fifty. Among them were many children and pregnant women; forcing the entire clan into a grueling, round-the-clock march was impossible.
"The longer this takes, the greater the chance we'll run into an attack."
Konan spoke softly.
"Attacks are inevitable."
Kyoichi's reply was calm. "By your own account, word of my Koeda Clan's defection from Iwagakure has already spread across the shinobi world. Even here in the Land of Rain, rumors run wild… This time, Iwagakure has truly lost face before the entire world. To salvage their pride, they'll stop at nothing to wipe out my clan."
Which meant…
Trying to outrun their pursuers was nothing but a fantasy.
Even if they reached the Land of Rivers and linked up with the Kiri-nin waiting for them, Iwagakure would not simply abandon the chase. If anything, such a move might drive the Iwa to pursue them all the more fanatically—striking at both the Koeda Clan and the Kiri-nin alike.
After all…
The Iwa and the Kiri were bitter enemies across distant lands, each blaming the other for the deaths of their own Second Kage.
"Of course, your organization need only shield us from attacks by the Ame-nin. As for the Iwa-nin, that's not a burden we expect of you."
At the end, Kyoichi added this much.
"You think we're afraid of crossing the Iwa?"
Konan's brows furrowed, her eyes flashing as she glared at him.
She felt both herself and the Akatsuki were being underestimated. What she had said moments earlier had been out of goodwill.
"It isn't a question of fear. The Land of Rain borders the Land of Earth. If your Akatsuki truly does replace Amegakure and takes control here, then you'll have to consider how to deal with an unfriendly neighbor to the north. Making an enemy of Iwagakure… would hardly serve your organization's interests."
Kyoichi's words carried genuine goodwill. There was no disdain hidden within them.
Whatever Akatsuki might become in the future, Yahiko, its current leader, was undeniably a man of charisma. He had agreed without hesitation to Yūsuke's plea: "Please help escort my clan safely to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers." And Yahiko was not merely paying lip service—he was truly doing everything in his power to see it done.
To that end…
Other than keeping the bare minimum of strength behind to guard their base, he had rallied nearly all of Akatsuki's best fighters. Even Nagato, their strongest, had been placed at the very front, paired with Yūsuke, tasked with scouting and clearing the path ahead.
As the saying went—
Repay kindness with kindness. Repay a tooth with a tooth.
This was the creed Kyoichi lived by.
Since Yahiko had devoted himself so earnestly to the Koeda Clan, Kyoichi would never treat him or the Akatsuki as mere tools. Such ingratitude was beyond him.
"You think quite a lot."
Konan gave Kyoichi a faintly surprised look, then continued: "Yahiko already accounted for these things long ago. He told us as much. But since we agreed, we'll see it through—Akatsuki will escort the Koeda Clan safely out of the Land of Rain. Whether it's Iwa-nin, Ame-nin, or Suna-nin who come, we'll stand by our word."
"As for what comes after… that's Akatsuki's concern, not yours."
Her presence radiated confidence; she showed not the slightest hint of fear toward whatever trouble might arise from provoking Iwagakure.
"…"
Kyoichi only shook his head, saying nothing more.
It was true.
If not for Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu pulling strings in the shadows, Nagato's Akatsuki would indeed have little to fear from the Stone. Without Madara and Black Zetsu, Nagato might never have awakened the Rinnegan… but then again, without Black Zetsu sowing chaos from the dark, perhaps the shinobi world would never have become so cruel in the first place.
Such speculation was meaningless.
In any case, he had said what needed saying. Whether Konan accepted his counsel was her decision. He had no intention of forcing Akatsuki to act according to his will.
"Kyoichi-nii, we should catch up."
At that moment, a soft voice spoke up. Standing quietly at his side, almost transparent in presence, was Koeda Mai.
Below the cliff, the migrating clan had already moved on. Shrouded by the veil of rain, only their blurred silhouettes could be seen.
"Then let's go—wait."
Kyoichi broke off mid-sentence, his tone suddenly shifting.
"Eh?"
Thirteen-year-old Koeda Mai blinked in confusion. Beside her, fourteen-year-old Koeda Aki cast the same questioning glance at him.
"An enemy?"
Konan reacted immediately, her expression sharp.
"There's something."
Kyoichi crouched swiftly, pressing his right index finger against the smooth, rain-polished stone beneath him. Channeling the resonance of earth's element, he stretched his senses outward—feeling the surge of potent chakra signatures rapidly drawing near.
"They're Iwa-nin. Seven of them. One is a man who once fled in defeat at my hands. They're about three kilometers away."
He spoke the results of his perception aloud.
"Three kilometers?"
Konan shot him a look of surprise, then remarked in praise, "Your sensory technique is remarkable."
Indeed—
Not all sensory ninja were created equal. Their limits varied greatly. For most, sensing a kilometer's range was already the ceiling. Each additional kilometer was an extraordinary leap. To perceive as far as three kilometers… was already exceptional.
Of course, exceptions existed. The Hyūga, the Uzumaki, the Yamanaka—clans like these could not be judged by normal standards.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga, for instance, could see across an entire kilometer from birth. With training, their sight could extend even farther; it was said the Hyūga masters could see up to ten kilometers away. Even those of lesser talent could, through effort, reach three or four.
This was why, in the shinobi world, bloodline reigned supreme.
What many spent a lifetime striving toward often marked only the starting line for others—if they could even reach that line at all.
"You give me too much credit. My Earth Listening Art is still a long way from mastery."
Kyoichi shook his head.
And that was the truth.
On this journey, he had forged the technique himself—using the affinity for the earth element granted by his Eye of God to sense chakra flows through the terrain. He had named it the Art of Earth Listening, with the hope that one day, he might achieve the same precision as the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who could sense chakra fluctuations from a thousand li away.
A mere three kilometers…
He still had far to go.
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