Chapter 47: Heading to the Land of Rain

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Heading to the Land of Rain

"The Land of Rain?"

Uchiha Xuan frowned slightly upon hearing this. If he remembered correctly, the current Land of Rain not only had that fellow Hanzo of the Salamander but also Uchiha Madara’s eyes. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"Yes, to the Land of Rain. After the previous battles, the Hidden Sand Village has shifted its focus almost entirely there. They want to use the resources of the Land of Rain to recover some of their war losses.

As for this side, Senior Sakumo will still be here after we leave. Plus, they’ve suffered heavy losses, so there’s no need for us to keep guarding this place," Tsunade explained. She didn’t know what Uchiha Xuan was thinking; seeing his expression, she assumed he was merely confused about the move.

"I understand. When do we leave?"

Uchiha Xuan nodded slightly and spoke.

The Land of Rain... a place where it rained year-round. It seemed very suitable for his current self.

In the rain, both his attack stats would increase by 100%. He had to admit, compared to Pokémon, the pet traits in Roco Kingdom were truly broken and absurdly overpowered.

"As soon as possible. Aside from being extremely powerful, Hanzo of the Salamander is also an excellent strategist as the leader of the Hidden Rain Village. Tsk, no wonder he dared to declare war on three great nations at once.

I’m just a bit worried about Nawaki’s safety after we leave. Although your friend is helping to watch over him, given Nawaki’s personality..."

Tsunade’s face was filled with worry.

"You can’t look after him for a lifetime. You’ve already done enough for him. If he still hasn’t changed after experiencing the war for so long..."

Uchiha Xuan glanced at the worried Tsunade. He didn’t have a younger brother, so he didn’t quite understand her mindset.

In his view, since Nawaki wasn’t suited to be a ninja, he should have stayed in the village obediently. Even if the glory of the Senju required him to be a ninja, he shouldn’t be protected indefinitely. If the current Nawaki could still be killed by a random Explosive Tag, one could only say that was his fate.

"I understand your perspective, it’s just... he is my brother after all."

Tsunade lowered her head. She knew her thoughts were irrational, but the bond of blood was difficult to see through completely.

"... I’ll have Gengar hide in his shadow to watch over him. However, unless there is a genuine threat of death or he is being deliberately targeted by certain individuals, Gengar will not interfere."

Looking at the conflicted Tsunade, Uchiha Xuan sighed helplessly and spoke softly.

As a proud Uchiha, why was he acting as a babysitter for an idiot...

"Hahaha! I knew you’d help!"

As soon as Uchiha Xuan said this, the previously troubled Tsunade immediately brightened up, grabbed his shoulder, and laughed heartily.

"..."

...

The Land of Rain.

Sitting against a tree, Uchiha Xuan opened his closed eyes. A brilliant golden light flashed within them before quickly fading away.

"Cultivating Sage Arts... doesn’t seem that difficult. Is it because of the Golden Light Mantra, or did I originally have a strong talent for Senjutsu?"

Three months had passed since they arrived in the Land of Rain from the Land of Wind front. Orochimaru’s initial judgment had been slightly off—or rather, not entirely wrong.

Initially, the Land of Rain was being attacked from three sides. Especially after the Land of Wind hit a wall against Konohagakure and shifted its entire focus to the Land of Rain, the pressure on the Hidden Rain Village became immense.

According to original estimates, the Land of Rain would likely launch a final general offensive to end the war. However, a turning point appeared.

The Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning suddenly launched a surprise attack on the rear of the Hidden Stone Village. This unexpected development paralyzed a large portion of the Hidden Stone’s logistics and supply lines, greatly reducing the pressure on the Hidden Rain Village.

At the same time, after the Hidden Cloud’s raid, something seemed to snap in the Hidden Sand Village’s leadership, and they immediately turned their weapons toward the Hidden Stone Village as well.

In an instant, the pressure shifted from the Hidden Rain Village to the Hidden Stone Village.

Consequently, the anticipated decisive battle never happened. Instead, because the Hidden Stone withdrew from the Land of Rain theater, a delicate and strange silence settled over the entire battlefield.

All forces remaining in the Land of Rain began tentative, small-squad style skirmishes. The various factions entered a phase of chaotic infighting.

During these three months, Uchiha Xuan had not gone on any missions other than staying at the medical department. During this time, he was attempting to master Senjutsu.

Originally, Uchiha Xuan thought Shikkotsu Forest’s Senjutsu would be difficult to master. After all, in the Ninja World, aside from Senju Hashirama—who was suspected of mastering it—no one else had ever been seen using it.

However, once he actually began to touch upon it, he realized Senjutsu was just that.

Using the Golden Light Mantra as a guide, Natural Energy surged into his body like fish finding water, quickly merging with the Qi inside him.

No, rather than merging, it was more like the Qi from the Golden Light Mantra was devouring the absorbed Natural Energy.

The result of this devouring was that Uchiha Xuan’s Qi received its greatest boost ever. In the past, the amount of Qi came entirely from the slow, painstaking effort of Spirit and Vitality Cultivation, but now, he could absorb Natural Energy to strengthen and replenish his Qi.

This situation was very similar to... the legendary cultivation of the immortals.

However, this result also had a non-detrimental side effect: Uchiha Xuan could not enter the so-called Sage Mode.

Yet, he could freely cultivate and use the Sage Arts of the Shikkotsu Forest. In other words, the originally temporary Sage Mode had become his permanent state under the influence of the Golden Light Mantra. While it didn’t provide a sudden, massive spike in combat power in a short time, it allowed for gradual, steady growth until it surpassed the power boost provided by Sage Mode—and the growth rate was extremely fast, tied directly to his Spirit and Vitality Cultivation.

"It’s just a pity that Shikkotsu Forest’s Sage Arts don’t have many techniques suited for combat. They are mostly used for binding opponents or self-recovery."

Dispelling the Golden Light from his hands, Uchiha Xuan stood up from the tree branch and looked at the full moon in the sky.

"I knew you’d be here."

Just as he stood up, a familiar voice echoed from beneath the tree. Uchiha Xuan looked down to see Tsunade leaping onto the branch he was standing on.

"Why are you here?"

Uchiha Xuan continued to look up at the moon, speaking softly. Tsunade was supposed to be in a meeting right now.