Torrential rain poured down, dark clouds loomed overhead—in Amegakure, it was forever impossible to distinguish dusk from dawn.
The rain fell so densely it formed a curtain, muffling all sound, leaving the world with nothing but the breath of rain and wind.
Outside the Breeding House, the figures of the Rain Ninjas finally began to disperse, their black-clad forms vanishing into the night like a receding tide, leaving only the rhythmic patter of rain against the wooden eaves.
A standoff had thus temporarily come to an end.
Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato had long been taken by Jiraiya to a secret hideout for temporary refuge.
Now, only Shiroishi, Jiraiya, and the three Ninja Beasts remained in the house:
Eevee quietly curled up on the table, Mudkip gently swaying its tail fin in the corner, and Poipole vigilantly watching the outside movements.
Jiraiya leaned against the doorframe, his brow furrowed deeply.
"You used Danzo as a bluff—that took some nerve."
He lifted his head, his gaze complex.
"If Hanzo actually investigates, or if Konoha catches wind of it, it won't be a small matter."
Shiroishi leaned against the table, calmly watching the raindrops slide down the window ledge.
"Hanzo won't investigate."
He spoke softly, yet with absolute certainty.
"Psychological warfare isn't about who's smarter, but who dares not gamble. Someone like Hanzo fears nothing more than being dragged into a game he can't control."
"Dares not gamble..."
Jiraiya repeated the words, "Easier said than done. You know how ruthless that kind of person is. If he truly realizes you're bluffing, the entire Land of Rain won't be able to shelter you."
Shiroishi didn't argue, merely turned his gaze toward the faintly flickering oil lamp.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you also understand that for the Breeding House to survive, we must make him believe the cost of acting is too high."
Jiraiya fell silent.
He understood perfectly what Shiroishi was doing—a dangerous game of manipulating a powerful figure with both fear and greed.
But he also knew that under this endless curtain of rain, the weak had never had a way out.
"...I shouldn't advise you."
Jiraiya finally sighed,
"But I hope that one day, you can live for yourself, not scheme for survival."
"Scheming for survival is human instinct."
Just as the two were about to continue their conversation,
a piercing, mournful cry suddenly tore through the rainy night.
"Screech!"
The sound was sorrowful and hoarse, carrying a soul-rending anguish.
Shiroishi turned and strode toward the door.
"That's..."
Shiroishi swiftly pushed open the wooden door.
The rain curtain immediately rushed in, bringing a biting chill.
Yet, in the pouring rain, a blurred shadow was struggling to flap its wings,
inching closer to the Breeding House.
A flash of lightning split the sky, its white light illuminating the massive figure—Fearow.
Its feathers were disheveled, its silver-gray wings matted together by the rain,
a wound on its chest still oozing blood, its breathing labored.
With great effort, it dragged something along, and when it placed the cold body before the doorstep,
both Shiroishi and Jiraiya froze.
It was the Rain Ninja Captain.
The one who had visited the Breeding House to purchase Ninja Beast Eggs for Hanzo.
Now, a dark hole gaped in his chest, not a trace of life remaining.
"Fearow..."
Shiroishi called softly.
The large bird's beak trembled slightly, its eyes bloodshot, filled with pleading.
It lowered its head, gently nudging the corpse with its beak,
It then looked up at Shiroishi again, letting out a low cry.
It was a plea born of despair.
Shiroishi crouched down and reached out to touch the Rain Ninja Captain's forehead.
The skin was cold as stone, devoid of warmth.
Just then, Jiraiya stepped forward, checking for a pulse and breath,
only to shake his head silently in the end.
"He's been gone for a long time."
"Eee-yah!"
It jerked its head up, its piercing shriek cutting through the night sky.
In its eyes, tears mingled with the rain, sliding down its feathers.
It seemed to be waiting for an impossible miracle, but Shiroishi only lowered his gaze, silent.
Eevee gently rubbed against Shiroishi's leg, its soft fur warm, as if trying to comfort him.
Poipole quietly approached, letting out a faint, indistinct cry—soft, yet full of empathy.
Mudkip also lifted its head, its clear eyes reflecting the sight of Fearow lying on the ground.
Outside, the heavy rain continued to pour,
each drop hitting the ground, splashing broken echoes in the silent world.
A heavy, oppressive sorrow hung in the air.
Eevee, Mudkip, and Poipole—the three little ones—stood quietly now,
as if they could feel Fearow's pain without needing words.
After a moment of silence,
Poipole slowly stepped forward, its silver skin shimmering faintly. It gazed at Fearow, weakened by grief,
lowered its head, and the three metal-like Poison Needles on its back trembled slightly.
One of them steadily pierced beneath Fearow's wing.
A faint hiss sounded.
This time, it wasn't an attack.
Poipole's Chakra flowed within, actively drawing out the lingering toxins from Fearow's body,
transforming that deadly, mist-like energy into a life force that could restore balance.
Eevee let out a soft cry,
its tail flicking gently, releasing a faint stream of bubbles.
Working in tandem with Poipole's treatment, it helped the energy flow more smoothly.
As time passed, the purplish-black poison in Fearow's body gradually faded, its wings slightly spreading, stirring the air once more.
A glimmer of light returned to its eyes.
Yet, when it looked down at the cold corpse,
that glimmer slowly dimmed again.
Its pupils contracted slightly, its gaze shifting from sorrow to a profound emptiness.
Shiroishi stood beneath the curtain of rain, watching quietly.
He took a step closer, his voice low and calm.
"This is the world of ninjas."
He lifted his head, gazing at the relentless downpour from the sky.
"Death is never a rarity. Whether human or Ninja Beast, only by surviving does life hold meaning."
Jiraiya frowned slightly, hearing the detachment in Shiroishi's words.
For the sake of survival, one had to bury sorrow beneath reason.
Shiroishi turned to look at Fearow.
"You are free now,"
his tone gentle yet distant. "You can choose to stay, live in the mountains behind the Breeding House, or leave and live out in the wider world."
Jiraiya was taken aback by this.
"You're just letting it go like that?"
He looked at Shiroishi, seeming somewhat puzzled.
But Shiroishi only gave a faint smile.
"If it wishes to leave, I won't stop it."
Hearing this, Fearow quietly rose to its feet.
It lowered its head, gently picking up the Rain Ninja Captain's body with its beak,
then slowly set it down before Shiroishi.
In its eyes, there was no longer a plea—only a complex, almost human-like sorrow.
"Eee~"
It let out a low cry,
as if bidding farewell.
Then, it spread its broad wings,
Allowing the rain to beat against its feathers as it lifted its head for one last look.
In that gaze was reflected the Rain Ninja Captain's face, and the sky it would no longer be bound to.
The next moment, it soared upward.
The wind pressure swept up the rain mist from the ground, splashing against Shiroishi's clothes.
The crimson-gray figure pierced through the clouds and vanished into the endless curtain of rain.
Shiroishi quietly watched that patch of sky, silent for a long time.
He bent down and lifted the Rain Ninja Captain's corpse,
His expression calm.
"Jiraiya-sensei," he said softly, "Please keep an eye on things here for me."
Jiraiya nodded without asking further questions.
Shiroishi carried the corpse into the depths of the wind and rain, his steps steady, each one splashing through the puddles.
He looked up toward the distant dark clouds, his eyes still as cold as ever.
This Rain Ninja Captain was at least of Chunin-level strength.
He would make decent nourishment for the Ten-Tailed World Tree.
If fate allowed in the future, his chakra might be reborn as a new Pokémon, perhaps to meet Fearow once again.