"Alright, forehead protector on, unzip that vest."
Rinjin eyed Kagami—dressed sharp as ever—scratching his head in confusion.
Something's off!
Why does Kagami give off such a bottom energy no matter what he wears?
After circling him a few times, Rinjin landed a heavy slap on his butt, barking,
"Head up, chest out, abs tight, butt up, chin in! You're the face of Amegakure—don't slouch like that!"
He then pulled out a pure black cloak and draped it over Kagami's shoulders. Stroking his chin, he gave Kagami a thorough once-over before nodding in satisfaction and giving his shoulder an encouraging pat.
"Kagami, you're the star of our delegation to Iwagakure. No one's going to outshine you!"
Nearby, little Mei Terumi, her baby teeth gleaming, chimed in with a lisp,
"Brightest star! Brightest star!"
Watching this father-daughter duo in perfect sync, Kagami could only smile wryly and turn to Rinjin.
"You're not coming? Aren't you the Daimyō of the Land of Rain?"
Rinjin waved him off and strolled over to scoop up the chubby little girl, replying offhandedly,
"I was gonna tag along for some fun, but old man Ōnoki specifically said he didn't dare trouble me. Damn! Who'd have thought that geezer would chicken out like that?"
"Geezer! Geezer!" Little Mei waved her hands, parroting gleefully.
Both Rinjin and Kagami twitched at her flawless pronunciation.
She's doomed!
The future Fourth Mizukage, and her catchphrase is "geezer"? Next, she'll be threatening to drown people in salt water.
The mental image was just too much.
After a moment of silence, Rinjin sighed and waved Kagami off, stepping out of the dressing room.
Outside the village chief's building, the sky had cleared for the first time in ages.
Villagers spilled out into the streets: some cradled children, basking in the rare sunlight; some slung fishing rods over their shoulders, heading for the river; others just stayed home, clinging to life-sized figurines and doing… let's just not describe it.
Whatever the case, peace had finally come to the village—and to the shinobi world.
Year 38 of the Konoha Calendar.
The nations, battered by the mud of endless war, had finally called it quits.
Konoha, the greatest victor, had driven out Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Amegakure.
But aside from the respectful gazes of the smaller nations, they'd gained nothing.
The Land of Wind's Sunagakure flat-out refused to pay Konoha a single ryo or resource.
The Third Kazekage even declared, "The most valuable thing we've got is sand—take a few cartloads if you want!"
Hard-headed and dirt poor.
Faced with the stingy Kazekage, what could Hiruzen Sarutobi do?
He could only choose to forgive.
So, Ōnoki of Iwagakure followed suit:
"The most valuable thing in our village is mud—feel free to haul some away."
Great. Sand and mud.
Hiruzen could only sigh: "Fine, I'll endure it."
That's what being a ninja is all about—endurance. Like an old turtle.
Danzō ranted the loudest about Hiruzen's choice, but secretly, he agreed.
First, anti-war sentiment in Konoha was sky-high.
Ladies like Mrs. Nohara, Mrs. Katō, Mrs. Yūhi, Mrs. Uchiha… all demanded an end to war.
If you want to fight, do it at home!
How could their men keep risking their lives on the front lines with strangers? If you've got guts, settle scores at home!
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The real headache was Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning, demanding reparations.
Their forces camped out on the border, refusing to leave, piling the pressure on Konoha.
Left with no choice, Hiruzen swallowed his pride and signed a string of "Lightning-Fire Peace Treaties."
So, thanks to Amegakure's meddling, the war finally ended:
Konoha paid Kumogakure.
Iwagakure paid Amegakure.
Sunagakure paid for water.
With the war's end, Amegakure was now poised to surpass Kirigakure as the next great village.
After a stroll through the streets, Rinjin returned to the village chief's building and handed Mei over to Riyi.
The kid wanted to visit Iwagakure, so Rinjin had no choice but to leave her in the care of Lady Riyi, the First Rain Shadow.
As for himself—he had a trip to Konoha to make.
Konoha Cemetery.
The air was heavy, solemn.
Ninjas in black stood in neat rows before the Memorial Stone.
At the front, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his three disciples.
On either side were Konoha's top brass and all the heroes of the war.
Rinjin naturally claimed a spot at the edge of the front row, right next to Sakumo Hatake.
"Dog-bro, when are you gonna get your name on that stone?"
Rinjin whispered, voice pitched low.
Sakumo shot him a glare, not bothering to reply.
"If Konoha won't give you a memorial, I'll build you one in Amegakure. Gold-plated, bigger than this one—promise."
Sakumo's face darkened instantly.
Seriously?
We've been friends for twenty years, and you're wishing me dead?
He cursed inwardly but kept his mouth shut.
With the funeral ceremony underway, getting caught talking would mean payback for sure.
But Rinjin wasn't done.
"Dog-bro, if you ever get tired of living, come find me. I found this new shop in the Land of Hot Water—Dust Whisk Studio, they call it.
'The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a mirror bright. The mirror's always clear—so where can dust alight?'
What the hell! Such a poetic name—totally fits my 'Unwavering Conviction!'
Someday, when you're ready to die, I'll take you there for a look. That way, you'll have stories to brag about to the other ghosts."
Glancing at the animated Rinjin, Sakumo rubbed his temples, speechless.
Forget someday—he wanted to die right now.
Rinjin was just too much!
Look at the mood, man.
Read the room!
Seeing Sakumo's increasingly exasperated expression, Rinjin smirked to himself.
Hang in there, buddy. Stay alive.
All this chatter was just to break the suffocating tension.
After all, when people meet, it's not just their lives that change—it's their souls too.
A person is like a blank canvas. Every encounter leaves a mark, and all those marks together shape a unique personality and worldview.
In Sakumo's life, Rinjin was the one who'd left the most marks.
From childhood on, every word and action from Rinjin had quietly reshaped Sakumo's values.
If this were canon, and someone kept pestering Sakumo at a funeral, with his loyalty to comrades, he'd have cut ties on the spot.
But now?
Sakumo wasn't angry—just helpless.
And that look of helplessness? Rinjin had seen it for twenty years.
What did it mean?
It meant this stubborn bastard no longer cared quite so much about Konoha's deaths.
A reason to celebrate—truly!
Whether Sakumo ever came to Amegakure didn't matter. As long as he could let go and not take his own life, that was enough.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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