Chapter 231: Arrival
The sky was overcast, and a light rain drizzled down.
By the time the large convoy crossed the border into the Land of Rain, it was already afternoon.
The cold wind mixed with the autumn and winter rain was a torment to every weary traveler on the road.
"The weather here is really unpleasant."
Hinata frowned, her tone tinged with irritation as they officially entered the Land of Rain. The climate here was utterly unique—gray, heavy, damp.
Leaning against her, Hanabi mirrored her sister's mood.
The carriage they sat in looked no different from any ordinary wagon used to haul goods—huge and simple in appearance. But inside, it was fitted like a small private room, the perfect image of a ninja-style RV.
At this moment, the two sisters sat side by side, gazing out the window.
The whole country seemed drenched in rain and blanketed in gloom. Gray clouds hung low, and all they saw outside were bleak landscapes and rundown villages, one after another.
Even as they approached what should have been the heart of the country, the scenery remained unchanged—lifeless, silent, stuck in a state of suspended decay.
Compared to the lush, vibrant Land of Fire, where even the wildlands brimmed with vitality and travelers were a common sight, this land was a stark contrast.
Like comparing an old, hunched man to a spirited youth.
"It keeps raining, and raining, and raining—it's so annoying!"
Hanabi finally burst out, her frustration boiling over. "I still don't get why we have to move here. It's practically deserted and falling apart. Konoha was perfectly fine."
She had been against the move from the very beginning.
She was still young, untouched by politics or clan matters—especially the sensitive relationship between Hyuga and Konoha at this stage.
All she understood was that leaving Konoha and the Land of Fire meant giving up her school, her classmates, and her chance to fight for top rank.
"There are few people here because this is still an undeveloped homeland," Hinata said softly, gently stroking her sister's hair to comfort her.
"Just like how you once needed our love and protection, this land does too. When it matures and flourishes into something beautiful—something people admire—others will naturally want to come here, just like us."
"But... it's still so troublesome..."
Hanabi felt a little better at her sister's touch, but she tried not to show it, still pouting. "We were doing great in Konoha. Why do we have to move? Can't we be happy without doing this?"
"We can live comfortably in Konoha, yes," Hinata said quietly, her fingers weaving gently through Hanabi's hair. "But that's not our true home. We're not the hosts there—we're guests."
"In the Land of Fire... in Konoha... we Hyuga have always been outsiders.
But here, in this rain-drenched land, we finally have our own home. Here, we are the masters.
And from now on, whether we're dealing with our people or with outsiders, we can face them with the dignity of those who truly belong."
"Hanabi, starting today, whether it's you, me, or any Hyuga who bears our name—we are the stewards of this land. It's ours to protect and build."
"A home that... likes the rain?"
Hanabi looked out again at the cold wind and unrelenting drizzle, still visibly displeased.
The gap between this land and Konoha was just too big. The comfort and brightness of the village she'd left behind only made the dreary present harder to accept.
"Let me put it this way."
A calm voice chimed in—Ryosuke, who had been quietly reading a book across from them.
"If Hanabi-chan grows up and eventually comes to love this country, then that's wonderful.
But if, even after you grow up, you still don't like this place…
Then build your own. Make a country you love. And when you do, invite us to visit."
The Land of Rain was now the Hyuga clan's stronghold.
Unlike the cautious migration route, there was no more need to be on high alert.
The clan members began to relax and interact. Hinata and Hanabi, who had originally been seated with Hyuga Hiashi at the convoy's center, had eagerly moved to the front to join Ryosuke in the lead carriage.
"Build… the country I like?"
Hanabi blinked, startled. The idea was foreign and odd to her, especially in her irritated state.
Hinata was also surprised, but she quickly muttered in a flustered voice, "Then let's go together."
She didn't want her family to be apart. She only wanted them to live happily—together.
But Ryosuke shook his head gently, his voice solemn.
"When children grow up, they'll eventually need to step out and chase their own path.
Holding on to ancestral land and passing it down sounds noble—it aligns with the traditional idea of family.
But if that belief binds people only to what's already theirs… it becomes a stagnant, even corrupt system."
"Even if the Land of Rain thrives in the future—flourishing because of our clan's efforts—I don't want every Hyuga to stay here and do nothing but guard it."
"A family shouldn't be closed off. It should be a spirit—ever-growing, ever-spreading."
This idea, to build a new Hyuga nation in the Land of Rain, was only the first step in a much greater vision Ryosuke had in mind for Hinata and her clan.
It was the first time he had voiced this belief aloud—to Hinata, the future matriarch.
From his past life to this one, Ryosuke had seen many families and nations decline over time.
Not from lack of strength, but from the inability to evolve.
Clinging tightly to land, to tradition, to "what's ours"—those were the roots of their decay.
The strength of a clan didn't lie in loyal dogs guarding a single home.
It lay in the wolves who hunted far and wide—and brought meat back to feed their kin.
If the mindset was different from the beginning...
If staying home to inherit the family legacy was considered lesser, and venturing out to build one's own empire was celebrated...
Would internal strife even have a chance to grow?
Besides, there were now other worlds in existence.
One day, everyone might have different goals—different lands to call their own.
Hinata hesitated. She had much she wanted to say—but no words came.
Ryosuke didn't press the issue.
This was only the first time he'd introduced this idea.
Whether anyone in the clan would accept it, or how long it would take to implement—those were questions for another time.
A few days passed.
However, compared to the journey from Konoha to the border of the Land of Fire—which takes more than half a month—it took just over a week to travel from the border to the central region of the Land of Rain.
As they arrived at the heart of the nation, Ryosuke and his companions finally saw a settlement of considerable size, with a noticeably larger population. It no longer felt so desolate.
"It's quite different from the last time I came here."
Looking at the familiar yet oddly unfamiliar town before him, Ryosuke's emotions were complicated.
The last time he was here, he had arrived as a lone traveler—and then promptly got into a rather satisfying fight with the country's former ruler.
Now, he was returning as the host. And the scene in front of him was completely different from more than a year ago.
Once protected by Hidden Rain Village, the town's solemn and orderly environment had completely vanished. The faces of the people were now filled with sorrow and despair.
Many of the tall buildings had been reduced to ruins, and even within the town itself, traces of fierce battles remained.
It was clear that the Land of Rain hadn't seen peace in a long time.
Without the centralized military power of the Hidden Rain Village, forces both great and small from across the ninja world had swooped in—interfering, looting supplies, and even abducting people.
Had the allied nations not stepped in to negotiate and help maintain order, the country would likely be in far worse condition, even under Hyuga control.
"Ryosuke-sama!"
As the convoy rolled into the former capital of the Land of Rain—soon to be the Hyuga clan's new central base—a familiar voice rang out.
A figure swiftly approached, then appeared directly beside the driver's seat of Ryosuke's carriage.
Under the coachman's bewildered gaze, the finely dressed Hyuga Souji half-knelt on the carriage's step, his face glowing with excitement.
"The handover team has been waiting for a long time," he reported. "The inner city construction has been completed under Master Hizashi's direction."
"The residence for you and the clan head is also finished—it's in the very center of the inner city, built exactly according to the previous design. A replica of our ancestral home in Konoha."
Though he hadn't seen Ryosuke in years and had countless things he wanted to say, Souji instinctively launched into a report—just as he had back when he served as Ryosuke's bodyguard.
"It's cold out here. Come inside and talk, Souji."
Ryosuke nodded and relayed the update to his father and the others riding in the convoy behind. He then motioned for Souji to join him.
"How about Hoshicai?" he asked. "Have you seen him? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, it has."
Rubbing his stiff hands together, Hyuga Souji climbed into the carriage with a grin.
He didn't bother with formality under Ryosuke's relaxed tone.
"He's still the same—talks in riddles half the time," Souji said with a chuckle.
"He greeted me with a cold face, but then started subtly bragging about everything he's done for the clan these past few years. Guy's so repressed it's funny."
"But to be fair," he added, his tone softening, "his research over the years has done a lot for the clan. No doubt about that."
Ryosuke was relieved to hear they still got along, and that nothing major had changed despite the time apart.
"But what about the clan members?" Ryosuke asked, shifting back to business. "How are they adapting to the Land of Rain?"
"I know some were against the great migration. Not everyone wanted to leave Konoha."
"But since the elders ordered it, they had no choice."
"Have they expressed any specific dissatisfaction since arriving?"
"Of course," Souji said with a bitter smile.
"This place is very different from Konoha. Most of them aren't happy with the climate or the conditions. Business is hard, and communication's a nightmare."
"It's to be expected," Ryosuke replied, unfazed. "If this country had a stable, well-structured government, it wouldn't have been this easy for us to take it over."
"And besides that," Souji continued, "we're severely lacking manpower."
"Even though the Hyuga are one of Konoha's larger clans, we're still not big enough to run an entire country. Even if we pulled in everyone we've got, we couldn't station enough people across the country to keep order."
He sighed.
"And it's not just administrators—we barely have any laborers either. Since the unrest started a year ago, the Land of Rain's population has been trickling away to other nations. Now, hardly anyone's left."
"Master Hizashi had hoped we could rebuild and stabilize a few towns before you arrived. That way, you could get started with minimal delay."
"But... we just don't have the people. Even the capital's reconstruction only reached the inner city."
"The population loss was inevitable," Ryosuke agreed with a nod. He had anticipated this much.
"The Land of Rain was built for war. Unlike other places, there are no pampered nobles here, no decadent officials leeching off the people. Those who remained lived for battle."
"It's a country even more war-focused than Konoha. Everything is centered around combat. Entertainment, comfort, art—all of that was sacrificed."
"And when Hidden Rain Village was destroyed, the nation lost its symbol of strength. The people lost their purpose. Their will to fight shattered almost overnight."
"Even when Hanzo was made king, he couldn't calm the public. Especially not with all the foreign forces circling like vultures..."
In the peaceful and flourishing Land of Fire, Konoha operated with practical, efficient methods.
After all, ninjas didn't have the luxury of wasting time on pleasure.
But the Land of Rain had taken that to the extreme.
Here, strength was everything. And once they were defeated, even the civilians bore the weight of that loss.
To rebuild, they would need more than just construction—they needed to heal the spirit of the nation. Unite the people, stabilize the land, and give them a new dream to chase.
If they could do that, people would come back. The country would grow strong again.
"But what about the previous rulers?" Ryosuke asked, his expression sharpening. "Where is Kusanagi? And the others?"
While the intelligence suggested they weren't involved in any otherworldly conspiracies, Ryosuke still wanted to see for himself.
He wasn't about to leave anything to chance.
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