Dark clouds choked the sky, and a steady rain fell. Despite the heavy downpour, no thunder rumbled.
Inside Kushina's house, three children watched the rain through the window. As for why they were at Kushina's house… that was a question for Kushina herself.
"You didn't even offer me any snacks when I came over," Jin complained, banging on the table.
"Clatter!" Kushina slammed a plate of fruit onto the table, the pieces scattering. She was clearly in a foul mood, likely due to a certain annoying jerk.
Minato sat stiffly, a goofy expression plastered on his face.
Jin couldn't help but comment, "Minato, how can you make such a creepy face with that cute mug of yours?"
"Huh?" Minato looked at Jin, confused, then at Kushina, who was giving him a look of utter disgust. He forced a smile.
"Even creepier," Kushina muttered.
Minato slumped onto the table, dejected. He felt like his life was over.
Kushina then pulled a scroll from behind her and tossed it to Jin. "Here."
Jin caught it and unrolled it. It contained several sealing techniques not included in his family's collection.
"Don't think I owe you anything," Kushina said, turning her head away with a tsundere sniff and sitting beside Minato.
"Read it here. You can't take it with you." Though the sealing techniques were originally the Uzumaki clan's, with their demise, they now belonged to Konoha. Allowing Jin to take them to the Uchiha would cause problems. Kushina, despite living alone, understood this.
"So that's what this is about," Jin said, realization dawning. That explained Kushina's invitation.
He began memorizing the contents of the scroll. Thanks to Deduction, any knowledge he acquired became instantly and permanently ingrained in his mind. He could now call himself a sealing jutsu master, even if he couldn't use them.
"Say, why is there no school today?" Jin asked, continuing to scan the scroll. With Deduction, he could quickly memorize everything; he could study the details later.
Their gathering was only possible because the Academy had unexpectedly canceled classes. It wasn't even the weekend.
Silence met his question. He looked up at Minato and Kushina, who both had their heads down.
"Senpai Nawaki…" Minato began.
"Nawaki-oniichan… he's gone." Kushina's voice was filled with sadness. The kind older brother who had always looked out for her was gone.
"Today is Senpai Nawaki's funeral," Minato added quietly.
"What?!" Jin slammed his hand on the table, his expression shifting rapidly. "Nawaki… is… dead?"
"Did you know Senpai Nawaki, Jin-senpai?" Minato asked, surprised by Jin's intense reaction.
"I knew of him, but we weren't close," Jin said, shaking his head. He and Nawaki had been in the same year, but Jin, stuck in Class B, hadn't had much interaction with the elite students of Class A.
Minato and Kushina exchanged confused glances. Jin seemed more affected by Nawaki's death than they were.
Jin fell silent, his eyes quickly scanning the scroll. Nawaki's death didn't directly affect him, but the timing was crucial. He was fuzzy on the exact timeline from his previous life, but he was certain that Nawaki's death marked the beginning of the countdown to the Second Great Ninja War. And Hiruzen, that old schemer, would lower the Academy's graduation age and requirements, sending a wave of children to the battlefield as cannon fodder.
The First War hadn't depleted Konoha's forces too badly, but the constant skirmishes afterward had taken a heavy toll. They were running out of ninjas.
Which meant… he would have a chance to go to the battlefield.
A chance he absolutely did not want.
"I have something to do. I'm leaving." He placed the scroll on the table. He'd already copied everything into Deduction.
"But you haven't finished reading…" Kushina started.
Jin was already halfway out the door.
Minato and Kushina stared at each other, completely baffled.
…
The rain poured down, soaking the earth.
Jin perched atop a pole, looking down. A figure in green spandex crawled through the undergrowth, struggling to hold a cat.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back to your owner," the bearded man muttered, tucking the cat inside his jacket to shield it from the rain. His soaked clothes offered little protection, and the cat's head poked out from his collar, blinking calmly.
"He actually came here," Jin murmured.
Might Dai. He'd been searching for this man for a while. An unremarkable Genin with little reputation in the village wasn't easy to find. Though Dai worked hard, his lack of natural talent meant he didn't train with the same insane intensity as his son, the man who would etch his name into Konoha's history.
Jin's Foundation Training could be quickly mastered by those with talent, but hard work could sometimes compensate. And when it came to hard work, no one in Konoha could surpass the Might Guy duo, father and son. Might Dai was a perfect candidate, but for an Academy student to approach a Genin out of the blue would be suspicious. He'd been waiting for an opportunity.
The two cat-finding missions Might Dai had taken recently were Jin's doing. The cat in his arms was actually a disguised ninja cat. He'd had to pull a lot of strings with Cat Granny to get her to cooperate.
He'd planned to orchestrate a chance encounter, but Nawaki's death had changed everything. To protect his own life, he couldn't afford to wait for coincidences anymore.
He jumped down from the pole, landing lightly. "Ojisan, that cat is mine." He tilted his head back, letting the rain wash over his face. His height was a disadvantage; he had to look up at Dai.
"Huh?" Dai was confused. Why was the client here?
Taking advantage of Dai's bewilderment, Jin called out, "Kitty!"
The white cat jumped from Dai's collar onto Jin's shoulder, mewing. Having deduced the language of cats, Jin understood. "A year's supply of cat treats, or I'll tell everyone your secrets."
"Fine, fine." These days, even cats were getting greedy. He wondered if he could report this extortion to Cat Granny.
"Ojisan, thank you for finding Kitty. You're soaked. Come to my house for some hot tea." Before Dai could react, Jin grabbed his arm and dragged him towards his house.
"Wait, there's no need. This was my mission!" Dai protested, stopping in his tracks.
"I'll give you your payment at my house."
"But…"
"No buts! Are you looking down on me…?" Jin feigned anger, making sure Dai saw the Uchiha fan emblem on his back. "Or are you looking down on the Uchiha?!"
"Uchiha?!" Dai yelped, jumping back. The Might family truly had a talent for comedic timing.
"I wouldn't dare!"
"Then let's go." Bullying honest people was so much fun.
They walked towards the Uchiha compound, Dai trailing nervously behind Jin. In the pouring rain, the compound was deserted, except for the few open shops. It was unlikely any Uchiha had attended Nawaki's funeral. The village wouldn't allow it, and the clan wanted to avoid any involvement with the Senju.
As they entered the Uchiha district, Dai's anxiety increased. He was terrified of being apprehended by the Military Police Force, whose reputation was infamous. Fortunately, nothing happened. They entered a large house, and Dai looked around in surprise.
"This place…"
"Don't worry, I live alone." Jin entered the side room, bowing briefly to the two framed photographs before turning to Dai. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll get you some tea and snacks."
"Thank you," Dai said, carefully sitting where his wet clothes wouldn't touch anything.
Jin soon returned with tea and snacks. "There's a bathroom upstairs. You can wash up and change. Wait for the rain to stop before you leave."
"Thank you."
…
A slightly dazed Might Dai, now wearing a plain yukata with no clan markings, knelt on the tatami mat, too nervous to touch the tea and snacks.
Jin, also changed into dry clothes, placed a scroll in front of him. "Here's your payment."
"This is…?"
"A ninjutsu."
Dai reached for the scroll, then hesitated. "Could I… exchange this for the money for the mission?" He was here for his cat-finding reward; he shouldn't be greedy.
"Sorry," Jin said, his face falling. "I don't have enough money to pay you. This jutsu is all I can offer."
"Then I don't need it." Dai shook his head, smiling and giving Jin a thumbs-up. "Young man, work hard and live a good life. You don't need to pay me."
Jin's face lit up with a bright smile. "So, ojisan, are you saying the Uchiha are deadbeats? Are you looking down on us?"
Dai frantically waved his hands. That wasn't what he meant at all!
"No, that's not what I meant!"
"Then…" Jin pointed at the scroll.
Dai, defeated, took the scroll.
"Make sure you study it carefully, ojisan. This technique can be learned with enough effort."
"Thank you."
Jin's third victim, slightly bewildered, left clutching the scroll and a rain umbrella Jin had forced on him.
After Dai left, Jin pulled out a small notebook. It was filled with names. He circled Might Dai's name, joining the already circled names of Minato and Kushina.
"That's all for now."