Hidden Rain (Amegakure)
The rain fell endlessly, each drop striking Amatsu's frail, trembling body with the weight of the world's indifference. Amegakure was a place of perpetual sorrow, where the sky wept for the forgotten and the earth swallowed the dreams of the desperate. The narrow streets were slick with water, the puddles reflecting the gray, broken world that stretched endlessly around him. Beneath the ruins of the village, corpses rotted in the gutters, their faces long since blurred into anonymity.
Amatsu lay face down in the mud, his small frame motionless except for the faint rise and fall of his chest. His breath was shallow, each exhale a struggle. His fingers twitched, clawing feebly at the wet earth as if trying to hold onto life. His ribs pressed sharply against his skin, exposed by the rags he wore. His stomach clenched painfully, twisting and gnawing at itself—he hadn't eaten in weeks.
Around him, the graveyard stretched on, its crude, rain-worn stones marking the resting places of those who had succumbed to the harshness of life in Amegakure. His parents were among them, buried beneath hastily piled stones that had already begun to shift and scatter beneath the unrelenting rain. The memory of their deaths was fresh, vivid. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it—the flash of steel, the warm blood soaking into his clothes as his mother's body fell over his.
The pain of that moment had long since dulled, replaced by an emptiness that weighed heavier than grief. There were no tears left to shed. He had cried them all in the days after their deaths, his sobs drowned out by the rain. Now there was only the cold, the hunger, and the faint, flickering instinct to survive.
Amatsu's lips parted, his dry, cracked voice a whisper against the roar of the rain. "I... don't want to die..."
The words were barely audible, even to himself. But they were there, a frail thread of defiance in a world that had offered him nothing but suffering.
As the rain blurred the edges of his vision, something stirred in the distance. A figure approached, its outline hazy through the downpour. Amatsu's mind was too hazy to process it fully. For a moment, he wondered if it was death, come to finally claim him. But then the scent of bread reached his nose- the smell so vivid, so intoxicating, that it cut through the fog in his mind.
The figure knelt beside him, her short blue hair plastered to her face by the rain. Her amber eyes were calm, unwavering as they studied him. In her hands, she held a piece of bread wrapped in a thin scrap of cloth—small, plain, yet more valuable than gold to someone like him.
"Eat," she said, her voice soft but firm.
Amatsu stared at her, his body frozen. His stomach growled loudly, the sound almost animalistic, but his mind hesitated. Kindness was a foreign concept, something he didn't understand.
The girl didn't wait for him to respond. She tore the bread in half and pushed one piece toward him. "Take it," she said again, her tone leaving no room for argument.
His trembling hand reached out, snatching the bread from her fingers. He shoved it into his mouth, barely chewing as he swallowed. The taste hit him like a wave—a mix of blandness and salvation. He ate ravenously, his body overriding his pride and suspicions.
As he swallowed, warmth spread through his chest, faint but undeniable. It wasn't just the bread—it was something deeper, something... unnatural. The pain in his stomach dulled, his trembling lessened, and his vision cleared. He sat up slightly, blinking as the world around him seemed sharper, more vivid.
And then, it happened.
---
[Buff Detected: Nutrition Buff]
- Effect: +10% Energy Recovery (Temporary)
- Duration: 30 minutes
---
The words appeared in his mind, unspoken and unseen, yet as clear as if they had been carved into the air before him. Amatsu froze, his eyes widening. He didn't understand how or why, but the warmth he felt in his body was tied to those words.
Konan watched him silently, her expression unreadable. She didn't seem to notice the change in him, the way his body straightened slightly, the faint light that flickered in his eyes.
Amatsu gripped the remaining piece of bread tightly, his mind racing. He could feel the warmth coursing through him, faint but steady, and with it came a strange, instinctual knowledge. He could lock this buff, make it permanent. He didn't know how he knew this, but the certainty was absolute.
He closed his eyes and focused inward. The warmth pulsed, responding to his will. Slowly, it shifted, solidifying within him like a flame encased in stone.
---
[Buff Locked: Nutrition Buff]
- Effect: +10% Energy Recovery (Permanent)
---
Amatsu exhaled slowly, his body relaxing as the buff took root. The change was subtle but undeniable. His hunger no longer consumed him. The weakness in his limbs was still there, but it felt... distant, no longer overwhelming.
"What's your name?" Konan asked, breaking the silence.
"Amatsu," he said, his voice hoarse but steady.
Konan nodded. "Come with me. There's food and shelter where I'm staying."
Amatsu hesitated. His dark eyes studied her, searching for any sign of deception. But her face was calm, her amber eyes filled with quiet determination. She turned and began walking, not waiting for his response.
He pushed himself to his feet, his legs trembling but holding. The warmth of the locked buff steadied him, a quiet reminder that he could endure. He took a step forward, then another, following the girl into the rain.
---
The shelter was a narrow, crumbling building wedged between two larger ruins. The roof sagged, and the walls were streaked with grime, but it was dry inside. The faint smell of mold hung in the air, mixed with the metallic tang of rust.
Two boys sat near the back, their faces gaunt from hunger. One was tall and lean, with fiery orange hair that stood out even in the dim light. There was an energy to him, a confidence that seemed out of place in a world like this. The other boy was smaller, with red hair and dull gray eyes that seemed far older than his years.
"This is Yahiko and Nagato," Konan said. "They're like us."
Yahiko grinned, his orange hair sticking out in all directions. "Another stray, huh? Welcome to the club."
Nagato said nothing. His eyes lingered on Amatsu, observing him with a quiet intensity.
Amatsu didn't respond. He moved to a corner of the room, sitting with his back against the wall. His body still ached, but the warmth of the locked buff was steady, a quiet reminder that he could endure.
Konan handed him another piece of bread, and he ate it slowly this time, savoring each bite. The others talked quietly, their voices low, but Amatsu didn't listen. His mind was elsewhere, focused inward. The system-the strange power that had awakened within him, it was still there, a faint presence at the edge of his consciousness. He could feel it, waiting.
---
That night, while the others slept, Amatsu slipped outside. The rain had lessened to a fine mist, but the air was still cold. He stood in the narrow alley behind the shelter, his bare feet sinking into the mud.
He dropped to the ground and began to move. Push-ups, sit-ups, anything to push his frail body to its limits. Pain flared in his arms and legs, his muscles burning with each movement, but he didn't stop. He welcomed the pain, embraced it.
When his body finally gave out, collapsing into the mud, the system responded.
---
[Buff Detected: Muscle Recovery Buff]
- Effect: +5% Muscle Repair (Temporary)
- Duration: 15 minutes
---
Amatsu's lips curled into a faint smile. The warmth returned, stronger this time, spreading through his body and dulling the pain in his muscles. He focused on the buff, willing it to lock.
---
[Buff Locked: Muscle Recovery Buff]
- Effect: +5% Muscle Repair (Permanent)
---
He pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling but steadier than before. The rain soaked through his clothes, but he didn't feel the cold. The system's power was his now, a weapon he would wield to survive.
Amatsu clenched his fists, his dark eyes burning with quiet resolve. He would grow stronger. He would endure. And he would never be weak again.