Kusari no Naruto

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Ame no Kuni's name was well-deserved. The rain fell in heavy sheets, and from what he had heard it was nearly constant. It couldn't be of course, it would be impossible to grow food if it rained every day of the year, but apparently it rained enough. Naruto let it soak over him, circulating his Chakra to keep him warm.

"I didn't think funerals were your kind of affair," Haku said. She had been smart enough to bring an umbrella, although he was certain she wouldn't have minded the rain either. Cold really didn't bother a Hyoton-user.

"They're not. I think they're pointless wastes of time," he muttered back. All the same, he kept his voice low enough that Konan and Jiraiya couldn't hear. He couldn't explain it, but it felt wrong to make such disparaging remarks surrounded by such a solemn atmosphere. "But they gave me a good fight, and Jiraiya insisted I be here."

He couldn't see why. Tobi might have been the one to kill Nagato, but without the destruction of his Paths, he wouldn't have been nearly as vulnerable. Still, Konan hadn't objected to his presence, so here he was, in the back-end of Ame no Kuni, standing outside of some random cave system. It must have had some significance to Nagato and Yahiko, but nobody had deigned to tell him what that was.

The graves were simple, dug into the hard rock with doton ninjutsu and ornamented only with a small pile of stones. On one, Jiraiya had inscribed a simple design resembling the Rinnegan, on the other he engraved the symbol of Amegakure, scored through like a missing-nin's headband. Konan had proceeded to place a paper flower on each grave and each said some words. Naruto had stayed at a distance, feeling profoundly out of place. He was thankful he'd had the foresight to bring Haku along with him. With her here, he didn't feel quite so awkward.

He was confused by the lack of animosity between Konan and them. They had effectively killed her last friend, but she was treating Jiraiya as an old mentor again. She was technically the leader of Amegakure now, which was likely the reason she wasn't in Konoha's custody. Apparently the Sandaime had thought the potential instability in a region as strategically valuable as Ame costlier than allowing a leader of the Akatsuki free.

As much weight as that title had anymore.

Konan had confirmed it herself, the members of the mercenary group had disbanded almost as soon as they realised Pein was dead. It was a mixed blessing. As a group, they were more organised and potentially more dangerous, but also easier to keep an eye on. As rogue agents, they were less effective in what they could do, but more spread out and difficult to track. Konan had provided a list, but it was of little use now.

Still, like a wolf that had caught the scent of prey, Naruto felt anxious.

He had, admittedly, been feeling somewhat indecisive over what to do with himself. Before, his goals had seemed so vague. Become strong. Make people recognise him. The fight with Pein had thrown those into sharper focus and he now found them… lacking. The threat of the Akatsuki on the horizon had been a good distraction. With them gone, it was once again up to him to decide how to proceed. Thanks to that list, he now knew exactly what he wanted to do.

The thought of all those S-class fights was intoxicating.

"Are you going to say anything?" Haku whispered, bringing him out of his thoughts and making him realise that Jiraiya and Konan had moved to the side, talking between themselves.

"And say what? They're dead."

Haku shrugged, moving slowly up to the two nondescript graves. They seemed oddly unremarkable considering who lay in them. A man with legendary eyes – although the Rinnegan had been destroyed by Konan, to make sure nobody else abused their power – and a revolutionary.