Naruto: The White Spider of the Leaf

After another month of training in nature transformations, we were suddenly told to gather at the village gates first thing at dawn. The way sensei worded it felt serious.

So here we were. I leaned against the stone pillar at the gates of Konoha as the cool morning air bit my skin. It was early—too early—and I was already getting impatient. The sun hadn't fully crested the horizon and the sky was painted in soft hues of pink and orange while the usual calm hung over the village. Yukino stood nearby, as steady and calm as always, while Minato, on the other hand, was pacing. The guy never could stay still, even when we weren't on a mission. I shot him a glance, but he was too focused to notice. Guess we were all getting antsy waiting for Jiraiya-sensei to arrive. He told us we'd be doing something big, so we're all here at the gate as early as possible.

He finally showed up, striding toward us with his usual swagger—except this time, there was none of his usual grin, no playful twinkle in his eyes. His face was grim, and the usual cocky bounce in his step was gone. I straightened up, sensing something was off.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Minato greeted, but there was no teasing this time. Something about the way Jiraiya was carrying himself made the air feel heavier.

"Let's go," Jiraiya said, his voice low. He barely acknowledged Minato's greeting, his eyes scanning us for a moment before he spoke again. "The Third Hokage has assigned us a mission. A very important one."

I raised an eyebrow. Important? The Hokage had been giving out a lot of "important" missions lately, but I couldn't shake the feeling this one was different. I could see it in Jiraiya's eyes. He wasn't joking around, and that was rare enough to get my attention.

Yukino, always composed, spoke up. "What kind of mission?"

Jiraiya didn't waste time. "We're heading out of the village, I'll explain on the way."

As we wandered through the woods outside the village walls, making our way down the paved path where carriages moved and people walked to and from Konoha, Jiraiya-sensei began explaining.

"We've got a big mission ahead of us. I was opposed to it, personally, we even had a bit of an argument with the old man. But, I suppose you three are technically more than just ready for this sort of thing. Perhaps my favoritism was showing."

"Can you clue us in, sensei?" Yukino asked.

"The mission this time might require us to deal with the shinobi of rival villages."

"Are we talking about a skirmish?" she asked, her voice as calm as ever but her sharp eyes giving away the tension that we all felt.

Jiraiya shook his head slowly, his brows furrowing. "It's too early to say for certain. But there are movements... things happening between the major villages that suggest we're on the brink of something bigger. The Third Hokage wants us to help the other on field teams investigate. We'll have to tread carefully."

"Something bigger?" Minato's voice was quieter now, less casual. "What do you mean by that?"

Jiraiya exhaled sharply, his hand brushing through his white hair. "I don't know yet. But there's been an uptick in missions involving multiple villages, more than usual. It's... disconcerting. We need to gather intel. We're leaving the village now and heading out toward the Land of Rain. We'll be working behind enemy lines, and we need to stay low and observe. The Hokage needs us to keep a close eye on everything happening there."

"Understood," I said, glancing at Minato and Yukino. Both of them looked nervous, and understandably so.

"But why send us?" Yukino asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she examined Jiraiya. "As fast as we're advancing, we're still green. Going behind enemy lines sounds like a huge leap."

"It's exactly because of how quickly you're advancing. The Hokage believes this will serve as an invaluable experience for you, one that will help in the–well, in the future."

In the coming years, is what he meant to say, I'm sure. I get the idea, Hiruzen. You want the team of talents to grow up even faster because of the brewing war. It's gonna start in the coming months, after all, and if we have on-field experience we'll be even more valuable as soldiers.

Y'all know we're kids, right?

Well, that sure never stopped the shinobi world before I guess.

Minato cracked his knuckles, his usual optimism flickering for a moment before his expression became determined. "We'll be ready."

"Good," Jiraiya said, nodding. "We'll need to be quick and stay under the radar. The less attention we draw, the better."

We continued down the path, the sounds of the village fading behind us, replaced by the quiet rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig beneath our feet. The sun was rising higher now, casting long shadows through the trees. I could feel the weight of the mission pressing down on me, even as I tried to maintain my composure.

Minato, ever the optimist, was already talking about tactics. "So, how are we going to approach this? We need to figure out who's moving what and where." His voice was steady, though his usual bounce was absent. The reality of what we were about to face was sinking in for him too.

Yukino, who had been quiet since Jiraiya's last comment, glanced at him. "We'll do what we always do. Stay sharp, keep our heads low, and keep our eyes open. We gather intel and report back. That's the plan, right, Jiraiya-sensei?"

Jiraiya's expression didn't change. "That's the general idea. But this time, it's not just about gathering intel. You'll be seeing things you won't forget. There are more moving pieces than we're used to, and you'll be dealing with shinobi who aren't just the usual mercenaries or rogue ninja. The politics between the villages are starting to get... complicated."

We moved in silence for a while, each of us lost in our thoughts. The further we got from the village, the more surreal it felt. The trees around us seemed to close in, as if trying to shield us from whatever lay ahead. It wasn't just the mission. Something in the air had shifted—like the world was holding its breath.

As we entered a thicker part of the forest, the tension began to gnaw at me. I wasn't sure if it was the weight of the mission or the thought of what might be waiting for us at the Land of Rain. But I could feel the unease deep in my chest, creeping up my spine like a cold hand.

It will finally begin. The events I've been dreading since I entered the ninja academy. The Second Great Ninja War is truly on the horizon now. Hopefully I've done enough to prepare and survive it.

As we ran through the tree line, I couldn't help but glance at Yukino. Her face was calm, unreadable, but I knew her well enough to see the subtle tension in her posture.

The Land of Rain was notorious for its perpetual downpours and murky conditions. If we were headed there, it meant we were about to step into enemy territory. The hidden villages of the world weren't just rivalries—they were deeply personal. And if we were being sent to observe, it meant that something serious was in motion. Things could literally explode at any given moment.

I stole a glance at Jiraiya. The usual fire in his eyes was muted, replaced by a guarded determination. He wasn't sharing everything with us, but that was nothing new. He was good at keeping secrets. 

After an entire day of mostly silent running, we reached a small clearing bordering the Land of Rain. The air was thick with moisture, and the ground squelched beneath our feet. I could see an intense rainfall in the distance which seemed–endless.

Jiraiya turned to us, his face still serious.

"We stop here for the night," he said. "We'll make camp and head out again at first light. Be alert. I'll take the first watch."

Minato opened his mouth to protest—probably because he was itching to keep moving—but Jiraiya silenced him with a raised hand. "We're not sprinting through this mission. We're already quite far from Konoha, and when we're in the thick of things, we need to be at our best. No one will be coming for us. Rest up."

"Then say–" Minato spoke up again. "Are you just about ready to give us the details of the mission, Jiraiya-sensei?"

I leaned against a tree, pulling my cloak tighter around my shoulders. "I would like to hear about it too."

Jiraiya perked up and looked at Yukino. "Yukino?"

She quickly got the memo and used the Byakugan, the veins near her eyes bulged as she stood motionless for a brief second.

"I see no one in the immediate vicinity, you can talk freely." 

Jiraiya sighed. "Thank you, Yukino." He took another moment before continuing. "Alright kids, listen up. I'll tell you the main details of our mission. It's an A rank mission, so be prepared."

Jiraiya's voice dropped even lower, as if to make sure the wind itself wouldn't carry his words too far. The tension in the air was palpable, and we all gathered closer, instinctively leaning in as he began to outline the mission more clearly.

"This is a reconnaissance mission for the Hokage, but it's not like any we've done before. We'll be going into the Land of Rain, as I mentioned, but we're not just investigating some rogue faction or the usual band of missing-nin," he said, his gaze piercing as he looked from one of us to the next. "There's a larger game at play here, and we're about to step right into it."

The quiet rustling of the leaves seemed to echo around us as the forest held its breath.

"You're all aware of the tensions between the Hidden Villages. You've heard the whispers of war, haven't you? Well, it's more than whispers now. The major villages are starting to make moves, and the Third Hokage wants us to figure out who's doing what before things escalate beyond repair."

Minato shifted, his usual energy replaced by a palpable seriousness. "So, we're spying on the other villages? Gathering intel on their movements?"

Jiraiya nodded, though his expression was grim. "The Land of Rain is... complicated. It is situated right between the Land of Fire, Wind and Stone. If things truly escalate, then it is where the battlegrounds will be."

Minato furrowed his brow. "So, the Land of Rain is going to be the staging ground for what happens next, huh?" His tone was quieter, almost calculating. "And the Hokage wants us to figure out who's making the first move."

"Exactly," Jiraiya said, his voice hardening. "It's a delicate situation. If we're not careful, we could find ourselves caught between bigger powers, or worse, on the receiving end of someone's first strike. The Land of Rain is a place where mercenaries and even rogue ninjas converge. It's always been a powder keg, but now it's feeling like it's about to blow. We need to know who's getting involved, and what their intentions are."

"So, we're walking into a soon-to-be warzone," Yukino said, her voice smooth. "But what's the catch? This sounds like some pretty intense reconnaissance. If we're going to be right in the heart of things, we should know who we're dealing with."

Jiraiya's gaze flickered for a moment, like he was debating how much to reveal. Finally, he sighed. "You're exactly right. The Third Hokage is sending us because we need to understand who will be playing the biggest role in the upcoming conflicts. Right now, we only know there's someone in the Land of Rain, someone with the potential to destabilize everything. We need to assess if they have the capability to make moves against Konoha—or if they've already made preparations for their first strike."

My chest tightened at that last line. Someone in the Land of Rain. Someone dangerous. Someone who could threaten Konoha. Only one name came to mind.

Hanzo the Salamander.

I couldn't help but feel the weight of the name hanging in the air, even if it wasn't spoken aloud. Hanzo the Salamander. The very mention of him, even indirectly, sent a cold shiver down my spine. He's a figure who slaughtered an entire platoon led by Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru. He very well could've killed them too, with ease in fact, but spared them so they could grow from the experience. It was exactly during that battle that he himself dubbed them the legendary Sannin.

If we ran into him, we'd be at his mercy.

"Do we have any leads?" Minato asked, his usual curiosity getting the better of him. "I mean, we're going into unknown territory. How do we even start?"

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck, a frustrated sigh escaping him. "That's the problem. We don't have concrete information yet. But we do know one thing. The Land of Rain is a crossroads, a meeting place for mercenaries, rogue ninja, and people with less-than-friendly intentions. Most of all that means there will be people willing to trade information on every corner. We'll start by filtering those out."

I spoke up. "So, we're going into a cauldron of tensions. The political landscape in the Land of Rain is unstable, and whoever it is that is unaccounted for will have their hands full. What's our role? To spy for the most part, of course, but do we intervene if things get too heated?"

Jiraiya shook his head slowly. "Our role is only to observe. We're not supposed to get involved directly unless it's absolutely necessary. The Hokage wants intelligence, nothing more. But..." He hesitated, casting a glance around the clearing. "I have a feeling this mission will take a turn. We may have to step in, depending on what we find."

Everyone kept silent at that, there really wasn't much else to comment on. But I'm sure we all had our fair share of thoughts on the matter.

"Alright," Jiraiya said, breaking the silence, his tone brokering no argument. "Rest up while you can. Tomorrow, we move out. Be prepared for anything."

With that, the small campfire crackled in the silence between us, and we all settled in for the night.