There was absolutely no cloud cover above the city itself. The clear, azure sky and the bright sunshine seemed completely out of place in the Land of Rain, yet they were present here.
"It's Hokage-sama! It must be Hokage-sama. Only he could achieve something like this."
The ninjas had no doubt; there was no one else in the world capable of such a feat. It was akin to a miracle.
Jiraiya laughed heartily. "Alright, don't worry about who did it. Let's hurry into the city! Being soaking wet is genuinely uncomfortable."
With that, Jiraiya accelerated, and the ninjas quickly followed, dashing toward the Central City.
The ninja team ran at full speed, reaching the base of the city walls in less than ten minutes. The guards at the city gate were a combined unit of ninjas from the three villages, and Jiraiya and his group were stopped for inspection.
"You are Konoha ninjas?" the leading Iwagakure ninja asked. He was not familiar with Jiraiya but recognized the Konoha headbands.
"Indeed. We are the last batch of Konoha ninjas; no one else will be coming after us."
The Konoha ninja within the guard unit certainly recognized Jiraiya and, after a brief word with his captain, they were quickly permitted to enter.
Inside the city, the ninjas could finally relax a bit. The climate of the Land of Rain was different from the Land of Fire; it wasn't very cold even in winter, and the city was quite warm.
"Let's go. We'll head to the office building to find Hokage-sama's clone."
The arrival of such a large group of ninjas naturally drew the curiosity of the city residents, but upon seeing the Konoha headbands, the residents relaxed.
"Oh, it's just people from the Konoha Village. I thought something was wrong."
The residents here came from the three major nations, not just the Land of Fire, as this was the Central City under the joint jurisdiction of the three countries. There were also a small number of original Land of Rain inhabitants, but they were generally looked down upon. With the recent trouble, the Land of Rain natives in the city were subjected to even more cold shoulders. While the administrators had attempted to manage this, the psychological contempt felt by the people was difficult to control.
Jiraiya led the group to the office building. After a brief discussion with the guards, he took the Squad Leader, Minato, Yahiko, and Konan upstairs. The remaining ninjas waited outside.
The architecture of the Land of Rain was different from Konoha, with drainage pipes everywhere. The interiors of the buildings were predominantly blue and black, giving them a somber and cold feeling, completely lacking the warmth of the Konoha Village, something even hanging lanterns couldn't fix.
Ninjas from various villages moved through the building. The Konoha ninjas, upon seeing Jiraiya and Minato, greeted them enthusiastically. They even introduced Jiraiya to the ninjas from the other villages. After having executed missions together for so long, the ninjas from the three villages had forged deep friendships.
Jiraiya and the others then proceeded to the central office. After a knock, they walked straight in.
Inside, Torifu's clone was looking at the official documents on his desk with a sense of boredom. He casually stamped a document and tossed it to the Iwagakure administrator beside him, telling him to handle the rest himself. The administrator felt helpless about this, as he hadn't expected the Hokage to dislike handling paperwork so much.
Seeing Jiraiya and the others, Torifu stood up and walked toward them.
"Jiraiya, I estimated you would arrive around this time. I was right."
"Ha ha ha, Big Brother Torifu, it was quite a journey. We're soaked through."
Torifu nodded. "I know. I already used a jutsu to move the clouds a few kilometers away from the Central City to prevent it from being overly damp." He then handed Jiraiya and the others a small cloud sphere. "Carry this with you. It will automatically absorb the rainwater around you, keeping you dry."
This was essentially a scaled-down version of the cloud sphere from Hell Valley. It consumed little chakra, allowing Torifu to produce it in large quantities. Currently, all ninjas executing missions outside were equipped with one. Foreign ninjas could also acquire them for a small fee of one thousand Ryo each; they were not considered valuable items.
Jiraiya and the others accepted the spheres with smiles, then inquired about their living arrangements. Torifu immediately summoned a young ninja and instructed the Squad Leader to follow him to arrange accommodation for the ninjas waiting downstairs. The Squad Leader accepted the task and left.
"You all should rest well tonight. The city has electricity, so your phones will work normally, but they won't work once you leave the city."
"After you settle down, you can go out to eat something. The food in this city is quite good, combining the flavors of all three countries. You should give it a try."
Jiraiya was not hungry at the moment, but was eager to change out of his soaked clothes. Minato and the others felt the same way; being drenched was too uncomfortable.
Torifu noticed their current predicament and said with a smile, "Alright, in that case, I won't hold you up. Hurry back and rest. I've assigned you to the apartment complex built by the Konoha Village; they are the same as the ones in the village."
Hearing this, Jiraiya's spirits instantly lifted. He had been coveting the apartments in the village for a long time, but they were only for foreign guests, and Konoha people were not allowed to stay in them. This was a perfect chance to experience modern living.
"Great, Big Brother Torifu, we'll head back now."
Jiraiya was about to leave with the three youngsters and Kushina, but then turned back. "Oh, right, tomorrow should I take the four of them directly to clear out the rogue ninja strongholds, or should I pick up a mission first?"
Torifu smiled slightly. "No need to pick up a mission. Just proceed with the cleansing according to your own pace."
Jiraiya scratched his head. Since that was the case, he had no further questions. He turned and left the office.
Minato and Yahiko also waved to Torifu before departing.
"Ugh, finally time to rest a bit," Jiraiya groaned, stretching. His clothes were sticking to his skin, which was truly unpleasant.
"Alright, Jiraiya-sama, let's go clean up our rooms first, and then come out to eat," Yahiko suggested.
This was a very correct proposal. The five quickly headed towards the apartment complex.
By this time, the sky was growing dark, and the sunset had turned a fiery red. It was a beautiful sight, one that the Land of Fire's sunset never achieved. It was probably due to the abundance of clouds here.
When the five arrived at the apartment complex, they found that, just as Torifu had said, it was identical to the apartments in the Konoha Village.