Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

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Major changes are often hidden within many small ones.

After returning to the team, during the various missions, both Kushina and Yoru gradually noticed the shift. From vague to clear, from close to somewhat distant, their teammate Ye Zi began to emit a subtle aura of detachment.

During the days off between missions, Ye Zi used training as an excuse and no longer went out to eat with Kushina and Yoru. Opportunities to be together seemed to be limited to the missions themselves.

Orochimaru also noticed this phenomenon, but he had no intention of changing it. Even though Ye Zi had started to distance himself from others, he never faltered in his duties during missions. To Orochimaru, even if the team fell apart, Ye Zi was the one most likely to survive.

Even if the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were to die, as long as Ye Zi remained, it would be sufficient.

Orochimaru, with his snake-like demeanor, his icy heart, and his indifferent values—this was Orochimaru.

On this day, the sky was overcast. From morning to afternoon, the clouds looked like rising dough, slowly expanding and darkening, pressing down heavily upon the earth as if a torrential rain was about to fall at any moment.

The heavy, rolling clouds obscured the sunlight, and the gray sky made everyone feel gloomy. The streets were nearly empty, but Ye Zi seemed oblivious. He was engaged in intense and monotonous physical training in a relatively secluded training ground.

Pat...

Raindrops as large as beans suddenly fell, striking his slightly tilted forehead, splashing into clear droplets. Soon, more bean-sized raindrops pelted down, creating a blurred curtain of rain between heaven and earth.

Boom...

In the dim, gloomy sky, lightning slithered like a serpent through the dense clouds, occasionally breaking through to tear apart the sky.

The rain poured heavily, making his shoulders slightly sag. The raindrops hitting his exposed skin even stung a little.

For the Fire Country, where the climate is usually favorable, such a heavy rain, brewing for half a day, was rare.

In this downpour, he continued to lift large stone dumbbells, causing water mist to scatter into the air with every movement.

The rain accompanied by cold dampness gradually seeped into his skin. He frowned slightly but had no intention of leaving.

This boy, who had faced death several times, was becoming increasingly reckless.

Despite the massive rain, which showed no sign of abating, people in Konoha Village mostly stayed inside, watching the rare downpour from their windows, listening to the incessant sound of rain. They had no idea that amidst this torrential rain, a young man was training under the heavy downpour.

Feeling the increasingly heavy dumbbells and his body gradually cooling down, Ye Zi gritted his teeth slightly, dropped the dumbbells, and turned to head back to the yard of his residence.

Through the hazy rain mist, he saw someone.

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