Pain, the Akatsuki member, sat in silence upon his throne-like chair deep within the Rain Village, the constant drizzle tapping against the iron and stone of the tower around him. The heavy downpour blurred the skyline beyond the windows, a curtain of water that never ceased. His expression was unreadable, his rippling Rinnegan eyes fixed forward as though watching both the village and the world beyond it.

Then, movement caught his attention.

Through the curtain of rain and drifting mist, a small figure stumbled into view. A young girl, no older than a 15-16, emerged hesitantly from a cluster of soaked leaves and broken debris. She clutched a worn backpack close to her chest, her thin shoulders trembling from exhaustion or perhaps fear. Mud clung to her legs as she half-tripped, half-walked across the deserted courtyard below.

Pain’s gaze lingered. This was no ordinary passerby. Few dared to wander into Amegakure uninvited, let alone a girl who looked far too fragile for such a harsh place. Was she lost? Searching? Or had something—or someone—driven her here?