The Silence and the Storm

In the sprawling city of Amegakure, the sky weeps eternally.

Beneath her sorrow, the people of the city go about their daily lives, uncomprehending of the fleetness of existence.

The city is ancient... the cracked stone edifices and rusted iron plating reveals as much. In the ancient past, millions of souls used to dwell here. The walls of the city resounded with the sound of their emotions, their laughter and sorrows swelled and saturated the air. For a time.

In the end, the marvel of their ancient culture served its final purpose... as a grave. The massive architectures of the city of rain became the tombstones of a lost age, and a warning to any that would seek to reclaim it. Only the mournful rain dared to intrude upon the solitude of the dark alleys.

But man has a poor memory, and in time new souls have come to replace the dead. Criminals from distant lands, exiles fleeing the violence of authority, aimless wanderers and homeless wretches... the city of rain has once again filled with their desires. The neon lights glow again with the fire of light and ambition. Small lights and small ambitions, which flutter feebly in the wind-swept rains, threatening to be extinguished.

Mindless of the countless dead of the tomb they reside in, the people of the city go about their daily lives, uncomprehending of the fleetness of existence.

In the sprawling city of Amegakure, the sky weeps eternally. Who is she crying for?

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
A spider slowly climbs a water drain. Its articulated legs gradually plot a path up the rusted pipe, careful of the raindrops that buffet the exterior of the Intelligence Division Headquarters of Amegakure. In eight black beads, the reflection of the city below is cast, and the neon colors beneath twinkle as distant lights in them. A tiny web, thinner than a hair and nearly invisible, trails behind the tiny arachnid. Eventually, the penny-sized creature spots safety from the rain in a window above. A tiny slit in the misaligned frame gives the spider sanctuary from the storm, and it carefully enters the darkened storage room.

Used for storage of non-classified financial documents, this room has seen little use. A thin layer of dust covers nearly ever surface, and manila envelopes and crates filled with old yellowed ledgers lay scattered. The spider stops a moment, resting in a quiet corner of the room, before flipping onto its back and revealing a seal written upon its abdomen. For just an instant, the web glimmers dimly, and in that instant a figure appears.

Kisei Kumo silently drops to his knees, his eyes alert, and listens intently to his surroundings. The sounds of footfalls can be heard a few rooms over... ''Just as I thought... these Ame nin seem to be active at night, too. Still, it's less than I was expecting, and more than I was hoping...''