203 - The White Ghost Knock on Heaven's Door

Nagato was the leader of Ame, a fact that was no secret to the higher-ups of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Playing two roles at once could only deceive people for a while.

Unfortunately for him, Konoha had Masashi.

Hanzō had always maintained a cooperative relationship with Konoha. But once he died, that connection was severed.

How could that be acceptable?

The Land of Rain was too important. Back then, supporting Hanzō in eliminating Akatsuki was a decision jointly agreed upon by the Third Hokage and Danzō. Afterward, Konoha continued to provide economic aid to Ame.

Nagato was able to endure for so long because Akatsuki lacked the strength to directly confront Konoha.

However, Hanzō grew increasingly incompetent, and in the minds of the Hokage's office, his standing fell lower and lower. Initially, Konoha's stance was to eliminate anyone who threatened him. But eventually, it shifted to—if Hanzō couldn't hold on and actively sought help, Konoha would intervene, and he would have to demonstrate a pro-Konoha stance.

The Third Hokage found it lamentable. After all, Hanzō was a veteran from his era, yet over time, he had deteriorated into such a miserable state.

During the reign of the Fourth Hokage, Konoha's stance toward Ame had already reached a bottom-line approach—it didn't have to be ruled by Hanzō, but it had to be pro-Konoha.

When Hanzō's regular communications ceased, Minato didn't hesitate to assign the matter to Masashi, who had volunteered for the task.

Then, Masashi—who saw himself as having flexible principles but was viewed by outsiders as the face of Konoha's militant faction—marched a thousand Konoha ninjas to Ame's gates.

That was the second time Masashi met Nagato, after the Matatabi incident.

Their meeting was... quite harmonious.

They mutually praised each other's mastery of ninjutsu, while the Ame ninjas and Konoha ninjas embraced passionately in the torrential rain, expressing their longing for one another and reaching a full understanding.

Konoha and Ame had shared diplomatic relations for decades, their friendship running deep.

Nagato expressed his willingness to work alongside Konoha's Fourth Hokage administration to plan the future of their villages' relations. Masashi, in turn, pounded his chest and vowed to promote cooperation and friendship between Konoha and Ame, ensuring the tradition of mutual support between their villages remained unchanged.

Afterward, the Ame ninjas reluctantly bid farewell to their visiting Konoha friends. Harmony and brotherhood prevailed—a joyous occasion.

Could you imagine this happy moment? Well, to be honest, this was far from the truth.

That day, Nagato finally understood why Hanzō, despite once being known as the Salamander, had willingly become the Third Hokage's watchdog.

It had nothing to do with personal preferences or political ambitions.

Ame was the strongest small village surrounding Konoha. Konoha was the strongest large village surrounding Ame. That was all there was to it.

Today, Masashi had returned—his second visit to Ame.

It was Nagato's third time seeing Masashi in person.

After years apart, their demeanors had completely changed.

During their second meeting, Nagato—having already avenged his personal grievances—had shed some of his inner burdens. He was less sharp than before but carried a grander vision, as he was now entirely devoted to his great cause.

But now, upon their reunion, he seemed more worn out.

Even so, his steps remained firm, his posture straight as ever.

The Land of Rain was surrounded by strong and ruthless nations—save for the indifferent Land of Earth, none of them were easy to deal with.

Nagato was now a replica of the young Hanzō. He had secured peace for the Land of Rain through his sheer personal strength.

Just because Masashi could march a thousand Konoha ninjas to Ame's gates didn't mean anyone else could do the same.

Nagato may not have been a qualified organizational leader at first, but he was willing to learn. More importantly, though he learned from others, he never lost sight of his original intentions.

Now, Ame was perhaps the most unified village in the entire shinobi world. He had conquered it with strength, but he maintained its unity not through force, but through his character.

Under his leadership, the Ame ninjas had completely transformed.

Nagato wasn't alone when he met Masashi—he was accompanied by his constant companion, Konan.

The two of them sat in a small reception room, its furnishings simple and modest—a small table, a few chairs, and a cabinet holding tea sets and tea leaves.

Masashi's seat was positioned between two doors—one leading to an outdoor terrace, the other to the room's entrance.

Konan prepared tea for the two of them before sitting quietly to the side.

Nagato sat across from Masashi, steam rising from the teacups before them. After a few seconds of silent eye contact, he spoke first.

"It's been a long time, Masashi."

"Ame has developed quite well," Masashi remarked, not touching his tea. "You're still wearing Akatsuki's robes, though?"

"Some things need to be done in Akatsuki's name for the sake of Ame's stability," Nagato replied.

That was the identity he had crafted for Akatsuki—

A third-party shinobi organization that existed to protect the peace of the Land of Rain, an ally of Ame. Anything Ame couldn't do openly, Akatsuki would handle on its behalf, all in pursuit of Ame's goals.

"Including the assassination of Konoha's ANBU?" Masashi was skeptical. He didn't really believe Akatsuki or Ame were behind it.

At this stage, Nagato's primary goal was still ensuring peace in the Land of Rain.

Although Akatsuki needed war to grow stronger, they wouldn't sacrifice the peace of the Land of Rain to achieve that.

Even if they were to start a war, they wouldn't do it right at their doorstep.

"It wasn't us."

"But the chakra traces point to Ame. Words can lie, evidence can be fabricated, but chakra traces are real."

The sun rose in the east and set in the west, day and night alternated—these were natural phenomena.

The same went for chakra traces: if you used chakra, you left a mark.

"Ame is different from the past. Many outsiders come and go now," Nagato said.

He wasn't lying.

Ame was no longer a ruined village. Skyscrapers rose in clusters, neon lights flickered when night fell, and the scars of war had faded away. Once dilapidated homes had transformed into a glittering skyline.

Even the constant rain couldn't mask the village's prosperity.

This was the dream Yahiko, Konan, and he had as children—now realized.

Nagato would never destroy this beauty.

"You have chakra-sensing abilities. You know I'm not lying. Your Rainmaker Jutsu is not for show." Masashi stated, "If the culprit wasn't from Ame, then they passed through it. Let's be honest—who was it?"

Nagato furrowed his brows.

He did know something.

And Masashi's presence here proved this incident was causing trouble for Ame.

But he wasn't going to take the blame for it.

Nagato could bear hatred, he could bear the dreams of others, but he wouldn't bear a scapegoat's burden.

"Kumo ninjas," he said bluntly.

"Identity, name." Masashi was even more direct.

Once he had those, he could return to Konoha and make trouble for them.

Kumo had allied with Suna to wage war against Iwa—that was beneficial to Konoha and to the Uchiha clan.

But assassinating Konoha's ANBU? That was another matter entirely. It didn't matter if the culprits were truly from Kumo or not.

If they dared to target ANBU today, would they go after the Uchiha clan tomorrow? And the day after, would they come for their Sharingan?

If Kumo didn't want to take the blame, then they had to find the real culprits.

If they couldn't, they would pay with their lives.

"Their identities are unknown. We only know they entered the Land of Rivers from the Land of Wind. After failing their assassination attempt, they used official documentation from Kumo to gain passage through Ame."

"I need that document."

"You can have it." Nagato nodded. "You'll receive it when you leave."

"Thank you." Masashi nodded and prepared to stand up.

"No need to rush, Masashi," Nagato said. "I have it with me."

He pulled out a scroll from his robe and placed it on the table—but he didn't let go of it.

"Just so we're clear, I'm not the Hokage. I don't make the decisions for Konoha." Masashi sat back down.

Nagato was still in the phase of being "content with the status quo," and Masashi hoped he would stay that way.

The key to maintaining this was keeping the power balance of the shinobi world unchanged—Akatsuki couldn't gain any new missing-nin of Kage-level strength.

Nagato was strong, extremely strong.

But his power wasn't impossible to counter. Unlike in the original timeline, where he launched a full-scale attack on Konoha, that scenario would never happen in this one.

Because in this timeline, Konoha had truly earned its title as the strongest shinobi village.

"You can make decisions. Ame is willing to maintain friendly relations with Konoha, but the foundation of that relationship is already set—it was agreed upon by everyone." Nagato stated. "Now that war has begun, I want to know Konoha's stance."

"Nagato, that's a bit unfair, isn't it? You can't just ask about Konoha's stance without sharing yours."

"Ame will align with Konoha in the general direction. Akatsuki will accept contracts from Iwa, but our mission operations will be limited to the Land of Earth."

Masashi quickly processed Nagato's response in his mind.

It aligned well with Konoha's interests. In fact, it fit perfectly.

So, he decided to be honest as well.

"Suna and Iwa are both Konoha's allies. We can't interfere directly, but we will mediate. The timeline, however, depends on Suna and Iwa themselves."

Nagato released his grip and pushed the scroll toward Masashi.

"This is the document. It's genuine, but whether the individuals were really from Kumo is uncertain. You'll have to determine that yourselves."

Masashi picked up the document and opened it for a look.

It was indeed authentic.

However, it was of a common level—just a standard passage document frequently used by the various ninja villages.

Documents like these didn't require the personal signature of a village leader.

In Konoha, the administrative department could issue such documents on its own. They contained no information regarding ninja missions or identities, merely serving as proof that the holder was a ninja from the village.

But for Konoha, that was enough.

Though it felt a bit unfair to the sacrificed ANBU ninjas, catching the real culprit wasn't the most important thing.

Regardless, someone would pay for their lives.

After carefully putting away the document, he took his leave.

Once he left Ame, he immediately activated the Flying Thunder God.

---

When he returned to Konoha, the sun was shining brightly. As he appeared at the entrance of the Hokage Building, the diplomatic envoys from the four great ninja villages happened to be filing out of the main doors.

Everyone saw Masashi's stern face.

At that moment, the current relationships between the four villages and Konoha became apparent.

The envoy from Kumo instinctively took a step back.

The envoy from Kiri was led by Ao. He greeted Masashi with a broad smile.

"Masashi, I've been here for days, yet I haven't seen you at all."

"I had some business to attend to." Seeing a familiar face, Masashi relaxed his expression and smiled. "How's your stay been? Want to grab a drink tonight?"

"No, no, I need to focus on work first." Ao was tempted but resisted. "Will you be joining the upcoming negotiations?"

"Depends on the Hokage's decision. But I prefer taking on missions—less exhausting."

As the two chatted, the other three delegations were left in an awkward position, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Leaving wasn't easy because Masashi was standing in the perfect spot—right at the entrance.

But staying wasn't any better. The White Ghost had gained such a fearsome reputation that these envoys knew they weren't on his level. Their only hope was to avoid his attention, let alone dare to force their way through.

Going back inside?

They couldn't very well tell the Hokage, "I was thirsty, so I came back for tea."

If they did, the Third Hokage would probably be delighted and order an entire bucket of tea while keeping them for an all-night conversation. The old man had clearly been enjoying himself earlier.

Back when Hiruzen was Hokage, people had liked him because he was reasonable.

Now that he was no longer Hokage, just seeing him gave people a headache—precisely because he was too reasonable.

At this point, some even felt that compared to Hiruzen, Danzō was nothing.

Meanwhile, Ao and Masashi had moved on to talking about children.

On this topic, Masashi was far from bored—he was particularly animated.

Black Zetsu had once claimed that Masashi would never awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in his lifetime. That statement was half true.

He had already unlocked the full-body Susanoo, yet the Mangekyō had never appeared.

However, he had developed his own ability that had never before existed in the history of the Sharingan. By normal standards, it shouldn't have been possible for such a technique to manifest as a Sharingan power.

The night his daughter was born, her cries shook Masashi's heart.

The impact was far greater than he had ever expected.

Before this, he had been filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

Everything had unfolded naturally—from marriage to impending fatherhood.

For months, he had imagined countless times what his child would be like.

Could he really have a child of his own?

He was so accustomed to killing that taking lives felt as natural as eating or drinking. Could someone like him truly take on the role of a father?

In that moment, he felt lost.

But as he held his crying daughter in his arms, he suddenly felt that his existence had taken on a new meaning.

Her arrival brought a new rhythm to his life.

He now had something to live for.

He could never get tired of watching his daughter sleep.

He could never get tired of hearing her cry. Oh, well, that was strange.

And the first time she gave him a sweet smile, the heart he had forged through two lifetimes of hardship melted completely.

That night, as he sat beside her crib, watching her sleep, he stayed up the entire night.

That was the night he awakened his own unique ability.

His eyes remained the same, but within his Sharingan, a chakra pathway unique to him had formed.

It was a technique that consumed an immense amount of chakra—even for Masashi, it was a burden to use.

Unless he tapped into the chakra of the Two-Tails.

When his son was born, it wasn't quite the same as when his daughter had arrived—her birth had felt like it had cleansed his very soul. But the deep sincerity, the overwhelming emotions, the sense of busyness and responsibility—it was all the same.

During the battle where he took part of the Eight-Tails' chakra, he had refrained from completely annihilating the Kumo ninjas present.

His mood had been too good.

Even the normally unpleasant-looking Kumo ninjas had seemed almost pleasant to his eyes.

But that was then. Now, he wouldn't hesitate to slap them into pancakes.

"Masashi, what are you up to?"

Masashi, who had been happily chatting with Ao, suddenly heard a voice.

He turned to see Minato stepping out from the crowd.

Behind him stood Hiruzen, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Masashi didn't bother asking why—one look at the sour faces around them made it easy enough to guess.

"Hokage-sama, I have fulfilled my mission." He pulled out the document and presented it to both Hokage. "After investigation, the attacker responsible for the ambush on our village has ties to Kumo."

"What?"

"Impossible!"

Cries of shock erupted from the diplomatic envoys.

The Kumo representative didn't even have time to put on his usual indifferent expression.

What kind of joke was this? There was no way their village would attack Konoha's ninjas at a time like this.

"Masashi-sama, this must be a misunderstanding!" he hastily explained. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"When has your village ever made sense?" Masashi gave him a sidelong glance. "Relax, we don't kill envoys."

"The document is yours—I've verified it. It's genuine."

Minato and Hiruzen both grew serious but refrained from making any hasty judgments.

Minato took the document from Masashi and carefully examined it before turning to analyze it with Hiruzen.

"It is indeed... a Kumo-issued document," Hiruzen sighed. "I will not outright declare that your village is responsible. However, I must ask Kumo to fully cooperate with Konoha in an investigation."

"Of course! We will never let such criminals go unpunished!" The Kumo envoy nearly had a heart attack. He couldn't shake the feeling that the White Ghost was seconds away from cutting him down—those eyes were terrifying. "Hokage-sama, please grant us some time. We will get to the bottom of this!"

"You may make a copy of the document," Masashi said. "It contains your village's official issuance number. You can investigate it yourselves."

"Masashi-sama, please rest assured—I will contact my village immediately!" The Kumo envoy was elated to hear that Masashi's tone seemed to have softened. "We are willing to form a joint investigation team with Konoha to uncover the truth!"

Minato and Hiruzen exchanged a glance.

"There's no need for a joint team. We trust your village's sincerity," Minato said with a disarmingly gentle smile. "However, until the results of the investigation are clear, I'm afraid the ongoing negotiations will have to be put on hold. After all..."

The Hokage of Konoha spoke with a level of kindness that almost seemed excessive.

"Negotiations must be built on mutual trust..."

Watching the Kumo envoy nodding so rapidly he resembled a pecking chicken, the Suna envoy seriously considered launching a Wind Release attack on his supposed temporary ally.

What kind of teammate was this? Pulling something like this at such a crucial moment?

What else could they do?

Keep fighting, of course!

Before the next round of negotiations, they had to gain the upper hand on the battlefield!

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