C226

The new daimyo of the Fire Nation, Kain pent.

After reading Ninja Weekly, Yahiko recalled the person the three of them had met before learning ninjutsu from their teacher, Jiraiya. 

After helping him find his way, they received some food—and Yahiko even managed to get some chocolates.

Although Yahiko had no idea how that businessman had become the daimyo of the Fire Nation, he knew that this was Akatsuki's only option. 

There was nowhere to borrow money in the Rain Nation, and Konoha had a treaty with the Rain Shinobi Village, making it impossible for them to seek help from any unofficial organizations.

After considering their options, Yahiko realized that only the new daimyo of the Fire Nation might be able to support them. The Kain Chamber of Commerce was also the largest drug dealer in the ninja world.

"Yahiko, are you really going to seek out the new daimyo of the Fire Nation? But didn't Mr. Jiraiya say that this guy isn't a good person? If we go to him..."

Nagato hesitated. Jiraiya had visited them in the Land of Rain not too long ago.

At that time, Jiraiya had only recently become a rogue ninja.

Seeing the rapid development of their Akatsuki organization, he had been pleased and shared some advice with them before leaving behind a sum of funding.

As Jiraiya's students, they couldn't ignore the possibility of a conflict between him and the daimyo. If Kain was at odds with Jiraiya, then he likely wouldn't support Akatsuki either.

"It's okay, Nagato. You won't know unless you try, and besides, this guy doesn't seem like the type to kill indiscriminately. Maybe I can succeed."

Yahiko reassured Nagato. "Right now, Akatsuki has no choice but to seek outside help. Otherwise, that guy Hanzo won't let us go. I once thought Hanzo, the so-called 'demigod,' was a great ninja who truly longed for peace, but now... it seems he's just another ninja clinging to the old ways."

"We have dreams and take action. Our members understand one another and share the hope for peace. The ideals of the Akatsuki organization will one day become reality. Peace in the ninja world begins with Akatsuki!"

Hearing Yahiko's words, Nagato and the other Akatsuki members revealed expressions of determination.

Many members of Akatsuki were older than Yahiko, yet they had joined because they believed in his vision of peace—or had been convinced by the organization's actions.

It was Yahiko's unwavering ideals and personal example that had given Akatsuki such strong unity.

"That settles it, then. Nagato, while I'm away, I'll leave the Akatsuki organization in your hands."

Yahiko looked at Nagato with hopeful eyes. He knew Nagato's potential—he possessed the legendary Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. That alone gave Yahiko confidence.

After making arrangements for Akatsuki's leadership, Yahiko resolutely left the Land of Rain, heading toward the capital of the Fire Nation.

However, every move they made was being closely monitored by White Zetsu.

In the ninja world, White Zetsu was unmatched in intelligence gathering. Aside from Kushina's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, there was currently no way to detect or counteract White Zetsu's surveillance.

Suddenly, a pitcher plant-like figure emerged from the ground beside Obito, grinning as it reported, "Obito, Yahiko has set out. Should we proceed with the plan?"

"The Plan."

"No need—just step it up a notch. Have your avatar transform into an Akatsuki member and directly attack Hanzo's closest confidants! If Hanzo hasn't already decided to ally with Danzo against Akatsuki, then keep pressuring the Rain Shinobi Village. In short, force Hanzo to strike Akatsuki's hidden camp while Yahiko is away."

Obito spoke after hearing White Zetsu's report.

"Understood~ But Obito, you sure love stirring up trouble. Even though you got beaten up in Konoha last time, when it comes to dealing with Akatsuki, just a single thought from you can shatter them."

"Roll!"

A shuriken shot out from the Kamui space, slicing off half of Black Zetsu's face.

What did White Zetsu mean by beaten? Obito had the Kamui pupil technique—retreating was always an option for him. Besides, even the legendary Konoha's White Fang had to team up with another Jōnin to take on his enemies, something rarely seen in the ninja world.

Annoyed, Black Zetsu growled, "Obito, next time, aim for White Zetsu instead. I am Madara's will—he is not."

"Ahaha, I'm off to a mission, Obito..."

White Zetsu tried to slip away, but Obito stopped him.

"Wait a minute, White Zetsu."

White Zetsu froze for a moment, then asked, "What is it, Obito?"

Obito's tone was flat. "How long until the Three-Tails is reborn?"

"The Three-Tails? I'm not really sure, but tailed beasts usually take a few years to reincarnate," White Zetsu answered with his usual carefree tone. "Are you already thinking about the Three-Tails? Isn't it a bit early, Obito?"

"I just don't understand... why did Rin's body suddenly disappear after Kakashi's Raikiri killed her?"

Obito turned his head slightly, revealing his Sharingan through the hole in his mask. His gaze locked onto White Zetsu and Black Zetsu.

"If Kakashi had unintentionally activated Kamui, then Rin's body should be inside Kamui's dimension. But no matter how much I search, it's not there. Do you two know what happened back then?"

White Zetsu spread his hands and said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, "How would we know anything about space-time ninjutsu? Don't overthink things, Obito."

Obito was silent for a moment, then exhaled and said, "Get to work."

With that, Uchiha Obito disappeared into Kamui space.

After some time passed, White Zetsu muttered, "This guy... maybe he's figured it out..."

"Idiot! Don't say that here!"

Black Zetsu scolded him sharply. It hadn't created Madara from the start, but it had secretly observed the actions of Uchiha Madara's younger brother. 

Black Zetsu had always been satisfied with Obito as a pawn in the grand plan—but Nohara Rin's disappearance was an unexpected event. Even it hadn't figured out how she vanished.

But in the end, that detail didn't matter. Her heart was destroyed—she was fated to die. The only problem now was that Uchiha Obito couldn't let it go.

Akatsuki was Madara's idea, and only after Nagato experienced true darkness and despair would he abandon his current naïve ideals.

The attacks on Akatsuki during this time? All orchestrated by White Zetsu.

The attacks on the Rain Shinobi Village? Also orchestrated by White Zetsu.

Hanzo had originally intended for Danzo to find an excuse to take down Akatsuki, but at this point, he didn't even need a pretense—he could simply order a direct attack on them.

Akatsuki's destruction was only a matter of time.

White Zetsu was ready to add fuel to the fire. If he assassinated Hanzo's elite Jōnin, Hanzo would undoubtedly be furious.

In fact, White Zetsu's assassination skills were as formidable as his intelligence-gathering abilities. His Spore Techniquewas difficult to detect—even for five Kage-level ninjas—and once it fully matured, even Jōnin would struggle to deal with it. The only option would be to slowly resist as their chakra was drained away by the spores.

A White Zetsu avatar combined with Spore Technique could eliminate roughly 70% of Jōnin. Unless someone possessed a specialized countermeasure, they were as good as dead.

Some time ago, Tsunade had all her hotel money stolen by Jiraiya, forcing her to visit Miwa in the middle of the night. Even after borrowing a large sum from him, she found herself in no mood for pleasure.

Jiraiya's words lingered in her mind like a curse, keeping her uneasy—especially since she had recently shared an intimate encounter with the very man Jiraiya had warned her about: Kain.

After burning through the five million ryo she had borrowed, Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to transport her to the Wet Bone Forest.

No matter how many times she visited, the sheer size of Katsuyu never failed to shock her. When she looked up, she couldn't even see the top of Katsuyu's true form. If Katsuyu didn't split into smaller segments, Tsunade would have to climb onto her massive head just to communicate.

"Little Tsunade, are you here today to train in Sage Mode?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I'm not at the level where I can train in the Wet Bone Forest's Sage Mode yet. I came here to ask you something, sage Katsuyu. Do you know the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku?"

"It hasn't arrived yet, but it should be close," Katsuyu said softly. Despite her enormous size, her voice remained gentle, a stark contrast to her imposing form.

"Are you referring to him? I do know of him, but it has been a long time since we last communicated. Mount Myōboku is quite far from the Wet Bone Forest, and… for certain reasons, we have not been in contact. I'd rather not discuss those reasons."

"That's fine. Katsuyu, can you tell me about Hamamaru?" Tsunade asked, showing clear interest. "I heard that the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths saved the ninja world, and that he possesses incredible powers of prophecy."

Katsuyu Immortal's voice remained calm. "That is true, though to be precise, they saved the human world. Back then, my kind and other Summoning Beast factions judged that the Goddess of Uno no longer intended to destroy the planet, so we withdrew from the conflict.

However, Hama Wan and his kin had a deep connection with humans. They were originally the summoning beasts of the Onmyoji, and thus chose to intervene. That is how they came to guide the Sage of Six Paths."

Tsunade's expression showed a hint of skepticism. "So it really happened… But what about the Great Toad Sage's prophecies? Are they accurate?"

"I wouldn't know, little Tsunade."

Hearing this, Tsunade's eyes brightened slightly, but Katsuyu continued, "Hama Wan's ability comes from the Onmyoji, who have long since gone extinct.

It is said that they possessed the ability to communicate with the Yin-Yang Pure Land and wield other mystical arts…"

"There should be prophecies, but I don't know if they're accurate. After all, the Wet Bone Forest has almost no connection with Mount Myōboku."

The Katsuyu race had a natural aversion to toads, and their only communication with Toad Maru had been due to the goddess Uno a thousand years ago.

 Since then, the Katsuyu sages had rarely left the Wet Bone Forest, learning about the outside world only through their contractors.

Tsunade nodded. "I see. That makes sense. Thank you very much, Katsuyu."

"It's nothing," Katsuyu Immortal replied. "But I didn't expect you to come here just to ask about this. I thought little Tsunade was finally going to train in Sage Mode. By the way, your vitality is incredibly strong now."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and laughed. "You must be mistaken, Katsuyu. I haven't been training much lately—unless you count using Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration."

"A mistaken reading? That can't be."

Katsuyu sage separated a small portion of herself, letting it slowly crawl onto Tsunade. After a brief moment, she spoke again—this time with surprise.

"Oh… I really did misunderstand. Little Tsunade, the powerful life force I sensed isn't just yours… it's coming from the child in your belly. Something big has happened."

"I was just saying, Katsuyu, you—"

Tsunade's words suddenly cut off. Her expression froze.

Had she misheard just now?

What did Katsuyu Immortal just say!?

Tsunade stammered, her voice unsteady. "W-what did you just say, Katsuyu? What… what's happening to me?"

"Hey, little Tsunade, don't you know? You should be pregnant. There's a very strong life force in your abdomen. My senses wouldn't be wrong."

Katsuyu sage spoke with absolute certainty.

But Tsunade's mind went blank. It was as if her soul had left her body.

…

patreon.com/Vks_sh