Ch 77 : Two Genin from konoha
Snow had fallen throughout the night, and the entire village was covered in a layer of silvery white.
On the streets, people were using brooms and shovels to clear the accumulated snow, while children were chasing each other and playing.
The aroma of home-cooked meals wafted from some houses.
Today, ninjas from various villages had arrived to participate in the Chunin Exams, all led by their respective Jonin and arranged into the village's guest lodgings.
Normally, Orochimaru would be the one to greet them, but he remained holed up in his research lab, unwilling to come out, so it fell on Makoto to handle the task instead.
Makoto also understood that, to outsiders, a young boy like himself probably wouldn't carry much weight, so he invited Minato to join him.
With the famous Konoha "Yellow Flash" there, the guests wouldn't feel neglected.
Minato had initially been reluctant to attend such an event, but since Makoto personally asked him, and remembering how Makoto had helped Rin, he couldn't refuse.
Thus, Minato ended up being Makoto's assistant for receiving the guests.
The leader of the Suna-nin team was a young and beautiful woman named Pakura, a bloodline ninja skilled in the use of the Scorch Release, who was quite famous in the ninja world.
When Makoto met her, he recalled that this woman had been sold out by Sunagakure, becoming a political sacrifice.
Although she was still alive, she probably wouldn't be for long.
The village was much livelier than usual, with ninjas from other countries already visible on the streets wearing foreign headbands.
In addition, many merchants had arrived, something that Makoto had arranged long ago, providing them with a street where they could set up stalls to do business.
Konoha had increased its police force, conducting strict checks on everyone entering the village.
Everything related to the Chunin Exams was progressing smoothly, and Makoto had been quite busy these past few days, overseeing many tasks.
Meanwhile, within the borders of the Land of Rain, at the Akatsuki's base.
Yahiko was looking at a letter presented by his subordinate, sent by Hanzo of the Salamander.
The contents of the letter expressed Hanzo's admiration for the Akatsuki's actions and his desire to meet with them to discuss future national affairs.
If it had been before, Yahiko would have been overjoyed to receive such a letter, feeling that all his hard work over the years had been worth it.
Across the entire Land of Rain, almost no one did not admire Hanzo of the Salamander, the legendary figure who pushed the military power of the Land of Rain to its peak, fighting against the three great nations simultaneously by his own strength.
But after receiving the warning from Konohagakure, Yahiko couldn't help but reflect on his naivety, as well as Hanzo's cruelty.
Clearly, both he and the entire Akatsuki organization had a vision for the entire Land of Rain—why couldn't Hanzo understand this? Did he no longer wish to save the country? Or had the aging Hanzo lost his former ambition and become obsessed with the power in his hands?
Could such a person still lead the Land of Rain?
A subordinate came to report: "Lord Yahiko, the ninjas from Konohagakure have arrived."
The letter from Konohagakure had mentioned that they would send ninjas to assist them when the time came for action.
Yahiko thought the visitors must be elite ninjas from a major nation, and he didn't dare to be negligent.
He immediately stood up to meet them.
There were only two of them: an elderly man with a hunched back carrying cooking utensils, and a middle-aged man dressed in a comically tight green bodysuit.
If it weren't for the Konohagakure headbands, Yahiko wouldn't have believed they were ninjas.
The image he had imagined earlier instantly crumbled.
He turned his head and whispered to Nagato, "These two…"
Nagato, with a blank expression, replied, " Konoha ninjas."
He didn't show much favor towardsKonoha.
Every time he saw a Konoha ninja, he would be reminded of the day his parents were killed by them.
Yahiko's mouth twitched, thinking that perhaps Konoha was simply brushing them off.
"Hello," he still greeted them first.
Maruboshi Kosuke handed over a document.
"My name is Maruboshi Kosuke, and this is Might Duy. The village sent the two of us to assist the Akatsuki's operations."
Yahiko took the document and his expression instantly turned sour.
"Genin..."
Both of them were Genin.
He felt a surge of anger, but considering the recent help from Konoha, he held it back.
Maruboshi Kosuke noticed the change in Yahiko's expression and knew exactly what he was thinking.
He smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Yahiko, judging people by their appearance is not a good habit."
Yahiko was startled, and seeing Maruboshi Kosuke so calm and composed made him feel somewhat doubtful.
He took a deep breath and gave them a smile.
"You two must be tired from your journey. Please rest for now. We will notify you when the operation begins."
The subordinates led Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Duy into the base.
At this moment, Konan couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure these two are okay?"
They didn't seem like normal people.
Yahiko responded, "This is our own matter. Konoha has already been very generous in offering their help. We shouldn't push them any further."
After being led into a resting room, Might Duy finally let out a sigh of relief.
He had been on edge the whole time, worried that he might show weakness.
Ever since he requested an B-rank mission from Makoto earlier, Makoto had frequently assigned him high-level tasks, and his partner had always been Maruboshi Kosuke.
Maruboshi Kosuke, however, was accustomed to such situations.
He had completed countless high-level missions.
Though both were Genin, he was quite different from Might Duy, who was often despised and ridiculed in the village.
Maruboshi Kosuke still had a certain level of fame, and aside from a few young people, many treated him with respect.
Recently, after teaming up with Might Duy, Maruboshi Kosuke had figured out his teammate's abilities.
Duy had mastered a secret technique of taijutsu that allowed him to unleash an incredibly strong burst of power for a short period, but afterward, he would experience a period of weakness.
What bothered him the most was that, despite being married with children, Duy had very little experience with high-level missions, and there were many aspects where Maruboshi Kosuke had to guide him.
Maruboshi Kosuke suspected that this was probably Makoto's intention, wanting him to train Might Duy.
"Senior Kosuke, our mission target this time is Hanzo of the Salamander, right?" Might Duy asked.
"Sort of," Maru Hoshi Kokusei replied.
"He's a demigod..." Might Duy couldn't help but click his tongue.
Hanzo had once been a figure at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Even the Three Sannin of their own village had relied on him to gain their fame.
Might Duy had never imagined that one day he would face him.
"Don't worry. It's not just us. The entire Akatsuki organization is involved," Maruboshi Kosuke said.
"Lord Makoto holds them in high regard, so there must be something special about them. Plus, Hanzo is getting old."
Age is a ninja's greatest enemy, and Maruboshi Kosuke deeply understood this.
He took a green vial from his pocket and handed it to Might Duy.
This was an antidote given to them by Makoto before they left. It had fewer side effects than the one Makoto gave to the Akatsuki, but there were only two vials.
Hanzo of the Salamander was notorious in the ninja world for his use of poison, so they needed to be prepared in advance.
Might Duy walked over to the window, thinking about how Guy would react if he knew what mission he was currently on.
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
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