Chapter 63: The Akatsuki Trio (Part 1)

Outside the Sunagakure camp—

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, dressed in the Akatsuki's signature black cloaks, arrived at the entrance of the Sunagakure encampment.

As they observed the retreating Sunagakure shinobi, the became a bit tensed.

"So soon?"

It had only been a day since the Three Kage Summit, yet there was already a resolution.

In theory, Sunagakure's retreat was a good thing—it meant that the war might not happen. However, the Akatsuki members couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. A summit that ended this swiftly could only mean one thing: a much larger war was imminent.

As the trio stood in confusion, a striking figure appeared before them. She was the girl who was often seen beside the Kazekage.

"Are you the leaders of the Akatsuki?"

Yahiko steadied himself, took a few steps forward, and replied calmly.

"Yes. My name is Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki. These are my comrades, Konan and Nagato."

"I am Pakura, a shinobi of Sunagakure. Follow me. Kazekage-sama is expecting you."

Under Pakura's guidance and the watchful eyes of the surrounding Sunagakure shinobi, the three slowly entered the camp. Throughout the journey, they remained on high alert, wary of any potential traps. Thankfully, they reached their destination without incident.

Yahiko glanced at the cold and expressionless Pakura before mustering the courage to ask.

"Is Sunagakure retreating? Has the Three Kage Summit already concluded?"

Pakura ignored his question, diverting to the main topic.

"You can ask the Kazekage when you see him."

Soon, the trio arrived at Rasa's tent.

The moment they stepped inside, they saw Rasa, clad in a white Kazekage robe, seated behind a desk.

For a brief moment, the large tent seemed to fall into complete silence. Rasa hadn't expected the visitors to be Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. Their boldness was commendable. His first impression of the three was how young they looked.

Despite their attempts at maturity, there was still an undeniable trace of youthful inexperience in their expressions—especially Yahiko, whose bright-eyed gaze carried an almost naive foolishness, reminiscent of a certain future Naruto Uzumaki.

Konan, on the other hand, was undeniably beautiful. Her striking eyes were particularly captivating, drawing attention effortlessly.

As for Nagato, his long red hair concealed his Rinnegan, making it difficult for Rasa to gauge him fully.

While Rasa was silently observing them, the trio was also studying the Kazekage.

Their first impression? Young.

They had known beforehand that the Fourth Kazekage was relatively young, but seeing him in person still caught them off guard. The title of "Kage" carried an image of an older, seasoned leader, making Rasa's youthful appearance somewhat surprising.

Beyond his youth, however, the most distinct impression Rasa gave off was his air of maturity and composure—a true leader's presence.

Yahiko, in particular, was visibly envious. In Rasa, he saw the kind of leader he aspired to be—calm, confident, and commanding. Unlike himself, who often felt clueless and lacking in ability.

On the other hand, Konan and Nagato were struck by an eerie sensation. It might have been a mere illusion, but they both felt as if this Kazekage already knew who they were.

Rasa's gaze lingered on the two of them with an indescribable strangeness. Especially Nagato—he could feel that the moment Rasa's eyes landed on him, they locked onto his own. However, before either of them could dwell on it, Rasa broke the silence in the tent.

"How old are you?"

The unexpected question made all three of them freeze momentarily, their brows slightly furrowing.

Yahiko stepped forward, asking the question back.

"Kazekage, do you think we're just kids?"

Pakura watched the conversation with interest. She was curious about these young Akatsuki members, but even more curious as to why Rasa, the Kazekage, had agreed to meet them.

"Aren't you?"

Rasa countered. Yahiko instinctively wanted to refute, but Rasa's next words caught them off guard.

"For your age, you've already accomplished quite a lot like developing your own organization. That's impressive."

It was true. Yahiko and Nagato, the oldest among them, were only fifteen, while Konan was just fourteen. Compared to them, Rasa was already an adult at twenty-three.

The unexpected praise left Yahiko momentarily flustered. After a brief pause, he scratched his head and grinned awkwardly.

"Uh… thanks, I guess?"

Pakura shot Yahiko an odd look. This guy… is really the leader of Akatsuki? Why does he seem like such an idiot?

Even Konan, with her usually composed expression, tugged at Yahiko's sleeve in mild embarrassment.

Fortunately, Rasa remained calm and continued,

"So, tell me—why do you, as Akatsuki's leader, want to meet me? If it's about 'peace in the ninja world,' then don't bother. It's a waste of time."

"Why is it? Why should we not talk about peace?"

Yahiko asked but Rasa just sighed internally. Yahiko, much like Naruto in the future, lacked the steadiness expected of a leader. The moment Rasa dismissed peace, he immediately reacted with frustration.

"Do you all really love war that much? Even if you don't care about smaller nations like ours, don't you at least care about your own village? About your own shinobi's lives?"

Pakura was slightly surprised by his reaction. She had initially assumed that Akatsuki was just another mercenary group using the illusion of "ninja peace" to serve their own interests. But now, she found these young idealists… intriguing. She was curious to see how Rasa would respond.

Rasa's answer was simple. He looked at the impassioned Yahiko and asked in return,

"Tell me, kid. What do you think a ninja is?"

The sudden question stunned all three of them. Because they had heard it before. Years ago, they had asked Jiraiya-sensei the same thing. But he hadn't given them an answer—he had told them to find it themselves.

Four or five years had passed since then, and yet, they still hadn't found their own answer.

A heavy silence filled the tent.

Yahiko had his own thoughts, but under Rasa's unwavering gaze, he hesitated. His hesitation revealed the weakness in his conviction.

"What's wrong, leader of Akatsuki? Do you not have an answer?"

Rasa's voice grew colder, his presence pressing down on them.

Luckily, Konan stepped forward before Yahiko could falter any further. She met Rasa's gaze and calmly countered,

"Then tell us, Kazekage-sama. What is your answer? What is a ninja?"

With her words, all eyes shifted to Konan.

Rasa looked at her with admiration.

"Clever girl."

Leaning back in his chair, he assumed a relaxed posture and replied,

"My answer is simple: a ninja is nothing more than a tool."

"A tool?"

Not only Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were stunned—even Pakura was taken aback.

They couldn't understand why Rasa would say such a thing.

Fortunately, he elaborated.

"That's right. Ninjas are nothing more than weapons raised by the daimyo of their respective nations—tools for war. You think it's us shinobi who love war, but that's not true. The ones who truly crave war are the great nations and their leaders. So if you want to convince someone to stop the bloodshed, don't waste your time on us. Therefore, go and persuade the daimyo instead."

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