Chapter 291: Interference in Progress

At the mention of "help," Yahiko and Nagato both involuntarily flinched.

Help? This wasn't help at all. Especially Yahiko—looking at the shoe prints on his body and the dull ache from the trampled flowers—he felt he absolutely didn't need it.

Kazuyama Gekkō gave a slight smile and continued his speech.

"But it seems like you're not doing too great yourselves—outnumbered and getting beaten up."

"What's this? Is that some kind of glorious tradition in Amagakure?"

"Fostering internal conflict to improve your village's combat abilities?"

Yahiko frowned. He knew Kazuyama was joking—otherwise, he wouldn't have just wiped out all their enemies in one strike. That Water Dragon Bullet had stunned him. Being able to summon such a massive water dragon, this man clearly wasn't someone he could match.

"Don't joke around. We're not the kind to follow Hanzō of the Salamander."

"His policies aren't something we agree with. At the very least, we'll never accept them."

Yahiko responded to Kazuyama with absolute seriousness, his tone unusually grave.

"Peace doesn't require extreme war. We will create a peaceful world—one without war."

"That's the reason we exist. Even in the face of someone as powerful as Hanzō of the Salamander, we won't back down."

Nagato and Konan, standing nearby, were just as solemn. They shared the same pain, the same goals. That was what kept them moving forward.

Unfortunately, the one sitting across from them was someone who knew the future.

Kazuyama sneered slightly. It wasn't that he thought Yahiko's ideals were wrong—he just had an issue with Yahiko's mindset.

How did he die in the original story? He chose to die.

Wasn't that just foolish? That whole "never backing down" talk—he was simply cornered with no way out. And then what? Sigh… what a tragic, pitiful man.

But that was the original story. Now, things were different—Kazuyama was here.

If Nagato with the Rinnegan was a pawn prepared by Madara Uchiha, then Yahiko and Konan were the ones Kazuyama intended to bring into his own fold.

He wasn't oblivious to the feelings in Nagato's heart. Thanks to Chōmei's emotion-sensing ability, he already knew everything Nagato had felt about him in this short time.

First surprise, then fear, followed by irritation—and just now, when he spoke, Nagato even felt a flicker of resentment.

In contrast, Yahiko and Konan were merely stirred.

"Heh, I don't know why Jiraiya saved you, but based on your little scuffle just now, I didn't see any talent."

"Oh, no—I didn't see any talent from you two. Konan's Paper Release, though, I've seen that before. It's a fascinating jutsu."

"Orange-hair, red-hair—what about you? What can you do?"

His almost taunting tone made Yahiko jump to his feet. He pointed at Kazuyama with his right hand, his whole face brimming with fighting spirit.

"Hmph! How dare you question our strength! I'll have you know—I'm strong!"

"And my name's not Orange-hair! It's Yahiko! And he's Nagato!"

Nagato slowly stood up as well. His Rinnegan stared straight at Kazuyama Gekkō. Though he didn't speak, his stance said it all.

"Oh? That so? Didn't notice..."

"Orange-hair..."

Orange-hair, orange-hair—Yahiko was about to explode. His hair looked great, so why call him that?

Off to the side, Konan couldn't help but find the scene amusing. Watching Kazuyama Gekkō wind Yahiko up like that, she stood up and pulled Yahiko back.

After all, Kazuyama did help them… even if the process was a little rough.

"Hmph! I'm so pissed off!"

"You really are the worst."

Yahiko, held back by Konan, could only grumble and drop it. The three sat down again as Kazuyama Gekkō observed them with a cheerful smile.

"You're openly trying to win people over in the Land of Rain. Aren't you afraid that old Hanzō will come after you?"

"You know how it is—people get nastier as they age. Even if he's called a Demi-God, he's still human. And humans have their flaws."

At the mention of Hanzō of the Salamander, all three of them fell silent.

They knew very well that as long as they were in the Land of Rain—within Amegakure—they'd always be under Hanzō's shadow. After all, without Hanzō, the Land of Rain wouldn't be what it was. During the Second Shinobi World War, the country had become a battlefield, but Hanzō had used his overwhelming strength to stand toe-to-toe with the other great villages without backing down. He built his reputation and forced the Five Great Nations to take the Land of Rain and Amegakure seriously.

Now, just as they were beginning to gather people, they were already being targeted by Amegakure's ninja. If they kept growing, it was only a matter of time before Hanzō noticed them.

"So what? If we want to achieve our ideals, we'll have to face him sooner or later."

"If we're scared already, then there's no point in chasing our ideals."

Yahiko's tone was firm. He wasn't going to give up.

Nagato and Konan were just as resolute.

"Besides, why does a Konoha ninja care so much? Whatever we choose to do has nothing to do with you."

Kazuyama nodded. Yahiko was right—as a Konoha ninja, he had no place interfering in their business.

Unfortunately, he still had to—if only to protect his own interests.

The Akatsuki Organization… he'd either stop it from forming or turn it into his own.

He just wasn't sure if they'd already founded it.

"Who says outsiders can't get involved?"

"Jiraiya's from Konoha too, and didn't he take you three in?"

The moment he brought up Jiraiya, Yahiko went quiet. That was his teacher—what could he say?

The room fell into silence until Kazuyama spoke again.

"Orange-hair, you're basically a team leader now. Does your team have a name?"

"Or have you thought about forming an organization? Something to help realize your ideals?"

This was it—the main event. Kazuyama hadn't forgotten the reward the system gave him for naming the Daimyō. If he could swoop in here, maybe he'd get another bonus.

"An organization? A name?"

"No, we're just a group of nine right now."

Yahiko looked puzzled at first, but as soon as the word "organization" sank in, his eyes lit up.

This was a great idea. If they were going to do something big, why not build an organization? Yeah, this was good—really good.

When Kazuyama realized the Akatsuki Organization hadn't been formed yet, he broke into a wide grin—genuinely happy.

But that smile only left Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan confused. They couldn't begin to guess what was going through his head.

They hadn't formed an organization yet, so what was he so thrilled about?

Something about this wasn't right—really not right...