Chapter 71: Akatsuki's Transformation

Magukyo Daichi was originally the fifth leader of the "Old Wan Camp," a gang of sand bandits in the Huangfutu Desert of the Land of Wind. Of course, he wasn't born a sand bandit. Years ago, he had served as a third-class samurai under the daimyo of the Land of Crystals. In such a small nation, this rank was still quite prestigious, and his life was relatively comfortable.

But no one could have foreseen the outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War. The Land of Crystals was annihilated by Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), the daimyo was executed, and Magukyo Daichi barely escaped with his life. From that moment on, he became a wandering ronin.

Without a lord to serve, he felt lost. Aside from his decent swordsmanship, he had no other skills to make a living. Like a dandelion carried by the wind, he drifted aimlessly until he stumbled into the Huangfutu Desert. There, he collapsed from exhaustion, only to be saved by the sand bandits of the "Old Wan Camp." Before he knew it, he had become one of them.

Thanks to his exceptional swordsmanship, he quickly gained the favor of the gang's leader and rose to the position of the fifth leader among the bandits.

For Magukyo, being a samurai and being a bandit didn't seem all that different. Both involved serving a leader—cutting people down for the boss in exchange for food, clothing, money, and women.

The "Old Wan Camp" was strategically located along a key route connecting the Land of Fire to the Yuexi Peninsula. Although there was a crystal highway, some caravans chose to take the old desert route to save on toll fees.

Thus, Magukyo Daichi spent his days guarding the desert route, robbing passing caravans. Apart from the dry climate and scorching heat, life wasn't much different from his days as a samurai.

That was, until one day, the standing forces of Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village) arrived, bringing his carefree days to an abrupt end.

He still vividly remembers the carnage of that day. Countless Sunagakure shinobi stormed their camp aboard massive "sand ships," overwhelming them with devastating force.

The shinobi didn't even bother with warnings. As soon as they disembarked, they unleashed ninjutsu, kunai, and shuriken. His comrades fell like wheat under a scythe.

Magukyo made a quick decision to flee. As one of the camp's leaders, he naturally had a group of subordinates. He led about a hundred rogue shinobi and ronin aboard five small sand boats and fled for their lives.

It was a stroke of luck that the wind was in their favor that day, and the Sunagakure shinobi were too preoccupied with wiping out the remaining bandits to notice the small fry escaping.

Thus, Magukyo Daichi and his group of rogues drifted into the Land of Rain.

Upon arrival, they felt like starving mice falling into a granary. Though the locals weren't wealthy, they were far better off than the barren Huangfutu Desert. Moreover, the Land of Rain's defenses were lax, and Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village)'s forces were weak. It was as if this place had been tailor-made for these rogues. Compared to their previous life in the desert, coming here felt like a no-brainer.

The bandits quickly raised their flag, declared themselves rulers, and established the "Little Wan Camp" with Magukyo Daichi as their leader. Thus, they transitioned from sand bandits to mountain bandits.

This marked the beginning of a nightmare for the surrounding villagers, who suffered relentless plundering and lived in constant fear.

Desperate, the villagers pooled their resources to hire shinobi from Amegakure to eliminate the bandits. The shinobi came but were utterly defeated by the "Little Wan Camp," fleeing in disarray. The weakness of Amegakure's forces was laid bare.

"Are you kidding me? We survived years in the brutal Huangfutu Desert. These so-called shinobi are nothing more than weaklings compared to the ferocious standing forces of Sunagakure."

The villagers fell into despair. Many abandoned their homes and fields, while those who stayed endured the bandits' torment in silence.

Then, one day, a group of individuals wearing black cloaks embroidered with red clouds and conical hats adorned with wind chimes appeared at the gates of the "Little Wan Camp."

Magukyo Daichi, yawning as he got up to relieve himself, went to check the situation at the gate. His eyes were immediately drawn to a blue-haired girl.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A beauty delivering herself to my doorstep?"

The "little beauty" said nothing. She smiled sweetly at Magukyo and extended her right hand. Instantly, countless white paper fragments flew out, fluttering like butterflies—a mesmerizing sight.

"Dance of the Shikigami!"

With a soft cry, the fluttering paper butterflies seemed to receive a command, transforming into spinning paper shuriken that shot toward Magukyo Daichi.

Magukyo dismissed them as mere folded paper. "What? Paper toys? Can these even kill anyone?"

But he quickly realized something was wrong. The paper shuriken effortlessly sliced through his skin, as sharp as real shuriken.

Before he could draw his sword to defend himself, it was too late. The paper shuriken had already slashed his throat.

"Boom!"

An explosion from a paper bomb brought down the gates of the "Little Wan Camp." The "red cloud black cloaks" swarmed in, unleashing a bloody massacre.

In just half a day, the "Little Wan Camp," which had plagued the southern Land of Rain, was annihilated.

Overnight, word spread among the people of the Land of Rain about a new righteous organization dedicated to justice—Akatsuki.

It seemed the Land of Rain was finally seeing a glimmer of hope.

The massive sum of money that Yahiko brought back not only resolved Akatsuki's financial crisis but also allowed them to upgrade their equipment and uniforms.

Gone were the tattered rags. Every member now donned the iconic black cloak embroidered with red clouds and wore conical hats with wind chimes. The uniformity made them look both imposing and mysterious. All shinobi tools were upgraded to Damascus steel products from the Sandglass Group. After all, "a craftsman must first sharpen his tools."

As a former peripheral member of the "Dawn" organization, Yahiko had studied its organizational structure and operational style but made some adjustments.

The primary issue in the Land of Rain had shifted from famine to banditry. After six years of peace, the people were no longer starving as they had been during the war. Now, their main problem was the lack of security for their property and lives.

Of course, the root cause of these issues was the incompetence of Rain Shadow Nenshin Kongo. If you can't do your job, then Akatsuki will step in.

And once Akatsuki has taken over your responsibilities, your existence will no longer be necessary.

Yahiko's goal was clear: win the hearts of the common people and undermine Nenshin Kongo's rule.

Thus began a campaign to eliminate foreign rogue forces.

The results were immediate. The people of the Land of Rain, tired of banditry, showed overwhelming support and gratitude for their newfound "saviors." They welcomed Akatsuki with open arms, offering food and drink. Akatsuki's popularity even surpassed that of the old "Dawn" organization.

As the saying goes, "Where the red clouds pass, cheers follow. When the wind chimes ring, all evil retreats!"

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