Chapter 72: Blade in Hand, Follow Me – Kill Kongō, Seize the Tower

Looking down at the sea of black-cloaked figures adorned with red clouds surrounding the Amegakure Tower, Nōshin Kongō's face turned pale as a sheet. Sweat poured down his forehead, his lips quivering uncontrollably. He couldn't even string together a coherent sentence.

Inside the Amegakure Tower, about a hundred or so Amegakure shinobi were scattered across the main hall in disarray. Some were lying on the ground, others slumped against the walls, emitting groans of pain that sent chills down the spine. Many had kunai embedded in their bodies, their fates uncertain. Some curled up in corners, clutching their legs and sobbing quietly, while others were bandaging their wounds with trembling hands.

No one would have thought that these hundred injured shinobi represented the entirety of the forces that the Rain Shadow could muster.

Unlike the mob that had surrounded the tower years ago, the members of the Akatsuki surrounding it this time did not scream in rage or chant slogans. They simply stood there in silence, letting the rain fall on their straw hats, the bells on them ringing softly. Though quiet, their oppressive aura was suffocating, leaving Nōshin Kongō gasping for air.

He knew that beneath this deathly silence burned a fury so intense it could reduce him to ashes.

At the forefront of the group, Yahiko silently removed his straw hat and placed it over his chest in a gesture of mourning. Following his lead, the members of the Akatsuki behind him uniformly removed their hats and bowed their heads in solemn silence.

At the same time, dozens of burly men, working in groups of four, carried several open coffins to the front of the formation. The corpses inside were peaceful in appearance, clearly having been meticulously prepared. White flowers surrounded them, and the first among them was none other than Watō Ten Kyōsuke, a core member of the Akatsuki.

Five minutes later, Yahiko wiped the sorrow from his face, his expression turning calm. He raised his hand silently, pointing at the floor-to-ceiling window where Nōshin Kongō was peeking out.

Hundreds of Akatsuki members simultaneously began to sprint, hurling large, unidentified objects toward the window with all their might.

"Crash!"

The massive floor-to-ceiling window shattered into countless pieces, sending Nōshin Kongō scurrying to avoid the flying shards.

"Thud… thud…"

A round, blood-soaked object rolled to Nōshin Kongō's feet. When he looked down, his heart nearly stopped—it was a severed head, still dripping with fresh blood.

He recognized the face immediately.

It was his most trusted lieutenant—Ōkubo Jōnin.

"Urgh!"

Nōshin Kongō collapsed to his knees, vomiting uncontrollably. The bile spewed forth, submerging the severed head beneath it.

After retching until his stomach was empty, his mind cleared slightly. He muttered to himself, "Shimura… where is Shimura Danzō?! Where are the reinforcements from Konoha?!"

But no one answered him.

Outside, Yahiko suddenly raised a Damascus dagger high into the air, letting out a blood-curdling roar of fury.

"Blade in hand!"

"Blade in hand!" echoed the Akatsuki members behind him, their voices filled with rage as they raised their weapons in unison. The synchronized roar was so deafening it seemed to pierce the heavens.

"Follow me!"

"Follow me!"

"Kill Kongō!"

"Kill Kongō!"

"Seize the tower!"

"Seize the tower!"

The earth-shaking chants drained all color from Nōshin Kongō's face.

He realized with chilling clarity that this uprising was nothing like the last one. This wasn't something he could brush off with a bit of makeup and theatrics.

For the first time, he regretted his decision. Why had he listened to the Konoha shinobi and attempted something as complicated as assassination?

As the saying goes, "A single spark can start a prairie fire." The Akatsuki's violent "revolution" in the Land of Rain not only garnered widespread support from the local populace but also attracted like-minded shinobi from other villages.

Though young, Yahiko was a leader with a sharp mind. Having grown up in the streets of Amegakure, he had a deep understanding of the nation's social issues and the sentiments of its people.

He had spent a great deal of time analyzing and reflecting on the failure of Myōga Tarō's uprising. Ultimately, he concluded that blindly expanding the ranks with untrained civilians was a fatal mistake. What combat power could ordinary citizens possibly have? Against a well-trained shinobi force, they were little more than lambs to the slaughter. This explained why the grand uprising had crumbled instantly when a thousand Amegakure shinobi were deployed to suppress it.

Thus, Yahiko adopted a "quality over quantity" approach in building his forces. Ordinary civilians could only join as peripheral members, while the core Akatsuki members—those who donned the iconic black cloaks with red clouds—were exclusively shinobi.

This strategy significantly bolstered the Akatsuki's combat effectiveness. Within just six months, the Akatsuki had eradicated banditry throughout the Land of Rain. Their growing reputation attracted young shinobi from Amegakure and even idealistic warriors from other nations, swelling their ranks to over a thousand core members.

This put Nōshin Kongō in a difficult position. He had hoped the Akatsuki and the bandits would weaken each other, leaving him to clean up the remnants with his thousand-strong force.

But now the bandits were gone, and the Akatsuki had grown into a force he couldn't hope to defeat.

Historically, there were only two ways to deal with such militias: co-opt them or crush them.

Unable to crush the Akatsuki, Nōshin Kongō decided to co-opt them. He sent emissaries to Yahiko with an offer of two million ryō in "funds" and a high-ranking position, intending to absorb the Akatsuki into his forces. This would eliminate the threat while bolstering his own military strength. Once they were part of his forces, he could dilute their ranks, sow discord, and eventually eliminate Yahiko.

But Yahiko rejected the offer without hesitation.

Rejected! What was he planning?

It was clear—he intended to rebel!

A street rat turned shinobi dared to defy him so blatantly!

Enraged, Nōshin Kongō declared the Akatsuki an illegal organization and demanded their immediate disbandment under penalty of death.

But no one paid him any heed.

The Akatsuki continued as before—recruiting members, aiding the wounded, and going about their activities as if his decree didn't exist.

Furious, Nōshin Kongō prepared to mobilize his forces under the authority of the "Rain Shadow's Decree."

But his top general, Ōkubo, stopped him.

"Lord Rain Shadow, we can't act rashly. The Akatsuki is highly popular among the people and incredibly powerful. Even some of our own 'regular forces' have joined their ranks. If we attack now, we'll suffer a crushing defeat."

"Then what should we do?"

"No problem. When in doubt, call for backup. No matter how strong the Akatsuki is, they can't be stronger than Konoha!"

Responding to Nōshin Kongō's plea, Shimura Danzō confidently assured him, "An illegal militia? No problem. I'll mobilize three thousand Konoha shinobi and wipe them out."

But assembling shinobi took time, and Konoha needed a legitimate pretext for military intervention. Danzō suggested two preliminary steps: first, Nōshin Kongō should formally request assistance from Konoha through diplomatic channels; second, he should use the interim to assassinate Yahiko. "Capture the leader, and the rest will fall easily," Danzō advised.

Nōshin Kongō agreed, drafting the diplomatic request and assigning Ōkubo to carry out the assassination.

Little did he know, this assassination attempt would sound the death knell for his reign.

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