Chapter 76: The Great Changes in the Land of Rain

Chapter 76: The Great Changes in the Land of Rain

Team 7 disguised themselves as ordinary shinobi performing routine missions and entered the Land of Rain. Their real mission was to assess the extent of Konoha's infiltration in the region after the recent turbulence in the ninja world had subsided. Additionally, Ishiro received intelligence regarding some rogue shinobi from Iwa spotted in the area; if encountered, his squad was authorized to eliminate them.

Since White Fang's death, Konoha had been in turmoil, its borders ravaged by the other four great nations. Though the situation had stabilized somewhat, Konoha's strength had undoubtedly suffered a significant setback. Naturally, this meant their control over the Land of Rain had weakened.

Ishiro's task was to reassess the current situation and see if now was the right moment for Iwagakure to extend its influence into the Land of Rain.

However, Ishiro did not actually wish for his village to intervene. Nagato, bearer of the Rinnegan, would soon become the strongest force in the ninja world, and Ishiro had no desire for Iwagakure to antagonize him. Thus, he intended to use this mission as an opportunity to dissuade his village from meddling in Rain's affairs.

Still, completing this mission wouldn't be easy. With Konoha weakened and Hanzo losing control, it would be foolish for Iwa not to seize such an opportunity. If they didn't make a move now, when would they ever successfully encroach upon Konoha's territory?

Ironically, Ishiro himself was the one who had initially informed his superiors of Hanzo's weakened control, inadvertently drawing their attention to Rain. He had brought this trouble upon himself, and now he had to find a solution to it.

Returning once again to the Land of Rain, Ishiro immediately noticed significant changes from his previous visit. The large crowds of displaced refugees were nearly gone, with only a small number left, most of whom appeared to have a clear destination. After some casual inquiry, Ishiro learned they were heading toward designated refugee shelters.

Gone was the hopeless despair and fear from before. Although life remained tough, the ordinary citizens Ishiro encountered had newfound hope reflected in their eyes.

Even without talking directly with the locals, Ishiro knew these changes were due to Akatsuki. He frequently overheard people praising the organization.

"Looks like Yahiko is doing a remarkable job," Ishiro thought.

Carefully observing the details of life here, Ishiro considered whether these people could truly achieve a better life without outside interference.

But the answer wasn't entirely optimistic. From their conversations, Ishiro deduced that even in the best-case scenario, their so-called better life merely meant having enough food and basic shelter. Factors like taxation from the Daimyo and instability within the ninja world could make even these minimal improvements difficult to sustain.

Nevertheless, compared to the chaos they'd previously faced, this was already an enormous improvement.

Once Ishiro had gathered sufficient information, he began directly interacting with the citizens to ask about Akatsuki. Given his appearance as an Iwa ninja, the locals remained somewhat wary.

Ishiro, however, didn't expect valuable intel from ordinary people. Rather, his goal was to deliberately expose himself and prompt Akatsuki members to find him.

Akatsuki's influence had expanded beyond Ishiro's imagination. It wasn't just the civilians, who naturally supported those who had improved their lives, but even many shinobi had willingly joined Akatsuki, recognizing its genuine intentions for the country. The organization's ranks swelled rapidly, attracting even smaller groups to merge into it.

Even within Amegakure, many shinobi sympathized with or openly supported Akatsuki.

Yet, the current stability within the Land of Rain hinged primarily on two points. Firstly, Hanzo's title as a demigod still loomed large; no one, including Akatsuki's own members, believed they had someone powerful enough to openly challenge Hanzo.

Secondly, Akatsuki's three founding members harbored no explicit ambition for power. They remained idealists, focused solely on aiding civilians rather than controlling Amegakure.

Thus, when news of an Iwa shinobi investigating Akatsuki reached Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, they quickly recognized Ishiro from the description provided. To the trio, Ishiro was the only shinobi from a great nation they genuinely trusted, someone sharing their ideals for peace.

Although they hadn't met for some time, the three still often spoke fondly of him. Hearing that he had returned, they immediately set out to greet him.

Seeing the three approach, Ishiro felt both surprised and not surprised—surprised that, as leaders of such a large organization, they showed no caution meeting an outsider; unsurprised, because he knew the trio was still naïve regarding human nature.

Ishiro waved at his team, signaling everything was fine, and then walked toward Yahiko and the others alone.

Though only half a year had passed since their last encounter, to Ishiro, whose strength had advanced greatly, it felt much longer. For the trio, rapid organizational growth also made time feel accelerated.

Their first reaction upon meeting again was mutual relief: everyone was still the same.

"Hey, Ishiro!" Yahiko called out warmly, "It's been a while. You finally came back to see us!"

Smiling, Ishiro replied, "Yahiko, Nagato, Konan—you've really done an amazing job. This time when I entered the Land of Rain, everything had changed completely. Everyone is praising your efforts, thanking you for your contributions. Your success has truly reinforced my faith that peace will eventually come."

Yahiko laughed joyfully, while Nagato and Konan smiled contentedly. Receiving acknowledgment from a trusted friend deeply encouraged them.

Then, Ishiro took out a large amount of money—around ten million ryo, his personal savings accumulated through various missions—and handed it directly to Yahiko. "Don't refuse," he said firmly. "This is for our shared ideal. Even though I can't directly participate, I still wish to contribute in this way."

The trio was initially hesitant, but seeing their embarrassment, Ishiro persisted until Yahiko finally accepted the funds, albeit awkwardly. After all, Akatsuki desperately needed money to sustain their rapid expansion and support the refugees.

With this gesture, the atmosphere grew even warmer. Walking alongside a merchant caravan, they began exchanging stories of recent events.

Listening to Yahiko speak proudly about Akatsuki's growth, Ishiro began to feel puzzled. According to the original timeline, Akatsuki only faced Hanzo and Danzo's joint attack during the Third Ninja War, when Yahiko and the others were already adults. That meant Akatsuki should remain safe for now.

Still, Ishiro wondered why Hanzo would tolerate such a rapidly expanding group with substantial civilian support.

Yet Ishiro chose not to warn Yahiko. Considering the butterfly effects of his interference, the original storyline could change drastically. If Hanzo never attacked Akatsuki this time, Ishiro would only seem like a petty troublemaker.

Besides, his current image was that of an idealist, just like Yahiko's group. Suddenly speaking about conspiracies and betrayals would ruin that image.

So instead, their conversation centered on the improvements in civilian life and Yahiko's optimistic dreams for the future.

But midway through their talk, Ishiro suddenly asked, "Yahiko, in your vision, what kind of life do you believe the people here can eventually achieve?"

Yahiko paused, unsure of Ishiro's meaning.

Seeing Yahiko's puzzled face, Ishiro turned to Nagato and Konan before continuing slowly, "I've spent some time here carefully considering the people's possible future."

"Currently, the Land of Rain is developing positively, but there's a limit. Even at best, life here will simply return to its pre-war status."

"Before the Second Ninja War, people here could survive, but it wasn't a happy existence. Meals weren't always guaranteed, and winters remained harsh."

"If the Land of Rain doesn't find a new path, it'll merely survive, barely existing in this world."

"Most locals realize this. However, since they've experienced war firsthand, they're satisfied with what they have now. But once peace becomes normal, or the next generation grows up without memories of war, dissatisfaction may re-emerge."

Yahiko fell silent, deeply considering Ishiro's words. Eventually, he saw the truth in them. Akatsuki's current actions, although noble, hadn't fundamentally improved Rain's economy or society. He pondered ways to solve this issue but found none. He glanced hopefully toward his companions, only to see similar confusion.

Finally, all three turned expectantly toward Ishiro.

"Don't be discouraged," Ishiro comforted gently. "In fact, you've already found the solution, you just haven't fully realized it yet."

The trio looked puzzled. Had they really solved it already?

Smiling knowingly, Ishiro clarified, "Think about it. When you resettled people, you often faced issues with surplus or scarcity of certain resources. How did you solve that?"

Without hesitation, Yahiko answered, "Yes, we had those issues frequently. We often encouraged different shelters to exchange resources, so everyone got what they needed."

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