About a year and a half ago, the half-breed Uzumaki had found the cloth on his bed, back in his old hideout, which could not be called anything other than a den. Next to it lay a short note explaining how it worked and nothing more.
Naturally, as they grew up in a country ravaged by war and all the problems associated with it, teenagers were not very trusting of obscure objects, immediately suspecting a trap, but the curiosity inherent in this age, soon won out and soon the artifact was tied to the chakra of half-breed Uzumaki, and its contents were extracted into the light.
And it was the brightest moment in their lives, if you don't count the meeting with the Master - money, ninjutsu, the political situation between countries, a lot of other knowledge that brings its owners to the top of the food chain...
The unknown well-wisher, who never wanted to introduce himself, was very generous. Even as very experienced, strong, and fairly well-known fighters in Rain at thirteen, the trio of friends had never seen even a fraction of the huge sum of money they had received - a million ryo! - let alone hold it in their hands.
Of course, the teenagers were well aware that nothing in this world is free, especially shinobi knowledge, let alone wealth, but after some hesitation, Yahiko decided to accept and use this help, as the position of the future leaders of Akatsuki was not particularly enviable, and there was nothing to be said about the possibility of starting to realize a long-held dream.
How can you talk about helping others when you can barely make ends meet and you can't look at the equipment you have without tears.
The infusion of huge sums of money received every month, a lot of knowledge from ninjutsu to fuinjutsu, which is supposed to be known to those who want to be ninjas, in a very short time allowed the trio to increase their personal strength several times.
Nagato especially benefited from the support of a mysterious friend, having gained theoretical knowledge of his own dojutsu's capabilities, having relied more on his own intuition than on specific knowledge.
In just a year, the trio had risen to the elite of the Rain Country ninja, successfully competing with Amegakure under the leadership of Hanzo Salamander, and even entered the international mercenary market, having completed several assignments, mainly to secure solid sums of money, some of which went to help civilians.
So, when the next note revealed a few lines about the proximity of a new world war and a suggestion to start gathering like-minded people, otherwise it might be too late, the trio didn't hesitate long, quickly forming a very formidable organization and calling it Akatsuki.
But despite the many supporters and even trusted people in whose loyalty Yahiko and Co. were one hundred percent sure, including through numerous checks, the knowledge of which was obtained from the scroll, the secret of the artifact knew no one but the trio, and its use took place only in securely barrier-protected rooms.
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