- Still, I think it's some relative of Nagato from Uzumaki," Conan brought up the old topic about the identity of the sponsor, "there's been too many different fuin sent to us over the years, and even textbooks that aren't readily available anywhere, especially not in the Rain Country.
- It's doubtful, but why not just show up in person and use such an elaborate method of communication? - Yahiko shrugged, gutting the bundle and pulling out stacks of seals, scrolls, and three fairly thick shirts just the right size for the trio, which, after some inspection, were identified as body armor.
- Hey, come here," Nagato called out to the pair with a strange intonation in his voice as he looked through the sheets of the unknown man's message.
At the look on his friend's serious face, Conan and Yahiko glanced at each other and left the gutting of the package to gather around the teenager, peering over his shoulder at the small hieroglyphics on the letter.
- What's this?
- Read it for yourself," the boy grimaced, squinting his dark eyes without any sign of circles.
"Greetings, my young would-be masters of the world! I hope you're still alive and not in mortal combat with Hanzo, or all my efforts will be in vain. I don't think it's very likely, because Salamandra is a smart guy who knows where the world is going lately, so he won't shoot himself in the foot. As always, the package contains money, seals for your growing organization, textbooks on fuin and medicine that will be very useful in the near future and excellent armor for you personally. Appreciate it, it cost me a lot of work and money to get three of them at once, but they'll protect you from a couple of blows from even the sharpest blades wrapped in chakra, as well as from throwing weapons, giving you an extra chance to survive.
There won't be much gossip this time, but you should know the rumors among the mercenary community - a new great war is coming, as I said six months ago. Are you glad you took wise advice and started organizing your Akatsuki before the massacre began? Kumo, Iwa, Konoha, Suna. Two for two, given the alliance of the latter. Kiri is likely to sit on the sidelines this time, going from aggressor to defender.
I've heard they've had some pretty solid losses in several missions against Konoha and Suna, where they beat up a lot of jonins and the elite of the military. The Mizukage's position is very precarious, and a civil war could even break out if the clans decide to take advantage of his weakness to put their chosen one's ass on the throne."
- Where does he get those details from? - Yahiko snorted. - Not even a whisper about Kiri had been heard yet.
As was the norm for leaders of a serious ninja organization, the trio had informants in various places, including their powerful neighbors, to keep them in the loop, and nothing of the sort had been heard yet.
Again, the slim network that was gradually growing had been organized on the advice of a benefactor who recognized that he would not always be able to supply fresh information quickly. Yahiko himself recognized the danger of relying on a single source, albeit one far more reliable than the others.
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