"What were you talking about?"
Pakura emerged from the crowd and immediately noticed Yahiko and the others standing still, seemingly deep in thought. Yahiko blinked, shaking off his distraction, then turned to Ryosuke and offered a quiet word of thanks. Ryosuke smiled and waved it off, clearly flattered, while Pakura tilted her head, confused by the exchange. Still, she didn't dwell on it. Whatever it was, it wasn't worth her attention at the moment.
"Come with me. Kazekage-sama is waiting for you."
They followed her without delay, weaving through the dense crowd until they reached a quiet side room. When the five of them stepped inside, they found themselves in a reception room of modest size. There, seated casually on a sofa, was the man they had come to meet—Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. Sitting across from him was a graceful young woman with long hair and a composed demeanor, accompanied by a silent bodyguard in glasses who stood unobtrusively at her side.
Yahiko felt a dozen questions bubbling inside him, but before he could open his mouth, Rasa beat him to it, his tone tinged with bemusement.
"Did you come wearing those outfits?"
The abrupt question threw all five of them off.
"Uh... is there something wrong with them?"
Rasa raised an eyebrow and glanced at their matching black cloaks adorned with crimson clouds—iconic, unmistakable, and glaringly conspicuous.
"Don't you think those outfits are a little too eye-catching?"
Everyone hesitated. Yahiko looked down at himself, and only then did it hit him. In the gray skies and rain-soaked lands of the Land of Rain, these dark cloaks served as perfect camouflage. But here, under the cloudless sun and golden sands of the Land of Wind, they stood out more than a flare in the night.
"..."
Rasa wasn't trying to criticize them for no reason.
"Ever since the tailed beast incident six days ago, countless spies have had their eyes on Sunagakure. Walking in dressed like that, you were definitely noticed."
"..."
Yahiko and the others exchanged uneasy glances but didn't reply. The Kazekage gave a quiet sigh and waved off the matter.
"Never mind. What's done is done. Sit down. I was honestly glad when I heard you'd be visiting Sunagakure."
The five of them took their seats, still feeling slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Rasa then turned toward the young woman beside him, gesturing with one hand.
"Let me introduce you. This is the former Miko of the Land of Demons, now its Queen, Miss Miroku."
Following the agreement between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind, and with Rasa sending elite jōnin to guarantee her safety, Miroku had stepped down from her sacred position as Miko and assumed the throne, becoming the undisputed ruler of her land.
"Miroku, these five are shinobi from the Land of Rain. The orange one is Yahiko. The girl with the blue hair, who actually resembles you a little, is Konan. The redhead is Nagato. As for the other two... I'm not entirely sure who they are."
The two unfamiliar members promptly stepped forward and introduced themselves.
"I'm Kyūsuke!"
"I'm Daibutsu!"
Miroku studied them curiously, her lips curling into a gentle smile. She nodded with practiced grace and greeted them in turn.
"Nice to meet you, Yahiko-san... Konan-san... Nagato-san..."
Being greeted so sweetly by such a beautiful girl, Yahiko felt a flicker of nervousness rise within him as he responded with a polite nod. There was something disarming about Miroku's calm and graceful manner that momentarily made him forget the weight of why they were here.
Once everyone had finished their introductions, Rasa turned his attention to Pakura, who sat to the side, her posture relaxed but her mood clearly less so.
"What's the situation outside?"
At his question, Pakura's face twisted into a scowl.
"You know, all of this chaos is your fault. And now you're just hiding away in here while I'm left to deal with those clan elders. They're driving me insane, and it's eating into my training time."
Rasa chuckled and shook his head.
"There wasn't much choice. I originally wanted to leave it all to Seramu, but this situation is too delicate. Her position in the council is still unstable, and she doesn't have the sway to push back against the elders who back you. That's why it had to be you and Michikawa stepping up. Still, if this plan goes well, Sunagakure will walk into a future full of endless potential."
Miroku nodded gently in agreement.
"That's right, Pakura-onee-san. Even I can tell how meaningful this project is. I'm really grateful to Rasa-sama for allowing the Land of Demons to take part in it."
Pakura turned to her and replied, her voice full of sincerity.
"No, Miroku-sama. From the moment you heard about what happened to Sunagakure and came all the way here out of concern, you became a lifelong friend of this village."
"Mhm."
Rasa added with a small nod.
"Next, Miroku, you just need to work with your ministers to finalize the cities and routes the river will pass through. Once that's decided, leave the rest to me."
"Yes, I'll speak with them and confirm the details as soon as possible."
At that moment, Yahiko, who had remained silent through the conversation, suddenly leaned forward and spoke.
"Kazekage-sama, I'd like to ask... could the Land of Rain also become part of this plan?"
His words startled everyone. Even Pakura blinked, surprised by the sudden request. But Rasa didn't look surprised at all. It was as if he'd been expecting the question. He tapped a finger rhythmically on the table and then responded slowly, with all eyes now fixed on him.
"To be honest, Yahiko, I can already say—I respect all of you."
That took Yahiko and the rest of the group by surprise. But beneath the compliment, they could sense there was something more behind his words.
"I'm not someone who's fond of lofty ideals," Rasa admitted. "But I can't dislike someone who's willing to put their life on the line to pursue what they believe in. So I'll be direct with you."
He looked them over with a calculating, but not unkind, gaze.
"The real reason I agreed to meet with you today is because... in my original vision, the Land of Rain already had a place in the plan."
Yahiko froze, then his face lit up with joy. But before that feeling could take root, Rasa's next statement cut through it like a gust of cold desert wind.
"However, the Land of Rain I speak of... is not the Land of Rain as it stands now."
"???"
Confusion spread across Yahiko's face.
"Kazekage-sama, what do you mean by that?"
Rasa didn't respond immediately. Instead, he leaned over and picked up a scroll resting on the table. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed it toward Yahiko.
Yahiko unrolled the scroll, and the others leaned in to look. It didn't take long for everyone to understand exactly what Rasa was implying. The contents laid it out clearly—an outline of political shifts sweeping across the shinobi world, and the strategic possibilities tied to each one.
"I imagine you've figured it out," Rasa said, his tone even but firm.
"A new era is coming. The Third Hokage of Konohagakure has stepped down, and Namikaze Minato is poised to become the Fourth Hokage. Kirigakure has plunged into civil unrest. The Third Mizukage committed suicide, and Yagura has assumed the mantle of the Fourth Mizukage. But what of Amegakure, the Land of Rain? It remains in the grip of that aging Salamander Hanzō. And you, Yahiko, lead a group that isn't even officially recognized within your own country. Do you really believe you're in any position to sit across from me and talk about alliances?"
His words hung in the air like a stone dropped into still water. Yahiko and the others said nothing. Their expressions darkened, tension settling into their shoulders.
Rasa's tone remained civil, but the meaning behind it struck like a blade—he was telling Yahiko, without pretense, that only by seizing control of Amegakure would he be taken seriously. Only then would Yahiko be acknowledged as a leader worthy of political negotiations.
But the weight of those words clashed with everything Yahiko stood for. He hadn't founded Akatsuki to pursue dominance or political recognition. He had created it to bring peace to the shinobi world, to build a bridge between villages, and put an end to senseless bloodshed. Overthrowing Hanzō would ignite a war between Akatsuki and Amegakure—a civil conflict that would drag innocent people into suffering and violence, the very thing Yahiko had sworn to avoid.
Rasa understood that Yahiko would not accept the idea easily. His eyes held no impatience. In fact, his composure suggested he had anticipated this reaction.
But Rasa also knew something else. Even if Yahiko refused to make that choice now, even if he clung to his ideals a little longer, the growing hatred festering between shinobi throughout the world—the endless cycle of betrayal, suffering, and war—would eventually push him to that decision. Whether he chose it willingly or was cornered by reality, the path ahead was inevitable.