Border of the Land of Rain, the place where Uchiha Madara once faced the Four Great Villages' Ninja Allied Forces alone.
Pakura looked at the countless man-made trees around her, as well as the several missing mountaintops nearby, and murmured.
"The Akatsuki Organization, and the leader of Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara?"
"That mysterious masked senior was also a member of Akatsuki? Didn't expect the place he invited me to would be such an organization."
Because she had secretly gone to Kirigakure earlier, Pakura had perfectly missed the recent big events. Sunagakure probably hadn't expected she'd survive, not even sending her any information.
As such, it was only after she left Kirigakure and inquired around that she finally figured out what had happened recently in the Land of Rain.
This place, which was once often trodden by ninjas from the great nations, had already become a forbidden zone.
All due to Uchiha Madara's despair-inducing strength.
Pakura naturally guessed that the organization that senior had invited her to join must have been Akatsuki.
But she didn't know whether that sometimes-deep, sometimes-clownish masked senior was really Madara himself?
After all, that senior was also extremely powerful.
It's just, if she joined Akatsuki, would she be labeled a traitor in turn?
Pakura gave a bitter smile. None of that mattered anymore. Now, she was a man without a home, having a place to belong was already a blessing.
Thinking this way, Pakura returned to the place where she first met the masked senior and activated the mark he had placed on her back at that time.
After that, she patiently began waiting...
———
However, after waiting three full days, no one arrived...
Until the night of the third day fell and the sun of the fourth day rose.
Pakura finally confirmed one thing: what the senior said about having encountered an accident or even death, had really happened.
Pakura could only sigh, "The shinobi world really is full of impermanence."
Her expression was somewhat downcast. If that senior who had once saved her had invited her to join Akatsuki now, she would have agreed.
But if even he wasn't here anymore, she wouldn't proactively join such an organization.
Just as she was about to leave, suddenly, a figure appeared in the forest.
Pakura turned her head and saw a red-haired young man in a black cloak with red clouds walking toward her, a kunai in hand.
However, more important than these details was what caught Pakura's attention the most: this young man's eyes were not normal human eyes, but had a strange ripple-like pattern, like the Rinnegan.
The red cloud and black cloak had already spread among the major shinobi villages as the symbol of Akatsuki, so Pakura naturally understood, this person was a member of Akatsuki.
And most likely, he came for her.
So she walked over openly and said, "Are you here to find me?"
Nagato looked at the slightly tan-skinned woman in front of him, her gaze filled with loss but still carrying some heroism, and asked, "Did you activate a certain mark before?"
Pakura nodded, "Yes, that was me. But you're not the person I was waiting for, I was waiting for a masked senior."
'Masked senior?'
Nagato's lips curved into a faint smile, 'Obito is lying to people again.'
If Obito hadn't told Nagato before leaving that he had something to handle and specially gave him a kunai with a sensing Flying Thunder God seal, Nagato really wouldn't have detected this place.
After all, this place was already outside the Land of Rain's boundaries and beyond the range of his Rain Tiger At Will Technique. He had to put in a lot of effort to find it.
Nagato smiled at Pakura, "It doesn't matter. He's just handling some things. He'll come back eventually."
"Were you someone he specifically invited to join Akatsuki? Actually, I can make the decision on his behalf. You're welcome to join."
Because the people Obito recruited were all powerful and trustworthy talents, Nagato had already gotten used to trusting them completely.
So he didn't even ask about Pakura's background and was ready to let her in.
However, Pakura felt that perhaps Nagato was lying to her.
After all, the senior had clearly said that if he couldn't sense the mark, it probably meant he was dead, or at the very least had encountered an accident. It couldn't be as relaxed as Nagato made it sound.
So she said, "Sorry, if that senior is no longer here, I won't casually join Akatsuki."
Nagato recalled that the people Obito recruited were all those who had suffered, who had lost their homes.
Perhaps this woman before him was the same.
So he invited, "You can come to the Land of Rain and take a look at Akatsuki's headquarters first, then consider whether to join."
Pakura was stunned. She hadn't even said anything about her own situation, and Akatsuki was already willing to let her go to their headquarters?
One must know, Akatsuki's headquarters was now a forbidden zone for the five great shinobi nations.
She took out the Sunagakure forehead protector she had hidden and said, "I'm a shinobi from Sunagakure. Even so, you still invite me?"
Nagato replied, "If that's truly the case, then why were you hiding it and taking off your forehead protector?"
Pakura gave a bitter smile. That's right. If she was still that hero of Sunagakure, why would she go to such lengths to hide her identity?
So she hesitated and said, "If I really do join you, I might be considered a rogue ninja. Even so, is that okay?"
Nagato smiled, "Actually, when Akatsuki was first founded, we did worry about that. But later, things changed a lot."
"The man who recruited you already told us: Not all rogue ninjas are bad people. Many only chose to slash their forehead protector out of helplessness, to cut ties with the past."
"So now, we are very tolerant of rogue ninja."
Pakura clenched her forehead protector tightly, so tight that her hand bled without her realizing.
Nagato saw this and approached her, asking, "What is it, can't bear to part with it?"
Pakura nodded, "Yes... I never thought I'd one day leave the village. But I never betrayed it, I just can't go back anymore."
Pakura slowly pulled out a kunai, about to slash her forehead protector, but at the last moment, she stopped, unable to bring herself to do it.
Nagato saw her trembling hand and asked, "Do you really want to decide to defect right now? Are you truly ready?"
Pakura's eyes were empty, "Honestly, I have no choice left."
That's what she said, but she still couldn't slash it.
Nagato sighed and reached out to take her hand.
"If you can't do it yourself and also can't stop, let me help you."
"This slash doesn't mean you've defected from Sunagakure. It just means you're cutting ties with the past and embracing a new life."
After saying that, Nagato held Pakura's hand and brought it down on the kunai.
Pakura didn't resist, only submitted. Her forehead protector now had a scar slicing it in two.
In that instant, tears overflowed from her eyes. Even if she tried desperately to hold them back, she couldn't.
Her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Nagato comforted her, "You feel deep pain from losing your home, don't you?"
"I've felt that pain too, so I understand how you feel."
"And when people fully comprehend pain, they always grow. The night will pass, and dawn will come."
If he hadn't said anything, it would've been better. But with his comfort, Pakura really couldn't take it anymore.
Tears streamed uncontrollably, and soon, she cried like a flood…
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