In the Land of Fire, at the base camp of the Revolutionary Army—Liangshan.
Once desolate mountains were now bustling with activity.
A massive city was slowly rising from the ground.
After Simu defeated the coalition forces of the Land of Rain, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fields, the entire ninja world temporarily fell into a state of stillness.
The Revolutionary Army seized the opportunity and developed rapidly.
While vigorously constructing the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, they also dispatched women and wandering poets across the Land of Fire to carry out ideological campaigns.
It could be said that the Land of Fire's reputation was suffering.
This year's tax revenue might drop by more than half.
"Universal Pull!"
Nagato stood motionless as the reinforced concrete before him shot up and effortlessly moved to the designated spot.
Yahiko, standing nearby, looked on in amazement.
"Your ability is really convenient, Nagato. Ever since you came, our construction speed has tripled!"
Even the workers nearby enthusiastically affirmed Nagato's powers.
This was a new ability developed by a genius like Nagato.
With the Rinnegan, he could master almost all elemental ninjutsu—making him incredibly useful on a construction site.
In contrast, Yahiko's speed wasn't nearly as impressive.
By sunset, Konan appeared at the edge of the site carrying a lunchbox.
She waved and called out loudly:
"Nagato, Yahiko, come eat!"
Hearing that food was ready, Yahiko was the first to rush over and eagerly opened the lunchbox.
Nagato followed with a faint smile.
As they ate, they looked at the construction site bustling with activity.
Every worker was drenched in sweat—but their faces radiated with genuine, heartfelt smiles.
"Why are they so happy?" Yahiko asked in confusion.
After all, back in the Land of Rain, the villagers wouldn't even repair their own collapsed homes—let alone work cheerfully like this.
Nagato answered calmly:
"Because they know these houses will become their future homes. They don't have to worry about them being destroyed by others anymore.
They don't have to pay crushing taxes, or fear being tortured or killed by nobles."
He let out a sigh.
In just a few short days, he had felt a completely different atmosphere here compared to the Rain Country.
There was no oppression here. No constant warfare.
Ninjas used their abilities to build, not destroy.
Such a thing was unimaginable in the perennially war-torn Land of Rain.
Nagato spoke with emotion:
"Maybe... we were wrong before."
Yahiko, too, had undergone a major shift in perspective.
He stuffed the last of his food into his mouth and leaned back with a carefree grin.
"You're right. Back then, all we did was hand out medicine and food to the victims.
But we overlooked the root cause."
"It was the nobility."
"Only by completely removing those aristocrats who caused all the suffering can the people of the Land of Rain ever truly find peace."
"Maybe Hanyu Simu is doing the right thing."
Yahiko was a simple man—what was right was right, and what was wrong was wrong.
He wouldn't deny Simu's actions just because Simu had once stood against them.
Not to mention, Simu had specially given the three of them a dossier.
It was full of undeniable evidence—countless crimes committed by Hanzo over the years.
Faced with such irrefutable proof, even the trio, who had once admired Hanzo, were forced to change their minds.
As the three pondered life, a lazy voice drifted over.
Kakashi, wearing his trademark mask, waved as he approached.
"Yo. You three—Mr. Shikaku wants to see you."
Yahiko looked at the silver-haired kid and placed his hands on his hips.
"Hey, Kakashi. By seniority, you should be showing me some respect, right?"
"Eh?"
Kakashi tilted his head with a puzzled look.
"It doesn't matter," he replied indifferently, then vanished in an instant.
Nagato stared in the direction where Kakashi disappeared.
This kid's ability really was astonishing.
With his Rinnegan's heightened perception, Nagato could sense the terrifying power hidden in Kakashi's body.
The three of them soon arrived at Shikaku's office.
Over the past few days, they'd seen how Shikaku conducted himself.
He worked overtime constantly. Though he was strict with the ninjas, he was incredibly kind to civilians.
The trio couldn't help but respect him deeply.
Shikaku looked at the muddy trio and nodded with a smile.
"So, how are things? How have you been settling in?"
Yahiko scratched his head and grinned.
"Mr. Shikaku, we misjudged you before. Life here is honestly great."
Nagato nodded in agreement—but his thoughts were still weighed down.
This wasn't the Land of Rain, after all.
Shikaku picked up on it.
"Simu asked me to speak with you. He wants to know—are you willing to devote yourselves to this cause?"
"If you're willing, the Revolutionary Army will support you with both manpower and strength... to help lead a revolution in the Land of Rain."
The three of them were slightly moved after hearing those words.
At this point, none of them held any extreme ideologies.
Their only wish was to achieve lasting peace in the Land of Rain.
After struggling for years, it hadn't been easy to grow their movement.
If joining the Revolutionary Army meant gaining support and accelerating peace in the Land of Rain, then why not?
The three looked at one another, confirming each other's resolve.
"We're willing to join—but on one condition."
"Go ahead," Lu Jiu said calmly.
"Can the former members of the Akatsuki organization join us as well?" Yahiko asked.
He couldn't just abandon his comrades.
Lu Jiu stroked his chin in thought.
"It's possible—but they'll need to pass a screening process first."
Yahiko wasn't concerned. He pounded his chest confidently.
"Don't worry. They're solid people."
The Akatsuki organization was no longer the terrorist group that would one day hunt Tailed Beasts and plunge the world into chaos.
Right now, they were more like a charitable collective—each member holding onto pure ideals.
Such people were practically born to be Revolutionary Army reserves.
After the joining ceremony, the three officially set out for the Land of Rain, accompanied by fifty Revolutionary soldiers assigned by Lu Jiu.
Lu Jiu massaged his temples with a sigh.
After the defeat of the Guardian Ninja Troops, the Revolutionary Army had been expanding rapidly.
Now, its numbers had grown into the thousands.
But such rapid growth came with uneven quality.
Which meant Lu Jiu had mountains of daily tasks to manage.
Meanwhile, in the base—Kakashi had just finished dinner.
"I'll head back now, Kakashi-kun."
"Ah, okay."
Kakashi raised his hand in a casual wave.
Rin gave him a gentle smile and walked off with the food container.
Along the path, villagers constantly greeted her, and she responded with equal warmth.
As the current Minister of Medical Affairs for the Revolutionary Army, Rin held a high position and was deeply respected.
With her angelic smile, she had become the goddess of countless warriors.
She entered her residence as usual.
Just as she was about to relax, she suddenly sensed malice erupting from her own body.
In the next moment, the chakra in her body began to drain—absorbed by spores hidden within her.
They transformed into nourishment, and from her neck, a pale white figure with green hair began to sprout.
"…What is this…?"
Rin gathered chakra in her hand, forming a scalpel of pure chakra, and slashed at White Zetsu.
But at that instant, the ground beneath her feet cracked open.
Black Zetsu, entwined in a massive pitcher plant, emerged from below.
White Zetsu's arm transformed into an enormous pitcher plant. With one swift motion, it enveloped Rin completely.
A puff of anesthetic gas hissed from within the plant, and Rin collapsed into a deep sleep.
"Hm?"
Black Zetsu looked toward the outside, slightly surprised.
"Have we been discovered?"
White Zetsu grinned.
"Didn't expect someone here could sense us. That guy's Hanyu Simu's student… Kakashi, I think."
He licked his lips with twisted excitement.
"Should we bring him back too?"
Black Zetsu shook his head.
"That doesn't align with Madara-sama's plan. Let's go."
The two quickly sank into the ground and vanished.
"Rin!"
Kakashi arrived on the scene in the blink of an eye.
But outside Rin's residence, spores had already multiplied rapidly—
dozens of White Zetsu clones emerged to stop him.
"What the hell is this…?"
A bad feeling surged in Kakashi's gut.
Lightning flared in his hand.
"Raikiri!"
His speed exploded to the limit.
In just a flash, four or five White Zetsu were sliced clean in half.
But even with that, Kakashi's sensory skills could only faintly detect the lingering trail of their retreat.
While pursuing the trail, he pulled out his den-den mushi and reported the incident to his teacher—
—Hanyu Simu, the newly appointed Hokage, far away in Konoha.
"I see. Got it."
Simu hung up with a solemn look.
"Looks like that guy finally couldn't hold back."
"What's going on?"
Minato, who had been reviewing documents, looked up with concern.
"My student Rin was captured."
"Captured? By who?"
Minato immediately tensed up.
Taking the Hokage's student was no minor offense. No matter the reason, it was practically a declaration of war on Konoha.
"An old ghost from the past," Simu replied calmly.
"Do you still have that Flying Thunder God marker I asked you to save?"
He had anticipated something like this might happen—and left a contingency plan.
Minato nodded.
"Of course, but… the distance is far. My chakra might not be enough to get us there directly."
"That's fine."
Simu gave a faint smile. He quickly explained his secret technique, then grabbed Minato—
—and in a flash of light, they vanished, heading straight for the Land of Water.
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