"Impressive. Professional."
Although it was their first meeting, Nonou had truly earned Kakuzu's praise through her own skill.
To have mapped out the power structures in the Land of Rain within just a week was no easy feat.
"Overrated."
Nonou remained humble and politely smiled at Kakuzu.
"It really is complicated."
Yahiko massaged his temples. The chaos in the Land of Rain was even worse than what their teacher had described.
"Who cares how complex it is? If we have to, we'll just plow straight through everything."
Konan spoke boldly, exuding a touch of reckless, fierce bravado.
"Reckless."
Kakuzu softly muttered two words, his face full of disdain.
"Who're you calling reckless?"
Instantly, Konan shot to her feet, ready for a full-blown verbal showdown.
"Easy there, my dear Grandma."
Yahiko quickly pulled Konan back down, diffusing the situation before it could escalate.
Observing quietly, Nonou found it amusing—Kakuzu didn't seem quite as brutal as the rumors claimed.
"We can't act rashly; this time, we're completely on our own."
Nagato knew clearly that there would be no support at all from Konoha for this mission.
"Oh right, what exactly is our mission here?"
Actually, ever since arriving in the Land of Rain, Nonou had been confused, still not knowing what task they were supposed to carry out.
"Capture the Land of Rain."
"Unify the Land of Rain."
"Bring peace back to the Land of Rain."
The answers from Nagato and the others differed slightly, but all shared the same intent.
"What?"
Nonou almost doubted her ears—was she hearing this right? Was that what you call a mission?
"You heard right. It's a mission assigned directly by our teacher."
"It's extremely important."
Fearing Nonou wouldn't believe him, Yahiko brought up Kawaki immediately.
"Just let me process this for a moment..."
The news hit Nonou hard, and she struggled to process it all at once.
She had thought gathering intelligence alone was risky enough, but now they were planning to conquer an entire country?
What qualified her to be part of such a huge mission? They placed far too much trust in her.
"Don't worry. I'm right here."
Nagato sensed Nonou's unease and gently squeezed her hand.
After all, who among them truly wasn't afraid of death?
Looking up at Nagato, Nonou gave a soft, quiet "Hmm" in response.
Even though the path ahead was perilous, having Nagato by her side felt far better than being alone in a strange land.
Besides, she already owed her life to Nagato—it was only fair to repay that debt in the Land of Rain, even with her own life.
"Do you guys already have any plans moving forward?"
Now that she accepted reality, Nonou hoped to hear a thorough strategy.
The fact that they were few in number didn't matter—perhaps they had some clever plans up their sleeves?
"Haven't had time to think about it yet."
"Had to find you first, didn't we?"
Konan was straightforward, speaking plainly and truthfully.
"You knew I was in the Land of Rain?"
"So this was all arranged beforehand?"
"And I was kept completely in the dark?"
Three rapid-fire questions!!!
Nonou only now caught on from Konan's words—she had naïvely assumed it was all just a coincidence.
Coincidentally, Nagato's group happened to run into her while she was offering support during a mission.
"I'm sorry we didn't ask for your opinion first."
"If you'd rather not stay, you can return to Konoha."
"Leave it to me to talk to the teacher."
Nagato felt somewhat guilty. It was his doing that had dragged Nonou into this war.
And indeed, it was after he agreed that Kawaki started making arrangements.
"It's not Nagato's fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame the teacher for taking initiative on his own."
Konan defended Nagato. After all, pinning blame on Kawaki wasn't her first time doing so.
She showed no sign of stress at all.
"Nagato missed you too much."
Yahiko hit the nail on the head—that was actually the main reason.
Kakuzu now felt like an outsider, quietly watching everything unfold.
Hmph!
Seeing the three of them with such tense and guilty expressions, Nonou couldn't help but laugh out loud.
How could she even blame Nagato?
She was just a little upset about being left out of the loop.
"There's no need to apologize. I didn't mean to blame anyone."
"Staying here is fine too. Going back might feel unfamiliar anyway."
Indeed, if she returned to Konoha and Nagato wasn't there, what would be the point of going back?
"Then that's good."
"We can fight side by side again."
Before Nagato could speak, Konan already felt relieved.
"We don't have any plans yet."
Nagato sighed in relief. Since Nonou was willing to stay, he'd risk his life to keep her safe.
"Who said we don't have plans?"
At this moment, Yahiko pulled out the scroll from Kawaki tucked inside his robe, grinning smugly.
"How could I forget this?"
"Hurry up and open it."
Konan's eyes lit up. This was the battle plan their teacher had created—she remembered it clearly.
It was just that money had clouded her mind, causing her to forget such an important thing.
"Don't rush."
"I'm opening it now."
Yahiko, equally full of anticipation, regarded Kawaki as the person he trusted most.
Kakuzu sat close to Yahiko. Although he deeply disliked Kawaki, he still couldn't help glancing over.
He wanted to see what brilliant ideas Kawaki Hatake could come up with.
"Why don't you say something?"
Seeing Yahiko's increasing shock and even Kakuzu's expression shifting slightly, Nagato hurriedly asked.
"You read it yourself."
Yahiko closed the scroll and handed it to Nagato, rubbing his temples.
Was this really the idea thought up by the teacher?
"What's the big mystery? What's there that can't be said."
Taking the scroll, Nagato opened it while Nonou and Konan both leaned in close.
Oh...!
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade
Soon, the three's expressions became identical to Yahiko's.
"Open a casino? Open pleasure houses?"
"Is the teacher serious?"
Unable to help herself, Konan blurted out a complaint. She always considered the teacher to be a decent man.
Everyone present understood exactly what those "pleasure houses" implied.
Was this really the underhanded scheme devised by the God of the Ninja World?
"He really trusts the two of you."
Kakuzu suddenly spoke, showing no contempt for Kawaki in his words.
Inside the scroll, the battle plans were barely mentioned in a few short sentences—raising an army and uniting the Land of Rain.
Instead, it extensively detailed post-war reconstruction after conquering the Land of Rain.
Isn't that exactly trust?
"But isn't this a bit..."
Yahiko didn't know how to put it. It just felt… off somehow.
"I actually think it's a solid idea."
"The Land of Rain isn't large, and lacks abundant resources."
"Boosting the economy through traditional means would be tough."
"But its geographical position is extremely strategic—wedged right between the Three Major Countries."
"If we really could turn it into an entertainment haven, it wouldn't be a bad move at all."
Kakuzu had a razor-sharp instinct for economics. After a moment's thought, he began to see the brilliance in Kawaki's idea.
Once the entertainment industry boomed in the Land of Rain, it would undoubtedly draw the elite classes from the three major countries.
They may have to maintain appearances at home, but who's going to stop them from cutting loose abroad?
And once that happened, money would pour in like a flood.
Gambling and sex were second only to power among men's greatest indulgences.
Kakuzu got so excited thinking about it he felt like he was in heaven.
Why risk life and limb anymore? Just sit back and rake in the cash!
"How disgusting."
"How vulgar."
Konan and Nonou both showed deep contempt for Kakuzu, faces twisted with disgust.
"That wasn't even my idea!"
Kakuzu felt deeply wronged—why vent your anger on me if you're too scared to curse Kawaki Hatake?
Where's the justice? Where's the law?!
Nagato and Yahiko wiped cold sweat from their foreheads. Good thing they hadn't voiced support for Kakuzu.
Sensei, you stayed silent when it mattered most, yet wasted time spouting nonsense.
He handed the scroll back to Yahiko, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
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