Looking at the white-haired man in front of him, Yahiko's mouth twitched.
So this is the so-called white-haired guy…
Yujiro, are you stupid? These kids in front of us clearly look like a bunch of kids, and yet you actually believed he's our uncle?!
Gritting his teeth as he stared at the man standing in front—Takeshi—Yahiko suppressed his urge to complain and forced a strained smile.
"You're supposed to be my uncle?"
"Yup."
Takeshi nodded matter-of-factly.
"Pfft."
As soon as Takeshi confirmed it, Konan couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.
Hearing the sound, Yahiko turned his head and gave her a fierce glare, which finally made Konan straighten her expression.
What's she laughing at? Didn't he say he's your uncle too?!
"So, what's your name? Where are you from?"
Yahiko, who was convinced deep down that this guy was here to cause trouble, looked at Takeshi again, intending to get to the bottom of his intentions.
"I really am your uncle."
Seeing Yahiko's disbelief, Takeshi explained seriously,
"Your teacher is Jiraiya. Jiraiya's teacher is the Third Hokage. I'm also a disciple of the Third Hokage."
"I came here precisely at Jiraiya's request."
Finding Akatsuki's base wasn't difficult.
Before leaving Danzo, Takeshi had obtained a new map from him—far more detailed than the one he originally had.
Thanks to that map, Takeshi even knew where Akatsuki's public restroom was.
"Jiraiya-sensei… It was really Jiraiya-sensei who sent you?"
Hearing that it was Jiraiya who had sent Takeshi, Nagato got a little emotional.
"Yes. Before the war broke out, Jiraiya made several attempts to track you down, but all he ever got were reports of your deaths. He never believed it, because he had full confidence in your strength. That's why he sent me."
Takeshi glanced at Nagato's eyes, partially hidden beneath his red hair, but he couldn't spot the Rinnegan within.
"I see… So… you came from Konoha?"
"Yup."
Takeshi promptly responded.
You sure jumped to answer that real fast!
On the other side, Yahiko had black lines running down his face. He was starting to believe this guy —their twisted personalities were just too similar. It was hard not to believe it.
"I came from the front lines. Jiraiya is currently on the border fighting Iwa-nin."
After saying that, Takeshi paused and then grew serious.
"I, Shimura Takeshi, am here on behalf of Konoha to propose a cooperation agreement."
...
Although he hadn't received authorization from his own teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen, Takeshi did have Danzo's tacit approval, which was enough for him to represent Konoha in negotiations with Akatsuki.
When Kakashi and the others voluntarily left the room, Yahiko was about to ask Konan and Nagato to leave as well—but Takeshi stopped him.
"These two don't need to leave. I'll be speaking with all of you shortly anyway."
Konan and Nagato now fully understood Yahiko's earlier sense of helplessness.
"Shimura Takeshi… I've heard of you. You really are a disciple of the Third Hokage, and the one Kumogakure calls the 'White Reaper.'"
Looking at the young man with a delicate face before her, Konan recited his background, finally shedding her initial condescension.
"Jiraiya-sensei should know this—we, the Akatsuki, act to change the shinobi world and realize peace. There's no way we'll help you fight against the Iwa-nin."
Yahiko wasn't swayed by Takeshi's title or combat record. From the very beginning, he made his stance clear—there was absolutely no way Akatsuki would ally with Konoha to go against Iwa.
"Relax. I understand that perfectly."
Takeshi smiled, putting on an innocent expression.
"I haven't even said what the conditions are yet. How do you know I came to ask you to fight Iwa-nin with us? You really don't have much faith in Jiraiya or me."
"Then what kind of cooperation are you talking about…?"
Yahiko was curious. If the guy wasn't here to drag Akatsuki into the Iwa conflict, then why come to negotiate with a small group like theirs?
"This is the area under your control."
Glancing around, Takeshi spotted a map of the Land of Rain on the wall.
He walked over and stretched on his toes to point at the area where Akatsuki's base was located. His fingertip finally landed on one particular spot.
"Konoha is willing to offer you a loan. You can use the money to buy supplies, improve infrastructure, or even arm yourselves. Of course, the condition is that the funds can only be used to purchase Konoha goods. The collateral—would be the silver mine hidden beneath this area."
"How do you know there's a silver mine here?!"
Yahiko blurted out, then instantly regretted it.
That was stupid—if the guy could find this hidden base, it meant Konoha had already thoroughly investigated the Land of Rain. Knowing about a mineral deposit wouldn't be that hard, would it?
"I know everything. Including his eyes."
Takeshi narrowed his eyes, smiling as he pointed toward Nagato.
Eyes—
Yahiko instinctively looked over at Nagato.
Nagato himself was a bit surprised, but also a little relieved. If Jiraiya had even told this guy about the Rinnegan, it meant he must really trust him.
What none of them could have guessed was that Jiraiya had never once mentioned the Rinnegan to Takeshi.
The reason Takeshi knew about it was entirely… something else.
"Since it's a loan, there must be interest, right?"
Yahiko cleared his throat and picked the thread back up.
"If you're willing to let Konoha develop the silver mine and use its resources to repay the loan, then we can waive the interest."
"That's a pretty generous condition. No hidden strings?"
Hearing Takeshi's terms, Yahiko had a vague guess.
"You must know—the real power in Amegakure is Hanzo-sama, not us—"
Before Yahiko could finish, Takeshi interrupted him.
"You should know full well what Amegakure under Hanzo looks like. That kind of oppressive, dark regime—no matter how much you invest, the funds will probably go straight into his pocket as military expenditure."
Locking eyes with Yahiko, Takeshi once again recalled the scenes he'd witnessed when he first entered Amegakure.
"That backward, decaying regime should be swept into the dustbin of history. The conflicts between shinobi shouldn't drag in civilians. Don't you agree, Yahiko?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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