Five days later.
On a deserted street in Tonton Street.
Chinya stood beneath a streetlamp, waiting.
The one Chinya was waiting for was naturally Yahiko, along with two new recruits who had recently joined.
Before long, Chinya heard three sets of footsteps.
Behind him, three individuals wearing peculiarly patterned masks were approaching.
In front was Yahiko. That strange mask with an unusual pattern was given by Chinya himself, designed to prevent Nagato from identifying Yahiko's chakra signature if they ever encountered each other.
The other two members' masks were imitations of Yahiko's — which had now become a signature look for the Xiao organization.
Yahiko walked up to Chinya and greeted him, "Leader, I've brought the new members."
Even though Chinya had his back to them, he could clearly sense the two curious gazes behind Yahiko.
Chinya turned around and nodded at Yahiko. "Hmm, good work, Daiki."
The two newcomers behind Yahiko couldn't help but gasp in shock when they saw Chinya's appearance, blurting out, "The Crimson-Eyed Asura?!"
A faint smile crept across Chinya's face as he introduced himself to the newcomers, "Hello, I'm Qianyu, leader of the Xiao organization. Nice to meet you. Now it's your turn to introduce yourselves."
The two didn't immediately speak; instead, they asked Yahiko in disbelief, "Daiki, what exactly is going on here? Why is Konoha's Crimson-Eyed Asura our leader?"
Yahiko shrugged helplessly. "I told you before I'm just the deputy leader. He doesn't meddle unless provoked. Hurry up and introduce yourselves — you should've heard about his temper. It's really bad."
When they remembered the stories about Chinya, both men couldn't help shuddering.
Chinya chuckled. "Daiki, don't say things like that. I'm very kind and patient to my comrades."
One by one, the two pulled off their masks.
The first to speak was Pakura — a woman whose hair shimmered in alternating shades of brown and green.
"My name is Pakura, former Sunagakure Jonin, now a rogue ninja from Sand Village. I specialize in Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai. Daiki saved me, so I joined the Xiao organization."
The second stepped forward — a man with long green hair, thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, and bandages wrapped around his upper body.
"I am Raiga Kurosuki, a rogue ninja from Kiri, previously one of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist. I was chased by Mist Village Anbu when Daiki and Pakura rescued me, so I joined the Xiao organization."
Chinya was slightly surprised. These two shinobi recruited by Yahiko were unfamiliar to him personally, but he did remember some information about them.
First was Pakura.
During the Third Great Ninja World War, Chinya had often heard of Pakura's name — she was a renowned elite jonin within Sunagakure, known for her powerful Scorch Release techniques. She contributed greatly to Sunagakure — earning countless battle honors. She was considered a hero of the village.
Memories of Pakura.
Before Sunagakure allied with Kumogakure against Konoha, it had been locked in years of brutal war with Kirigakure.
After failing in its invasion of Konoha, Sunagakure sought peace with Kirigakure.
Meanwhile, Kazekage Rasa and the Sunagakure Village elders jointly decided to use Pakura as a bargaining chip for reconciliation with Kirigakure. They arranged for her to carry out a top-secret infiltration mission into Kirigakure, but on her way there, she was ambushed and murdered by Mist ninja.
Covered up collectively by Sunagakure's leadership, Pakura's death was later fabricated as having occurred during battle against Rock ninja.
She could indeed be described as a quite tragic figure.
Regarding Raiga Kurosuki's memories:
[Lightning Sword] wielder Raiga Kurosuki barely escaped with his life during a fight against Might Duy.
Originally, Raiga Kurosuki should have been under the long-term control of Obito Uchiha's genjutsu throughout the Fourth Mizukage's reign, a period when Kirigakure fell into chaos and darkness. As a result, the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist—formed to carry out high-stakes missions for successive Mizukages—abandoned the village in protest, Raiga among them.
But now it seems Raiga defected earlier than expected.
After listening to their introductions, Chinya nodded and said, "Alright, welcome to the Xiao organization. With your support in assisting Daiki, I can finally feel at ease."
"Hold on a second!" Pakura interrupted Chinya, clearly unable to accept things so easily. She asked him, "But… why would the hero of Konoha, the Crimson-Eyed Asura, create the Xiao organization? Could it be that Xiao is actually an organization belonging to Konoha?
"If that's truly the case, then please allow me to resign! Although I'm now a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, I won't sell my soul to serve Konoha!"
Raiga Kurosuki added, "Same here; I refuse to become Konoha's pawn either!"
Chinya looked toward Yahiko: "Didn't you explain to them why I created this organization?"
Yahiko asked, clearly confused, "You never told me why when you asked me to establish it."
Chinya replied blankly, "I didn't?"
Yahiko quipped, "Hmph, you sure have a bad memory."
Somewhat embarrassed, Chinya recalled—he had only used Nagato's life as leverage to force Yahiko to form the Xiao organization, never once explaining the true reason behind its creation.
Chinya coughed once, regaining his serious expression before asking, "Before I explain, let me ask you one question: Was everything you fought for truly worth it?"
Pakura and Raiga Kurosuki stiffened.
Was it worth it?
Pakura had once been willing to give her life for Sunagakure, yet what did she receive in return? Betrayal by the very village she loved.
Raiga also cherished Kirigakure deeply, but the Blood Mist Policy imposed by its higher-ups became unbearable pressure weighing down on him.
After narrowly escaping his previous battle against Might Duy, Raiga had fallen into deep despair.
Yet the Third Mizukage forced him back into combat without giving him even a moment to recover, eventually pushing Raiga beyond his limits and prompting his defection.
Pakura bitterly said, "If it were worth it, I wouldn't have left Sunagakure and joined this organization."
Raiga, lowering his head slightly, murmured, "Yeah, if it were worth it, I wouldn't have become a rogue."
Chinya offered a faint smile and replied, "I'm no different from you both—it just wasn't worth it."
Pakura and Raiga looked at Chinya in confusion, failing to understand why he'd say such words.
In theory, Chinya's reputation and achievements should have made him highly respected in Konoha. Since Chinya has fought so hard for Konoha, how could he possibly think Konoha was unworthy of his sacrifice?
Chinya began explaining, "Do you guys think what I'm saying is fake? You think because I've bled for Konoha, there's no way I'd consider it unworthy, right?
Let me tell you, I had no choice. If I hadn't chosen to risk my life for Konoha, maybe the world would never have known the Crimson-Eyed Asura—and even more importantly, the name Chinya would never have existed at all.
You could say my family was forced into death by Konoha, and my life there was lower than dirt—anyone with even a bit of strength could push me around and beat me down.
Back then, if I hadn't struggled forward, if I hadn't risked my life for Konoha, my existence would've remained buried in darkness forever."
Pakura and Raiga Kurosuki stared at Chinya in shock, and even Yahiko showed great surprise, because Chinya had never mentioned this past to him before.
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