Seeing the newcomers, the small-time leader immediately relaxed.
He stepped forward to greet the orange-haired man.
"Hello, Leader!"
"This group is from the Land of Wind. We received some kindness from them, so we're escorting them out of the Land of Rain."
Yahiko, hearing the small-time leader's words, looked at Uchiha Yato and his group.
Recognizing a familiar face, he was about to greet them when a glance from Uchiha Yato stopped him.
Yahiko then said, "You've worked hard."
"Since we're here now, you can head back. I'll personally escort them the rest of the way."
Hearing their leader's words, the small-time leader didn't linger. After exchanging a few words with Uchiha Yato and his group, he left.
Uchiha Yato stepped forward and said to Yahiko, "It's been a while. You've really grown into your role, little leader Yahiko."
Yahiko wasn't sure how to respond to Uchiha Yato's remark.
Both Uchiha Yato and Jiraiya had been their mentors—Jiraiya for three years, and Uchiha Yato's Shadow Clone teaching them various Ninjutsu techniques.
Yahiko replied, "Lord Yato, you flatter me."
"Have you finished your business in the Land of Wind and are now returning to the Hidden Leaf?"
Uchiha Yato nodded. "Yes, we're heading back to the Hidden Leaf and just passing through here."
"We also wanted to check on the situation in the Rain Hidden Village."
At these words, Yahiko's expression darkened slightly.
Uchiha Yato knew exactly why.
The current Hanzō was old in both body and spirit.
This meant he wouldn't take the initiative to address the internal issues plaguing the Rain Hidden Village.
The problems caused by a chaotic village couldn't be solved overnight.
Yahiko's Akatsuki organization was determined to find solutions, but the biggest obstacle was that their efforts would inevitably encroach upon Hanzō's authority.The major ninja villages would be more than happy to see the smaller villages encounter various problems, as it would allow them to better exploit their value.
Put yourself in their shoes—without Nagato awakening the Rinnegan or possessing sufficient strength, the current situation would only worsen and escalate further.
Uchiha Yato spoke up, "Let me give you some advice."
Hearing his words, Yahiko was genuinely pleased.
Jiraiya was utterly powerless when it came to matters of political stance.
So even if Yahiko sought Jiraiya's help, the outcome wouldn't be favorable.
Now that Uchiha Yato had proactively offered advice, it felt to Yahiko like a drowning man grasping a floating log—finally, a chance to catch his breath.
Yahiko immediately adopted the posture of an attentive student, as if he were about to pull out a notebook and start jotting things down.
Uchiha Yato continued, "Build your strength and wait for the right opportunity."
"The ninja world is in turmoil right now. It's very likely that a great war will break out before long."
"Once Hanzō loses the people's support, you'll have your chance to rise again. But if you clash with them now, you could inflict irreparable damage on the Rain Hidden Village."
"Besides, your current strength is insufficient, so you need to accumulate power."
Listening to Uchiha Yato's words, Yahiko wasn't sure how to respond.
Because what they were doing now was already in line with what Uchiha Yato had suggested—they just didn't have as comprehensive an understanding as he did.
Uchiha Yato added one more thing, "Don't believe the lies."
"Especially the ones spread by Hanzō!"
Hearing this, Yahiko snapped to attention, knowing full well that Uchiha Yato was right.
Uchiha Yato didn't plan to stay here for long. He enjoyed stirring up trouble, but he disliked unnecessary complications.
From Yahiko, he had already gathered enough information about the current state of the Rain Hidden Village and the Akatsuki.
Before leaving, he left behind some items obtained from their exchange—mostly small gadgets assembled from mechanical parts of puppets. They wouldn't boost their combat strength, but they could help solve minor everyday problems.
After all, technological monopoly was still an important matter.
After Uchiha Yato departed, a shadowy figure emerged from the forest he had come from.
Indeed, this shadow was none other than our old acquaintance—Black Zetsu.
Once again, he was scheming behind Uchiha Madara's back, concocting some bizarre plan.
Under Uchiha Yato's persuasion, Madara no longer placed as much importance on Nagato—in fact, he had even begun considering reclaiming the Rinnegan.
But for Black Zetsu, only after Madara's death could he fully execute his own arrangements and schemes.
Moreover, Black Zetsu could sense that Madara's trust in him had significantly diminished compared to before.
The simplest evidence was that Shimura Danzō's beatings had decreased from twice a week to just once—a clear sign of the shift.
Yet, Black Zetsu still had to lay his plans, ensuring that his original designs would proceed as intended.Therefore, by assisting Uchiha Madara in investigating Uchiha Yato's return and overseeing his actions,
He also took the opportunity to make some of his own arrangements and set up additional backup plans.
In the original plan, Nagato was meant to serve as Uchiha Madara's tool for collecting the Tailed Beasts and, in the final stage, perform the Rinne Rebirth technique to resurrect Madara.
However, Nagato had yet to fully unlock the potential of his Rinnegan, which made Black Zetsu both anxious and determined to start meddling.
At the moment, Yahiko was a crucial figure in Black Zetsu's sights.
He was Nagato's emotional pillar. If this pillar were destroyed, Nagato would undoubtedly plunge into darkness.
So this time, Black Zetsu had come entirely to gather information on Yahiko and plot his death.
Just as Black Zetsu was about to advance, a handsome face appeared behind him once again.
"You really are incorrigible. How about taking a nice, long nap?"
As Black Zetsu collapsed, he caught sight of those familiar Sharingan eyes.
Uchiha Yato looked down at the fallen Black Zetsu and smiled faintly.
There was no helping it—this thing loved causing mischief, so Uchiha Yato had taken to leaving a Shadow Clone behind key figures at critical moments to ambush so-called masterminds.
Picking up the phone, Uchiha Yato said to Uchiha Madara, "Lord Madara, you really are too kind to me."
"You even sent your will to protect me—how embarrassing. Though, for some reason, he suddenly fell asleep on his own."
Hearing Uchiha Yato's words, Madara remained silent, listening quietly.
"Having him return on his own might be difficult. You should probably send two White Zetsu to retrieve him."
Uchiha Yato then added something seemingly random.
"You owe me a favor now. Make sure to repay me later~"
With that, he left Madara with nothing but silence to ponder over.
Madara heard every word Uchiha Yato said.
Of course, he understood the implications behind Yato's words. Sitting in his seat, he burst into wild laughter.
"Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating!"
"Uchiha Yato, I truly look forward to your story!"