Chapter 188 - Why Does a Sixty-Year-Old Man Keep Thinking About a Young Man? (Part 1/3)
Land of Rain
A fine drizzle blanketed the entire Land of Rain. Nagato stood atop the tallest building in Amegakure, overlooking the entire country.
Ever since he had secretly taken control of the Land of Rain, it had been raining without end.
This endless rain was no natural phenomenon—it was Nagato's doing. It was a unique ability he discovered after awakening the Rinnegan.
Thanks to the Uzumaki clan's innate chakra reserves, he could inject his chakra into the rain, turning it into a perfectly controlled sensory technique.
Rain Tiger at Will Technique!!!
By using chakra to generate rain clouds and bringing down a constant, delicate rain, he cast a wide net of surveillance across the Land of Rain.
Every drop of rain that fell while this technique was active was intricately linked to Nagato's sensory perception.
Any unfamiliar chakra would disrupt the flow of the rain, allowing him to detect intruders. Moreover, since the technique reacted to the environment it was cast in, the rain wouldn't stop unless Nagato personally dispelled the jutsu.
Thus, Nagato continuously used this technique to maintain strict surveillance over the Land of Rain.
He extended his right hand, catching a raindrop in his palm, eyes locked firmly in the direction of Konohagakure.
After nearly three years of development, the Land of Rain had completely shed the remnants of Hanzo's era. It had fully taken on Nagato's shape.
Nagato had also secretly recruited numerous powerful rogue ninja. At this point, he was confident that Akatsuki was no weaker than any of the so-called Four Great Shinobi Villages.
That's right—Four Great Villages, excluding Konoha!
In the current shinobi world, after the end of the Third Great Ninja War, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Konoha's strength had far surpassed the other four villages. It was now the undisputed king of the ninja world.
And it was precisely because of Konoha that Nagato had yet to launch the plan he had long been plotting.
Not because Konoha had too many strong shinobi—Nagato had confidence in his own strength. But there was one person in that village who made him hesitate.
Clenching the raindrop, feeling the overwhelming power surging through his body, Nagato found himself conflicted about Konoha.
Over the years, he had fought many of the most renowned shinobi across the world and obtained the bodies of several powerful ones.
But in his hands, even those who had earned fame across the ninja world were no different from ordinary ninja. Against his Rinnegan, they stood no chance.
Now, Nagato began to suspect that his own power had already surpassed the Kage of other villages. He felt the urge to challenge Kazane.
Although Kazane had no personal grudge against them—in fact, he had once saved both him and Konan.
(This was due to Black Zetsu's manipulation—Nagato never saw Black Zetsu and mistakenly believed it was Kazane who killed Hanzo and rescued them in passing.)
But now, Kazane was the greatest obstacle preventing him from realizing Yahiko's dream. Even if it pained him, Nagato knew that sacrificing Kazane might be necessary.
And yet, a sliver of doubt always lingered in Nagato's heart.
It wasn't fear of death—he simply feared that if he died, Yahiko's dream would be buried forever.
Suddenly, Nagato recalled Kakashi, who had been persistently causing trouble for Akatsuki lately. A flicker of interest sparked in his mind.
Perhaps… Kakashi could serve as a rough benchmark for Kazane's strength.
—
"Nagato, everyone's here. They're waiting for you."
The Angel of Akatsuki, Konan, stepped behind Nagato. Looking at his thin back, her pure eyes shimmered with pain.
Though three years had passed since Yahiko's death, Konan could still see his shadow in Nagato.
Nagato had always blamed himself for Yahiko's death, obsessively believing that it was his own weakness that had failed to protect him.
Since then, Nagato had completely changed. The light in his eyes had been replaced by a dead, hate-filled stillness.
Konan knew that nothing she said could change his heart. Nagato had frozen his emotions long ago.
Perhaps now, the only reason he kept living was to fulfill Yahiko's ideal.
"Nagato… you don't have to carry all this alone. You still have me."
That thought made her heart ache even more. She stepped forward, gently taking Nagato's hand with visible concern.
"Come on, it's time for the meeting."
Nagato's hand trembled in hers. His eyes flickered with hesitation. Everything he had once dreamed of now felt within reach, and yet… the image of Yahiko filled his mind again. His eyes hardened with resolve.
He pulled his hand away and turned, walking off without a word.
Konan stood alone, her gaze sorrowfully fixed on his retreating figure. Her eyes shimmered with tears of silent hurt.
—
Iwagakure
Medical Ward
Two months had passed since the end of the Chūnin Exams. When Akatsuchi returned carrying the heavily injured Ōnoki on his back, the entire village had erupted.
Everyone had been furious upon seeing Ōnoki's condition, demanding to launch a new war against Konoha.
In the end, it was Ōnoki himself, gritting his teeth through the pain, who stopped them—preventing a war that they had no chance of winning.
This incident made one thing painfully clear to Ōnoki.
Konoha's rise was now a certainty. Nothing they could do would stop it.
Continuing to resist would only lead them to total annihilation.
Ōnoki had always been confident in his Dust Release. Even if he couldn't defeat Kazane outright, he believed Dust Release could still make Kazane wary.
But reality had brutally shown him otherwise—Hatake Kazane might already be stronger than even Hashirama once was.
This recent alliance had also opened Ōnoki's eyes to how unreliable the four-village coalition truly was. Each village had its own agenda.
When faced with Konoha's growing strength, instead of banding together, they schemed to use each other to wear down their "allies."
These so-called allies were pigs in the trenches. The only one he could truly rely on—was himself.
During his two-month hospital stay, Ōnoki had pondered endlessly… and eventually arrived at a thought so insane, even he couldn't believe it.
Join Konoha.
Ōnoki had long studied and schemed against Orochimaru and Kazane. One's greatest opponent always understands you best.
He knew Orochimaru's personality—this venomous snake was nothing like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was content with the status quo.
Once Konoha recovered from the war's toll, Orochimaru would absolutely launch an offensive.
At that time, a Hatake Kazane capable of sweeping across the shinobi world would be far too terrifying.
Even if Konoha now appeared peaceful and uninvolved, Ōnoki knew this was merely the calm before the storm.
The other three great villages were still lost in their own illusions, thinking Konoha remained as it was under Hiruzen—turning their blades inward on their own people.
They thought Konoha would wait for them to catch up before starting a Fourth Ninja War, and even if they lost, they could just pay reparations and be done with it.
Ōnoki wanted no part in that delusion anymore. His spies in Konoha had reported significant changes over the past few years.
In Konoha's prosperity, he saw wealth, food stores, and a growing number of new-generation shinobi.
As one side grew and the other declined, it was clear—another shift in the world's power structure was coming.
Whether Iwagakure would survive the coming transformation… would depend on his next move.
It was time for Iwagakure to plan ahead. The stubborn old guard needed to change.
Flexing his newly installed mechanical arm, Ōnoki climbed down from the bed. His steel leg, forged from simple materials, supported his weight.
Looking out through the hospital window at the peaceful village below, Ōnoki made a quiet decision in his heart:
It was time to reach out to Konoha.