Uchiha Yorin's line was cool, cocky, and begging for snark. Nagato wanted to shout at him:
"When did you become Akatsuki's second-generation leader? Get a grip!"
More than that, Jiraiya's unease only grew.
"Hold on, Yorin-kun!"
He was also devastated by Yahiko's death, and he'd tacitly agreed to Yorin taking down Hanzo for revenge.
But Danzō—that was a whole different dimension.
No matter how awful he was, he was Konoha's awful man.
Should they really kill a Konoha elder for someone else? Isn't that… a bit much?
Uchiha Yorin: "What are you saying, Jiraiya-sensei? The order to crush Danzō came from your good disciple, Namikaze Minato~"
Yorin's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile, freezing Jiraiya in place:
"What? Minato? No—"
"—Don't jump to conclusions. Go ask the revered 'Darkness of the Shinobi' what he's actually done."
Yorin cut off Jiraiya's windup again. "This isn't a power grab. It's justice."
As he spoke, Yorin summoned a ninja cat, unrolled a scroll, and wrote: "Minato, I want fish." He handed it over:
"Give this to the Fourth," he told the cat. It bolted off at top speed.
It was a prearranged signal between Yorin and Minato. Send that line, and Minato knows it's time to close the net.
The big fish is Danzō—Danzō is the big fish.
…
Yorin: "OK, we leave it to Minato. Now—organization-building.
"Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade are headed back to Konoha. We're short-handed here. Nagato, you need to secure Ame fast and scout for local talent.
"Even if there isn't any, worst case you can 'drive long-haul'—sell virility supplements. As for high-end talent, I've already planned it."
Yorin pulled a pamphlet from his robe and passed it to Nagato. One glance and Nagato realized—it was a bounty book from a cash-in office.
Yorin: "Most talent's locked up by the villages. If we want to grow, we need new lanes—new plays—new pain points.
"No one's born trash. 'Rogue-nin' are just misallocated resources.
"Those S-class rogues—a little training, and they're Kage-tier working for us. Right, Nagato?
"That's your third task: scour for rogues and recruit them into Akatsuki. Tell them: follow me, and you'll eat meat."
Nagato felt numb. He hated to admit it, but right now Yorin looked more like Akatsuki's leader.
That boldness, that confidence and dominance—Nagato couldn't help centering on him. For a moment, it felt like Yahiko was back… and just as unhinged.
Yorin: "Either way—Amegakure is ours now—Akatsuki's! Hahahahahaha!!"
As his signature Uchiha cackle pealed out, a few system quests quietly ticked complete.
[Permanent Quest · Friend of Senju: Become a friend or lover of an Uzumaki clan member. Reward: Sealing Technique — Four Symbols Seal.]
…
That quest had been sitting in the system log forever. Yorin hadn't pursued it.
The Uzumaki were long gone; the few survivors scattered. The only one within reach was Sister-in-law Kushina.
And Minato's still alive—hanging around Kushina every day would be… improper.
After all, his surname is Uchiha, not Ximen.
He'd planned to wait until after Kushina gave birth, become Naruto's godfather, and complete it sideways.
An "honorary father" is a kind of friendship, right?
He didn't expect the quest to complete now.
Four Symbols Seal, huh.
If the day comes to "ride" a couple of Tailed Beasts, that'll come in handy.
…
The seal's great, but Yorin cared more about the other two rewards:
[Boss Quest · Akatsuki's Doomsday: Defeat Uzumaki Nagato (Nagato: I'm sorry, Yahiko—I can't go any further). Reward: +1 Free Attribute Point.]
[Boss Quest · Rise of Akatsuki: Join Akatsuki and become its new leader (Behold god, rabble). Reward: +1 Free Attribute Point.]
If the system weren't such a clown and had any smarts, it would probably snipe, "Bro, you toggled cheats, didn't you?"
Either way, free points are the real prize.
Yorin thought for a moment and dropped both into Strength, bumping from 9 → 11.
He picked based on the Nagato fight.
At Strength 9, he'd been forced into the body-wrecking 25× dual Monstrous Strength + Lightning Armor + Thunder–Fire Sword to win.
At 11, a single-hand 5× Monstrous Strength Thunder–Fire Sword would still turn bro into sis.
He knew Nagato wouldn't quit—he'd grind back up and look to reclaim face.
When he did, Yorin would have a big surprise waiting.
…
Beyond the Akatsuki quests, two more were tied to Hanzo and Ame:
[Boss Quest · Defeat Hanzo the Salamander (Tune in next time: The Death of Hanzo). Reward: Hanzo-style Chain & Sickle Arts.]
[Conquest Quest · Amegakure (After the downpour comes clear skies). Reward: Salamander Venom Sac ×10.]
Yorin: "Mm. Nice…"
Hanzo's chain-and-sickle is a classic; Yorin uses swords, but cross-training's good—it sharpens the craft.
Salamander venom's good, too. It gave the Sannin hell in their youth; it's dated now, but still a household essential for "travel and tidy endings."
He was pleased.
Next, as Akatsuki's new leader, he rolled out reforms in Ame: took full control of the village; purged Hanzo's old guard; and, reluctantly, confirmed there really weren't many capable folks.
That's small villages for you: pull one SSR like Hanzo and you've spent a century's luck. Don't expect much. Put them to work—roads, warehouses, flood defenses—and make Ame a Konoha Transport hub.
Run long-haul with Shisui—roll those four wheels and at least you eat.
Shinobi are a bitter, poor class. "Whoever feeds you is Dad" is a bit harsh—but "follow Yorin, eat meat" had Ame shinobi dumping Hanzo and swearing to Uchiha Yorin fast…
As for Nagato, the villagers branded him "the guide" and Akatsuki's No. 2—"Danzō of the Rain."
It was Yorin's first time running an organization.
And he was surprised—shinobi are actually easy to manage.
Though variants of the Will of Fire spread worldwide, ninja-tool theory still has a huge market.
Shinobi are more loyal—and more zealous—than ordinary folk.
Look at Kirigakure: they held a "Blood Mist" policy for years without collapse—proof enough.
If Kiri can hold, Yorin certainly can.
He gathered Ame's shinobi and shouted: "I'm here to do three things—fairness, fairness, and fairness!"
Then he really did it—straight facts, real work—and paid shinobi in cash and grain. Gave them a path.
One after another they treated him like the sun of Ame. Some bold gals slipped him a chance—cat miaow—trying to slide into his bed.
Too bad Tsunade and Konan watched him closely, so that never happened.
Also, frankly, the looks weren't quite there—so… hard pass.
Women are fun, but ruling the world is better.
A disciplined village with good manpower and resources—Ame scratched Yorin's itch for Harvest Moon, SimCity, and RollerCoaster Tycoon all at once.
Orochimaru's lab. New taverns and a commercial district. Hydraulics, permeable pavement, the ultimate plan to "eliminate" the Rain Daimyo and nobles… everything hit the docket.
He loved it—building big, building strong—so much he almost didn't want to go back to Konoha…
No—he had to go back.
He thought a bit, then reached a conclusion:
If it's this fun leading a small-fry village—
What about being Hokage?
At that moment, a message from Minato arrived.
A Mount Myōboku toad dropped a scroll in front of him. Yorin scanned it, slammed the table, and roared:
"Damn it! Minato—incompetent! National disgrace!"
Tsunade glanced at the scroll; stripped of official fluff, it said one thing:
"Yorin-A-Dream-Tasked! The old fossil Shimura Danzō escaped!!!"