Chapter 93: Akatsuki!
A dozen Akatsuki ninja looked on with curiosity, their gazes piercing the gray mist of the rain.
Only the red-haired ninja's expression remained unchanged, though he was secretly astonished. In his sensory perception, the chakra on this person wasn't particularly strong, but it felt incredibly bizarre. It was as if two different natures of power were fused together seamlessly—something he had never encountered since mastering these eyes.
Soon, the figure appeared in the view of the Akatsuki members.
The sound of light footsteps became clearer against the patter of the rain.
The next moment, the curtain of rain parted.
A handsome young man walked out of the gray world.
The expressions of the people under the eaves froze. A boy about their age, wearing a forehead protector they had never seen before.
Most importantly, there seemed to be an invisible force around him. The torrential rain was blocked about a foot above his head, flowing down around him to the ground, leaving him dry.
Stopping about seven or eight meters away, the boy stood quietly outside the shelter, looking at them with a harmless smile.
This guy has no ill intentions!
For some reason, this thought flashed through the minds of the Akatsuki ninja simultaneously.
"Are you here to take shelter from the rain too? Come on in!"
Inside, a sunny, handsome young man stood up from the circle of people sitting down. He waved at the newcomer, signaling him not to be shy.
The companions beside him twitched their lips, looking at each other, unsure of what to say.
"Isn't the Leader being a bit too welcoming? He's an unidentified ninja, after all! Even if he doesn't look malicious."
"That's just his personality. Besides, is that really what you're focused on?"
Two of them whispered.
The first one looked confused. "What else then?"
"Heh... Does that kid look like someone who needs shelter from the rain?"
"Uh... then why did the Leader say that..."
"He probably wants to recruit him!"
A girl with purple hair beside them face-palmed silently, feeling helpless at their Leader's somewhat air-headed remark.
The gaunt red-haired boy looked up at the standing figure, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Thanks, then."
Hearing the offer, Kael paused slightly, smiled, nodded, and walked under the eaves.
He found a corner that was a suitable distance away—close enough to talk but not so close as to be threatening—and sat down. He scanned the group inside and smiled.
"You guys must be the Akatsuki, right?"
The young man who had spoken first froze, then a look of excitement appeared on his face.
"Have you heard of Akatsuki's reputation too?"
Kael nodded and looked at him. "And you are?"
"I'm the leader of Akatsuki. My name is Yahiko."
Saying this, he excitedly extended his hand toward Kael.
"And you? Which village are you from? Where did you hear about our organization?"
Kael paused, then reached out and shook his hand, smiling. "I am the Leader of the Hidden Hot Water Village, Kael Cross."
The enthusiastic smile on Yahiko's face froze. The faces of the Akatsuki members behind him also filled with shock.
Although the Hidden Hot Water Village was small—so inconspicuous in the Shinobi World that many wouldn't even recognize their forehead protector—it was still an official ninja institution of a nation, a force recognized by the great countries.
In terms of scale, it was leagues above their self-formed Akatsuki organization.
What surprised them even more was that this person claiming to be the Leader of the Hidden Hot Water Village was just a teenager of seventeen or eighteen!
"You don't look like you're joking. But do you have business with our Akatsuki?"
Realizing he probably couldn't recruit the person in front of him, Yahiko's enthusiasm faded slightly, but he asked politely. He realized now that this young leader had come specifically to find them.
Kael's expression turned serious as he looked directly into Yahiko's eyes.
"I heard about Akatsuki's deeds back in the Land of Hot Water. I know you want to break the oppression of the great nations and are striving for peace in your own country. As a ninja from a small nation, I feel the same way.
"In many places I've passed on this journey, all I've seen is chaos and depression. The Land of Rain is full of people living in misery, families broken and destroyed!
"The entire Land of Rain is shrouded in pain and despair! Just like this sky that is gray all year round!
"Although the Third Great Shinobi War hasn't fully broken out yet, many Hidden Stone and Konoha ninja are already fighting within the borders of the Land of Rain. The great nations don't care about the lives of small nations or ordinary people at all! For their own selfish interests, they subject the Land of Rain to this calamity, and you... you have no way to stop it..."
Kael's voice was a bit hoarse, and his expression dimmed.
Half of his words were sincere, and the other half weren't exactly fake, but rather setting the emotional stage for his pitch.
Talk no Jutsu? Kael didn't think he was necessarily weaker than Naruto at it! It was just like sales; you had to accurately find the customer's pain point!
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy. Anger and anxiety appeared on everyone's faces; they were genuinely stirred by Kael's words.
"You want to bring hope and peace to this hole-ridden country through your own efforts. You want to save this nation, whose people have been displaced by years of war, through your own charity. This is undoubtedly like drinking poison to quench thirst!
"You haven't realized what the essence of this tragedy is! It is power!
"Weakness is the original sin! It is destiny to be bullied!"
Kael's sudden shout at the end startled the people in the room, draining the color from their faces and forcibly waking them from their naive dreams.
No one wanted to admit this fact, even if they had vaguely realized it themselves.
Lies don't hurt; only the truth is a sharp knife!
When the last fig leaf of their dream was torn away, most people would only fly into a rage out of humiliation.
All the Akatsuki members stood up and glared at Kael. Yahiko was the most agitated. He was about to argue with Kael with a face full of shock and anger, but he was held back by two people simultaneously.
He turned his head and saw his best friends.
"Konan! Nagato, why are you stopping me?"
Yahiko looked at them in disbelief.
The purple-haired girl shook her head in silence. Yahiko understood her meaning, and his heart went cold. He instantly looked dejected.
"So, you're like those people... you think I'm just a naive, idiot kid? You think all our efforts were in vain..."
The girl looked anxious and quickly said, "No, Yahiko, don't..."
But the red-haired boy waved his hand calmly, stopping the purple-haired girl from comforting Yahiko.
He turned to look at Kael, his eyes showing a hint of approval, but also a complex mix of emotions.