"At the beginning, it was only on a small scale, just a few people or maybe a dozen. But later, the scale kept growing larger and larger."
"I see."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
The Akatsuki organization actually had its own spheres of influence. For example, Konan had been on her way to inspect District Seven before she was ultimately captured by Danzo.
From now on, their main focus would be to pay close attention to movements around District Seven.
She then turned toward Tsunade, and for the first time, a trace of pleading appeared in her eyes. "Lady Tsunade, could Konoha possibly provide some medical supplies? We can pay for them with mission commissions."
Tsunade fell silent for a long while.
From Konoha's perspective, supporting the Akatsuki organization was undoubtedly the best choice.
The geographical position of the Land of Rain was simply too special. It sat right between three great nations, acting as a buffer zone.
Because of that, the Land of Rain had always been chaotic, with all kinds of forces infiltrating it.
"Konoha can provide basic medical supplies," Tsunade finally said.
"As for formal cooperation, I will need to speak directly with your leader."
"That won't be a problem," Konan nodded.
At present, the leader of Akatsuki was Yahiko. Over the past few days, they had gone elsewhere to drive away bandits from a village.
Soon after, Konan brought the group back to the Akatsuki base.
Shizune looked around with curiosity, as it was her first time coming here.
Kurenai, on the other hand, had already dealt with Akatsuki alongside Kiyohara before, so she had some experience.
Tsunade was also very familiar with the Land of Rain, since she had fought here for quite some time during the war years.
"Come to think of it, this is where your title first became famous, right, Sensei?" Kiyohara said after Konan left.
"Does that mean Hanzo was very strong?" he continued.
Hanzo could actually be divided into two periods. One was the era before his corruption, during the Second Shinobi War, when he was truly a formidable figure among men. The second was after he had been corrupted by power, becoming fearful of death and ultimately being killed by Pain, only to later be reanimated by Kabuto, and eventually defeated by his former subordinate, Mifune, who had once been no match for him.
"Hmph. Back then, Hanzo was indeed powerful, but he hasn't made a move for many years now," Tsunade shook her head.
Her meaning was clear. It was hard to say what his current strength was.
A person's end is not defined by death, but by the loss of their conviction.
Along the way, Tsunade felt that the Land of Rain had not changed much compared to the past.
She had originally thought that things might be different after Hanzo took power.
"True," Kiyohara nodded.
But what he was thinking about was whether he could copy Hanzo of the Salamander's kenjutsu.
After all, Hanzo's greatest strengths were his swordsmanship and his poison.
These two aspects had made him nearly invincible during the Second Shinobi War.
The Land of Rain had been able to contend with the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, two great nations, while still preserving its territory.
Shizune and Kurenai listened quietly to the conversation between Tsunade and Kiyohara.
For them, Hanzo of the Salamander felt like a distant figure.
However, Shizune was quite interested in Hanzo's poison.
Much of her combat style relied on the use of toxins.
Her chakra reserves were far inferior to Tsunade's, and she did not possess the same level of chakra control, so she could not learn techniques like monstrous strength.
As a result, she had chosen a completely different path from Tsunade.
Late into the night, Yahiko and Nagato finally returned.
The orange-haired young man looked far more mature than he had a few years ago. There was a firmness of leadership between his brows, yet at this moment, his face was filled with exhaustion, and his arm was wrapped in blood-stained bandages.
Several Akatsuki members accompanied him, all bearing injuries.
"Konan, these two are…"
Yahiko was momentarily stunned when he saw Tsunade and Kiyohara, but he quickly reacted.
"Lady Tsunade of Konoha, and Kiyohara, thank you for your assistance."
"Hello, Yahiko," Tsunade stood up to greet him.
Yahiko showed great respect toward Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade, we would like to engage in shinobi tool trade with the Land of Fire. Within the Land of Rain, there are several high-quality iron mines and chakra metal veins. Hanzo controls the major mines, but we possess intelligence on some smaller mining sites that can be secretly exploited."
He took out a piece of dark purple metal from his clothes and placed it on the table. "This is Rain Iron, a specialty of the Land of Rain. It hardly rusts in humid environments, and its chakra conductivity is higher than that of ordinary steel. If Konoha can provide forging techniques and a stable procurement channel, we can supply it regularly."
Tsunade picked up the piece of metal and infused a small amount of chakra into it.
Immediately, fine patterns appeared on the surface of the metal, resembling ripples from falling raindrops.
"The quality is indeed good," Tsunade nodded.
Although the Akatsuki organization was a mercenary group, their ideals seemed to attract quite a number of like-minded individuals.
Even ordinary people who were not shinobi were willing to believe in them.
"But what you want isn't just a trade route, is it?"
Seeing this, Yahiko admitted it openly. "We hope that Konoha can acknowledge Akatsuki as a legitimate political group within the Land of Rain on the international stage, or at least as a peace-oriented organization worthy of attention. We do not need public support, only that we are not labeled as missing nin or terrorists."
"We can also take on missions commissioned by Konoha, as long as they do not violate our principles," Yahiko added.
"Reconnaissance, protection, mediation of conflicts in specific areas. Payment can follow the standard shinobi mission rates."
Kiyohara suddenly spoke. "What are your principles?"
Yahiko turned to him and said, "We do not kill the innocent. We do not participate in aggressive wars initiated by the great countries. We do not respond to violence with violence unless absolutely necessary. We want to change this country, but not by creating more hatred."
The room fell into silence, broken only by the sound of rain dripping outside.
"I personally agree with your ideals," Tsunade said slowly after a long pause.
"But I do not have the authority to make such a high-level diplomatic commitment. I will bring your proposal back to Konoha and submit it to the Hokage. Until then…"
She looked at Kiyohara, Kurenai, and Shizune. "We can temporarily stay here and assist you in defending against attacks. In exchange, I need you to provide all known intelligence on other shinobi villages within the Land of Rain."
Yahiko took a deep breath and bowed solemnly. "That is more than enough. Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
"It's nothing," Tsunade shook her head.
"By the way, is there a casino around here?"
Yahiko was momentarily stunned.
Was Lady Tsunade planning to go to a place as chaotic as a casino to gather intelligence?
As expected of one of Konoha's legendary Sannin.
Even under such circumstances, she was still thinking about intelligence gathering.
"There is, it's located roughly…"
Yahiko gave the address.
"Konan, please take Lady Tsunade and the others there," Yahiko said.
Both he and Nagato were injured, so it was not convenient for them to go out.
"I'll treat your injuries," Kiyohara said.
This was a good opportunity for him to take a closer look at Nagato's Rinnegan.
In theory, there may have been many pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan throughout the shinobi world.
But the Rinnegan, aside from that of Kaguya, had only been possessed by the Sage of Six Paths and Madara.
This was because the conditions for its formation were extremely harsh. An Uchiha, the reincarnation of Indra, had to fuse with the flesh and chakra of a reincarnation of Asura.
Then, after a long period of fusion, the Rinnegan would finally be obtained.
Even Madara had taken decades to achieve this step.
If the Rinnegan had awakened any later, Madara might have simply died of old age, and Black Zetsu would not have seized the opportunity, preventing the chain of events that followed.
"This…"
Yahiko looked at Kiyohara's youthful face and felt that it was somewhat familiar.
The Land of Rain had not been a primary battlefield in the Third Shinobi War, so Yahiko had limited information about events on the frontlines.
The last time, he had only known that Kiyohara had come together with Orochimaru.
"This is my disciple, Kiyohara," Tsunade said softly.
"So he is Lady Tsunade's disciple," Yahiko said with some surprise.
He had originally thought that Kiyohara was Orochimaru's student.
"Then I will trouble you with this," Yahiko said.
"Yahiko, they are shinobi from Konoha," Nagato, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke.
His parents had been killed by Konoha shinobi, so Nagato had always harbored prejudice against them and found it difficult to accept them.
"This is Lady Tsunade's disciple," Yahiko said as he patted Nagato on the shoulder.
Lady Tsunade was a companion of Jiraiya-sensei, and because Yahiko trusted Jiraiya, he naturally trusted Tsunade as well.
Seeing that Yahiko insisted, Nagato found it difficult to say anything further.
However, beneath his red hair, the Rinnegan remained hidden, and within it, there was still a trace of vigilance.
Kiyohara smiled slightly and said nothing.
"I'll begin the treatment now."
As he spoke, Kiyohara activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"This is to make the treatment more convenient."
As he said this, a faint green glow appeared in his hand, and he began treating Yahiko.
"Are you… an Uchiha?" Yahiko asked.
Yahiko did not know much about the situation outside the Land of Rain, so he was naturally unaware of Kiyohara's recent rise to fame during the great shinobi war.
Nagato also noticed Kiyohara's Sharingan.
But he did not take it to heart.
His eyes were the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
With the Rinnegan, and under Jiraiya's guidance, Nagato had already mastered all six types of chakra nature transformations, including Yang Release, by the age of ten, allowing him to use nearly all mainstream ninjutsu.
After Yahiko was treated and healed, Nagato narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw Kiyohara approaching him for treatment.
In the end, he did not move.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara took this opportunity to carefully observe Nagato.
Within Nagato's eyes, it seemed as though chakra was constantly spreading toward his brain.
This chakra then began to influence his body.
"So originally, Nagato likely did not possess all six chakra natures innately."
Kiyohara immediately understood.
Aside from enhancing ocular abilities, the Rinnegan would also allow its wielder to awaken the five basic chakra natures.
That is to say wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning. As long as one possessed the Rinnegan, even if they previously lacked these attributes, they would immediately gain them.
However, the threshold for transplanting the Rinnegan was extremely high.
Even Obito, when controlling just a single Rinnegan, had remarked that the chakra and ocular power within it had nearly caused him to lose control.
Yet Nagato had been able to accept the Rinnegan without anyone noticing, and as long as he did not actively use its power, the burden on him was not great.
This was because Nagato was actually of mixed blood. He possessed both the lineage of the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan. With both enhancements combined, he was able to achieve such a state.
This explanation had once been told to Obito by Black Zetsu.
"Are you done?" Nagato frowned slightly.
He had the distinct feeling that Kiyohara was observing him.
"All done," Kiyohara nodded.
He withdrew his hand and returned to Tsunade's side.
"Lady Tsunade, we'll arrange accommodations for you first, and then we can head to the casino," Yahiko said.
"That works."
Tsunade, Kiyohara, and the others followed Konan outside. They first went to the rooms arranged for them by the Akatsuki.
After that, Konan led them to the nearest casino.
As soon as they arrived, Tsunade's entire demeanor changed.
She pulled Kiyohara along and made him gamble together with her.
This was because Tsunade had discovered that if she gambled alone, she would almost certainly lose every single time.
But if she brought Kiyohara along, then out of ten games she might lose nine or eight, which meant that overall she could still come out slightly ahead.
Meanwhile, as Kiyohara gambled with Tsunade, he was also calculating the timing of the arrival of the new "Last Will."
Kurenai and Shizune had no interest in gambling at all, so Tsunade waved her hand and told the two of them to go explore nearby.
Seeing this, Konan took Kurenai and Shizune out first.
Night soon fell.
As expected, Tsunade lost a large sum of money once again.
'The old man's money is almost gone,' Tsunade thought to herself.
She instinctively glanced at Kiyohara.
Fortunately, her little "fat sheep" had mastered the method of extracting gold dust.
"Hey, little fat sheep, is there much placer gold in the Land of Rain? Should we refine some?" Tsunade asked.
"It's about the same as the Land of Fire. If we go to the Land of Wind, the results should be better," Kiyohara replied.
After all, infusing chakra into sand grains was much easier than doing so with soil.
Tsunade curled her lips.
"If I run out of money, remember to lend me some first."
As everyone knew, Tsunade's version of "lending" basically meant "giving."
Kiyohara had only ever received symbolic repayments from her.
She would repay a portion first, then a few days later borrow back exactly what she had returned.
"It's time to go, Sensei," Kiyohara said.
"Let me play a bit longer," Tsunade extended her hand, clearly signaling for Kiyohara to lend her more money.
"No, Sensei."
Kiyohara felt that if Tsunade continued gambling, she would probably go on for several more hours.
At this, Tsunade straightened her back, the soft fullness of her chest shifting slightly as she grabbed Kiyohara's hand directly.
Seeing her completely absorbed in gambling, Kiyohara said, "Sensei, if you don't leave, I won't lend you money next time either. You wouldn't want to run out of money, right?"
By now, Kiyohara had already figured out Tsunade's temperament and knew exactly when money could be used to control her.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade immediately deflated like a wilted eggplant, no longer carrying her earlier imposing aura.
"Let's go," Kiyohara said.
"Hmph, brat, you're quite pleased with yourself, aren't you?" Tsunade crossed her arms as they walked out.
"I'm taking Sensei out to buy some drinks," Kiyohara said as he went to a roadside stall and bought some of the Land of Rain's specialty liquor for her.
Tsunade was momentarily stunned.
She had only said it casually.
She was not an unreasonable person, yet Kiyohara had still gone and bought her alcohol.
"You…"
Her lips parted slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
"Let's go, brat. We'll meet up with the others," Tsunade said as she grabbed Kiyohara's hand and headed toward the crowd.
Under Tsunade's swift and decisive lead, Kiyohara quickly reunited with Kurenai, Shizune, and Konan.
Kurenai and Shizune had also bought some specialties from the Land of Rain, planning to bring them back after the mission.
After returning, Kiyohara had dinner and then went back to his room.
He began waiting for the arrival of the new "will."
Just as he was starting to feel bored, a voice finally sounded in his mind.
"Ding!"
"[Please retrieve your alternate future self's last will and urn. Make sure to properly take care of their remains.]"
A new future had arrived.
Kiyohara opened his eyes internally, then closed them again, sinking his consciousness into his mind.
Within his mind, an urn slowly appeared.
The urn was gray, its surface rough like stone, as though it had been carved from rock.
On it was a simple engraving of a squatting toad.
"This time, it is…"
Kiyohara's thoughts stirred.
"Ribbit!"
A sound like a toad's croak echoed.
Kiyohara froze for a moment.
Then he saw a bright red tongue push open the lid of the urn.
Inside, a semi-transparent toad spirit appeared.
The toad was enormous, dozens of times larger than Kiyohara himself.
If one had to compare, it was about the same size as Gamabunta from Mount Myoboku.
It stood over ten meters tall.
Converted into a building, that would be about six stories high.
Kiyohara had no idea how such a small urn could contain such a massive spirit.
So big, just bear with it?
Kiyohara continued observing the toad.
The toad spirit was entirely orange-yellow. It wore no forehead protector, but there was a faint scar on its forehead shaped like an inverted cross.
Its eyes, like all toads, were marked by a horizontal slit.
The toad spirit sat within Kiyohara's mind, its front limbs crossed over its chest like a human's arms. It looked at Kiyohara and spoke in a voice tinged with a distinct croaking tone.
"Ribbit. I still ended up dead. I thought I could live to eight hundred years like Fukasaku and Shima."
The toad Kiyohara sounded somewhat regretful.
"Myself in this another timeline, you really make me nostalgic. Back when I still had a human form, I looked just like you."
Kiyohara fell silent for two seconds before responding within his consciousness, "You are… a toad from Mount Myoboku?"
"That's right."
The toad Kiyohara tilted its head slightly, the bumps on its back rising and falling with the motion.
"I'm also Kiyohara. Not sure why I didn't reincarnate as a human and ended up as a toad instead. Back in Mount Myoboku, those old guys all called me Orange Toad."
"I lived for about… hmm, one hundred and eighty years? Hard to remember. Toads perceive time differently from humans."
Kiyohara was taken aback.
Quite the veteran.
Too bad it did not have a human form.
First time reincarnating, and it turned into a toad…
"Then how did you die?" Kiyohara asked curiously.
Living to one hundred and eighty years, he was not sure whether that was due to being a toad or because of practicing Sage Arts.
Either way, it probably was not from old age.
After all, Mount Myoboku had plenty of ancient toads.
At this question, the toad Kiyohara suddenly became agitated, waving its front limbs.
"Frustrating, it was way too frustrating. I got ambushed on Summoning Island!"
It took a deep breath and began recounting.
"I accepted an investigation mission from Mount Myoboku to look into the so-called ultimate summoning beast on that island."
"That thing is not a traditional summoning beast at all. It is an artificially created monster, and it looks like some kind of insect."
As soon as Kiyohara heard this, he understood that it was the ultimate summoning beast from the anime.
There had also been a member of the Uzumaki clan guarding that island.
Unfortunately, that Uzumaki clan member was either not strong enough, or the ultimate summoning beast was simply too powerful.
Even the Adamantine Sealing Chains could not restrain it, and so she had perished.
(End of Chapter)