"Is what you said true?"
Yahiko found it hard to believe.
It felt like suddenly winning the lottery, and after the initial surge of excitement came a deep sense of unreality.
If there hadn't been so many people around, Yahiko would have pinched his own face just to check whether he was dreaming.
"Of course. I am Lord Hanzo's deputy, my name is Kanzo."
The shinobi wearing the Amegakure forehead protector stood before Nagato and Yahiko, rainwater sliding down his cloak and dripping onto the floor, forming a small puddle.
"I have heard that you do not advocate the use of force and insist on resolving problems peacefully."
"That is the philosophy of the Akatsuki."
Yahiko spoke, his tone carrying a trace of pride.
Everyone who had come here shared the same belief.
"Lord Hanzo has taken notice of what you have done for the Land of Rain over the years. He believes that peace requires everyone's effort. If you are willing, Amegakure will recognize the existence of the Akatsuki and entrust you with peace negotiation missions among the three surrounding countries."
Yahiko's breathing grew slightly rapid.
Nagato stood at his side, his Rinnegan hidden beneath his long red hair and the shadows, but his fingers unconsciously curled.
The Akatsuki members behind them all brightened upon hearing this.
"This is great, big brother."
Yataro, Idate, spoke excitedly from within the crowd, his face full of anticipation.
"Recognition of the Akatsuki…"
Standing at the very front, Yahiko murmured those words again, a glimmer flashing in his eyes.
"Did Lord Hanzo really say that?"
"The official document will be delivered in three days."
Kanzo nodded.
"At that time, a jonin from Amegakure will come to discuss the detailed terms with you. Of course, you will need to come in person."
After Kanzo left, the meeting room fell into a brief silence.
"This is an opportunity."
Yahiko turned to look at Nagato and Konan, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"If we can be recognized as a legitimate organization, we will be able to help more people openly. Lord Hanzo, he… he has finally seen our ideals."
"Yahiko."
Kiyohara's voice came from the corner.
He leaned against the wall, his dark eyes quietly watching them.
The Akatsuki had not expected such a significant piece of information to be revealed by Amegakure's shinobi, so they had not asked Kiyohara to step aside.
At present, he was the only shinobi from Konoha here. Tsunade was still in her room, while Shizune and Kurenai had gone out.
"For years, Hanzo has rarely taken action externally, yet internally he tightly controls all mineral resources and trade routes. Now he suddenly shows goodwill. Shouldn't you think more about it?"
Yahiko froze for a moment, then shook his head.
"Kiyohara, I understand your concerns. But Lord Hanzo is a hero of the Land of Rain. During the Second Shinobi War, he forced the three great nations to acknowledge the country's status through his own strength. A man like that may be strict in his methods, but he should not deceive us in such a despicable way."
"Heroes can change."
Kiyohara said calmly.
"Time can erode many things, including ideals."
"But we cannot reject a possible opportunity just because of suspicion. How about this, when the official document arrives, we will carefully review the terms. If the conditions are reasonable, we can at least try to make contact."
Yahiko said.
Konan nodded lightly, paper flowers blooming and withering silently at her fingertips.
Kiyohara said no more.
He knew that some things had to be seen with one's own eyes before they could be believed.
People rarely learn from words, but one experience can teach everything.
Kiyohara soon left and headed to Tsunade's room.
He knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in."
Pushing the door open, he saw Tsunade sitting on the edge of the bed. Her right hand pressed tightly against her forehead, and her left hand held a damp towel.
Her face was somewhat pale, and fine beads of sweat had formed at her temples.
"Sensei?"
Kiyohara stepped closer.
Tsunade raised her head and forced a faint smile.
"It's nothing, just an old problem. I've seen a bit too much blood lately… I'm trying to treat it myself."
Kiyohara sat down on the chair opposite her.
Under the light, he could see her fingers trembling slightly, a physiological reaction she was trying hard to suppress but could not fully hide.
"Hemophobia is a psychological trauma. It needs to be dealt with gradually."
Kiyohara said.
Tsunade had mentioned this condition to him before, but now she had actually begun trying to treat it herself.
In truth, this was a mental knot.
Only by stepping out of the shadows of the past could she be free from the effects of hemophobia.
"I know."
Tsunade set down the towel.
"But I can't go on like this. If I can't even stand the sight of blood…"
She shook her head.
When she had been drifting aimlessly before, she had not thought too much about it. But now, whether it was Shizune or Kiyohara, both of them would have to go to the battlefield to carry out missions. If something were to happen to them like it did to Nawaki or Dan, what would she do?
If she feared blood, she would not even be able to treat their injuries.
Katsuyu could only assist in healing to a certain extent. Severe injuries still required surgery.
"You can start with something simple, like looking at red liquids that are not blood, such as tomato juice, then gradually move on to animal blood, and finally face human blood. Forcing yourself to confront the trauma directly might actually worsen the symptoms."
Tsunade stared at him blankly.
"How do you know all this?"
"I thought of it myself. I feel that the current medical system still needs reform, for example, incorporating psychological medicine."
Kiyohara said.
More than ten or twenty years in the future, the shinobi world would only then establish its first psychological department. Just thinking about that made Kiyohara feel somewhat exasperated.
"That makes sense. I've felt the same way."
Tsunade had considered these issues before as well, especially after experiencing the Second Shinobi War and witnessing people who were left with psychological scars due to the war.
Her own situation was, in fact, one of them.
"Kid, sometimes I think you're very similar to me."
Tsunade often saw her own shadow in Kiyohara.
When she was young, she had also thought about reforming things everywhere.
"Is that so?"
Kiyohara nodded.
"Of course it is."
Color had returned slightly to Tsunade's face.
Perhaps it was because of Kiyohara's concern, or perhaps because she had not seen blood and was gradually shaking off the effects of her hemophobia.
She took out a jug of sake and drank a mouthful.
Kiyohara could see the liquid slide down her neck, disappearing along the curve below.
Then Tsunade beckoned to him.
Kiyohara, puzzled, walked over.
Once he got closer, he realized Tsunade was patting his head.
"Hearing the old man to accept you as my disciple, it really wasn't a mistake."
Tsunade smiled.
Whether it was Kiyohara's talent or his character, both satisfied her greatly.
"I also think Sensei is the best."
Kiyohara nodded.
Though Tsunade always appeared to be short on money, in reality she was the richest among them.
He had benefited from her generosity more than once.
The things Tsunade gave him were difficult to measure in terms of money.
Most of the time, it was simply that Tsunade did not bother to earn more.
Otherwise, with her medical skills, just treating the daimyos of various countries would allow her to make an unimaginable amount.
Those daimyos, the older they got, the more they feared death. Tsunade could earn fortunes from them with ease.
"Then shouldn't you lend your teacher some money to spend?"
Tsunade said casually.
Kiyohara was momentarily speechless. He had not expected her to get to the point so quickly.
"Alright, I'll take you in a few days."
Hearing that, Tsunade finally let go of him with satisfaction, her expression relaxing like a contented cat as she took another drink.
Kiyohara still maintained the close posture from being pulled forward. His eyelids twitched, and due to the close distance, he could faintly glimpse a hint of scenery beneath the slope.
"You should rest early, Tsunade Sensei."
"Tomorrow Konan is going to inspect District Seven. I plan to go take a look."
"Be careful."
Tsunade reminded him.
"Got it."
Kiyohara stood up and left.
Konan had been captured in District Seven.
Kiyohara intended to go and see exactly what was going on.
No matter whether they were Root shinobi or shinobi from Amegakure, to Kiyohara there was essentially no difference between them.
The overall strength of Amegakure was not particularly high. It could be said that the entire village had been carried on the back of Hanzo alone.
Unfortunately, Hanzo had now lost his faith, and under his rule, the Land of Rain was gradually becoming weaker and more stagnant.
Over the next few days, Kiyohara stayed close to Konan.
District Seven was located in the northwest of the Land of Rain, an area where rolling hills intertwined with abandoned mining sites.
Konan led five members of the Akatsuki along a muddy path, while Kiyohara followed about fifty meters behind them, maintaining a steady distance.
The rain never stopped.
At around two in the afternoon, as the group passed through a slope littered with jagged rocks, twelve black figures suddenly lunged out from behind the stones, from underground, and even from above.
They were clad in black protective gear, their faces hidden beneath hoods.
"Scatter!"
Konan shouted, her body instantly dispersing into countless sheets of paper that scattered in all directions.
But the attackers were clearly targeting her.
Six of them rushed directly toward the direction where the papers were gathering, their hands forming seals in rapid succession.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
"Oil Splash Technique!"
Wind fed the flames, oil intensified the burn, and in an instant, blazing fire engulfed half the hillside. The paper curled and blackened under the intense heat.
Konan's true body was forced to reassemble ten meters away, her face turning slightly pale.
The enemy's coordination was too precise. It was obvious they had studied her abilities beforehand.
The oil they used was clearly specially prepared. Under the flames, even the paper she had treated for fire resistance was burned away.
Seeing this, Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
He had been following Konan for two days, and nothing unusual had happened yesterday. Today, the enemy had finally made their move.
"Chidori Current."
After forming hand seals, lightning flickered around him.
A sharp crack split through the curtain of rain as blue white electricity burst outward in a fan shape centered on him.
Hundreds of fine arcs of lightning wove together into a net, instantly covering a radius of ten meters.
Three Root shinobi failed to retreat in time. The current pierced their bodies, their eyes widening behind their masks as violent convulsions overtook them before they collapsed to the ground.
The remaining nine immediately shifted formation. Three formed a defensive earth style barrier, while six moved to flank from the sides.
Kiyohara formed seals with his left hand while maintaining the output of Chidori Current with his right.
This action caused one of the Root shinobi to shrink his pupils in shock. Kiyohara was able to multitask, maintaining two techniques at once.
In Kiyohara's left palm, chakra began to rotate and compress. A sharp buzzing sound rang out, the result of countless wind blades grinding and slicing against each other.
"That is…"
One of the Root shinobi instinctively stepped back.
"Retreat, the intelligence was wrong!"
Too late.
Kiyohara thrust forward the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken in his hand.
Upon impact, countless microscopic wind blades tore through flesh, bone, and shinobi tools alike, shredding everything into a mangled mess.
The remaining three fled in panic.
Kiyohara dispelled Chidori Current. His figure flashed forward, and he simply threw three punches.
None of them appeared to hit their targets.
Yet the three Root shinobi were struck as if by invisible sledgehammers. Their chests caved in simultaneously, and their bodies were sent flying backward, crashing through rock walls before collapsing limply to the ground.
Frog Kata.
Konan and the members of the Akatsuki stood frozen in place. Sheets of paper still floated in midair, forgotten.
Kiyohara walked over to a relatively intact corpse, crouched down, and pried open the dead man's mouth.
At the base of the tongue, a black curse mark was clearly visible.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
A signature of Root.
He stood up and looked at Konan.
"You all head back first. Tell Yahiko and Nagato that the attackers may have been Amegakure or missing nin. I will clean up the traces here."
Konan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only nodded.
"…Thank you."
Just moments ago, she had felt the enemies were somewhat troublesome, clearly prepared specifically for her abilities.
Yet in the blink of an eye, Kiyohara had eliminated them all.
Was the gap in strength between her and Kiyohara really that large?
Konan could not help but wonder.
Looking at Kiyohara's youthful face, she even felt that he might be younger than herself.
After Konan left, Kiyohara tore out the tongue of one Root shinobi and sealed it into a storage scroll.
Although Danzo's methods were sinister, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was indeed a useful technique.
Anyone marked by it would become completely paralyzed if they attempted to speak about certain matters, unable to talk or move.
Danzo relied on this technique to safeguard his secrets, allowing himself to operate in the shadows.
Kiyohara intended to see if he could later analyze and reconstruct the method behind this seal.
Having inherited a great deal of curse mark knowledge from his time in the Anbu, he now possessed a considerable understanding of such techniques.
After that, Kiyohara searched the bodies of the Root shinobi.
Although he now had the ability to extract gold dust at will, he still believed that every little gain mattered.
After collecting their armor, shuriken, soldier pills, and other items, he sealed the corpses into a scroll as well before leaving the area.
Upon returning, Kiyohara sought out Tsunade alone.
He described the details of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and showed her the tongue he had taken.
As he spoke, Tsunade's expression gradually turned grim. In the end, she slammed her fist onto the table, shattering it instantly.
"Danzo… has he gone mad?"
"He may have already reached some sort of agreement with Hanzo."
Kiyohara said as he carefully put away the tongue.
This was material for studying the seal.
"The Root shinobi were very familiar with Konan's abilities. They had clearly prepared in advance. The Land of Rain is their territory. Without Hanzo's tacit approval or even cooperation, Danzo would not dare act so openly."
Hearing this, Tsunade frowned.
Although the darkness within the village was unavoidable and Root handled many matters that could not be brought into the light, that did not mean she could accept it.
It was precisely because she had seen both the bright, towering surface of the village and the roots buried deep beneath the earth that she no longer wished to remain there.
If not for the war, she felt she would still be traveling the world with Shizune.
"You did not tell Yahiko and the others?"
"If I told them now, they would probably think it was a setup by Konoha."
Tsunade nodded slightly.
Kiyohara had handled it well.
No matter what, Root shinobi were still Konoha shinobi, and this could easily lead to misunderstandings.
"It seems this time the Akatsuki have been targeted by Root. I will report this to the old man."
As she spoke, Tsunade took out paper and pen and began writing a report to send back to Hiruzen.
The existence of the Akatsuki would have benefited Konoha, yet Danzo wanted to cooperate with Amegakure to wipe them out.
That old man must have struck some kind of deal with Amegakure.
Was it truly for Konoha, or for his own Root faction?
At the same time, in the tower of Amegakure—
Danzo listened to the report of the surviving Root shinobi. A cold light flickered in his single eye. The teacup in his hand cracked under his grip, warm tea dripping through his fingers.
"All of them were killed by Kiyohara?"
"Y-yes. Based on the traces at the scene, there were marks that could only be caused by immense physical force, something only Kiyohara matches."
"Useless!"
Danzo crushed the teacup completely.
He turned toward Hanzo, who sat in the shadows.
"Hanzo, the plan must be advanced. If he continues to remain with the Akatsuki, we will be at a disadvantage."
Hanzo's mask gleamed coldly under the light.
"Danzo, you did not tell me that Konoha's young shinobi had already reached this level of strength."
They had known that Kiyohara had been following Konan.
Hanzo had heard of this young man before, but he had not expected him to be this strong.
Those Root shinobi had supposedly been elites, yet they had died just like that.
"I did not expect it either."
Danzo replied coldly.
He had originally sent two waves, along with Amegakure shinobi dispatched by Hanzo, to ensure absolute success.
Yet Kiyohara had killed too quickly.
By the time others arrived, all they could see was devastation.
"But precisely because of that, we cannot allow him to continue growing. Tomorrow, you will have Amegakure surround the Akatsuki base under the pretext of suppressing illegal armed forces. My Root will mix in among them, seize Yahiko in the chaos, and kill him."
"As long as Yahiko dies, the Akatsuki will become a scattered group, nothing to worry about."
Danzo said.
Hanzo fell silent.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair.
"Tsunade is also there. If she joins forces with Kiyohara…"
"Tsunade will not act."
Danzo glanced at him.
He did not reveal Tsunade's hemophobia, only stating that she would not intervene.
"Is that so?"
Hanzo sounded doubtful.
"Of course."
Danzo nodded.
After a long pause, Hanzo finally agreed.
The next morning, the rain lessened slightly.
While training, Kiyohara suddenly sensed numerous chakra signatures.
"Sensei, many people are coming."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade rose from the bed.
So fast?
The disturbance was also noticed by the Akatsuki.
Yahiko looked at the assembled forces ahead, confusion written across his face.
"Amegakure shinobi? Why? We clearly have not…"
"Now is not the time to ask why."
Nagato interrupted him.
"Many of our companions are not in the base right now. How should we deal with them?"
Nagato asked.
Yahiko frowned upon hearing this. He quickly instructed Yataro to evacuate the civilians within the base.
Then he ordered Konan to conduct reconnaissance.
With her ability to fly, she was the most suitable for the task.
(End of Chapter)