"Is what you said true?"
Yahiko looked stunned—like someone who'd just won the lottery. After the rush of excitement came a heavy sense of unreality. If there weren't so many people watching, he would've pinched his own face to see if he was dreaming.
"Of course. I'm Hanzō-sama's deputy—my name is Kanzō."
The Rain ninja with the Ame forehead protector stood in front of Nagato and Yahiko. Rainwater dripped from his cloak onto the floor, forming a small puddle.
"I hear you don't advocate using force, and insist on solving things through peace."
"That's Akatsuki's ideal," Yahiko said, pride unmistakable in his voice.
Everyone who gathered here shared the same belief.
"Hanzō-sama has noticed what you've done for the Land of Rain over these years. He believes peace requires everyone's effort. If you're willing, the Amegakure will recognize Akatsuki's existence—and entrust you with peace-negotiation missions involving the three surrounding nations."
Yahiko's breathing quickened.
Nagato stood beside him, his Rinnegan hidden beneath his red hair and the shadows, but his fingers curled unconsciously.
The Akatsuki members behind them lit up at the news as well.
"That's amazing, boss!" a member named Idaten Kyūsuke blurted out from the crowd, face bright with excitement.
"Recognize Akatsuki's existence…" Yahiko repeated under his breath, a spark of light flashing in his eyes. "Hanzō-sama really said that?"
"The official documents will be delivered in three days," Kanzō said with a nod. "At that time, a Rain jōnin will come to discuss the terms with you in detail. Of course, you'll need to come in person."
After Kanzō left, the meeting room fell into a brief silence.
"This is our chance."
Yahiko turned to Nagato and Konan, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement.
"If we're recognized as a legitimate organization, we can help more people openly. Hanzō-sama… he finally saw our ideals."
"Yahiko."
Kiyohara's voice came from the corner.
He was leaning against the wall, dark eyes watching them calmly. Akatsuki clearly hadn't expected the Rain ninja to drop news this big, so they hadn't bothered telling Kiyohara to step out.
At the moment, he was the only Konoha shinobi here. Tsunade was still in her room. Shizune and Kurenai were out.
"Hanzo rarely makes moves publicly these days, but internally he keeps a tight grip on all mineral resources and trade routes. Now he suddenly extends an olive branch—aren't you going to think twice?"
Yahiko froze, then shook his head.
"Kiyohara, I get your concerns. But Hanzō-sama is the hero of the Land of Rain. During the Second Shinobi World War, he forced the Three Great Nations to acknowledge Rain's status through sheer strength. Someone like that—maybe he's harsh, but I don't think he'd stoop to something this underhanded just to trick us."
"Even heroes change," Kiyohara said flatly. "Time corrodes a lot of things. Ideals included."
"But we can't reject a possible opportunity just because we're suspicious." Yahiko steadied himself. "How about this—when the official documents arrive, we review the terms carefully. If they're reasonable, we at least try to make contact."
Konan nodded softly. The paper flower at her fingertips bloomed and withered soundlessly.
Kiyohara didn't argue further.
He knew some lessons only sink in when you see them with your own eyes.
You can teach a person all day and they won't learn—let events teach them once and they'll remember forever.
Kiyohara left and headed to Tsunade's room.
He knocked. A voice inside said, "Come in."
When he opened the door, Tsunade was sitting on the edge of the bed, her right hand pressed tightly to her forehead, her left clenched around a damp towel.
She looked pale. Fine sweat beaded at her temple.
"Sensei?" Kiyohara approached.
Tsunade looked up and forced a faint smile.
"It's nothing. Same old problem. I've been seeing blood too often lately… I'm trying to treat it myself."
Kiyohara sat in the chair opposite her.
Under the lamplight, he could see her fingers trembling slightly—a physiological reaction she was trying hard to suppress, but couldn't completely hide.
"Hemophobia is psychological trauma. It takes time," Kiyohara said.
She'd mentioned it to him before, but now she was actually trying to deal with it on her own.
This was a knot in her heart—only by stepping out of the past could she reduce its grip.
"I know." Tsunade set the towel down. "But I can't keep being like this. If I can't even look at blood…"
She shook her head.
Back when she was "letting herself go," she didn't think much. But now—Shizune, Kiyohara… they all had to go to the battlefield.
What if they ended up like Nawaki or Dan—caught in some freak accident?
If she froze at the sight of blood, she wouldn't even be able to treat them.
Katsuyu could handle a lot, but severe cases still needed surgery.
"Start simple," Kiyohara suggested. "Look at red liquids that aren't blood—like tomato juice—then gradually move to animal blood, and only then human blood. Forcing yourself to face the trauma too hard can backfire and worsen symptoms."
Tsunade stared at him blankly. "How do you know this?"
"I figured it out. And honestly, I think the medical system needs reform—like adding psychological medicine."
In the shinobi world, it would be another decade or two before they even created a proper mental health department. Thinking about that was almost absurd.
"It makes sense. I've felt that too."
Tsunade had thought about it before—after living through the Second Shinobi World War, she'd seen plenty of people left with psychological scars.
She herself was one of them.
"Kid… sometimes I feel like you're a lot like me."
She often saw her younger self in him—someone who wanted to reform everything.
"Yeah?" Kiyohara nodded.
"Yeah." Tsunade's complexion looked a little healthier now.
Maybe it was because he'd checked on her, or because she hadn't seen blood for a while and the panic had eased.
She lifted a jug and took a sip of sake.
Kiyohara watched the liquid slide down her throat and disappear into the deep curve below.
Then Tsunade beckoned him over.
He walked closer, not sure why—only to find she was ruffling his hair.
"Looks like the old man was right to have me take you as a student."
Kiyohara's talent and character genuinely satisfied her.
"I think you're the best teacher too," Kiyohara said with a nod.
She always acted broke, but in reality Tsunade was the ultimate rich woman.
He'd benefited plenty from her—what she gave him couldn't be measured in money.
Half the time she just couldn't be bothered to go earn more. With her medical skill, she could fleece daimyōs across the nations for a fortune.
Old daimyōs feared death; Tsunade could basically print money with a few "recommendations."
"Then shouldn't you lend your teacher some money to spend?" Tsunade said smoothly.
Kiyohara blinked—he hadn't expected her "Yan state map" to be this short.
"Fine. In a few days I'll take you."
Only then did Tsunade look satisfied, like a cat relaxing its brows, and took another sip.
Kiyohara was still close. The distance was so tight that, beneath the slope, he could almost see the crimson bloom.
"Get some rest, Tsunade-sensei," he said quickly.
"Tomorrow Konan's going to巡査 Sector Seven. I'm going to go with her and take a look."
"Be careful," Tsunade warned.
"Got it."
Kiyohara stood and left.
Konan had been captured in Sector Seven in the original timeline—Kiyohara wanted to see what was really going on.
Root or Rain shinobi—either way, it made no difference to him.
The Ame's overall strength wasn't that impressive. Hanzo carried the whole village on his back.
But Hanzo had lost his conviction, and Rain only kept rotting.
...
Over the next few days, Kiyohara followed Konan.
Sector Seven lay in the northwest of the Land of Rain, a region of rolling hills mixed with abandoned mines.
Konan led five Akatsuki members down muddy roads; Kiyohara trailed about fifty meters behind.
The rain never stopped.
Around 2 p.m., as the squad crossed a slope of jagged rocks, twelve black figures struck—diving from behind boulders, from underground, even from above.
They wore black armored suits, faces hidden under hoods.
"Scatter!" Konan shouted, her body dissolving into countless paper sheets.
But the attackers were clearly targeting her.
Six of them lunged toward where the papers were converging, hands flashing through seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Oil Splash Technique!"
Wind fed the flames; oil fed the fire. In an instant, a sheet of inferno swallowed half the slope. Paper curled and blackened under the heat.
Konan was forced to reassemble her real body ten meters away, her face slightly pale.
Their coordination was too polished—someone had studied her abilities.
The oil was special; even her fire-treated paper burned.
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
He'd tailed her for two days. Yesterday nothing happened. Today the enemy finally made their move.
"Chidori Stream."
Kiyohara formed seals and lightning flared.
ZZZ—!
A harsh crackle tore through the rain curtain. Blue-white electricity exploded from him in a fan, hundreds of fine arcs weaving into a net that covered a ten-meter radius.
Three Root shinobi couldn't retreat in time. Lightning pierced through them; eyes widened beneath their masks, bodies spasmed, and they collapsed.
The remaining nine immediately shifted formation—three raised earth defenses, six swept around the flanks.
Kiyohara's left hand formed seals while his right maintained Chidori Stream.
One Root shinobi's pupils shrank—Kiyohara was maintaining two techniques at once?
In Kiyohara's left palm, chakra began to spin and compress. A shrill hum rose—like countless wind blades grinding and slicing.
"That is…!"
One Root shinobi took an instinctive step back.
"Retreat—intel error…!"
Too late.
Kiyohara drove the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken forward.
The moment it hit, countless micro wind blades shredded flesh, bone, and gear into a mangled blur.
The last three fled in panic.
Kiyohara canceled Chidori Stream, flashed forward, and threw three simple punches.
None of the punches "connected"—
yet the three Root shinobi looked like they'd been smashed by invisible hammers. Their chests caved; they flew back and crashed through rock, collapsing limp.
Frog Kata.
Konan and the Akatsuki members stood frozen, paper sheets still hanging in the air, forgetting to pull them back.
Kiyohara crouched beside a corpse that was still fairly intact and pried open the mouth.
At the base of the tongue, a black curse mark pattern was clearly visible.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal—Root's signature.
He stood and looked at Konan.
"Go back and tell Yahiko and Nagato the attackers might be Rain shinobi or wandering rogues. I'll clean up the traces."
Konan opened her mouth, then only nodded.
"…Thank you."
She'd thought the enemy might actually be troublesome—clearly prepared to counter her.
And yet Kiyohara erased them in moments.
Was the gap between them really that huge?
She stared at his young face. He even looked a bit younger than her.
After Konan left, Kiyohara cut out one Root shinobi's tongue and sealed it in a scroll.
Danzō's methods were disgusting—but the Cursed Tongue seal itself was useful.
Anyone under it who tried to talk about restricted topics would be paralyzed: unable to speak, unable to move.
Danzō used it to bury his secrets and keep living in shadow.
Kiyohara planned to see if he could reconstruct the technique later.
He'd inherited a lot of curse mark knowledge from "Anbu Kiyohara," and understood seals and curse marks far better now.
Then he looted the bodies.
Now that he could produce sand gold, he could always make money—
but even a mosquito's leg is meat. If he could earn more, he would.
After taking armor, shuriken, soldier pills, and so on, he sealed the corpses away and left.
...
Back at base, Kiyohara went straight to Tsunade alone.
He described the Cursed Tongue seal in detail and even showed her the preserved tongue.
As he spoke, Tsunade's face darkened, until she slammed a fist onto the table—splintering it.
"Shimura Danzō… has he lost his mind?!"
"He's probably reached some kind of agreement with Hanzo," Kiyohara said as he sealed the tongue away again.
This was his research material.
"Root shinobi were extremely familiar with Konan's ability. They clearly did homework. This is Rain's territory—without Hanzo's tacit permission, or even cooperation, Danzō wouldn't dare act this openly."
Tsunade frowned.
Yes, a village needs a "dark side." Root handled things that couldn't be put on the table.
But that didn't mean Tsunade could accept it.
She'd seen the bright canopy of Konoha—and she'd also seen the roots buried deep underground.
That was exactly why she didn't want to stay in the village.
If not for the war, she'd still be traveling the world with Shizune.
"You didn't tell Yahiko and the others?"
"If I tell them now, they'll probably think Konoha set them up," Kiyohara said.
Tsunade nodded. That was the right call.
No matter what, Root were still Konoha shinobi. Easy to cause misunderstandings.
"So Root is setting Akatsuki up…" Tsunade's jaw tightened. "I'll report this to the old man."
She grabbed paper and pen and began writing a message for Hiruzen.
Akatsuki's existence benefited Konoha.
Yet Danzō wanted to team up with Rain to wipe them out.
That old fossil definitely traded something with Rain.
Was this "for Konoha," or for his private Root kingdom?
...
At the same time, in Amegakure's high tower—
After hearing the survivor's report, Danzō's single eye flashed with icy light. His teacup cracked under his grip, warm tea dripping through his fingers.
"All of them… killed by Kiyohara?"
"Y-yes. Judging by the traces, there were impacts that required enormous physical strength—only Kiyohara fits."
"Useless!"
Danzō crushed the cup completely.
He turned toward Hanzo, who sat in the shadows.
"Hanzo—accelerate the plan. As long as he stays with Akatsuki, we'll be forced into a passive position."
Hanzo's mask glinted coldly under lamplight.
"Danzō-sama, you neglected to mention Konoha's young shinobi had already become this strong."
They knew Kiyohara had been following Konan.
Hanzo had heard of the young man, but didn't expect this level.
Those Root shinobi were supposedly elites—and they died anyway.
"I didn't expect it either," Danzō said sharply.
He'd sent two waves—plus Rain shinobi Hanzo had deployed—to make sure it was foolproof.
But Kiyohara killed too fast.
By the time reinforcements arrived, there was only a mess.
"Still," Danzō continued, "that's exactly why he can't be allowed to grow. Tomorrow, you'll send Rain shinobi to encircle Akatsuki's base under the pretext of purging an illegal armed group. My Root will mix in. In the chaos, capture Yahiko—and kill him."
"Once Yahiko dies, Akatsuki becomes scattered sand. Nothing to fear."
Hanzo fell silent, fingers tapping the armrest.
"Tsunade is there. If she and Kiyohara fight together…"
"Tsunade won't act," Danzō said, flicking Hanzo a glance.
He didn't reveal her hemophobia—only asserted she wouldn't intervene.
"Is that so…" Hanzo sounded suspicious.
"It is."
Danzō nodded.
After a long pause, Hanzo agreed.
...
The next morning, the rain eased slightly.
While training, Kiyohara suddenly sensed many chakra signatures.
"Sensei—there are a lot of people coming."
Tsunade got up immediately.
That fast?
Akatsuki clearly noticed too.
Yahiko stared at the assembled forces ahead, baffled.
"Rain shinobi? Why? We didn't…"
"Now isn't the time to ask why," Nagato cut in.
"Many of our people aren't at the base right now. How do we deal with this?"
Yahiko frowned, then told Idaten Kyūsuke to evacuate the civilians inside the base first.
Then he sent Konan to scout.
Konan could fly—she was the best choice for recon.
~~~
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