"Rasa-sama, should we accept the negotiations?" The messenger asked cautiously.
In truth, he felt that Rasa was thinking a little too much.
He couldn't always tell whether someone was hypocritical or sincere, but the feelings of someone who was truly genuine could generally still be sensed.
However, he did not refute Rasa's reasoning.
After all, he was only a small messenger, while the other was the Third Kazekage's assistant and guard, far superior to him in both intellect and strength.
Since Rasa had made such a deduction, there must be factors he himself couldn't see.
"Accept."
Rasa answered decisively, then changed his tone and said thoughtfully, "But the time and place of the negotiations must be chosen by me. If he doesn't agree, then don't bring it up again."
"Yes."
The Shinobi responsible for delivering the message withdrew, while Rasa remained standing in place, deep in thought.
He didn't want negotiations.
Although he still didn't know what exactly had happened back in the village, the mission in the Land of Iron had already suffered massive losses.
If they couldn't continue and complete the mission to obtain the corresponding payment, then for Sunagakure it would be a crippling blow.
But he had no choice.
Right now, their disadvantage was too great, and with the unstable factor of the village itself, he had no choice but to accept.
Still, in his heart, Rasa held onto a sliver of hope.
Hope that nothing had happened back in the village, and that reinforcements would be sent.
'Delay as much as possible, figure out what's going on back in the village. If it truly is the worst-case scenario, then we can only accept negotiations and withdraw.'
…
The next night.
"Psh!"
A puppet swung its arm blade, cutting down the Shinobi in front of it, then was yanked back to its master by puppet strings.
This was a Sunagakure's Shinobi wearing a gray face covering, his eyes cold and sinister. Even after killing someone, his gaze did not fluctuate in the slightest.
He put away the puppet, leapt along tree branches, and finally arrived at a thick branch high in the forest. He reported to the young man leaning against the trunk:
"Ryuji-sama, all the hidden sentries in the south have been dealt with."
"Mm." Ryuji nodded. "Go rest first. Recover your stamina and Chakra. We'll talk again once the others return."
"Yes."
The masked puppeteer vanished in a Body Flicker, leaving that tree behind. Ryuji continued leaning against the trunk, head lowered as if asleep, letting the rain wash over him, unmoving like a mountain.
But as Shinobi arrived one after another to report back, he always responded, making it clear he wasn't asleep… he was simply thinking.
When the last Shinobi finished reporting, Ryuji stepped out from behind the trunk, and countless pairs of eyes from all directions in the forest turned toward him.
"The forward sentries have been removed. Continue advancing."
With that, he jumped out first, moving swiftly through the forest.
A red figure dropped down from the treetops above, following half a step behind him.
From other concealed positions, more people emerged, leaping and shifting across branches.
The once silent, empty forest was instantly packed with bodies.
This was the Puppeteer Corps led by Ryuji.
A hundred-man unit didn't sound like much.
But while marching, each person kept five or six meters apart, and in the rainy night forest with dim light and countless obstacles, only the dense outlines of fast-moving figures could be seen.
At first glance, it looked like there were over a thousand of them.
They advanced without a sound, the only noise in the forest being the rushing wind of their speed.
Their target: the Akatsuki's camp.
They weren't just here to win the war.
They were here to win it quickly and beautifully.
And there was no tactic more suitable than a lightning strike.
For this, Ryuji changed the marching route, spending an extra day entering Amegakure from the border of the Land of Fire, so they could attack directly from the side of the Akatsuki's camp.
He just hadn't expected the Akatsuki to be even more cautious than imagined.
Even while fighting Sunagakure, they had not abandoned reconnaissance toward the Land of Fire.
A hundred-man unit couldn't possibly infiltrate under so many hidden sentries.
They could only clear them out along the way.
That way, even if the enemy sensed something wrong, they wouldn't know the specifics, and couldn't take precise countermeasures.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The unit moved rapidly. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, dawn clouds had already appeared on the horizon.
Ryuji raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
The main force immediately halted in concealed positions.
He took out binoculars and looked beyond the forest.
A stronghold appeared in the lenses.
It was a fortress built on the edge of a cliff, an oval structure of about a hundred square meters.
Patrolling figures could be seen at key positions.
Ryuji counted ten people.
He murmured thoughtfully, "Considering shift rotations, there are at least twenty more inside. We eliminated twelve hidden sentries on the way here. Combined with the size of this place, this is probably a fifty-man outpost."
Dealing with a fifty-man outpost was easy.
But dealing with it silently was hard.
From the forest to the outpost was about three kilometers of open ground, flat and without any cover.
Any movement would be spotted instantly.
A hundred-man unit…
Unless everyone could teleport or turn invisible, it was impossible to slip over quietly.
"Master, should I go kill them?" Aka looked over from the side.
Because they were going to war, Aka had removed the maid dress she had worn since her creation, replacing it with a Sunagakure's flak jacket. Her long red hair was tied back into a ponytail.
The look carried a different charm.
Though she had lost her gentle, graceful aura, she now radiated sharp heroism and bold strength.
Ryuji considered briefly. With no better option, he agreed.
"Go. Don't let them send a signal."
"Don't worry. They won't get the chance."
Aka smiled confidently, forming hand seals in front of her chest.
"Camouflage Concealment Technique!"
Buzz!
The air around her trembled slightly, and she entered a state of optical invisibility.
This was an Iwagakure's Ninjutsu.
But it wasn't some overly complex, high-level Ninjutsu. After capturing Iwagakure's Shinobi who knew it, dissecting their bodies for investigation, and then researching it further, it was reproduced.
In truth, so-called Ninjutsu was nothing more than Chakra Shape Transformation or Nature Transformation.
As long as Chakra was connected through flows that aligned with the world's rules, a Ninjutsu could be formed.
Ryuji had studied Chakra for many years, with countless specimens for research. Through analysis, reconstruction, and his own development, he had mastered thousands of Ninjutsu.
Aka had mastered all of them.
How strong she truly was, even she didn't know… because no one had ever forced her to fight at full power.
While he was thinking, a signal already came from the outpost.
"We move."
Ryuji waved his hand, leading his people out of the forest and rushing to the outpost at top speed.
Corpses lay everywhere, all killed instantly with the same cause of death: senbon embedded in their throats.
The puppeteer unit was shaken to the core, their gazes toward Aka completely changed.
'In such a short time, assassinating so many people with the same method, without making a single sound…'
'What kind of immortal goddess was this?'
"Master, I left one alive."
Aka tossed a Shinobi over.
This was an Amegakure's Shinobi, wearing a diving suit and an oxygen mask… highly distinctive.
Ryuji bent down, resting his right hand on his knee, his face carrying a chilling smile.
"I'll ask you something. You answer. If you don't, then you have no value in living."
"Even if I die, I won't betray Hanzo-sama!"
"Then die."
The power device on the back of Ryuji's hand snapped out an arm blade, and without hesitation, he drove it into the man's neck.
The Amegakure's Shinobi's eyes widened, his expression screaming pure disbelief.
Aka had left him alive for a reason.
He wasn't someone with real backbone.
He only wanted to pretend to resist, to look honorable.
That way, even if he betrayed something, it wouldn't look so ugly.
If Ryuji had questioned him longer, he would have pretended to 'break under torture'.
Unfortunately, Ryuji couldn't be bothered to play along with an actor.
"Wait for me a moment."
Ryuji opened his Portable Space, dragging the corpse inside.
Not long after, he came back out, already having obtained the information he wanted.
"The enemy will negotiate with Rasa the day after tomorrow. While they leave the camp for negotiations, we will strike their base."
As he spoke, Ryuji swept his gaze across the group and continued.
"For now, rest here at this outpost. Once your strength is recovered, we accelerate forward."
"Yes."
…
The next day.
The Akatsuki's camp was bustling.
These Shinobi from all corners of the world, sharing the same ideals, had found people they could rely on and confide in. They spoke like old friends, bragging about their experiences.
Even those who argued only settled it through sparring, then quickly joined the noise again. Not even the heavy rain could stop them.
The joyful atmosphere made it easy to feel as though the war was already over.
But in a sense, saying the war was over wasn't wrong.
The enemy had agreed to ceasefire negotiations.
With their overwhelming advantage and such generous conditions offered, they couldn't imagine any reason the other side wouldn't accept.
Only…
They didn't know.
The leaders weren't so optimistic.
Inside the command tent, the atmosphere was heavy.
Although Rasa had agreed to negotiate tomorrow, the location was chosen as a valley easily suited for an ambush, and he demanded that Yahiko's escort not exceed two people.
Such terms clearly lacked sincerity. No one would accept them.
But Yahiko did.
Under Jiraiya's teachings, he firmly believed that people could understand one another… just like the Akatsuki did now.
Weren't they enemies at first too?
But through contact and understanding, trust slowly formed, and they came to understand each other, becoming family and comrades striving for peace together.
The Akatsuki of today only strengthened Yahiko's faith in Jiraiya's teachings.
He believed peace would come someday.
But the others were different.
Especially Daibutsu, a Rogue Shinobi who had wandered the Shinobi World since childhood. He knew the darkness of the human heart and was not as naive as Yahiko.
He deeply doubted this negotiation.
The other side were not Wandering Shinobi, but an organized Shinobi Village.
He found it hard to believe Sunagakure would abandon war simply because of their words or actions.
Moreover, they had already offered such ceasefire terms, yet the other side still showed no sincerity.
Clearly, they had no intention of peace.
"Yahiko, it's a trap. You can't go."
Daibutsu, far older than Yahiko and the others, said sternly.
"The southern outpost has had no information since yesterday. The Shinobi sent there have also vanished without a trace. Something is definitely wrong."
"Yes, Yahiko, you can't go," Kyusuke also urged.
The other original companions all joined in, even Konan and Nagato full of worry.
"I know."
Facing their persuasion, Yahiko remained extremely calm. He looked at them steadily and said,
"I know these negotiations are dangerous. But for peace, no matter how difficult, I will go and fight for it."
At this point, Yahiko smiled and continued.
"Hasn't the Akatsuki always been like this since the day we were founded?"
Hearing that, everyone fell silent.
Yes… pursuing peace in this cursed world was unimaginably difficult. Hadn't they understood that from the very beginning?
Back then, when they first saw three children claiming they sought peace, they dismissed them.
But in the end, they were moved by their sincerity and chose to join them.
Perhaps this time would be no exception.
"Fine. I won't try to stop you anymore," Daibutsu said, his expression turning serious. "But we can't just foolishly run into negotiations. Before it begins, we must investigate and secure the negotiation site, ensuring there is no ambush."
"The situation at the southern outpost must also be clarified quickly," Kyusuke added. "These negotiations may not succeed. Sunagakure may simply be buying time. During this period, we cannot lower our guard."
"That's right," Yahiko nodded. "Kyusuke, Daibutsu, you have more experience. The investigation of the negotiation site is in your hands. Nagato, you and Konan take people to check the southern outpost."
"Yes."