Chapter 8: King Crimson! The So-called Process is Entirely Superfluous
At the entrance of the Hidden Rain Village, the atmosphere was chilling.
Because the "Demigod" Hanzou was heavily injured, the entire Village was like a startled hedgehog, bristling with all its quills.
"Next."
The Rain Ninja guarding the bridge kept his hand on his sword hilt, his eyes dark and gloomy. Beside him, a sensory Ninja sat with eyes closed, forming seals as his Chakra swept over every passerby like radar.
Transformation Technique? Under such high-intensity sensing, it was no different from walking naked.
At the end of the line, beneath his bamboo hat, Yahiko's lips curled into a cold sneer.
Only one person remained in front of him. The Rain Ninja was already looking impatiently toward him and this direction, and the sensory Ninja's brow furrowed slightly, seemingly sensing an unfamiliar Chakra fluctuation.
Exposure would take only a second.
But that second would never arrive.
Within Yahiko's amber eyes, an eerie red light suddenly erupted.
"King Crimson!"
Buzz—!
The world collapsed, and all things faded.
Raindrops in the air hung suspended like frozen crystals, and the guard's stepping toe froze in mid-air.
In this gap of frozen time and space, only Yahiko was the free emperor. Behind him, a hideous red-and-white grid-patterned phantom roughly pulled him and a bewildered Konan, instantly crossing a ten-meter distance and passing directly through the lethal blockade.
"Only the 'result' remains!"
Time began to flow again.
"Next!"
The Rain Ninja in charge of the inspection blinked inexplicably, looking at the empty air in front of him, a strange sense of incongruity rising in his heart: Just now... was there someone supposed to be there?
But his brain was like a piece of film that had been cut out; he couldn't connect to that image no matter what.
The sensory Ninja beside him also shook his head blankly: "Strange... I clearly felt a fluctuation just now..."
The two glanced at each other, eventually attributing it to hallucinations from working overtime for days, and continued to wave people through... In the shadows of an alleyway.
"Just now..." Konan looked back with lingering fear at the oblivious guards, her voice trembling slightly. "Hanzou is afraid. He is in fear."
"Fear is only natural."
Yahiko adjusted his damp collar, his tone as indifferent as ice. "Because I have already carved his Epitaph for him."
...An unremarkable Ninja Tool Shop.
The moment the shutter door fell, the shop owner, Ryuichi, was desperately stuffing a bag of money into a hidden compartment under the counter. Hearing the noise, the balding middle-aged man was as startled as a cat with its fur standing on end, and the short sword in his hand hit the floor with a "clang."
After seeing the two people who had removed their bamboo hats, Ryuichi's fear instantly turned to despair.
"Akatsuki... Yahiko?! How dare you come back?!"
Ryuichi rushed forward to lock the shop door, his whole body trembling. "Hanzou has issued an S-rank wanted poster! Are you trying to get me killed? Go! Get out now!"
"Nagato's legs are broken." Konan ignored his panic and got straight to the point. "We need those modified Land of Wind spider Puppets, immediately."
"I don't have them! I have nothing! Get out of here!"
Ryuichi couldn't listen at all; in these chaotic times, being associated with wanted criminals meant the destruction of one's entire family. He rushed over and pushed his hands toward Yahiko's chest, wanting only to throw these two jinxes out.
However.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the black robe with red clouds.
Click.
Ryuichi suddenly realized that his vision had changed.
Both his hands were braced against the door panel; without knowing when, he was already facing away from Yahiko, standing at the shop entrance like a fool.
"Eh?"
Ryuichi froze.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
His memory... had a gap? If it was the Body Flicker Technique, why would he have moved? If it was Genjutsu, why did it feel so real?
"Ryuichi."
That devilish voice drifted over from behind.
"It seems you've lived in comfort for too long. Have you forgotten who dug you out from that pile of corpses?"
Yahiko walked up behind Ryuichi and adjusted his messy collar like an old friend; the movement was gentle, yet it made Ryuichi not dare to move an inch.
"We're friends, right?" Yahiko leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Friends should help each other. Before this afternoon, I want to see the modified Puppet."
Ryuichi swallowed hard and nodded, his legs weak. "Yes... Yes!"
...Afternoon, the torrential rain had not ceased.
Yahiko and Konan hid in the back warehouse, while Ryuichi was at the front counter, sweating profusely as he modified the parts.
"Bang!"
The shop door was kicked open violently.
Several members of the Security Force, wearing Amegakure headbands and long scarves, swaggered in.
The leader, Captain Mukawa, had a face full of fleshy rolls. He kicked away a part on the floor and sneered, "Yo, Boss Ryuichi, is it time to pay this month's 'protection fee'?"
Ryuichi forced a smile. "My Lord, didn't I just hand it over to Lord Shinda the day before yesterday?"
"He is him, and I am me!" Mukawa slammed his palm onto the counter. "Don't try to pressure me with Lord Hanzou's relative! Without me covering you, this crappy shop would have been looted long ago! Give me the money!"
This was blatant robbery.
Ryuichi subconsciously glanced at the hidden compartment under the counter—where all his belongings for running away were hidden, as well as the two "jinxes" hiding in the back room.
That one glance ruined everything.
"Heh, where are your eyes wandering?" Mukawa was an old fox and immediately caught this detail, reaching out greedily. "It seems you've hidden some good stuff..."
He bent down, reaching to pry open the hidden compartment's cover.
The back warehouse.
Yahiko's eyes narrowed.
Through the crack in the door, he clearly saw the angle at which Mukawa was bending—once the cover was opened, his line of sight would sweep right into the warehouse interior!
[Epitaph] activated!
A vision of the future was projected directly into his mind: Three seconds later, Mukawa saw them and screamed in terror, which then triggered a slaughter that would have to be carried out.
"No, now is not the time to make a scene."
Yahiko sighed.
"King Crimson! Erase time!"
The front counter.
Just as Mukawa's hand touched the cover, he suddenly felt a weight in his hand.
"Hmm?"
He was stunned.
What just happened? He was clearly still reaching for the cover, so how was there suddenly a heavy money bag in his hand?
That nauseating sense of vertigo struck again, but the sensation in his palm was simply too wonderful.
Mukawa hefted the money bag, a satisfied sneer appearing on his face. "Consider yourself sensible! I'll let you off this time!"
"Let's go! To the next shop!"
The group of bandits left satisfied.
Only when the footsteps had faded did Ryuichi collapse onto the ground and open the hidden compartment—it was empty.
"Waaa... My money... That was my entire life savings..."
To save his life, the money was gone.
Just as he was crying with snot and tears.
"Ding!"
A golden light cut through the dim shop and slammed heavily onto the floor in front of him.
The crisp clatter brought Ryuichi's crying to an abrupt halt.
It was a gold bar.
It was of high purity, enough to buy three of his crappy shops!
Yahiko stepped out from the shadows, inspecting the newly completed Mechanical Spider.
"Dead people have no use for money."
He didn't even turn his head, his tone as casual as if he were saying the weather was nice. "Is this enough to buy your life and your loyalty?"
Ryuichi held the gold bar, dumbfounded... Late at night, at the Akatsuki's temporary base.
A hideously shaped Mechanical Spider lay on the ground.
Ryuichi's craftsmanship was indeed good; after removing the upper body's attack modules, he had modified the center into a comfortable cockpit.
Nagato, supported by Konan, climbed onto it with difficulty.
His legs were wrapped in bandages and hung lifelessly without any sensation, but as Chakra was injected, the six mechanical legs beneath the chassis emitted a slight hum and stood up steadily.
"How does it feel?" Konan asked nervously.
Nagato controlled the mechanical legs to turn in a nimble circle, a spark of light appearing in his eyes. "It's very smooth... it only takes a tiny amount of Chakra to drive it."
He turned to look at Yahiko, who was wiping a Ninja blade nearby, his eyes slightly red. "Yahiko, thank you. If it weren't for you..."
If Yahiko hadn't returned from the dead, and if he hadn't shown such powerful strength, he might have already... "Save the nonsense."
Yahiko interrupted him, his gaze burning. "Broken legs can be replaced by machines. As long as those eyes remain, and as long as the three of us are together, Akatsuki has not lost."
"Next, there is only one thing we need to do..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
"Knock, knock."
A dull and rhythmic knocking sound abruptly echoed through the rainy night.
The room fell into an instant, deathly silence.
Aside from the three of them, absolutely no fourth person knew of this base!