Flames roared skyward while a water dragon bellowed ferociously.
Fire and water collided, releasing a massive cloud of steam that obscured both combatants. Yahiko and the others stepped back to continue observing, making no move to interfere.
Taking advantage of the mist, Ōoka Shin performed the Hidden Mist Technique. The fog thickened further, swallowing the battlefield in dense white haze. Daibutsu could barely see one or two meters ahead and remained on full alert.
Ōoka Shin, however, had learned the Hidden Mist Technique—and basic combat methods within dense fog—from Yamori. The thick mist affected him far less.
Not only that, he also created a Shadow Clone, attacking Daibutsu from both front and rear.
Daibutsu's pressure increased sharply. Trapped in the fog, he could only defend continuously, unable to escape its cover.
"I didn't expect the kid to be this capable. I say we let him join," said Jūzō, the man with purple markings on his face, watching the blurred figures clash in the mist.
Konan, ever cautious, voiced her concern.
"We should still be careful. His Taijutsu, kenjutsu, and Ninjutsu are all solid. He's clearly received proper training. His background can't be simple."
Yahiko, however, looked pleased.
"Don't worry too much. We're just a newly formed organization. The major shinobi villages wouldn't bother targeting us yet. If we have doubts, we can ask him later."
"So you've already decided to accept him," Konan observed. Seeing Yahiko's resolve, she did not object and instead turned to Nagato. "How's the fight?"
Though Nagato had not yet fully mastered the abilities of the Rinnegan, he could clearly perceive what was happening within the mist.
"He's using a Shadow Clone. Daibutsu is at a disadvantage for now. But the boy has expended a large amount of chakra—he won't last much longer."
Ōoka Shin's chakra reserves were impressive for his age, far surpassing most peers. However, Daibutsu was no weakling. His chakra and overall strength were still superior.
Though Ōoka Shin's attacks came relentlessly and Daibutsu could only defend, such offense could not be sustained. Once Ōoka Shin exhausted his chakra and stamina, he would not withstand a counterattack.
Soon enough, Daibutsu shattered the Shadow Clone during a counterstrike. Ōoka Shin's breathing grew heavier; his speed and strength noticeably declined.
So strong… This guy's displayed strength is already at the level of a veteran Chūnin. If he fought at full power, he might even rival a jōnin.
"Stop. You've proven your strength."
Seeing Ōoka Shin falter, Daibutsu did not retaliate but instead called an end to the duel.
It was Ōoka Shin's first encounter with such a formidable opponent. His lack of experience had led to several mistakes, and now he had little chakra or stamina left. He sheathed his short blade.
As the mist gradually dispersed, he saw Yahiko standing there with arms open and a bright smile.
"Welcome, my new comrade. I'm Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki."
Ōoka Shin blinked, surprised. He had expected interrogation before acceptance. Still, he nodded.
"Ōoka Shin."
"Alright, we've already wasted enough time. Let's head into town and save whoever we can. We'll discuss everything else later."
Yahiko did not even introduce the others before leading the group into the town.
Fortunately, the earlier battle had lasted only a minute or two. They had not lost much time.
They extinguished fires, treated the wounded, comforted terrified residents, and buried the dead. By the time everything was settled, three days had passed.
Over those three days, Ōoka Shin came to better understand the Akatsuki.
Aside from Leader Yahiko, Nagato of the Rinnegan, and Konan—who used a paper-based Ninjutsu—there were four other members: Daibutsu, Jūzō, Okitsune Ryūtarō, and Tanaka Hideyuki.
The Akatsuki had only been established for a few months. They had no funding, no territory, no concrete structure—only a grand goal: to bring peace to the world.
Simply put, this early Akatsuki bore no comparison to the organization that, over a decade later, would challenge the Five Great Shinobi Nations. For now, they were little more than a loosely organized armed group.
Ōoka Shin was not disappointed. If this were the future Akatsuki, he would neither qualify to join nor dare to. That would be suicide.
During this period, he also brought Masao and Kanae to join them.
With two additional children to care for, Yahiko could only rub his forehead helplessly. Nagato, however, was quietly happy to see another member of the Uzumaki Clan.
Seeing the two children also eased Konan's suspicion of Ōoka Shin.
She had once questioned him about his strength. His answer—that he had received guidance from a shinobi—had not fully convinced her. After all, access to shinobi instruction was extremely rare, something she understood from personal experience.
But watching him endure hardship while caring for two unrelated children softened her guard. Gradually, she accepted him.
After finishing matters in town, the group rested in an abandoned house.
Ōoka Shin, showing no awareness of being the newest and youngest member, joined Yahiko and the others in discussing the Akatsuki's future.
"Yahiko," he said bluntly, "going around killing rogue ninja and protecting civilians does have some effect. But when will that ever achieve peace? Haven't you considered other approaches? Haven't you noticed? For every batch of evil people we kill, another batch appears. Like weeds. If we don't address the root cause, the weeds will never disappear."
His tone was sharp—almost accusatory—drawing visible dissatisfaction from some of the others.
Leaning against the wall, Daibutsu defended Yahiko.
"Shin, what we're doing does make a difference. Our actions have already deterred some rogue ninja. In areas we protect, there haven't been attacks for quite some time."
Konan played with a white paper flower and added,
"We've already saved many people. If we keep going, we'll save even more. Shin, you shouldn't question Yahiko."
Ōoka Shin fell silent for two seconds.
Only then did he remind himself—this was not the stable world of his previous life. This was the turbulent, war-torn shinobi world, where there was no compulsory education.
Yahiko and the others had once been orphans. Later, they learned Ninjutsu under Jiraiya. Jiraiya might have imparted life lessons—but he himself was still a shinobi who killed in war.
How could he teach political theory or economics? How could he analyze the structural causes of instability in the shinobi world? Let alone pass such knowledge to Yahiko and the others.
For them, protecting one region at a time was the most meaningful action they could conceive.
Since he had joined the Akatsuki, Ōoka Shin naturally wanted it to develop properly. Otherwise, like in the future timeline—possessing great power yet manipulated by others, charging blindly into battle and ultimately dying pointlessly—that would be foolish.
He swept his gaze across everyone in the room and let out a cold chuckle.
"Heh. I joined because I heard you sought peace. But if you continue like this, you'll only walk toward destruction. Perhaps I'd better leave now—before I get dragged down with you."