A group of people wearing gray-white Ninja armor and masks appeared, standing to Hanzo's right.
At their head was a thin, gloomy man with short black hair, bandages wrapped around his right eye, an indifferent expression, and a Ninja sword strapped to his back.
What shocked the Akatsuki was the forehead protector on the man's head—it was a Konoha Ninja forehead protector!
Aburame Ryoma gripped Yahiko and adjusted his sunglasses with a hint of regret. He had originally wanted to capture Nagato, but the other's pupil technique was too strange.
Just one encounter had sent his insect swarm flying; he could only capture this leader of the Akatsuki instead.
Ryoma handed Yahiko over to Hanzo and then retreated to Danzo's side.
Danzo stared intently at Nagato's position, the greed in his eyes impossible to suppress.
If not for Ryoma's intelligence, he never would have dreamed that Nagato's rippled eyes were the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, the Rinnegan!
Yahiko, held by Hanzo, looked at Danzo and questioned, "Konoha Ninjas, why would you join in? The Akatsuki has never provoked you!"
Danzo wasn't interested in such a small character, but since Hanzo was beside him, and he had advised him to bring more manpower yesterday, he responded.
Danzo fabricated a lie: "Because your the Akatsuki harbored a rogue ninja from our Konoha and even let him go."
Yahiko showed a look of anger: "Dammit, it's actually because of Uchiha Ryou!"
Hanzo sneered: "Even without Uchiha Ryou, your the Akatsuki already has a reason to die."
Yahiko turned to look at Hanzo, confused: "Why?"
Hanzo took out a Kunai and held it against Yahiko's throat: "Why? Because your ideas are too inflammatory and too naive."
"Ninja World peace? Hmph! The Land of Rain is caught in the cracks between the Three Great Nations. Only when the Great Nations are at war can the Land of Rain catch its breath."
Yahiko shouted: "Hanzo, are you really this narrow-minded?"
Hanzo shook his head: "This isn't narrow-mindedness; it's prioritizing the interests of the country and the Village. The Akatsuki is not the Akatsuki of the Land of Rain, but the Akatsuki of the Ninja World."
"An organization like the Akatsuki shouldn't be established in a small country like ours. Our small country cannot afford it, and we don't have time to play games of peace with you."
Danzo snorted: "Hanzo, you saw the Akatsuki's immense charisma and how they could incite a revolution in Amegakure at any moment to overthrow your authoritarian rule."
"..."
Hanzo said nothing, which was a tacit admission.
Yahiko finally understood that even without Ryou or Nagato's Rinnegan, Hanzo would still have made a move against the Akatsuki.
Because the Akatsuki threatened his rule!
"Hanzo, you've changed. You're no longer that Demigod Hanzo. Now you're just a power-hungry monster reeking of rot."
Hanzo suddenly felt a flicker of conflict; looking at Yahiko was like seeing his younger self.
Back then, Hanzo's ambitions reached the heavens, determined to turn the Hidden Rain Village into the Sixth Great Ninja Village and rescue the Land of Rain from the control of the Great Nations.
But reality dealt him a crushing blow.
Even if he could repel the young and aggressive Sannin, Amegakure could hardly withstand the Konoha army; the Land of Rain's foundation was too shallow.
The Three Great Nations would not allow the Land of Rain to rise, and Amegakure could only become a puppet of the Great Nations.
He had changed, becoming fearful of death and overly cautious, requiring guards 24 hours a day.
For an Akatsuki that could be eliminated with just the Anbu, Hanzo still went all out, handling it personally and deploying the entire Anbu.
Where was even a hint of the Demigod's grace from the days he defeated the Sannin and bestowed their titles?
Danzo shouted at Hanzo: "Hanzo, why are you wasting words with him? Eliminate the Akatsuki as quickly as possible."
Hanzo's internal struggle gradually vanished. He threw a Kunai in front of Konan: "You, the blue-haired woman, pick up the Kunai on the ground and kill the red-haired one!"
"Otherwise, I will kill your companion!"
Hanzo tightened his grip on the Kunai at Yahiko's throat, and a faint line of blood clearly appeared.
To what extent had Hanzo become a coward?
All of Amegakure's Anbu, plus dozens from the Root, were all Chunin and Jonin, and there were elite Ninjas like Hanzo, Danzo, and Aburame Ryoma.
This force was more than enough to wipe out a small country.
But Hanzo was still cautious. He had seen Nagato's strange technique that didn't require hand seals; this red-haired kid was a bit bizarre!
He had to be killed first.
"..."
Konan looked at the Kunai on the ground, then at Yahiko, whose throat was bleeding from the restraint, falling into a state of struggle.
"Konan, don't—!"
Yahiko struggled violently, desperately trying to throw himself against Hanzo's Kunai to commit suicide.
Hanzo noticed his little scheme and grabbed his hair; Yahiko was rendered completely helpless.
He could only watch helplessly as Konan tremblingly picked up the Kunai from the ground.
Konan regretted it, Nagato regretted it, and Yahiko regretted it too.
Ryou was right; this was a trap, a trap specifically designed for the Akatsuki.
Unfortunately, because of their distrust of Ryou, they had obediently lined up and walked into Hanzo and Danzo's trap.
A desperate situation! A desperate situation for the Akatsuki!
In a dense forest beside the hills.
Kurenai and Rin watched with extreme reluctance.
Rin said with a pale face, "Minato-sensei, does it really have to be like this?"
Minato's hand tightly gripped his Sword of Ninja Love. How he wanted to throw the Flying Thunder God Kunai and take Nagato and the others away.
Minato had already done his best to understand the Akatsuki; it was a volunteer organization dedicated to achieving peace through dialogue.
Its philosophy was the same as Teacher Jiraiya's: breaking the curse of the Ninja World through mutual understanding to achieve peace.
Although the three—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—were not Konoha Ninjas, they also inherited Jiraiya's Will of Fire; they were people of Konoha in spirit.
Although Minato had only met them yesterday and even had a conflict, their philosophies aligned to some extent.
Both hoped to understand each other through dialogue to promote world peace.
Minato was even the senior brother of Yahiko's trio and should have stood up to protect them.
But he couldn't—
If it were Jiraiya, he would have rushed out by now.
Minato was different.
He loved Konoha and aimed to become Hokage; the interests of the Village must outweigh all personal interests.
Nagato's eyes were Madara's eyes; they could not save them.
Moreover, Uchiha Ryou was nearby, perhaps hiding underground. Minato had to be constantly on guard against him taking Nagato away.
Minato said nothing. Kakashi comforted Rin: "Rin, don't blame yourself. In a small country like this, the Akatsuki's end was never going to be good."
"Even without us, the Akatsuki would have been eliminated by Hanzo."
Rin closed her eyes.
Kurenai also sighed. Even living in peaceful Konoha, they were disturbed by the chaos of war.
Their relatives and friends had, to varying degrees, died in the war.
Konoha could only try its best to balance the coexistence of the Five Great Ninja Nations because the Land of Fire was the most prosperous country in the Ninja World and didn't need to plunder others' resources.
The pain they experienced was not as deep as the Akatsuki's, so naturally, they didn't know their thirst for peace.
Hanzo threatened Konan: "Hurry up, kill that red-haired one, or I'll kill Yahiko."
Hanzo hadn't done a detailed investigation of the Akatsuki at all; he only knew their leader was named Yahiko, and the others only knew Ryou's Medical Ninjutsu was superb.
He hadn't even investigated Konan and Nagato's names before coming to kill them!
"Yahiko..."
Konan looked painfully at Yahiko, whose hair was being held and whose throat was pressed by a Kunai, falling into a massive struggle.
Konan liked Yahiko, and Yahiko liked Konan, but these feelings hadn't culminated because of Nagato.
Before Nagato joined them, Konan and Yahiko had already depended on each other for survival; they were family and partners.
So many years of emotion couldn't be summarized by a simple "we knew each other"; it was a bond where they could give their lives for one another.