The next day, Aoki Yoru continued his journey with Konan and the others.
During the trip, he couldn't help but observe this woman with light purple hair; she was, after all, the wealthiest person in the Ninja World.
If he ever decided he didn't want to work hard anymore, he wondered if he could take advantage of her emotional void after Nagato's death to worm his way into her heart.
"Is there something you need?"
Konan really couldn't stand the way this man was looking at her; his eyes seemed to be glowing.
Hearing this, Aoki Yoru flashed a standard fake smile. "I heard you're the wealthiest person in the Ninja World, so I couldn't help but take a look."
Konan's pupils constricted upon hearing that. She thought of the explosive tags she had prepared for Madara; was this man referring to that?
Her fists clenched tightly inside her robe, but her expression remained cold. "Oh? From whom did you hear such nonsense?"
"It was just something I heard; don't take it to heart."
Aoki Yoru then turned his head away. He couldn't keep provoking this woman; it wouldn't be good if she actually made a move.
Hidden Rain Village.
The cold rain never ceased year-round. Lead-gray clouds hung low, and fine droplets struck the forest of steel towers and crisscrossing water pipes, kicking up tiny splashes. The entire city was soaked in a damp, cold haze.
Throughout the Village, steel towers pierced the rain curtain, and web-like metal pipes wound between the buildings in cold, hard, rust-stained lines.
The entire Village resembled a war fortress, showing that everything was prepared for battle.
As Aoki Yoru's group walked down the street, he reached out to feel the icy rain and couldn't help but sigh. "For a short time, it has a bit of that misty Jiangnan bourgeois charm, but in the long run, it would be depressing."
At that moment, Zabuza frowned and asked, "Hey, the leader isn't Hanzou, is it?"
As they entered the Hidden Rain Village, the sentry Ninjas respectfully addressed the woman as "Lady Angel."
It was clear that this woman held a high status in the Hidden Rain Village, likely as Hanzou's confidante. However, Hanzou didn't possess the legendary eyes known as the Rinnegan.
"That old man Hanzou has already been killed by Pain," Konan said coldly.
However, there was a slight tremble in her voice; she was thinking of Yahiko, who had committed suicide to save her.
Hearing this, Zabuza and Haku paused, their expressions changing drastically as they said in unison, "How is that possible?"
One must know that Hanzou was the Demi-God of the Ninja World, only half a step behind the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
The title of the Sannin was bestowed by him, and all of them were now world-renowned.
"In the face of a God, Hanzou isn't even fit to carry his shoes." Konan saw their confusion and explained directly.
The two of them turned serious. It seemed that an organization capable of leading S-rank rogue Ninjas was indeed not simple.
Passing through layers of pipes and steel frames, Aoki Yoru's trio finally met Pain in a sealed hall. He leaned against a massive metal pillar, and the air around him seemed stagnant, suppressed by his aura.
He looked down at Aoki Yoru, his eyes radiating pressure. "I'll ask you one last time: are you sure you want to act alone?"
Aoki Yoru rubbed his chin, a smile on his lips. "Of course. As you know, I am also contributing to peace, and that side cannot be left unattended. Of course, it would be even better if the leader allowed me to proselytize in the Land of Rain."
Hearing this, a slight flicker appeared in Pain's eyes. After their last conversation, he had thought it over carefully; Yagami Light's method was the most effective way to achieve peace.
But his own thoughts remained unchanged; using the Tailed Beasts to create a weapon of war was still the fastest method.
Aside from everything else, if he held a Kunai to the heads of the Daimyo and nobles to force land reform, would they dare resist?
Killing everyone who dared to resist would result in fewer sacrifices than the peasant uprising Yagami Light proposed.
"Is that so? Then let me see if you have the qualifications to make me make an exception."
Saying that, Pain slowly raised a hand, palm facing forward, as the light of the Rinnegan suddenly flared.
"Wait."
Aoki Yoru immediately stopped him. "Are you sure you want to do this here? You saw the scene at Otogakure. Don't end up destroying the entire Hidden Rain Village."
"It doesn't matter. You don't have that capability."
Pain's tone was flat, yet carried an unquestionable arrogance.
This was the confidence of a God.
Any Kage-level powerhouse had the strength to destroy a small Ninja Village, but before a God, they were still just ants.
Then, from behind him stepped out a Ninja with long orange-red hair in a high ponytail, a right fringe covering his face, old scars on his forehead, a face full of black rods, no eyebrows, and a pair of Rinnegan eyes.
Aoki Yoru's gaze narrowed. 'First, it's the Animal Path?'
In the original work, this body was destroyed by Jiraiya. Later, Konan's disciple, Ajisai, died during a mission, and her body was used as a replacement.
The Animal Path stepped forward and formed hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A giant chameleon appeared in the hall. With a flick of its tongue, it pulled the Animal Path into its body.
Zabuza and Konan immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to distance themselves from the battlefield. Zabuza, in particular, was full of shock. 'Two pairs of Rinnegan?'
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the chameleon turned invisible and vanished.
There was no hint of panic on Aoki Yoru's face; instead, he wore a faint, knowing smile.
Although this invisibility, combined with the power of the Rinnegan, could bypass ordinary sensory Ninjas, to someone like him who had trained his sensory abilities to the limit, the chameleon was as conspicuous as a fire in the night.
At that moment, Aoki Yoru leaped backward. A thunderous boom erupted from his original position—the chameleon's tongue slammed down, instantly shattering the ground into a crater full of cracks.
Then he raised his hand, and the Chakra of Wind Release and Rasengan instantly condensed in his palm.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The Wind Release: Rasenshuriken flew from his hand, its rotating wind blades tearing through the air as it smashed toward the chameleon's location.
The Animal Path's eyes narrowed. He tried to maneuver the chameleon to dodge, but suddenly felt his entire body stiffen as countless electrical currents snaked along the ground, firmly binding them.
"Boom!"
The Wind Release: Rasenshuriken struck the chameleon with precision. The wind blades instantly tore through its defenses, and its massive body was shredded.
"Poof!"
The chameleon vanished from the spot. As for whether it could recover, that would depend on Nagato's methods.
Aoki Yoru looked up toward the high platform, where the Animal Path and Deva Path stood together.
The chameleon had just bought time for the Animal Path, allowing him to be summoned away by the Deva Path at the critical moment.
"It seems that summoning beasts alone won't be enough to deal with him."
That move was a natural nemesis for large-scale summoning beasts.
"In that case, let's go all out!"
With that, the Deva Path pressed his hands to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Instantly, four more figures appeared on the high platform.
Six people with the Rinnegan stood together, and the terrifying pressure instantly made it hard to breathe.