Deploying Troops

A revised version of the covenant has been produced.

Yahiko and Orochimaru took the pen and signed their names together, Isshiki two copies, one for each of them.

The alliance agreement is just a symbolic thing, with little binding force. However, it's necessary to have such a formality to prove that Konoha and Akatsuki Organization have signed an alliance.

Once the two companies fall out, neither will expect this thing to play any role.

Orochimaru carefully put away the alliance agreement, smiled, and looked at it, saying, "Yahiko, now we can discuss assisting you in establishing a new Amegakure..."

After the secret meeting, the village secretly mobilized its troops once again.

Meanwhile, a sign was quietly hung up at the Root, officially adding another department to the administrative system of Konoha.

The Root Department is in charge of internal oversight, primarily controlling the Anbu, Police Forces, and Border Defense Force. Bad apples exist everywhere; some will sabotage their teammates to steal credit, others will implicate them for personal grudges—the list goes on.

Simply put, the Root system acts as a mechanism to eliminate pests, nipping missing-nin elements in the bud.

There are far more rogue missing-nin than one could have imagined. Konoha has developed rapidly in recent years, but for some reason, the number of missing-nin has also increased. Now, the responsibility of hunting down these missing-nin has been relieved of the Anbu and has become one of the functions of Root.

The Anbu's internal oversight power has been greatly reduced, and many bloated personnel have been eliminated. Its main responsibility is to protect important figures in villages and the country, while also handling intelligence gathering and assassination work, thus restoring the original appearance of Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.

All of this reshuffling took two days, and everything was settled. Many village leaders were still confused. This was the efficiency of ninjas when they really got down to business—swift, decisive, and without any hesitation.

After completing Amegakure major reshuffle of the Anbu and Root, Orochimaru immediately mobilized manpower to support Yahiko in building a new Amegakure.

"Katsuki, aren't you going to take a break?"

Standing on a branch of a large tree, Yahiko watched the Konoha Ninjas constantly flying past him and couldn't help but ask a question.

"No need. This time we've brought in some real experts, not cowards. Those who can't even keep up with the journey aren't qualified to join the operation." Katsuki stood on a branch about the thickness of a wrist, swaying up and down like she was on a seesaw.

There are 1,200 elites, the weakest of whom are Chunin, and they are not Chunin from commoner backgrounds.

This is a ninja army formed by many clans in Konoha. The Senju, Uchiha, Uchiha, Yuki, Kaguya, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans, among others, each contributed some members to form this formidable force. Every member of the ninja army either possesses Kekkei Genkai or a family-inherited Secret Technique.

That's a pretty big deal.

Various families also expressed their support for Orochimaru in various ways.

Furthermore, according to past practice, the Hokage guards the village, and the chief of the Anbu is the first choice to lead troops in battle. This practice was established during Sakumo's time.

Orochimaru had no intention of breaking this rule. After all, there was no one in the village more suitable to be a leader than Katsuki. Although Sakumo was senior and experienced, Orochimaru would still address him as "senpai" when they met. How could he be used like that? Such "old men" were not easy to manage. Only young people like Katsuki and Minato were easier to use.

With the new establishment of the Roots, Minato was too busy to spare any time, so only Katsuki was the most suitable person to be on either side.

Katsuki's strength is also sufficient to manage this rather unique team.

"I wonder if Konan has arrived yet."

When it came to commanding the team, Yahiko only mentioned it casually. Even though he had a good relationship with Katsuki, he didn't feel comfortable interfering in this matter. He then changed the subject and turned to Konan.

Konan left a step ahead of time to return to the Land of Rain to contact the Akatsuki Organization. This operation was a joint effort between the two organizations, Akatsuki Organization naturally couldn't shirk their responsibilities. Konan, as the second strongest fighter after Nagato and also the most beautiful woman in the Akatsuki Organization, was second only to Yahiko in prestige.

With Konan's help, Yahiko was able to act together with Katsuki.

"Katsuki, there are Border Defense Force ahead."

Nawaki used the Body Flicker Technique to appear next to Katsuki.

"I understand, leave it to me."

Katsuki waved his hand to indicate that he understood, Nawaki quickly left.

The more than 1,200 elite ninjas from various clans were all rising stars under the age of thirty. Their journey to the Land of Rain was both a mission and a test of their abilities.

"Yahiko, I'm going to hand over to the garrison."

"Go do your thing! Don't worry about me, I have Liulang to keep me company!"

Yahiko smiled, and beside him stood Rokuro Kaguya, who also smiled slightly and nodded to Katsuki, indicating that he would keep an eye on Yahiko.

"Ha! I'll be right back."

With a light touch of his toes, the supple branch bent down, and wisps of silvery-white lightning flashed beneath his feet. Like an arrow Katsuki from a bow, he shot forward in an instant and disappeared into the dense green branches and leaves.

"... Katsuki is getting more and more amazing!"

Yahiko stared blankly at the swaying branches, lost in thought. He remembered sparring with Katsuki back then. Although he wasn't a match for her then, he didn't think the gap was this big. Nagato... Nagato was still Nagato back then, all three of them were there!

"The Lord Commander's strength is unfathomable."

Rokuro Kaguya was a smart man and keenly noticed Yahiko's emotional fluctuations.

"Back in the Land of Water, I thought the Lord Commander was a spy who had infiltrated the country, and I was almost ready to attack Lord Commander. Luckily, the Lord Commander didn't attack us then, otherwise, I probably would never have had the chance to leave the Land of Land of Water."

"The Land of Water? Can you tell me about the Land of Water? I remember two years ago, they said that Katsuki killed the Third Mizukage. Do you know anything about that?"

Yahiko's interest was piqued, and he suppressed his sadness, shifting his attention to what Rokuro Kaguya had said.

"It's more than just knowing about it; I witnessed that battle firsthand. Back then, on the east coast of Aomori Island, the Lord Commander clashed with the Third Mizukage, leaving half the coastline in ruins. And it wasn't just the Third Mizukage; a group of top-tier shinobi from Kirigakure also joined the attack on the Lord Commander..."

Rokuro Kaguya began recounting past events, drawing Yahiko's attention. The two walked and talked, completely absorbed in the conversation.