A fierce wind howled, thunder rolled, and lightning flashed. The outskirts of Amegakure had lost their former tranquility. If the Amegakure of old had been as quiet as a man with his throat clenched, then the Amegakure of now carried a distinctly hysterical air.
Summoned beasts wrestled against one another. The roars of all manner of strange creatures traveled through the rain toward Amegakure. The stench of blood, scalp-numbing chewing sounds, and the impacts of bodies colliding mingled together. The outskirts of Amegakure seemed to be undergoing an exceedingly brutal baptism.
Akimoto Osamu flicked the ash from his cigarette. Though they were still in the stage of recruiting manpower, his instincts told him that an unforeseen upheaval seemed to be approaching.
As an old hand who had struggled through Amegakure for so many years, he naturally would not place all his hopes on Moriyue. This was his village, after all. Only he truly knew what it was like. No matter what, Moriyue was not from Amegakure, so he had to remain wary.
Yet they did agree on one point: their dissatisfaction with Pain's oppressive rule. He had also considered whether, without Pain's formidable combat power, Amegakure would be unable to maintain even its current false peace.
With Pain around, although they lived in fear, the village had indeed become peaceful. As long as they obeyed Pain completely, it seemed there was nothing particularly bad about it.
But unfortunately, not everyone was born willing to be restrained. People like Akimoto Osamu were like wild beasts locked in cages. While the cages protected them from harm, they also gradually wore away their wildness.
"Phew... Let's resist one more time..."
He tossed aside the burned-out cigarette butt, then turned and ran into the rain.
Deva Path Pain's situation could only be described as