Joining

In the office of Yahiko River Ninja Village, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, Yichen sat together chatting.

Yahiko was mostly happy about Yichen's arrival. Jiraiya Yahiko's mentor, but Yichen was also a companion that Yahiko acknowledged. However, Yahiko glanced at Nagato with some concern, fearing that Nagato and Yichen might clash.

Yichen knew what Yahiko was thinking. He looked at Nagato and asked, "Nagato, shall you say it yourself, or shall I?"

Yahiko was taken aback and looked at Nagato in confusion, while Konan tightened her grip on the paper crane and looked at Nagato in a panic.

Unlike Yahiko, who was oblivious to everything, Konan had actually noticed Nagato's change. However, Nagato didn't tell her, and she was afraid of losing this hard-won friendship, so she never told Yahiko.

Konan wrote to Yichen this time because she secretly hoped that Yichen could help Yahiko and Nagato reconcile.

In Konan's mind, Yichen and Jiraiya were special to the three of them. No matter what outsiders said, it was useless, but Yichen and Jiraiya's words were different. Konan felt that Nagato and Yahiko might listen to what the two of them said.

Jiraiya is already dead, so Konan can only place her hopes on Yichen.

Konan just didn't expect that Yichen would immediately expose her biggest worry.

Nagato hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll say it myself."

Then, under the curious gaze of Yahiko, the worried gaze of Konan, and the expressionless gaze of Yichen, Nagato began to explain his thoughts.

After a long while, Yahiko lowered his head and remained silent.

Konan was anxious watching this. She glared at Yichen reproachfully, wanting to comfort Yahiko, but she didn't know how.

Yichen shook his head, indicating to Konan not to worry.

After a while, Yahiko suddenly looked up with a smile, "Haha, Nagato, you've finally grown up. Actually, I've been expecting this day for a long time."

"Actually, Yichen has also been working for peace in the Ninja World, but the path Yichen takes has always been different from ours. Aren't we still friends with Yichen?"

As expected, Yichen smiled slightly. This was Yahiko. Although Yahiko's storyline in the original work was not extensive, Naruto's storyline was far more numerous. Yahiko was essentially a lower-tier Naruto. Apart from not having as many overpowered abilities as Naruto, Yahiko was no different from the protagonist.

If Yahiko were to encounter setbacks so easily, he wouldn't be Yahiko.

Konan breathed a long sigh of relief, then suddenly chuckled, because she could clearly sense that Nagato also breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Konan laugh, Nagato, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, blushed instantly. The blush was almost as red as his hair color.

Yichen found it amusing, but he dared not laugh, because Nagato couldn't do anything to Konan, but he could beat him up.

Yahiko saw it too, and he laughed heartily, then said, "Nagato, it's good that you have your own ideas. Your ideas have given me new hope. In the past two years, the Akatsuki Organization has developed very slowly, and the mentality of some Akatsuki Organization members has also changed."

At this point, Yahiko's voice began to grow low; clearly, the shift in the Akatsuki Organization members' mentality was causing him great distress. Yahiko had also tried to change things, but his efforts had failed.

Although Yahiko remained steadfast in his Ninja Way, when he was alone, he couldn't help but wonder if he had let Konan and Nagato if this path turned out to be wrong.

Now that's good, Nagato has also found his own Ninja Way. This way, even if he's on the wrong path, he still has a chance. Originally, in Yahiko's view, besides his own ideas, only Yichen's chosen path was an opportunity. Now that Nagato's path has been added, this is a good thing.

Although everyone's methods differ greatly, their initial loyalty to the peace of the Ninja World is the same.

Then Yahiko, Nagato, Yichen began to openly discuss their thoughts on nature.

Konan Nan watched with a silly grin, saying, "That's great! Nagato is still Nagato, Yahiko is still Yahiko, everyone is still together, there's no need to separate, and there's no need for conflicts."

Konan was laughing to herself, completely oblivious to everything else.

But Yichen and the other two suddenly turned their surprised gazes to Konan. Was Konan about to become Kage Level?

"So Konan's Ninja Way is to maintain the bonds between everyone. I just wonder if that bond includes me?" Yichen muttered to himself.

Yahiko reached out and patted Yichen on the shoulder, saying, "Of course, that includes you. Although you didn't grow up with us, you've been helping us since the founding of Akatsuki Organization. We're all like-minded friends."

Even Nagato to the side, nodded in agreement after hearing Yahiko's words.

Yichen was stunned. So, he really held such a high position in the hearts of the three members of Akatsuki Organization?

Yichen was also filled with emotion. All along, Yichen had been using the Akatsuki Organization more than confiding in them. Only now did he realize that the three members of the Akatsuki Organization had long ago drawn him into their group, and that he himself had always regarded himself as an outsider.

After a while, Konan finally came to her senses and saw that the three of them were looking at her. Konan felt a little shy and lowered her head. Then she thought about it and realized that something was wrong, so she looked up and glared angrily at the three of them.

After being glared at by Konan, Yichen and the other two sheepishly looked away.

Yichen quickly changed the subject, saying to Nagato, "Nagato, your Dark Akatsuki Organization is currently recruiting and you don't have enough people. I can join, and I'll leave once you have enough."

Yahiko was taken aback, then slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! We can help Nagato!" He quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Nagato, we can join first and help you set up the organizational structure."

"Me too, me too," Konan said quickly, afraid that the three of them would leave her behind.

Seeing the three looking at her, Konan quickly said, "As you can see, I'm about to become Kage Level expert, so I won't hold them back."

The three of them were overjoyed.

Yahiko, you are the Jade Maiden of Dark Akatsuki; Konan, you are the White Tiger; Yichen, you are the Big Dipper. Before parting, Nagato made three rings and gave them to Yichen and the other two.

The trip to the Land of Rivers went very smoothly, Yichen successfully resolved the conflict between himself and the three members of the Akatsuki Organization caused by the Jiraiya incident.

Because of her increased strength, Konan gave Yichen a copy of her Paper Style Jutsu techniques, while Nagato shared his insights on Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in with Yichen. Yahiko, however, had nothing to offer Yichen in terms of cultivation.

Of course, Yichen wasn't just taking without giving back. He shared his experience of developing three bloodline limits with the three of them. This wasn't very useful to Yahiko, but it was quite helpful to Konan, who had also developed Paper Style Jutsu, and it was even more helpful to Nagato, who had achieved Yin-Yang Fusion.

Yichen could only share some of his own insights and experiences, but he couldn't directly teach the methods for developing bloodline limits, since those things belonged to Iwagakure.

Besides, the greatest help to the three members of Akatsuki Organization, especially Nagato, came from Senjutsu, but Yichen was not qualified to teach Senjutsu Mode. Although Yichen was in charge of developing Sage Senjutsu in Iwagakure, he used the village's resources.

The resources consumed by the village in developing Senjutsu were so great that even the wealthy goddess Ming couldn't keep up.

A few days later, Yichen bid farewell to the three members of Akatsuki Organization and returned to Iwagakure.

After returning to Iwagakure, Yichen Yichen planned to train diligently for a period of time. He had recently acquired many valuable items and now urgently needed time to transform them into his own strength.

According to the original schedule, Yichen, who takes on a new batch of disciples every two years, should be taking on more disciples soon. However, this time Yichen did not do so. He planned to take a year off and Yichen this year to properly digest all his gains.

After sharing his idea with Ōnoki, he quickly received approval.

Then Yichen began a year-long period of secluded cultivation.

Yichen's cultivation tasks are very heavy.

First, after reading Madara Uchiha's Ninjutsu experience, Yichen felt that all the Ninjutsu he had learned had improved to some extent, so Yichen decided to reorganize all the Ninjutsu he knew.

Secondly, Yichen also needs to study the combination of Porcelain Release Sealing Jutsu carefully. The power of Sealing Jutsu is beyond doubt. Yichen once believed that there was theoretically no upper limit to the Sealing Jutsu in the Ninja World. Therefore, Yichen decided to use the time he had planned to spend developing Water Release Ninjutsu when he was a child to develop Ranged Sealing Jutsu.

Then there's the Bloodline Limit Release: Light Release. Light Release is Yichen's strongest attack method at present, and it can also be considered his only powerful attack method. As the second Kekkei Tōta to be developed in the Ninja World, Yichen feels that Light Release has a great future. For this reason, Yichen has completely given up on spending time developing Storm Release.

Next is the Senjutsu of immortality. The importance of Senjutsu goes without saying; the healing aspect alone has benefited Yichen immensely.

Besides these, Yichen also needs to practice Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in, and spend time adapting to the increased range of his Mind's Eye ability.

Finally, and most importantly, Yichen must not abandon the main mission he set for himself. Yichen has now gained some knowledge of the five elements: water, fire, lightning, and earth. Among them, water and earth form Porcelain Release, water and lightning form Storm Release, and water, earth, and lightning also form Light Release.

Therefore, Yichen no longer needs to cultivate the three attributes of water, earth, and lightning, but he still needs to spend more time practicing the two attributes of fire Kazekaze.

Among them, the proficiency of Fire Release is relatively easy to say. Yichen's Fire Release is the third attribute, and its development level was originally no less than that of Lightning Release. He has also barely reached the level of developing bloodline limit.

However, later on, the Lightning Release participated in the development of both Storm Release and Light Release, which is why the Fire Release proficiency is now far inferior to that of the Lightning Release.

However, now there is an opportunity. Madara Uchiha is good at Fire Release. Although he Ninjutsu experience, he is most proficient in Fire Release. Yichen feels that there is a lot of room for improvement in his Fire Release.

However, Yichen's mastery of Wind Release is far from sufficient. Currently, Yichen only occasionally uses one Wind Release: Wind Release - Wind Release: Breakthrough. His development level is far from reaching the level of developing a Bloodline Limit.

Yichen plans to develop Fire Release Kazekaze Release together, combining the two to create a new Kekkei Genkai.

Yichen's disciple, Ogura Saki, is currently walking this path. Ogura Saki's wisdom is quite trustworthy. She has already formed a certain theoretical foundation, so Yichen doesn't need to start from scratch, which can save a lot of time.

These training tasks were all Yichen's solo training missions. In addition to these solo missions, Yichen also had to occasionally cooperate with Kawazoe Yura to develop Sealing Jutsu, pay attention to Katsuya's Genjutsu techniques, guide Takuya in Dango Senjutsu training, learn from Takumi's Movement Technique, study Yoshimura Kazumasa's One-handed Hand Seals, and guide Uchiyama Takuhiro his gravity-based Ninjutsu training.

Because the training tasks were too demanding, Yichen decided to postpone accepting disciples for a year.