Yichen's group was slowed down by the merchant caravan and did not travel quickly, so Yahiko and the other two soon caught up with them.
Yichen was not surprised to see the three catch up. He walked straight over to meet them.
Yahiko and the other two bowed to Yichen. "Yichen, on behalf of the civilians of the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki Organization thanks you."
Yichen scratched his head awkwardly and gave a foolish laugh. "No need, no need. Hahaha."
Nagato and Konan looked at Yichen's silly expression, then at Yahiko. Both felt something strange. Were all people who longed for peace like this?
As the caravan slowly moved farther away, Yichen walked behind it and chatted with the three from Akatsuki.
"Yahiko," Yichen said, "you said things here are settled. What are you going to do next?"
"We'll continue helping refugees rebuild their homes, just as we did here," Yahiko said. "Once the Land of Rain is stable, we'll contact other organizations and work together to find a future for the Land of Rain."
Yichen said in surprise, "Are there many other organizations like Akatsuki in the Land of Rain?"
Konan answered before Yahiko could. "No. Although there are many organizations in the Land of Rain, Akatsuki is the only one willing to help others like this."
Somewhat disappointed, Yichen asked, "Really? Could there be other organizations doing the same thing that you simply don't know about? Just like how I didn't know about your existence before."
Yahiko and the other two could not bear to shatter Yichen's hopes.
After a moment of silence, Konan finally spoke. "There are more than forty organizations of various sizes in the Land of Rain. We know them all. We wouldn't have missed any."
Yichen was secretly delighted. More than forty—good, this