Akatsuki and Root

Yahiko thought for a moment, then said, "Nagato, you should continue controlling the Rain Tiger Justu and monitor the overall situation. Konan and I will each lead a team into action—this will be Akatsuki's first intervention in a war between major nations." His tone was grave.

In truth, Yahiko had arranged it this way because he understood Nagato... When Nagato acted, he was often far too ruthless.

He feared that Nagato would cause unnecessary casualties, turning what should have been an effort to end the war into a blood feud.

Akatsuki was meant to bring peace to the world, not endless hatred and war.

"Mm, that's fine..."

Nagato did not object.

Around three or four in the morning, Nagato suddenly woke Konan and Yahiko. "There's unusual activity to the northwest of the Land of Grass. Go check it out."

Yahiko said, "I can take people there myself." But Nagato was not at ease with letting him go alone.

Yahiko was strong, and his Water Release techniques were superb, but he was too naïve and too softhearted.

Nagato said, "Have Konan go with you." Then he nodded to Konan.

"Alright." Konan agreed.

The two left the cave and gathered more than twenty members, splitting them into two teams as they headed toward the location of the disturbance. They raced through the night, the rain parting around them into long streaks of light that swayed toward the northwest like swords piercing the curtain of rain.

The Land of Grass was not large. As Yahiko and Konan traveled, Nagato continued communicating with them through the rings on their hands, correcting their coordinates.

Before long, they encountered a group clad in black and wearing ghastly white animal masks.

"Everyone—" Yahiko was just about to speak when the black-clad group drew their blades without a word and charged at them.

Silent, soundless, bizarre. Their swordsmanship was equally simple and direct; every strike targeted a vital point, attacking without defense.

Water Release!

Yahiko swallowed his words, formed hand seals, and the pouring rain suddenly paused. Waves surged up from the ground, and a massive wave crashed toward the black-clad figures.

Yahiko shouted, "Just listen to me..."

But what answered him was a streak of black light. Instinctively, Yahiko immediately used Water Release: Body Flicker Technique and darted far away.

Yet the black light expanded more than ten meters, swallowing the surrounding rainwater, torrents, and even the ground, hollowing everything out in an instant.

Wherever the black light touched became nothingness. When it contracted, nothing remained.

Yahiko was stunned. "W-What was that?" There were many strange things in the ninja world, but this was the first time he had seen something so bizarre. In the mental realm, Nagato's voice sounded somewhat distant. "That's a Sealing Technique. A seal used by the Uzumaki Clan to perish together with their enemies—

"Inner Four Symbols Sealing.

"The Four Symbols are east, south, west, and north—the foundation preceding the Eight Trigrams. It uses two lines as the basis of the sealing technique. Once activated, everything within the sealed area, including the user, is sealed into the void and collapsed into a point that does not exist."

"Then they're people from the Hidden Leaf Village?" At present, the only force that still possessed a large number of Sealing Techniques—especially such bizarre ones—was the Hidden Leaf Village.

Konan said, "But they're different from the Hidden Leaf ninjas we know." Because of Jiraiya, she and Yahiko held some goodwill toward the Hidden Leaf Village and did not want to believe, deep down, that it had ninjas like these.

Yahiko frowned. "Could they be some kind of secret unit?" Konan said, "Probably." The group then returned.

What they did not notice was that several insects about the size of ants had landed on some of the members and followed them back. Yahiko and Konan went to find Nagato, while the others returned to another cave to rest.

The group enthusiastically discussed what had just happened. In their eyes, the operation had been a success.

Those damned ninjas had looked like bad people at a glance. Stopping their actions had undoubtedly been the right thing to do.

"Bad people" only did bad things. There was no need to know what they were doing; stopping them was enough.

"Our Akatsuki will burn through the entire ninja world like sparks and bring peace to it!" a bald man declared loudly.

Another person said, "We're people of the Land of Rain, so rain should fill the whole world."

"Damn it, enough... I've had enough of rain. There isn't a single dry thing in my house. After peace comes, I hope I can bask in the sun every day—twelve hours a day. Once I'm done with the front, I'll dry the back."

The speaker was a fish-faced man whose mouth was sewn shut with thick thread. Whenever he opened it, crisscrossing threads formed a row of Xs.

"Haha, Old Fish, if you dry yourself like that, won't you turn into dried fish?" The crowd teased him, and the cave immediately filled with cheerful laughter.

Long after everyone had fallen asleep, those insects quietly crawled away and returned to their master's hand.

Their master wore a pair of Cylindrical Goggles with brown lenses. He was wrapped tightly in a Waterproof Trench Coat and wore gloves as well. He had hidden nearby, avoiding the rain.

"The insects told me there was something wrong with the rain here. So that's how it is... They use the rain to monitor everything. The moment our people moved, they were discovered. But Rock Ninja, Sand Ninja, Cloud Ninja... just what exactly are they..."

As he was speculating, his insects returned. The information they brought caused his usually expressionless face to twist abruptly.

"The Land of Rain, Akatsuki... How is that possible?"

The result was absurdly amusing.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Then, carefully avoiding the rain, he departed underground. His Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage was still clumsy, and by the time he returned to the temporary base, three hours had passed.

By then, dawn was breaking.

Daybreak.

A one-armed, one-eyed man in a black robe stood with his back turned inside the tent. A map hung on the wall, centered on the Lands of Grass, Rain, and Rivers, while also encompassing the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth. The man heard the sound and recognized the footsteps.

"Tell me. What exactly happened?" His voice carried a suppressed tension.

He dropped to one knee and reported, "Lord Danzo, your subordinate has investigated the matter. The current rain was created by a ninja from an organization called Akatsuki. It can monitor everyone's movements. Our people were intercepted by them."

Danzo's hand tightened around the handle of his cane. "Akatsuki?"

"Yes, an organization from the Land of Rain."

"The Land of Rain?"

After a while, Danzo let out a breath. "Go. Make a personal trip to the Land of Rain and tell Hanzo—tell him to think carefully. Does he want the Land of Rain to be doomed beyond redemption? Heh. Fire, Earth, and Wind are contending with one another, yet that tiny little country wants to test its edge as well?"

"Yes."