Same Sect!

"You, you, you..."

Yahiko was too shocked to speak. He instinctively tried to get up, only to discover that an invisible force had restrained him, leaving him unable to move at all!

Nagato and Konan were in much better shape. Though shocked, they were still able to remain composed!

Konan was naturally calm, while Nagato seemed to have expected this all along!

"No need to get worked up. I bear you no ill will!" Uchiha Jin revealed a gentle smile, then looked at Nagato. "You must have noticed something was off long ago, right?"

"Nagato?"

Yahiko and Konan were both startled by this, turning to Nagato in surprise!

Nagato hesitated for a moment before raising his head, revealing the rippling Rinnegan in his eye sockets. "I saw an abnormal Chakra in Lord Hanzō's brain, but I couldn't determine what it was, so I didn't act rashly!"

Nagato put it tactfully, but in truth, he was wary of Uchiha Jin's strength. He feared that exposing Uchiha Jin would lead to unforeseen danger, so he had remained silent!

The reason Nagato revealed his Rinnegan was simply because he knew Uchiha Jin had long noticed his eyes. He had taken the initiative to reveal them as a show of sincerity!

Of course, the most important reason was that he hadn't sensed any hostility from Uchiha Jin!

"Very fine eyes, but you'd better not rely too heavily on their power!"

Uchiha Jin withdrew his gaze and gave him a meaningful reminder.

"Who exactly are you?" Yahiko had calmed down as well. He stared solemnly at Uchiha Jin, then glanced at the blank-faced Hanzō the Salamander. "What did you do to Lord Hanzō?"

"I merely trapped him in a Genjutsu!" Uchiha Jin explained before adding, "And strictly speaking, I saved your lives!"

Yahiko asked in confusion, "Saved us? What do you mean?"

"You must have noticed the recent abnormalities on the Land of Rain battlefield, right?" Uchiha Jin pointed at the bandages on Yahiko and Konan. "And judging by the looks of it, you've run into some trouble yourselves!"

Yahiko's heart stirred. "You mean the increasingly fierce battles between Konoha and Iwagakure?"

Uchiha Jin nodded and explained, "A new force has intervened in this war. That person is named Shimura Danzō. In order to gain more benefits, he wants to intensify the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure and prolong the war!"

"And I came to the Land of Rain to stop him!"

"Before this, I spoke with Hanzō the Salamander, but he had already decided to join forces with Shimura Danzō!"

"I had no choice but to resort to Plan B!"

Yahiko asked in bewilderment, "Why would that happen? How could Lord Hanzō possibly cooperate with Shimura Danzō? Only by ending the war can the Land of Rain develop better, can't it?"

"You're still too naive!" Uchiha Jin shook his head and asked, "There was a period of peace between the end of the Second Shinobi World War and the start of the Third Shinobi World War. Did you see the Land of Rain gain any development during that time?"

Yahiko froze. Thinking carefully, the Land of Rain seemed to have undergone no changes whatsoever during that period. It was still the same barren Land of Rain!

Uchiha Jin explained, "During peacetime, the Three Great Nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind bordering the Land of Rain would never sit by and watch it develop! They would tacitly suppress the Land of Rain's growth to prevent it from growing beyond their control!"

"But in wartime, the Three Great Nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind are all held back by one another. Only through such gaps can the Land of Rain obtain greater benefits!"

"Though the people of the Land of Rain will suffer even more as a result!"

"But in the eyes of rulers like Hanzō the Salamander, sacrificing some commoners in exchange for the emergence of elite talents is undoubtedly worthwhile!"

"Just as wild beasts sometimes abandon offspring born weak in order to ensure that their healthy young can grow better!"

"This is an unavoidable choice made for the Vital Interests of the entire group!"

Uchiha Jin's words left Yahiko standing there in a daze!

He had never imagined reality could be so cruel!

"Then what did you mean when you said you saved our lives?"

Konan was not as obsessed with peace as Yahiko and Nagato were. Instead, she asked about another matter concerning their Vital Interests!

Uchiha Jin pointed at Nagato. "That starts with him!"

"Me?"

Nagato pointed at himself, utterly confused.

"Your eyes have been exposed!" Uchiha Jin nodded. "Shimura Danzō has set his sights on your eyes and wants to use them as a condition for joining forces with Hanzō the Salamander!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, your Akatsuki Organization will become the sacrificial victims of their alliance!"

As soon as he said this, Yahiko's Trio thought of the Iwagakure Ninja who had attacked them yesterday. Their hearts turned cold, as though they had fallen into an icy abyss!

"How could this be..."

Yahiko gritted his teeth, unwilling to believe this reality!

Uchiha Jin pondered for a moment before saying, "It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. Shimura Danzō will be coming here soon to discuss the details with Hanzō the Salamander. When the time comes, you can stay here and see for yourselves whether my words are true or false!"

Yahiko's Trio exchanged glances, then all nodded!

There were some things they would only truly give up on after confirming them personally!

At that moment, Konan asked, "Lord Uchiha Jin... may I presumptuously ask why you..."

"Why I'm helping you?"

Konan did not know how to phrase it, so Uchiha Jin voiced her question for her.

Konan nodded. "Yes!"

Uchiha Jin smiled. "There are many reasons. Besides someone asking me to look after you, I truly admire you as well!"

"Just as I said before, you not only have ideals, but can put them into action. That is truly rare!"

"At someone's request..." Yahiko's eyes lit up. "Was it Teacher Jiraiya?"

Uchiha Jin was a Konoha Ninja, which made Yahiko's Trio think of Jiraiya, who was also a Konoha Ninja!

Besides, Jiraiya was their only connection to Konoha!

Uchiha Jin shook his head. "Not Jiraiya, but another of Jiraiya's disciples, Minato Namikaze. You can consider him your Senior Martial Brother!"

"He learned about you from Jiraiya. When he found out I was coming to the Land of Rain, he asked me to look after you!"

Yahiko's Trio was at a loss for what to do.

They all knew of Minato Namikaze, but they had never expected that this Senior Martial Brother they had never met would care so much about them!

This bond of the Same Sect warmed all their hearts!

All that could be said was that he was truly worthy of being Teacher Jiraiya's disciple! His character was beyond all doubt!