After thinking it over carefully, Araki decided to wait and see.
The Rinnegan was tempting bait, but if it hooked a Sea King, it might just ram the Land of Water into collapse.
Besides, he felt that Nagato and the other two coming all the way to the Land of Lightning to participate in the Chunin Exams at this particular time was strange in itself.
Akatsuki had only just gotten started, yet its three founders had all left for an entire month?
Even a hands-off boss would not dare do something like that!
What was more, in Akatsuki's early days, aside from those three, how many people were even capable enough to hold the fort?
With the top three all gone at once, would that not leave the organization leaderless and immediately throw it into chaos?
By the time they returned, how many people would even remain in Akatsuki?
Would Yahiko make such an obvious mistake?
Though he had not had much contact with Yahiko, the man had managed to build a force in a small place like the Land of Rain that even Hanzo of the Salamander had to take seriously. Strength, wisdom, and personal charisma were all indispensable.
Araki did not believe Yahiko would be so reckless.
Besides, the major nations had come to display their strength to one another before the negotiations that would follow. The smaller nations had come merely to curry favor and build connections.
But what could the three of them gain by coming when they could not even represent Amegakure's position?
Could they be looking for sponsorship for Akatsuki?
Or were they testing their own mettle?
Surely they were not here to make Kumogakure feel pain?
No matter how hard Araki thought about it, there were simply too many suspicious points.
Thus, rather