In mid-October, rumors about Shu Furukawa and the Fourth Raikage A were increasing on the front lines of the Land of Frost.
Each encounter between the two sides was extremely brief, and it seemed that Ping was always worried about being surrounded and attacked.
Konoha and Kumogakure each had their own version of the story regarding the outcome, with both sides believing they had won and their claimed results becoming increasingly outrageous.
Ordinary ninjas enjoy this kind of gossip, but for the Root ninjas, their best opportunity for a mission has finally arrived!
For the sake of Konoha's stability, threats must be eliminated.
Thanks to the basic agreement reached between Sunagakure and Konoha, the Land of Rain has finally ushered in peace in recent months.
With no war, the Akatsuki members breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't stop the battles between major powers, but now that their country was back to peace, laughter gradually filled the stronghold.
Inside the metal building, whose outer layer was covered with pipes, Yahiko looked up at the sky. A light drizzle continued to fall, and a gloomy atmosphere lingered over the land.
"Thankfully, our efforts weren't in vain!"
"Just when everyone was starting to tire of the war, the truce between Sunagakure and Konoha was a huge surprise."
Nagato, with her Nagato red hair, stepped onto the balcony and sighed. Yahiko, unable to maintain his composed demeanor in front of his companions, turned wearily and said, "Yes, the rewards for missions are getting lower and lower."
"Relying solely on faith will eventually lead to wavering. I know this, but I just don't know how to explain it to everyone."
Leaning against the railing, Yahiko's sunny disposition vanished, and after saying these words, he lowered his head and sighed.
"Belief? Yahiko, are you asking what we fight for?"
Nagato asked, somewhat confused, but Yahiko didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to his companion and earnestly suggested, " Nagato, how about you become the leader?"
"I lack the talent to be a leader; I even hesitate to kill. But you possess the legendary eyes; you will surely guide everyone towards peace."
These words startled Nagato. After a moment of silence, he cautiously asked, " Yahiko, do you want to use my Rinnegan?"
"I feel more fear than anything else when it comes to those eyes; I simply can't use that power properly."
Nagato responded crisply, Yahiko couldn't help but look at his companion again, earnestly admonishing him. "That is the symbol of a hero, Nagato. You don't need to be afraid of it. Believe in your own strength."
" Yahiko, I..."
Just as Nagato was about to explain further, a huge cheer suddenly erupted in the room. Idaten Kyusuke ran up to the two of them, laughing and reminding them, "Big brother! Hanzo has acknowledged our organization! We'll be able to get even more commissions from now on!"
"What makes everyone even happier is that Konoha has agreed to share some missions. Big brother, this is a three-way meeting, and we're about to officially step onto the stage!"
After years of hard work, Yahiko finally gained recognition, and a smile appeared on his face. Nagato, Nagato beside him, exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! This way, Akatsuki can continue operating, and we won't have to worry about commissions and funding anymore!"
"Brother, all three parties need to be present when signing the agreement; this is a historic moment!"
Idaten Kyusuke praised loudly with a look of reverence, and a smile also appeared Rinnegan Nagato's Rinnegan. Everyone had been waiting for this day for far too long.
"By the way, where did Konan go?"
Yahiko suddenly realized that Konan hadn't been in his sight for a long time. Idaten Kyusuke chuckled and scratched his head, quickly replying, "She's probably on her routine patrol. She'd be very happy to know that."
Yahiko nodded to indicate that he understood. He had high expectations for the negotiations the day after tomorrow and hoped that the Land of Rain would get better and better.
On the border between the Land of Rain and Konoha, Konan frowned deeply; the strong smell of blood reminded her that a major incident had occurred.
Konan bent down to examine the body. In that instant, black smoke suddenly billowed from the corpse, filling the surroundings with smoke. Konan inhaled some and immediately felt dizzy. "I must get back as soon as possible!"
"I want to pass this message on to everyone."
Konan thought she was about to collapse, but the scent emanating from the herbal necklace on her chest kept her awake. "Did that child save me?"
As Konan ran out of the smoke-filled area, she relaxed a little, only to feel a sharp pain in her ankle and realize that she had been bitten by a snake.
As she collapsed onto the muddy ground, Konan vaguely saw a pale-faced man before losing consciousness completely.
Orochimaru chuckled as he looked at the girl on the ground. Double insurance—he was determined to Rinnegan!
Early the next morning, Yahiko led Nagato and the others to the agreed location. Although Konan had not yet returned, everyone had to arrive at the agreed location on time.
At the platform, Hanzo calmly, with a giant Ibuse summoning beast behind him. The ninjas of Amegakure, all wearing breathing masks, stood respectfully beside their leader.
On the other side, Danzo his eyes narrowed. Behind him was a female ninja with sharp eyes, and everyone else was wearing a mask.
"As expected of Akatsuki, Konoha approves of your ideals!"
"Thank you so much!"
Yahiko responded solemnly, a look of surprise on his face. He hadn't expected that a major ninja village like Konoha would pay attention to their small organization.
"You've done very well, Yahiko. I plan to entrust the diplomatic work to you in the future."
"Akatsuki can become a peace envoy for Amegakure!"
Hanzo's eyes beneath the mask also became "kind," and he handed the document to Yahiko with concern. Yahiko bowed and accepted it, then checked its contents again.
Nagato, who had his head down, suddenly saw Yahiko sway from behind. He instinctively tried to step forward, but black Cursed Seal appeared on the ground, instantly freezing him in place and paralyzing his body.
" Yahiko!"
Nagato shouted loudly, and the Akatsuki members who sensed something was wrong suddenly found themselves unable to move.
Several people, out of control, pulled out Kunai and stabbed each other in the heart.
"Ah!"
Nagato was stunned by the tragedy before him. When he looked ahead again, Danzo and Hanzo were still chatting amicably, while Yahiko was covered in black insects and fell to the ground silently.
"I have shown my sincerity; Hanzo, the Land of Rain should also reciprocate!"
"If Kirigakure joins the war, you will need to fight for Konoha as allies."
Danzo Yahiko, who had been Kikaichū, and squinted as he repeated the previous conditions. The Root ninja behind him also looked at the Amegakure members with cold eyes.
Hanzo noticed the "woman" walking towards Nagato, turned around without suspicion, and replied in a deep voice, "I will naturally keep my word."
Nagato's eyes widened at the hellish scene before Nagato, but Orochimaru, oblivious to the look, smiled and licked the eyes with his long tongue before praising, "What beautiful eyes!"
Just as Orochimaru was about to reach out and reap the "spoils of victory," a terrifying surge of Chakra erupted from Nagato's body.
The Cursed Seal could no longer restrain Nagato's movements. He roared like a wild beast as he unleashed a ninjutsu, " Summoning Jutsu! Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
"Roar!!"
A gigantic and ferocious Demonic Statue of the Outer Path Nagato. Orochimaru hurriedly retreated, but the statue did not attack immediately. Instead, it suddenly began to "vomit".
A half-black, half-white humanoid creature crashed to the ground, followed by a comical voice. "We've finally been pulled out!"
"Is this what it feels like to poop?"
"Shut up, kill them all now! Don't waste time here."
The monster, which was asking and answering its own questions, stunned everyone. Nagato wanted to activate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but the monster was faster than him, and thick branches flew towards everyone present.
"It's Wood Release!"
Danzo and Orochimaru met up and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes. Soon, screams echoed across the platform.
Orochimaru's composure vanished, especially when he heard the monster's surprised tone mention "awakening." He subconsciously looked at Nagato again and muttered to himself, " The Sage of Six Paths?"
Having just returned to the village, Shu Furukawa was summoned to the Hokage Building again in the afternoon. Only the Third Hokage, Tsunade, and two advisors were in the room.
Shu Furukawa took the scroll from Tsunade, read it carefully, and exclaimed in surprise, " Lord Orochimaru injured?"
" Amegakure, is Hanzo injured?"
Neither of the two advisors spoke up. In fact, Danzo injured, losing his right arm in the Land of Rain, and all the Root ninjas were wiped out.
Tsunade's expression was grave. Instead of providing a detailed explanation after hearing the question, she earnestly instructed, "This information comes from the Anbu of the Land of Rain, Shu. I need you to go and meet Orochimaru."
" The Land of Rain is already in turmoil. You can also go and get some information about Hanzo."
"Yes, Tsunade- sensei."
Shu Furukawa immediately agreed, gave Tsunade a reassuring look, and then quickly left the Hokage Building.
Back home, while changing his gear, Shu Furukawa casually used Summoning Jutsu. A coiled Aoda appeared in the room, and before he could ask anything, it suddenly spat out something. " Konan?"
Looking at the girl covered in slime on the ground, Shu Furukawa muttered something to himself before falling silent. He understood what Orochimaru had been up to lately; no wonder they hadn't been in touch for so long.
"Lord Xiu! This is what Lord Orochimaru instructed us to send to the laboratory."
"However, someone later destroyed that place, and it seems that Lord Orochimaru was being chased, so I secretly swallowed her. Lord Orochimaru thought she had been rescued."
The Aoda spoke in a voice like a young girl, but as it spoke, it started drooling. Shu Furukawa fed two Natural Energy pills into the snake's mouth, and the snake immediately boasted again, "These are experimental materials I'm giving to Lord Osamu!"
"I always felt that Lord Orochimaru would die sooner or later, and from now on, Qingqing will only serve Lord Xiu..."
"Okay, you don't have to do this every time! Just focus on completing the task."
As soon as Shu Furukawa finished speaking, the Aoda coiled around his body, circling him affectionately several times before obediently replying, "Lord Osamu, please give your instructions."
Shu Furukawa formed a hand Hand Seals, creating a tiny spirit that pounced on Konan. After carefully sensing her, a smile appeared on his face, "I'll devour her. I'll send her back to the Land of Rain when I have the chance."
"I need this intelligence."