Under the gloomy sky, Kakashi walked out of the town in a hooded raincoat, rain pouring down around him.
Back in the cave where he was staying outside the town, Kakashi took off his raincoat and sat on a reasonably dry rock.
His father, Sakumo, emerged from the Broken Blade on Kakashi's back, while his teammate Rin emerged from the Bone Ring on the index finger of Kakashi's right hand.
Shiraishi had given Kakashi the ring before leaving Konoha. It had been refined from bone and could nurture souls. Rin was now living inside it.
Kakashi had been in the Land of Rain for three days. He hadn't recklessly approached the Akatsuki, but had instead investigated them from all directions, trying to determine whether they really were as Shiraishi had described.
After three days of gathering information, Kakashi was convinced that the Akatsuki were a kindhearted, righteous group of ninja—almost to the point of naivety.
The things its members did were even more extraordinary than Shiraishi had said.
They weren't just working hard to quell the turmoil and bring peace to the Land of Rain. They also took on all kinds of requests from the country's civilians for free, helping them solve their problems without asking for anything in return.
Kakashi had never encountered such a naive organization before. Now he truly understood why Shiraishi wanted to help them.
"Father, do you think an organization like this can really last?" Kakashi asked, looking at Sakumo beside him.
Sakumo shook his head. "They can't even guarantee their most basic needs. The only reason they've held on this long is their lofty ideals. They can't keep operating this way indefinitely."
Kakashi nodded in agreement and analyzed the situation seriously. "If the Akatsuki want to survive in the long run, or even replace Amegakure and become the new force leading the Land of Rain, they need to solve their funding and survival problems first."
Ninja needed to eat. By taking on requests for free, the Akatsuki were only wearing down the enthusiasm of every member.
One day, when these ninja had reached their limit after a life of endless toil and poverty, the Akatsuki would collapse completely.
"Kakashi, what you need to consider now is how to join them, earn their trust, and gain influence within the Akatsuki. Only then can you truly help them," Sakumo advised.
"The Akatsuki have a very simple way of recruiting members. As long as you have some ability and agree with their ideals, they'll accept you." Kakashi paused, then made up his mind. "Tomorrow, I'll try to approach one of their members."
"Go ahead and do your best, Kakashi! Whatever happens, I'll make sure you stay safe," Sakumo encouraged him.
"Kakashi, I'll help you too. Keep it up!" Rin, who had been sitting quietly nearby and watching Kakashi, raised her right hand and clenched it into a fist, cheering him on.
At the Akatsuki's base, Asuma had been receiving treatment for three days, and his injuries had improved. With someone supporting him, he could just about get out of bed.
Over those three days, Asuma had gradually figured out his situation, but it had only left him more confused.
He was no longer the person he used to be. Not only was he a little younger, but his appearance had changed completely.
Now he was a civilian from the Land of Rain and a member of a merchant caravan. Bandits had attacked the caravan, killing everyone except him. Konan had rescued him.
Konan, the person who had saved him, was a ninja from an organization in the Land of Rain called the "Akatsuki."
The members of this organization hoped to unite the various factions within the Land of Rain through communication and dialogue, and bring about true peace in the country.
When Asuma heard Konan explain the Akatsuki's ideals and goals, his first reaction was much the same as Kakashi's.
How could that possibly work?
They thought they could get different ninja to let go of their hatred and competing interests, and unite to achieve peace, simply by talking and understanding one another.
The idea was far too absurd.
Honestly, Asuma had no faith in the Akatsuki's ideals, and didn't believe they could succeed.
Sitting on his sickbed, Asuma wondered what he should do once he had recovered.
Should he leave the Land of Rain, return to Konoha, and tell the old man what had happened to him?
Or should he stay in the Land of Rain, remain with the Akatsuki, and help Konan and the others?
He had no idea what had happened to him. But after getting through his initial panic, he realized he might have gained the one thing he had wanted most: the chance to escape the identity of the Hokage's son.
Back at the Ninja Academy, and even after graduating to become a Genin, no matter how hard he worked or what he accomplished, all he ever heard was:
"Asuma did a great job. No wonder he's Lord Hokage's son."
Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!
In everyone's eyes, it seemed that no matter what he did, all his efforts would amount to just one thing: "No wonder he's Lord Hokage's son!"
At some point, Asuma had grown to hate that phrase. He had started acting out, becoming the disobedient younger son of the Hokage in everyone's eyes.
But now, he had a real chance to leave his old identity behind for good and begin a new life as someone else.
Asuma felt a little excited, but also strangely melancholy, as if something were missing deep inside him.
With a creak, the wooden door opened, and Konan entered the room carrying a tray filled with food.
"It's time to eat, Kazusuke."
To conceal his identity, Asuma had given himself a false name: Kazusuke.
"Kazu" came from Asuma's proficiency with Wind Release, while "suke" came from the name of his grandfather, Sarutobi Sasuke.
"Thanks for the trouble, big sister Konan." Faced with Konan, who was like an angel, Asuma had none of the pride or rebelliousness he'd shown in Konoha. Instead, he was very well-behaved.
"Go ahead and eat. If it isn't enough, tell me and I'll get you some more." Konan set the tray on the wooden cabinet beside the bed, then took a small wooden table from underneath the bed and placed it in front of Asuma.
"This is enough." Asuma moved the tray onto the table. It held a bowl of rice, a bowl of steamed egg, a plate of pan-fried fish, and a bowl of vegetable soup.
Konan sat on a wooden stool beside the bed and watched Asuma eat heartily. Then she gently asked, "Kazusuke, have you thought about where you'll go once you're better?"
Asuma's right hand paused mid-meal. His mouth slowly closed, and he turned to look at Konan.
"I..." Asuma still hadn't made up his mind.
"There's no need to rush. You'll need to rest for a while longer. I just wanted you to know that if you really have nowhere to go, you can stay here. Everyone will like you," Konan said gently.
"Mm." Asuma lowered his head and stared at the food in front of him, mechanically shoveling bite after bite into his mouth.
Should he stay or leave?
For the moment, Asuma still couldn't decide.
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