Journey to Amegakure

Obito originally intended to use Jiraiya to probe the situation regarding Nagato and the others, as they maintained a correspondence.

However, Jiraiya was not in the village. With tensions escalating between the various nations, key figures like Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had been dispatched to the borders to hold the line.

He remembered watching the anime, where the Third Ninja World War was triggered by the Third Kazekage being taken out by that brat Sasori.

But now that Obito was truly living here, he realized that the Third Ninja World War would have erupted regardless of the Third Kazekage. In fact, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage only weakened Sunagakure; otherwise, the war would have been even more brutal.

Although Obito wanted to build a peaceful Naruto World, now was certainly not the time. In his view, it was precisely the expansion of ninja power and numbers that caused constant warfare.

Why do you have something I don't? I roll up my sleeves to check, and your arms are thicker than mine... Uh, never mind, it was all a misunderstanding!

But if I roll up my sleeves and see that everyone is about the same, then what else is there to say? Screw you...

The Third World War played a vital role in Obito's plans. First, he would take advantage of the chaos to annex smaller nations, using them as bases for his own forces and turning them into models.

He would weaken the vital strength of the major powers as much as possible, which would make future negotiations much easier.

Huh? Thinking of this, Obito suddenly recalled Nagato's philosophy of making people feel pain from the original work. It actually had a point. It was just that Nagato only wanted to make people feel pain and had no interest in their happiness, taking things to an extreme.

Speaking of the trio—Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan—they were quite popular in the original work. Did the original author have some kind of grudge against them?

In a team of three, either everyone gets wiped out or at least one has to die... Three is definitely a crowd with no good ending.

Getting sidetracked! Back to the main point!

Obito felt there were two turning points in their life trajectories. The first was becoming Jiraiya's disciples, transforming from ordinary people into ninjas with lofty ideals, aspiring to be saviors.

The second turning point was being set up by that old schemer Danzo and Hanzo during the latter stages of the Third World War. Yahiko chose a brainless way to die, while Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to save Konan, only to be drained dry and left crippled, which led to his descent into darkness.

At this moment, the Third World War had not yet begun. The Akatsuki they founded was still in a honeymoon period with Hanzo, who thought quite highly of the kids. If not for Danzo, perhaps...

There is no "perhaps"... because they were merely pawns. Regardless, their tragedy was destined the moment Nagato had the Rinnegan transplanted into him. Even without Hanzo or Danzo, there was still that bigger boss, Madara, keeping an eye on them.

How to reasonably settle them was something Obito would decide once he reached Amegakure, but he would deal with Hanzo no matter what.

Shadow Clone Technique!

Poof. Another Obito appeared in the room. The difference between the Shadow Clone Technique and the standard Clone Technique was that the former possessed a physical body. Given Obito's chakra reserves, even a clone with half his chakra staying in the village wouldn't reveal any flaws.

The original and the clone locked eyes and nodded. Obito's original body vanished into a swirling vortex of space.

The perpetually dim sky looked like a piece of gray cloth draped over the Land of Rain—a tattered, useless rag that couldn't even keep the rain out.

The pouring rain drummed against the gray-black buildings, creating a rhythmic patter-patter sound.

Inside a house in Amegakure, however, the lights were blazing. About a dozen people were gathered on both sides of a long table laden with food. Hearty laughter and loud conversation filled the room with a lively, warm atmosphere.

Yahiko sat at the head of the table, watching his members interact with the intimacy of brothers, feeling even more certain of his ideals and aspirations.

Just that morning, they had mediated between two hostile factions, successfully bringing both sides to shake hands and negotiate peace.

"Konan, stop working for a moment and come sit down to eat!" a burly, bald man shouted.

Konan, moving like a fluttering butterfly, darted between the kitchen and the dining area, serving delicious food.

"It'll be ready in a second. Today is a day worth celebrating, after all," Konan said with a smile.

"Alright, come over and sit," Yahiko said.

Konan set the dishes down and sat in the chair next to Yahiko. The others looked at the two of them with knowing smiles. Feeling their gazes, Konan lowered her head, blushing slightly as she ate her food in small bites.

Nagato sat across from Konan. Seeing her flushed, pretty face, he felt a mix of blessings and a touch of loss... After all, there was only one Konan.

"It's certainly lively in here. Would you mind sharing some food with me? The environment in Amegakure really doesn't make one feel very happy."

The sudden voice shattered the warm, harmonious atmosphere of the room.

The people on both sides of the table stood up instantly, assuming a defensive stance as they looked toward the source of the sound.

Creak... The damp wooden door let out a teeth-gritting groan. A young man stood outside. What made their pupils shrink was that there wasn't a single drop of rain on him. Yahiko glanced nonchalantly at the man's shoes; they were dry as well.

"Sir, since you've come uninvited, please state your name." Yahiko stepped in front of the group, with Konan and Nagato flanking him closely. The others stood behind Yahiko, their momentum surging.

"Hey, hey... don't be so tense. I'm not here to fight; we're on the same side. You all know Jiraiya, right?" The speaker was none other than Obito.

"Master Jiraiya... who are you to him?" Yahiko's expression relaxed slightly, though he remained on guard.

"I am Jiraiya's..." Obito froze for a second.

"The three of you met Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. I heard from Jiraiya that he took on two idiot disciples in Amegakure—one named Yahiko, one named Nagato—and a little beauty named Konan. You even have a little sign you leave when you go out... You can believe me now, right?" Obito rattled off in one breath.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan exchanged glances. The matter of leaving a small sign when they went out was something only the three of them and Jiraiya knew. This person was telling the truth.

As the trio's expressions softened, the tense atmosphere vanished instantly.

"Then, were you sent by Master Jiraiya? Or...? I'm sorry, I don't know your name yet," Konan asked first.

"You can call me Obito. Jiraiya went to the front lines. Before he left, he knelt before me and begged me to come to Amegakure to look after his little disciples, so they wouldn't get sold off and end up counting the money for the buyer," Obito said.

...This guy doesn't seem all there in the head.

"Obito-kun, did Master Jiraiya have any words or a letter for us?" Yahiko asked calmly.

No need to probe. "You're actually quite sharp, aren't you? You don't seem like someone with a bad brain at all!" Obito mused inwardly.

"I could kill you all easily; what Jiraiya taught you is still far from enough. Jiraiya has another disciple named Minato Namikaze, about five years older than you, who is already one of Konoha's top-tier Jonin. You've heard of the Yellow Flash, right!?" Obito said, subtly sowing discord.

"Yellow Flash? Never heard of him," Yahiko said, puzzled.

Ah, I forgot. Minato only earned the title of Yellow Flash after the Third World War, Obito thought.

"We are people of Amegakure. We are already grateful enough to have received Master Jiraiya's help. Please, Obito-kun, don't say things like that again."

Sigh, such a good girl must never die as miserably as she did in the original story. A good girl should be like a flower, carefully nurtured to bloom beautifully.