The Land of Rain is a land that weeps year-round...
Located between the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind, the Land of Rain has been a place of constant suffering in the various Shinobi World Wars. The perennial pain of war has fueled the seeds of hatred, giving rise to radical ninjas like Nagato, Yahiko, and Minami...
Within the towering steel skyscrapers, adorned with massive drainage pipes, lies the headquarters of the Akatsuki organization. Led by Yahiko, a reformer, Akatsuki sought to rally like-minded comrades, establishing the organization to usher in a new dawn and change the Land of Rain's perpetual fate as a battlefield.
The Land of Rain, where torrential rain pours down, is located in a tall building.
The candlelight flickered, and laughter filled the air. Inside the high-rise, the people seemed unaffected by the dark clouds outside. Their cheerful voices mingled together as they talked and chatted, seemingly without the slightest barrier between them.
This is a group of like-minded people who came together because of hardship. They share common ideals and pursuits and have gathered together. Although the organization is just beginning to take shape..., the cohesion of this belief seems to possess a tremendous power to overthrow the old world order.
On the balcony of a high-rise building, a boy with orange hair stared blankly at the pouring rain outside.
The orange-haired boy had brown eyes, a square mouth and a wide nose, and very distinct facial features. Standing on the balcony, he resembled a straight javelin. His overall appearance and demeanor gave off a sunny and trustworthy feeling, which inevitably influenced people.
Just then, a purple-clad girl calmly walked out of the noisy room and approached the orange-clad boy. With a gentle yet concerned tone, she softly asked, "What's wrong, Yahiko...? Is something on your mind? Why did you suddenly come out alone?"
The girl was tall and sexy, with fair and delicate skin, a somewhat aloof expression, and White Oiled-Paper Flower adorning her purple hair. A beauty mark on her sexy lips further accentuated her cool demeanor. However, what clashed with this aloofness was the unique tenderness and dependence in her eyes as she looked at the boy...
Yahiko stared blankly at the pouring rain, which seemed to be the ceaseless tears of the people of the Land of Rain. His voice tinged with bewilderment, he said, "The war has begun again. This is a war between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire. The people from Sunagakure have gone to Amegakure, seemingly to negotiate with Hanzo. The content of their negotiations may determine the fate and future of the Land of Rain..."
"This time, the battlefield of the three great nations is finally not in the Land of Rain. Hanzo shouldn't let the Hidden Amegakure join this melee... If Hanzo agrees to the Sunagakure's request, wouldn't that drag the Land of Rain into war again?"
Seeing Yahiko seemingly bearing an immense burden of pressure on his own, Minami placed her slender, white hand on his shoulder, offering gentle words of comfort, as if she were transferring her own strength to Yahiko, who was lost and under pressure.
Yahiko shook his head, frowning slightly, and said, "I don't know... what Hanzo is thinking either, but if he desires peace and wants to stay away from this war and conflict, I will help him fight against the wrath of Sunagakure."
"South, I, and our Akatsuki will help you... Yahiko. For the Land of Rain to no longer be affected by the wars between these great powers, for the peace within the Land of Rain."
From the bustling room, another boy, not very old, emerged. He had fiery red hair, a pale but handsome face, and an air of melancholy that seemed to emanate from his very soul. What was most striking about him were his eyes—they were unique eyes.
One circle, two circles, three circles—countless purple circles formed the eye of the cross.
The Sage of Six Paths 'Rinnegan!
This red-haired boy is none other than Nagato, one of the major villains in the later stages of Hokage. Under the leadership of its first leader, Yahiko, the Akatsuki has grown from three people to five, twenty, and finally three hundred and twenty-seven. It has gradually transformed from a weak seedling exposed to the elements into a thriving tree that shelters people from the storm and changes the course of events.
Even Hanzo the Salamander, the demigod who independently supported the Land of Rain and the Amegakure, protecting it from the complete destruction of the war between the three great nations and enjoying immense popularity in the Shinobi World, harbored strong fear and concern towards the Akatsuki, a force that had gradually risen from within the chaotic Land of Rain and was unusually cohesive. This was because the Akatsuki members were young and passionate, possessing ambitions to change the chaotic old world...
However, the Ibuse no longer harbored such ambitions. Faced with this highly cohesive organization possessing terrifying potential, no leader could help but feel apprehensive...
At this moment, Yahiko was still unaware of the worry and apprehension from the highest-ranking leader of the ninja village in this country. He turned around and smiled brightly at his childhood friends, his sweetheart, and his good brother, as if he had once again mustered his courage and said with fiery enthusiasm, "Yes, thank you Nagato, and Nan... I think that as long as Hanzo's ideals haven't changed, he won't easily join the Sunagakure's camp. We should have faith in him."
"Mmm, mmm."
Seeing Yahiko emerge from his dejection, Minami and Yahiko nodded and smiled at the same time.
A warm smile appeared on Yahiko, Minami, and Nagato as they exchanged glances. However, this warmth was quickly shattered by a group of three ninjas, soaking wet, who emerged from the bustling hall and rooms and appeared on the balcony amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd. One of them, disregarding his wet hair and clothes, looked at Yahiko with a serious expression and said:
"It seems that Konoha's Western Front Force on the Land of Rivers battlefield have sent someone to negotiate with Hanzo. This force, led by Tsunade, one of Konoha's Tsunade Senju Sannin, is heading towards Amegakure... At their pace, they will likely encounter Amegakure and Sunagakure, and the situation... will probably be very difficult to control!"
" The Sunagakure and Konoha have both gathered in the Land of Rain, and the visitors are none other than Sannin, one of the Tsunade, and Chiyo, an advisor. Hanzo must be under increasing pressure. Two great nations simultaneously forcing one to make a choice—how is this any different from banditry...?"
Yahiko's eyes snapped open. The two countries represented a balance, but at this moment, no one knew what the bottom line was for Sunagakure and Konoha. If their intention was to force Amegakure to make a choice, then this was a dangerous balance. Even the slightest overturning would turn Amegakure into a battlefield for the great powers once again...
If these two countries invade the Land of Rain simultaneously, then war will once again bring orphans and tears.
No, we absolutely cannot let this happen!
Clenching his right fist tightly, Yahiko said resolutely, "Let our Hanzo negotiate with Konoha on behalf of Lord Hanzo. At least we need to know Konoha's bottom line so we can make a more accurate judgment. Minami, Nagato... what do you think?"
"Yes, yes. I'll do whatever Yahiko says..."
With Yahiko present, Nagato and Minami didn't have much of their own opinions at this time.
Even though Nagato vaguely felt that what he was doing was somewhat inappropriate, his shy nature prevented him from raising his unfounded questions. Instead, he chose to keep them to himself, which was one of the reasons he would later feel immense remorse...
******************
On a high-rise building in the very center of Amegakure, a middle-aged man wearing a mask knelt on the ground, listening to his subordinate kneeling before him report intelligence on the various nations. His eyes gleamed, as if he were calculating something.
" Sunagakure's terms for cooperation are a few chests of Gold Sand and a thirty-year truce. What will Konoha's terms be? If I'm forced to rejoin the battlefield... then I must make a choice, which would be tantamount to pulling the Land of Rain out of the war."
"Furthermore, considering the intelligence about the sudden invasion of Konoha from the Land of Land of Grass Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, it seems that this war is not as simple as before. Could the slowly building waves this time lead to the Third Shinobi World War?"
After pondering for a moment, Hanzo the Salamander seemed to suddenly realize something and asked in a somewhat casual tone, "What is Akatsuki's reaction to the actions of Sunagakure and Konoha this time? Have they interfered in this matter?"
"According to Chiyo from Sunagakure, Akatsuki seemed to have contacted Sunagakure before us. They wanted... they wanted Sunagakure to withdraw from the Land of Rain Land of Rain not drag it into war, but Chiyo refused their request. Chiyo reason was that their ideas were too simplistic." The Amegakure ninja lowered his head and continued, "Moreover, Akatsuki seems to have started moving again, targeting the direction from which Princess Tsunade Konoha..."
"Damn it, the only ninja village recognized by the Daimyo of the Land of Rain is my Amegakure, and the leader of the Hidden Amegakure is me, Hanzo the Salamander of the Salamander. These bunch of rabble dare to interfere in the important affairs between nations, and they don't even respect me... Damn Akatsuki."
In Hanzo the Salamander, beady eyes, a hint of anger and ruthlessness flickered. This was the country and ninja village he had painstakingly maintained for so many years, yet now, within this turbulent nation, a group of people were slowly emerging who would make choices for him. It was truly unforgivable...
A butterfly fluttering its wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America might cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later. Similarly, in the world of Hokage, after the arrival of a talent who altered the course of a war, everything seemed to subtly change.
The historical events depicted in the original comic seem to have been affected and suddenly accelerated! (To be continued.)