"You, you what, you know how to save the Land of Rain from this war?"
Yahiko's vigorous movements froze, and he slowly stopped, standing in the rain, somewhat incredulous. The light raindrops trickled down his orange hair, seeping into his sharply defined face, and dripping intermittently from his cheeks to his chin.
Sato Hideaka remained silent, then turned to Tsunade Senju and said, "Teacher, you should lead the group towards Amegakure first. Don't waste time... I'll just say a few words to them and catch up with the group soon."
"Okay, all is well." Tsunade nodded and said.
Without Yahiko's words or orders, the Akatsuki members did not make any move to stop them. Tsunade Senju led the Konoha team, braving the rain once again, and sped towards Amegakure. At this moment, time would determine the outcome, and having Sato Hideaka keep the group occupied was perhaps the best option.
Among the departing crowd from Konoha, a face as delicate as a porcelain doll appeared beneath a straw raincoat. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan, gazed towards Nagato. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he was exceptionally sensitive to the eyes of his opponents; this red-haired man's eyes...
Circle after circle, with an almost palpable sense of oppression, these were definitely not ordinary eyes.
Could it be... the legendary Rinnegan?
Thinking of the Sage of Six Paths ' Eyes recorded in the clan's secret scrolls, Uchiha Kaoru's usually calm and expressionless porcelain doll-like face instantly changed. Her gaze turned with some shock as she looked at Nagato, whose demeanor carried a hint of melancholy. Could it be...?
With her thoughts in disarray, and urged on by an elder relative, Uchiha Kaoru, who was about to follow Tsunade Senju's group, suddenly stopped, turned around, and went to Sato Hideaka's side. She whispered in his ear:
"That red-haired boy, his eyes are very special... they seem... they seem to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Hideaka, you need to be careful..."
The warm whispers in my ear seemed to carry a faint scent of cherry blossoms.
Sato Hideaka turned his head and saw that Uchiha Kaoru's crystal-clear face was full of solemn expression. Her scarlet Sharingan was activated, which brought a different kind of eerie temperament to her exquisite and beautiful face.
Sato Hideaka nodded subconsciously and said, "Okay, yes, I understand..."
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Kaoru knew information about the Rinnegan, which didn't surprise Sato Hideaka. However, what surprised him was that Uchiha Kaoru would tell him this information and warn him to be careful.
It's worth noting that the two haven't seemed to have much interaction over the years...
However, at this moment, the uncle of Uchiha Kaoru looked even more shocked, surprised, and incredulous. He knew Uchiha Kaoru's personality very well; she seemed to have a severe case of mysophobia and had never gotten so close to anyone during conversations.
This time, Uchiha Kaoru, not only slightly defying orders, didn't keep up with the main group, but she also stood incredibly close to Princess Tsunade's student—the two were less than the size of a fist apart. This was simply... simply, simply unbelievable!
Could it be that Uchiha Kaoru has a different kind of affection for this demon than most people do...?
The excellent bloodline of the Uchiha Clan must not be allowed to flow out.
Thinking of this, the middle-aged Uchiha elder looked at the two people talking together with a very wary and suspicious gaze. This seemingly insignificant matter had risen to a very high level in his mind.
Seeing that Sato Hideaka had learned this information, Uchiha Kaoru turned and quickly chased after the group...
Within the group, the elder member of the Uchiha clan, who was moving quickly, suddenly asked Uchiha Kaoru, who had caught up with the group and was now leaning forward and running rapidly beside him with her hands behind her back, " Uchiha Kaoru, what do you think of that demon...?"
Uchiha Kaoru subconsciously replied, "Very good... very strong, one of the opponents I cherish most. So, Uncle Hideo... why did you suddenly ask that?"
"No, it's nothing." Uchiha Hideo shook his head and turned his gaze forward.
However, after Uchiha Hideo turned his head away, he did not notice that Uchiha Kaoru suddenly felt her heart beat faster, and a faint pink blush, like cherry blossoms, appeared on her originally fair and jade-like cheeks.
The sky was overcast, the clouds resembling an ink painting, and the rain continued unabated under the gloomy atmosphere.
In the pouring rain and dim light, Tsunade Senju led her team swiftly toward Amegakure. Only Sato Hideaka stood alone before Akatsuki, facing Yahiko, Minami, and even Rinnegan and had been deeply Nagato in conspiracy from the very beginning.
Yahiko watched Tsunade Senju depart, his brows furrowed slightly, and asked again with a glimmer of hope, "Do you really know how to help the Land of Rain avoid this great war? Or... are you just trying to deceive us to cover the advance of your troops?"
"I've already said that preventing the Land of Rain from falling into war is only a possibility, not a certainty. I think you'd better listen to my opinion before deciding whether to adopt my method." Beneath the monkey-faced mask, a playful smile appeared on Sato Hideaka's lips.
Yahiko's eyes seemed to light up as he asked, "You're not lying to me, what... what method is that?"
Sato Hideaka glanced at the Akatsuki members behind Yahiko, then pointed at Yahiko, and Nagato in turn, saying calmly, "My method needs to be kept secret, because the slightest carelessness could lead to slaughter and death. If you really want to hear my plan... then everyone except you, you, and you three disciples of Lord Jiraiya, may leave now!"
As soon as Sato Hideaka finished speaking, an uproar broke out among the Akatsuki members. Apart from Nagato and Minami, who frowned slightly, the rest looked at each other, seemingly unsure whether they should leave.
Yahiko's expression was somewhat troubled. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying, "The members of Akatsuki are all brothers. We've all come together for a common goal. I want to hear about how the Land of Rain can escape the war... My brothers naturally want to hear that too. Please don't avoid them..."
A cold smile appeared on Sato Hideaka's lips. He closed his eyes slightly and shook his head, indicating that he could not speak his opinion on the matter in front of everyone.
Akatsuki is composed of wandering ninjas, many of whom are passionate young people who want to change the landscape of their homeland. However, this kind of organization is also prone to being infiltrated by enemy spies, such as Hanzo the Salamander Amegakure in the Land of Rain, who secretly infiltrated the organization.
Under such circumstances, to completely trust one's subordinates is an overly naive idea. If it weren't for Yahiko's sincerity, he wouldn't have intended to negotiate with Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of the Land of Rain, on an equal footing.
Perhaps, in Yahiko's mind, it was only for the peace of the Land of Rain, but in the eyes of the rulers, it undoubtedly undermined their authority and rule, and such an existence was one of the factors of instability.
"Leader, let's leave and let the three of you have a proper talk..."
" Yahiko, this Konoha Ninja is right. He's from Konoha and doesn't trust us. But you, Nan, and Nagato are all Jiraiya's students, so it's normal that you trust each other more. Let you talk it over; we won't disturb you any longer."
"Yes, Yahiko, if it's a good way to achieve peace in the Land of Rain, we should definitely try to get it. Let the three of you hear his opinion, and then we can discuss whether it's feasible. We'll wait here..."
Seeing that Sato Hideaka seemed unwilling to compromise on this matter, the remaining Akatsuki members offered Yahiko some words of comfort and then turned and left, leaving only Yahiko, Minami, and Nagato present.
Seeing his companions leave one by one, Yahiko said with a hint of resentment, "Alright, my companions have all left. Now you can come up with your own plan, right?"
Sato Hideaka doesn't seem to care about Yahiko's attitude, but this also shows that while Yahiko's ideas are great, he lacks the mature thinking and methods to maintain them. If this continues, it could be fatal for the entire Akatsuki.
Shaking his head, Sato Hideaka a calm tone, but his words were anything but calm. "If you want to prevent the Land of Rain from being drawn into this war based on your own ideas, the only way is to make the decision yourself. As long as... you kill Hanzo the Salamander, then you can decide the direction and future of the Land of Rain."
The rain continued to fall softly, and all around was deathly silent...
Nan gently covered her mouth with her right hand; Yahiko's expression was filled with shock; a glint flashed in Nagato's calm eyes. A storm raged in the hearts of the three of them, none of them expecting that such words would come out of Sato Hideaka's mouth.
Killing Hanzo the Salamander and plotting to seize military power in the Land of Rain —this is practically treason!
"No, we can't do that. The purpose of Akatsuki is to eliminate the barriers between people, to help each other understand each other's pain, and to achieve peace." Yahiko shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling with emotion. "Your method is to decide the future of the Land of Rain through killing and domination. How is this any different from the actions of some great powers? Akatsuki absolutely cannot do such a thing..."
"If negotiations could solve problems, what would be the point of an army? If people could understand each other, there would be no war. I told you before... war is unavoidable, but it can be prevented. However, without the power to govern, you are not qualified to participate in negotiations. This is precisely why Tsunade- sensei left..."
Sato Hideaka shook his head, his tone somewhat seductive, and said, "Your voices have no power because you do not rule the Land of Rain. Lady Tsunade sought out Hanzo the Salamander, Chiyo sought out Hanzo the Salamander, but you could only sit and wait for everything to happen, powerless to make any changes... The root cause is that you are not the leaders of the Land of Rain!" (To be continued.)