The Land of Grass, underground near the Kannabi Bridge...
At the bottom of the pitch-black cave, a scarlet light flashed, and a figure slowly raised his head, letting out a sigh in a somewhat aged voice, muttering to himself, "Who is it that could so easily defeat Nagato? Is it that junior, Hanzo the Salamander, heading towards the Land of Rain?"
"It seems it's time to go out and take a look after some time."
Behind this figure, a gigantic monster, resembling a wooden or stone sculpture, extended countless pipe-like substances that pierced into the figure's body. If one could observe with the Byakugan or sense chakra, one would be shocked to discover that a vast amount of chakra was being channeled into the figure's body through these pipes...
After saying this, the man closed his eyes, and the scarlet light also disappeared.
After the crimson light closed, enveloping the space of this underground cave, the eerie, sinister, and ominous aura dissipated considerably. If Sarutobi Hiruzen or Ōnoki, two of the most senior Shinobi World, were to be there again, they would be horrified to discover that this person was none other than the legendary Madara Uchiha, and that his appearance at this moment was that of someone in his prime...
It was as if the years had not eroded anything from Madara Uchiha!
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In the Land of Rain, a dozen or so people dressed in black trench coats embroidered with red clouds stood bewildered before a pile of ruins and a muddy hill. They had no idea how Sato Hideaka had suddenly disappeared; they had never heard of such a thing before.
Seeing his brothers looking completely bewildered, Yahiko coughed a few times awkwardly and said, "Ahem, that must have been Space-Time Ninjutsu, allowing you to instantly teleport to another location. By the way, how are you all? Are you alright?"
"I'm mostly alright, just a bit disheveled. By the way, who is this Konoha ninja? Such powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu, no, it must be Kekkei Genkai formed by fire and earth chakra, and a secret technique that releases light, and even Space-Time Ninjutsu... It's simply unbelievable."
"It's really hard to imagine that someone with such immense power is just a demon head. If I were his opponent, I'd probably be instantly killed. I feel like I've wasted all these years. Is this the legendary strongest talent?"
"And then there's Nagato. Nagato's performance was simply... Although I'd seen Nagato use Shinra Tensei before, I never imagined this ninjutsu could cause such destructive power; and he even had a ninjutsu that absorbed the opponent's Lava Giant Fist. You have to understand, that was Rock Fist the size of a mountain, and it was completely absorbed. It's truly unbelievable..."
Just as everyone's thoughts paused for a moment, and Yahiko thought the matter was over, the group started asking questions all at once. The questions rose and fell in a continuous stream. For Akatsuki, a group of passionate young men, such strength was indeed easy to be admired.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you all about this when I get back. Let's check on Nagato first. Minami, is Nagato injured? If that brat dares to use his full strength, I... I... I won't let him get away with it." Yahiko waved his hand, somewhat annoyed, and asked Minami.
Yahiko's words made his companions laugh. The Akatsuki were mostly young people of similar age and got along very well with each other. They looked at each other and laughed without any restraint at Yahiko's "bragging".
Nan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she helped the unconscious Nagato up, leaping out of the muddy swamp. She addressed the others, "That Konoha Ninja didn't seem to use much force; Nagato is just unconscious. It'll probably take some time for him to wake up. Let's find somewhere to shelter from the rain."
"Okay, okay, let's go back to the nearest base first..." Yahiko nodded and said.
"By the way, Leader, what exactly was the method that Konoha Ninja used to maintain peace in the Land of Rain? And what do we need to talk to Hanzo of Amegakure about? Should we clarify our stance towards other countries? What's going on...? Is this incident dangerous for us? Judging from the tone of that Konoha Ninja, it seems like Lord Hanzo wants to deal with us?"
Just as everyone was preparing to leave, an older, relatively mature and composed ninja from the Akatsuki suddenly spoke to Yahiko and asked him a question.
Yahiko frowned slightly, then said without hesitation, "He wants us to enter Amegakure as an auxiliary force in these negotiations with various countries, so that Akatsuki's ideals can be conveyed to them and everyone can know our thoughts..."
"This is a good thing, I agree." One of the Akatsuki members, who was unaware of the situation, suddenly spoke up after hearing this, his eyes lighting up.
By cooperating with Hanzo the Salamander from Amegakure and negotiating with envoys from various countries, the Akatsuki 'Akatsuki reputation will spread to the ears of all nations, greatly enhancing their prestige and giving them face when they go abroad.
However, the relatively composed ninja objected, saying, "It's probably not a good idea to negotiate with various countries alongside Lord Hanzo... I always felt that this Konoha ninja had ulterior motives; his thoughts were definitely not that simple."
"I think so too. Although this Princess Tsunade's apprentice is young, he is precocious. We can't possibly guess what he's thinking. I can only vaguely guess that he wants Akatsuki to join the negotiations, throw the whole situation into chaos, and achieve his own goals."
Yahiko took a deep breath, touched his temple, and said with a hint of speculation and fatigue.
Although Yahiko trusted his comrades very much, he wasn't foolish enough to tell everyone that Sato Hideaka had taught him how to kill Hanzo the Salamander in the Land of Rain and how to implement the Akatsuki's ideology in the Land of Rain. This method would have only instigated internal strife within the Land of Rain.
If these words were to actually reach Hanzo the Salamander's ears, even if Akatsuki didn't have such thoughts, Ibuse would probably still feel wary and fearful!
The more Yahiko thought about it, the more confused he became. Finally, he simply said, "It's not good to come up with a solution here. Let's go back and Nagato first, then have a meeting to discuss whether or not we should assist Hanzo."
"Yes, yes." The other members of Xiao nodded in agreement.
Fourteen figures flew through the rain towards the nearest Akatsuki...
Tsunade Senju had the Flying Thunder God Crystal Three-Pronged Kunai left behind by Sato Hideaka on her body. Through the connection between her chakra and space-time jutsu, Sato Hideaka instantly returned to the group, causing chaos in the fast-moving group.
Their strong sense of vigilance as ninjas startled them, and they immediately reacted to the sudden appearance of the people. About ten Konoha ninjas drew their weapons, such as Kunai, Shuriken, or ninja short swords, while two or three ninjas jumped back a few steps, assuming a defensive stance. The situation instantly became tense!
Upon seeing this, Sato Hideaka quickly explained, "I am Konoha ninja, my Anbu codename is Blue. I was the one who held off those Akatsuki just now, allowing the team to proceed smoothly. Lady Tsunade can serve as proof..."
Upon hearing Sato Hideaka's words, seeing his attire and appearance, and noticing that Tsunade Senju beside Sato Hideaka seemed unsurprised, as if it were commonplace, everyone realized what was happening and quickly put away their weapons.
Tsunade Senju looked at Sato Hideaka, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Why did it take you so long to come back? And what was that sun-like light just now? You weren't behind it, were you, you devil...?"
"Well, we're in a hurry, so we'll go with you later." Sato Hideaka looked around and said to Tsunade Senju with a hint of helplessness.
"Hmm, hmm, let's wait a bit. The entire army continues its advance."
Tsunade Senju, waved her arm, and shouted loudly. The Konoha ninjas once again embarked on their journey, transforming into streaks of black shadow that moved swiftly in the eyes of ordinary people, rushing towards the direction of Amegakure (the Hidden Amegakure) in the Land of Rain. (To be continued.)