Rasa pictured the Starry Sky Vortex in his mind as his points kept ticking upward, increasing even faster than they had over the past few days.
The Akatsuki was a major organization in Naruto Shippuden, with a great deal of screen time. Getting involved would definitely influence how the story unfolded.
There was potential here.
"Sure, I'll do it.
Sunagakure is a village that yearns for peace, too. More than anyone, we want to see the Shinobi World become stable and harmonious.
When is the meeting? I'll get ready and head over."
After weighing the pros and cons, Rasa gave his answer while considering how to maximize the points he could earn.
Yahiko was delighted. "It's wonderful that you've agreed.
As for the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, Elder Danzo of Konohagakure will handle them. Lord Hanzo's preference is for Konan and me to accompany you to the Land of Rain in person, to show our respect."
He values me that highly?
Rasa smiled. "Then give me a few hours. I still have a few things to take care of."
Yahiko and Konan naturally had no objections. Konan kept her eyes fixed on Rasa, watching as he left with Pakura.
There wasn't much to handle in the village. Rasa laid out the general direction, then left the rest to Chiyo and Ebizo. Everything proceeded as usual.
There were different kinds of leaders: some handled the thinking, while others did the heavy lifting. The former kept their hands on every matter, large and small, in the village; the latter were there to fight.
Chiyo and Ebizo hoped Rasa would become the former, but that wasn't where his ambitions lay. He didn't want to waste too much energy on a single Sunagakure.
It was enough to keep the village on course. A Kage was more of a symbol, like the alpha wolf in a pack or the captain of a battleship.
He settled Karura and Pakura, lest trouble break out in his harem. Though with Elder Chiyo there to mediate, it probably wouldn't come to that.
But he still had to tend to his own fields personally. Otherwise, one day he might find them neglected—or plowed by someone else—and regret it.
"Do you want me to go with you? You're acting Kazekage now. Shouldn't you at least bring a few guards?"
Pakura asked, her hair tousled as she got dressed.
What a dangerous idea!
Rasa lit a post-coital cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke before flatly refusing. "There's no need. Anyone below Kage Level could bring a thousand men, and I still wouldn't fear them.
"If we run into a Kage-level opponent, you won't be able to help me. I'd only have to worry about you."
"Mm." Pakura nodded.
Karura said nothing. Her strength was even lower than Pakura's, so she was better off being a supportive wife.
A few hours later, Rasa reappeared before Yahiko and Konan, looking refreshed and full of energy.
"Let's go. We shouldn't keep Hanzo waiting."
Yahiko nodded. Ninjas didn't need to pack much. They were decisive that way: when it was time to go, they went.
Sunagakure wasn't all that far from Kirigakure, but moving quickly through the desert was a grave mistake, so the three of them traveled at a moderate pace.
Yahiko was thrilled. He had just stopped another potential war—one between major nations, no less. It was nothing like the small achievements he had managed before.
This meant the Akatsuki had reached a whole new level!
Along the way, Konan kept sneaking glances at Rasa. She hesitated several times before finally asking in a soft voice, "Lord Rasa, do you know someone named Himura Kenshin?"
Rasa's eyes sharpened, but his voice remained calm. "What made you ask that all of a sudden?"
Yahiko was curious, too. It had been over a month since they'd run into Himura Kenshin. Though he had been strong enough to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Yahiko had long since put the encounter out of his mind.
"I was just asking," Konan said.
Seeing that Rasa didn't seem annoyed or uncomfortable, she explained, "About a month ago, we met a powerful man named Himura Kenshin in the Land of Artisans.
"We never saw him fight, but he was definitely Kage Level. The two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were no match for him.
"He gave me an Iron Butterfly Shuriken. It looked exactly like the one worn on the head by Pakura, the Scorch Release user from your village."
"It's just a hair ornament. Those are pretty common, aren't they?" Yahiko piped up. What he really wanted was to hear Rasa tell the story of how he defeated the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and forced Ōnoki to pay a ransom.
Rasa considered it for a moment before calmly replying, "I do know him. He's a close friend who shares my ideals."
"Could you tell us about him?
"You don't need to talk about his abilities. Just tell us a little about him. We still have a long way to go," Konan said hopefully.
Yahiko pricked up his ears.
A hint of reminiscence entered Rasa's eyes as he began, "His real name is actually very long, long enough that most people can't remember it, so he often calls himself Himura Kenshin.
"Also, he's a little like you two. He comes from an organization devoted to peace in the Shinobi World. It's called the Celestial."
The Celestial?
Yahiko's expression shifted. If he remembered correctly, Ōnoki's reason for attacking the Land of Lightning was that he suspected the Raikage had sent a disciple to assassinate their ninjas under the pretense of being a member of the Celestial.
"Does the Celestial really exist?" Yahiko asked in surprise. He had thought the organization was something Ōnoki or the Raikage had made up.
"Of course it exists."
Seeing that Yahiko was taking the bait, Rasa continued, "You're not the only ones who yearn for peace in the Shinobi World.
"Unlike the Akatsuki, some of the Celestial's core members come from the major shinobi villages. Every one of them is strong enough to stand against a village's Kage.
"Most of them actually have two identities. You understand what I mean, right?"
Yahiko was stunned. Jing Tian, Da Mimi—I can't believe what I'm hearing!
He had thought the relationships between the Five Great Shinobi Villages were complicated enough. He'd never imagined he'd only seen the surface. The waters of the Shinobi World ran this deep!
After the shock, Yahiko began to wonder why Rasa knew so much—and why he was telling the two of them all this.
The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that the suddenly ascendant acting Kazekage, Rasa of Magnet Release, might also be a member of the Celestial...
Rasa's voice turned low. "You have potential. Keep working at it, young man.
"Not long ago, Himura Kenshin suggested to the Celestial's Leader that you be brought in as an outer member.
"The Leader turned down the suggestion on the grounds that you weren't strong enough, but listed you as someone to watch closely."
Though Yahiko was already the leader of the Akatsuki, he was still young, and before he knew it, Rasa had steered his thoughts.
He'd gone from wondering why he should join the Celestial to wondering why its Leader had rejected him.
Wouldn't having the Akatsuki involved make bringing peace to the Shinobi World easier?
After some thought, he realized with dismay that if the Celestial's core members really were all Kage-level shinobi, they would surely hold positions of great influence in the major villages and be able to sway their decisions.
For a moment, Yahiko had the strange impression that the peace the Shinobi World had enjoyed over the past ten years was the result of the Celestial's core members working behind the scenes.
Nothing was more dangerous than making things up in your own head. Conspiracy theories about hidden clans, the Rothschild Family secretly controlling the world, and the like were the best way to fool young people.
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The Rothschild Family... That was the biggest joke of all. Anyone who knew a thing or two about economics knew that if a family really had that much wealth, the influence it could wield would be enormous...
How much money had Soros used to attack the Hong Kong dollar?
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