Akatsuki Ninja Village and the Liberation Drum

Toji's gaze shifted to the area above the Land of Fire.

The country directly to the north was the Land of Rice Fields, where Uchiha Yan was located.

To this day, the Land of Rice Fields had no officially recognized ninja village.

Wicked samurai and rogue ninja bands were everywhere, and the land was chaotic and lawless, constantly drawing exiles from all over the Shinobi World.

To ordinary civilians, this place was like a living hell. But to Toji, this unclaimed land concealed an enormous opportunity.

No legitimate ninja village meant there was no established order.

Whoever had the hardest fist could establish a village and set its rules. Once they gained recognition from the daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, they could transform from a ninja group into a legitimate regular army.

As for that—

Toji had begun laying the groundwork three years ago, when he had let Uchiha Yan go.

As it happened, Uchiha Yan fancied herself a "champion of justice." Every month, she sent him criminals guilty of every conceivable evil.

That style of conduct resulted in...

The "Akatsuki Ninja Corps" founded by Uchiha Yan enjoying an excellent reputation throughout the Land of Rice Fields. Even when Toji controlled Type Zero to practice medicine for profit in the capital, he had heard the Akatsuki Ninja Corps' name.

Their reputation had really spread far and wide.

When Uchiha Yan reported on her work, she had also mentioned that the Akatsuki Ninja Corps had recruited a ninja who wielded the Sound Release Secret Technique and fought by beating drums.

After every battle against rogue ninja bands, nearby villagers praised that drumbeat as the "Liberation Drum" sounded by the Akatsuki Ninja Corps.

In the hearts of the nearby villagers, that drumbeat was a signal of hope: whenever the Liberation