Seeing Nagato Again
That's all we got.
Tailed Beasts are the most sensitive beings in the Ninja World; even now, he must act with caution.
Being cautious often means being inefficient.
Conversely, if it's a task for the village, it's much easier for him to complete.
Like the Land of Land of Stone Land of Rivers is a long, narrow country nestled between the Lands of Wind and Fire, but its natural environment is much better than that of the Land of Stone.
The climate here is closer to that of the Land of Fire.
The ANBU who was attacked had recovered from his injuries and described everything in great detail. Hidden Leaf Village had basically deduced the entire process of the ANBU squad's attack.
What Uchiha Shingen needed to do was simple: with all five great ninja villages gathered together, the person who attacked Leaf Village's ANBU had to be found.
It doesn't matter if they are the real culprit or not; the person who did it can't escape.
The deaths of several ANBU in Leaf Village indicate a decline in Leaf Village's deterrent power, or perhaps someone is trying to test Leaf Village's reaction.
Shimura Danzō did a lot of bad things, but there was one thing he did right.
Any actions that could lead to a decrease in Leaf Village's deterrent power, or actions based on a decrease in deterrent power, should be taken immediately to nip further possibilities in the bud.
Uchiha Shingen had worked so hard to influence the course of so many things, and now that things had come to this point, he didn't want all his efforts to be in vain.
Uchiha Shingen had no interest in the mountains and rivers of the Land of Rivers; he followed the clues compiled by the ANBU and searched all the way there.
In the forest behind him, shadowy figures moved about.
As he approached the scene of the ANBU attack, Uchiha Shingen finally turned around.
The forest behind me was silent.
"You're asking for it, so don't blame me."
He pressed his hand to the ground, and the earth trembled, sending golden sand gushing out and turning the forest yellow.
An entire primeval forest with deep roots and lush foliage was swallowed up by the sea of sand.
As the trees were swallowed up, a figure leaped up, but was immediately caught by sand rushing out from the sea of sand, dragged in along with the trees.
Uchiha Shingen left no trace of cleaning up the scene, only this warning, before turning back to continue towards the attack site.
When he arrived at the scene, no one was following him anymore.
It's obvious that this place has been "cleaned," but what's even more obvious is that while the "cleaner" demonstrated professionalism, they also seemed to have inadvertently left some flaws.
Uchiha Shingen stated that if he were to do it, he could do it more naturally.
He wasn't very interested in the evidence left behind by the other party.
He bit his finger and used his Summoning Technique.
An ordinary-looking red Toad, about the size of a dog, appeared amidst the white mist.
The Toad of Mount Myoboku are far more interested in non-combat areas than combat areas.
If we're talking about fighting, even a Genin Toad could easily kick this toad to the butt.
But if anyone takes it to solve a murder case in the Ninja World, then they are the Kogoro Mouri of the Ninja World.
You don't have to do anything, just follow along.
This is a Toad with Chakra perception.
It can sense even the smallest amount of Chakra left behind.
It's less of a skill and more of a talent; there's only one Toad like that on the entire Mount Myoboku.
The red Toad squatted in place for a while, then began to head northwest.
Uchiha Shingen wasn't in a hurry; he followed.
The journey took a bit long.
Finally, when the Toad finally stopped, what appeared before Uchiha Shingen was a city filled with towering towers.
The rain was icy cold.
"Thank you for your hard work, Heita," he said.
The red Toad nodded to him, then exploded with a bang, leaving a puff of smoke, and returned to Mount Myoboku.
Looking at the city ahead, Uchiha Shingen felt no surprise whatsoever.
A dense mass of Chakra appeared before his eyes.
This is Amegakure.
Amegakure lacked barrier technology capable of covering the entire ninja village until Nagato became their leader.
However, Nagato was only half-baked at Barrier Ninjutsu, so he used a shortcut— the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
Uchiha Shingen walked towards the village.
He's not Jiraiya; he doesn't need to infiltrate.
The environment and situation are completely different.
Upon entering the range of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, the surroundings were almost entirely filled with the color of Chakra, reflecting another function of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
But for Uchiha Shingen, it's not a big problem.
His carefree appearance also caught the attention of the Rain Ninja guarding Amegakure.
As he walked to the door, a group of Rain Ninja were already waiting there.
"Halt!" The leader of the Rain Ninja mimicked Shen Gongbao's signature gesture. "Please identify yourself."
"Those who have come to question me." Uchiha Shingen approached, and the Rain Ninja, upon seeing his face, widened their eyes.
Where are the people who attacked Leaf Village's ANBU?
"Shingen, you must have misunderstood. We are allies with Leaf Village. How could we possibly attack our ally? Please come inside, and our leader will explain in detail."
"Lead the way." Uchiha Shingen didn't care. He walked across the path cleared by the Rain Ninja and entered Amegakure.
Chapter Nineteen: Reunion with Nagato
Nagato was the leader of Amegakure, which was no secret to the higher-ups of the five great ninja villages.
This kind of practice of one person playing two roles can only deceive people temporarily.
Unfortunately, Leaf Village had Uchiha Shingen.
Hanzo had always maintained a cooperative relationship with Leaf Village, Hanzo death, that connection was severed.
This is outrageous!
The Land of Rain is an extremely important place. Supporting Hanzo in destroying Hanzo was a joint decision of the Third and Shimura Danzō. Since then, Leaf Village has maintained economic aid to Rain Village.
Nagato was able to endure for so long because the Akatsuki lacked sufficient strength and was unwilling to confront Hidden Leaf Village -on.
However, as Hanzo became increasingly disappointing, his standing in the eyes of the Hokage Building declined. Initially, the policy of "whoever threatens Hanzo will be dealt with" changed to "if Hanzo can't hold on any longer and actively seeks help, then I'll deal with him," and it was only after demonstrating a friendly attitude towards Leaf Village.
The Third was also quite saddened by this, after all, it was an old guy from the same era as him, but it had turned into this mess over time.
During the Fourth Hokage's reign, Leaf Village's attitude towards Amegakure had already reached a bottom line: they could not be ruled by Hanzo, but they had to be close to Leaf Village.
When Hanzo's regular contact stopped, Namikaze Minato did not hesitate and entrusted the task to Uchiha Shingen, who had volunteered.
Then, Uchiha Shingen, who considered himself to have a flexible bottom line but was seen by outsiders as a representative of Leaf Village's Hawks, led a thousand Konoha Ninja directly to the gates of Amegakure.
That was the second time Uchiha Shingen had met Nagato since he had seized the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
As the saying goes, "No fight, no friendship."
The meeting between the two sides was very harmonious. They both highly praised each other's Ninjutsu skills. The Rain Ninja and Konoha Ninja embraced each other warmly in the torrential rain, expressing their longing for each other and reaching a full consensus.
Leaf Village and Rain Village have maintained diplomatic relations for decades, and their friendship has a long history. Now that I have just become the new leader, I am deeply moved that you have come all the way here to congratulate me.
Nagato expressed his willingness to work together with Leaf Village Fourth Hokage's team to jointly plan the development of relations between the two villages. Uchiha Shingen also confidently stated that he would take the initiative to promote cooperation and friendship between Leaf Village and Rain Village, and maintain the tradition of mutual support between the Rain Village brothers.
Afterwards, the Rain Ninja bid a reluctant farewell to their Leaf Village brothers who had traveled from afar, their brotherly affection and respect a cause for celebration.
That day, Nagato understood why Hanzo, who once held the title of "demigod," willingly served as the Third Hokage's guard dog.
This has nothing to do with personal preferences or even political pursuits.
Rain Village is the strongest small village around Leaf Village is the strongest large village around Rain Village, nothing more.
Today, Uchiha Shingen has come again; this is his second time visiting Amegakure.
This was the third time Nagato had seen Uchiha Shingen in person.
After several years apart, the two were completely different in spirit and energy.
When the two met for the second time, Nagato, having avenged his personal Nagato, felt somewhat relieved of his burdens. He was less sharp and more magnanimous than before, because from then on, he would dedicate himself entirely to the greater cause.
When they met again, Nagato appeared somewhat haggard.
He maintained his firm steps and upright posture.
Around the Land of Rain, apart from the Land of Stone is in a state of disarray, none of the surrounding areas are easy to deal with; each one is stronger and more ruthless than the last.
The current Nagato is a replica of Hanzo in his youth; with his formidable personal strength, he has brought peace to the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Shingen could lead a thousand Leaf Village ninja to the gates of Amegakure doesn't mean others could.
Nagato may not have been a qualified leader at first, but he was willing to learn. What's most commendable is that while he learned, his original intentions remained unchanged. Amegakure is now perhaps the most united village in the entire Ninja World. Nagato conquered Rain Village with power, but he united Rain Village not through force but through his character.
Under his leadership, the Rain Ninja were completely transformed.
Nagato didn't come to see Uchiha Shingen alone; Konan, who was always by his side, was also with him.
The two sat in a small reception room with simple and unpretentious furniture: a small table, a few chairs, and a cabinet for storing tea sets and tea leaves.
The door to the High Plateau outside the house was to the left of where Uchiha Shingen was sitting, and the entrance to the room was to the right.
Konan brewed tea for the two of them, then sat down to one side and remained silent.
Nagato sat opposite Uchiha Shingen, steam rising from the teacups in front of them. After a few seconds of eye contact, Nagato spoke first.
"It's been a long time, Lord Shingen."
"Amegakure is developing quite well." Uchiha Shingen didn't touch his tea. "You're still wearing Akatsuki clothes?"
"Some things need to be done in Akatsuki's name, which is beneficial to Rain Village's stability," Nagato said.
This is also the organizational persona that Nagato created for Akatsuki.
Akatsuki is a third-party ninja organization that exists to protect the peace of the Land of Rain. They are partners of Amegakure and entrust Akatsuki with tasks that Amegakure cannot easily handle, thus fulfilling Amegakure's requests.
"Including the attack on Leaf Village's ANBU?" Uchiha Shingen didn't really believe that Akatsuki or Rain Village were behind it.
At this stage, Nagato's goal remains ensuring peace in the Land of Rain.
Akatsuki needs war to strengthen itself, but it will not do so at the expense of the peace of the Land of Rain.
Even if they were to start a war, they wouldn't do it on their own doorstep.
"We didn't do it."
"But the remaining Chakra traces point to Amegakure. Words can deceive, and evidence can be fabricated, Chakra traces are real."
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and day and night alternate; this is a natural phenomenon.
Chakra traces are the same; they'll appear once you use them.
"Amegakure is different now than it used to be; there are many outsiders coming and going," Nagato said.
That's the truth.
Today, Amegakure is no longer dilapidated. Towers stand in rows, and neon lights shimmer as night falls. The weariness from the ravages of war has faded, and the once-ruined houses have become dazzling sights that can be seen from afar.
The rain could not conceal the city's prosperity.
This is a childhood wish of Yahiko, Konan, and himself, and now it has come true.
Nagato would never dare to ruin this beautiful scenery.
"You're a ninja with Chakra perception, so you know I'm not lying. Your Rain Tiger at Will Technique isn't just for show either," Uchiha Shingen said. "If the culprit isn't from Rain Village, then they must have passed through Rain Village. Let's be honest with each other, who is it?"
Nagato frowned.
He does know a little.