"Lord Hanzō, are we really going to do this?"
An Amegakure jonin seemed somewhat unable to bear it. After all, these were children willing to give their lives for the Land of Rain.
"..."
Hanzō of the Salamander remained kneeling where he was, as though he had not heard the question.
Or perhaps he was asking himself the same thing: Was this truly worth it?
He came from a samurai background. Though he now identified himself as a shinobi, a samurai's pride still ran deep in his bones.
"Say no more. Lord Hanzō has his own considerations."
A level-headed Rain shinobi pulled his companion back and spoke quietly.
One's position determined one's perspective.
People in different positions viewed the same matter from entirely different angles.
His companion was not wrong. If they joined Konoha in slaughtering their own countrymen, then they would truly have bowed their heads.
Lord Hanzō was not wrong either. If he refused Shimura Danzō's proposal, the advantage Amegakure had painstakingly built during the Second Great Ninja War would collapse in an instant, and the situation in the Land of Rain would only become worse than it was now.
"Let's go."
As they left, the spacious room sank into silence.
"Hah..."
The veins on the hand Hanzō of the Salamander had wrapped around his scythe's handle bulged visibly...
Naruto stared wide-eyed at the young man before him. After a long while, he asked:
"So you're Light of Dawn?"
How should he put it? After spending several days traveling about, he had assumed before meeting them that Akatsuki's leader would be some older, scheming fellow with the nation's interests at heart.
"That's right, we're Akatsuki." Yahiko, with his short dark-yellow hair, crossed his arms and nodded firmly.
"So? Want to join us?"
"Let's work together to win