Yahiko did not participate in the discussion. He sat alone on the steps of the shrine, using Kakko to look through a notebook that was wrinkled by the rain. It was densely written with <Rain Country Revival Plan Draft>, which they had discussed for more than half a year before summarizing.
There are food distribution plans, ideas for an orphan shelter system, budget estimates for post-war reconstruction, and even a crooked Land of Rain road plan drawn by Yahiko himself.
He checked every word again and again, fearing that he would say something wrong in front of Hanzo tomorrow.
Nagato walked to him and sat down silently. It took a while before he spoke, "Nervous?"
Yahiko closed the notebook, looked at the rain curtain outside, and remained silent for a long time before answering.
"It's not that I'm nervous. It's just that it feels too unreal."
He put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward slightly.
"We have done so many things and traveled to so many places, and we never expected to be seen by anyone. But now Lord Hanzo wants to see us - the most powerful man in this country, the demigod of Shinobi World, wants to listen to us."
Nagato followed his gaze and looked at the rain curtain. The rainwater flowed down along the dilapidated eaves of the shrine, forming a transparent water curtain.
He said softly, "Maybe Master Hanzo really wants to change Land of Rain."
"That's what I thought too."
Yahiko nodded, with a childish ideal in his eyes.
"Master Hanzo is the patron saint of Land of Rain. He must know the suffering of this country better than we do. His willingness to summon us shows that he is not satisfied with maintaining the status quo and wants to hear the opinions of young people. As long as we tell him the real situation and lay out our plan, he will definitely be interested."
Konan walked out of the shrine, holding two bowls of hot porridge in her hands. She put the porridge into the hands of Yahiko and Nagato, folded her arms and leaned against the pillar, her voice a little softer than usual.
"If Mr. Hanzo is willing to support us, we can promote the food distribution plan throughout Land of Rain. If he can allocate some funds to us - not much, as long as it can feed the orphans - we can expand the shelter three times. If he is willing to let us participate in the construction decision-making of Land of Rain..."
"Then we can really change Land of Rain."
Yahiko took her words and looked down at the porridge bowl in his hand. The rice grains were sparsely floating on the water, not even porridge, but he took a big gulp, as if he was drinking some delicacy.
He put the empty bowl on the steps, stood up, and said to the members of the shrine.
"Go to bed early tonight and get up as soon as Tenten is dark tomorrow. Wash the auspicious cloud robe, comb your hair neatly, and recall all the constructive opinions you usually save."
"Tomorrow we will let Mr. Hanzo know that Akatsuki is not a poor boy who can only hand out food. We are going to see him with a complete plan - a plan that can make Land of Rain move to a better place."
One member couldn't help but ask, "Yahiko, do you think Mr. Hanzo will allocate funds to us on the spot?"
Yahiko smiled.
"Don't think so much. Making our thoughts clear is victory. Lord Hanzo is the leader of Land of Rain. He must understand our feelings for this land. As long as he understands this, everything can be discussed."
Beside the fire, someone was gently stirring the bonfire, and orange-red sparks were rising in the rain.
Yahiko watched those sparks flying into the rain curtain, thinking about tomorrow, thinking that their entire "dawn" would step into the main hall of Amegakure, and Hanzo the Salamander would be waiting for them on the steps to ask them.
A group of young people who have pledged their youth to this land - their views on Land of Rain. The smile on his face is bright and pure.
"Look, the rain has lightened up a little," someone said.
Amegakure In the main hall, candlelight flickers.
Hanzo the Salamander is sitting in the main seat, wearing the iconic respiratory mask on his face, and no one can tell his expression under the mask.
His hands are placed flat on his knees, and his back is straight, but if you look carefully, you will find that his knuckles are slightly white.
There was a scroll spread out in front of him, which recorded in detail the activities of Akatsuki in the territory of Land of Rain in the past six months.
Distributing food, taking in orphans, mediating disputes, and repairing bridges and roads. The writing is neat and the content is detailed, written by Amegakure Anbu.
Hanzo has been looking at this scroll for a whole hour. The candlelight cast his shadow on the wall behind him, motionless.
There were footsteps outside the door.
"Come in." Hanzo didn't even raise his head.
The door opened. A figure wrapped in a black cloak walked in silently, with the brim of the hat pulled very low, covering most of his face.
The visitor's walking posture was slightly lame, and his right leg seemed to be half a beat slower than his left leg, but he took each step very steadily, as if he was using crutches to measure the gaps in the floor tiles.
He stopped three steps away from Hanzo, stretched out his right hand, and took off the cap of his cloak.
Bandage.
Layers of bandages wrapped around the right half of the visitor's face, from forehead to chin, leaving only one left eye exposed. Shimura Danzō, Konoha's "Darkness of Tolerance", The guy who was defeated and captured by Uchiha Shaoyu in Third Shinobi World War was now standing in the main hall of Amegakure, like a dead tree that had been struck by lightning.
"Danzo." Hanzo raised his eyes, his tone as calm as greeting an old friend, "How are you recovering from your injury?"
"No trouble."
Danzo's voice is much hoarse than it was three years ago, as if there is something stuck in the throat that can never be coughed out.
He sat down on the futon opposite Hanzo, his movements were very slow, and his right leg needed help from his hands to bend it. The battle that year left much more on him than just the lost right eye.
His meridians were extensively damaged by Blood Manipulation, four ribs were broken, his left lung was punctured, and his spine was dislocated.
It is already a miracle for Izanagi to survive, but Miracle is not responsible for helping him regain his strength.
After three years of recuperation, he was at best able to recover to a level one level better than an elite jounin. He was already far away from the Kage Level of Kage Level--Konoha, and Kage Level--the peak of Shinobi World.
But these are not what he hates most. What he hates most is that Minato Namikaze has taken Hokage's seat.
Hanzo pushed the scroll forward, and the sound came out through the breathing mask. It was muffled, but every word could be heard clearly.
"Akatsuki. The leaders are three young people, the oldest is no more than seventeen years old. They did these things for half a year." He tapped the scroll with his finger, "You can see for yourself."
Danzo did not read the scroll.
He pulled a thicker document from his sleeve and threw it on the table.
The documents were spread out, revealing dense information - Akatsuki's member list, scope of activities, sources of funds, ability assessments of key members, and even detailed portraits of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Yahiko is grinning in the portrait, and his smile is so bright that it dazzles your eyes.