Rain Hidden Trio

Rain Hidden Trio

What was a transmigrator's greatest advantage?

Besides knowing the world's general course of development, the most important thing was understanding the personalities of all the major figures!

Hypocrites, honorable men, schemers—no matter how well they hid themselves, they could not escape a transmigrator's eyes.

—After all, he had read the original work.

The world's timeline might change due to a transmigrator's involvement, but the personalities of its major figures were far harder to alter.

Hyuga Yuto knew very well what Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were like deep down.

At the very least, for now, the three of them were on the side of justice.

Among them, Yahiko, the founder and leader of Akatsuki, could practically be seen as an Uzumaki Naruto without a beard! Passionate and uninhibited, valuing friendship, devoted to his dreams, exceptionally resilient, and also... very naive.

Hyuga Yuto knew that meeting these three would pose no danger to him.

Looking at Takeda Shigen and Asano Kaoru, whose bodies were tensed before him, Hyuga Yuto smiled faintly.

"Do you know why I came to the Rain Ninja Village? And why would I want to meet your leader?"

Takeda Shigen's reply carried undisguised pride.

"Over the past few years, every foreign ninja who came to the Land of Rain has been interested in our leader. Even assassins who come here to make money wouldn't mind getting information about him... that's worth more than a head."

He spoke openly and forthrightly.

"Akatsuki... fine, you've convinced me." As the veins around his eyes slowly faded, Hyuga Yuto took several steps back, putting a reassuring distance between them. "Your life is yours again."

Takeda Shigen and Asano Kaoru both sighed in relief. The distance just now had been far too close for the Hyuga Clan, experts in close-quarters combat.

"It's great that we can solve this without fighting..." Takeda Shigen muttered. After Kaoru discreetly pinched him, he composed himself and said, "Friend from the Hidden Leaf Village, where would you like to meet? We can leave you a radio."

"That won't be necessary." Hyuga Yuto shrugged. "I'll just come with you. Is that convenient?"

"..." Takeda Shigen froze. This guy trusted them that much? Wasn't he afraid of being set up? Had their dream of world peace already come true?

"What? Is that not possible?"

"It is. Kaoru and I were about to return to base for treatment anyway. If you don't mind, come with us."

The two supported each other as they entered a narrow alley. Hyuga Yuto followed behind them at an unhurried pace, looking even more relaxed than the pair ahead of him.

The Hidden Rain Village's architecture was highly distinctive. Towering steel buildings rose sharp and narrow, while the alleys were cramped, lined on both sides with straight metal walls. The sliver-of-sky terrain placed immense psychological pressure on anyone passing through.

They wound through the alleys before finally entering a massive underground pipeline, where they walked for over thirty minutes.

"Don't worry. The underground complex beneath the Hidden Rain Village is enormous," Takeda Shigen kindly explained. "It's the rainy season here all year round, and the precipitation is too heavy. The city's underground drainage system has to be the best in the world. It's been expanding for years, and there are plenty of hidden places that even the maintenance workers don't know about."

"Why are you hiding underground?" Hyuga Yuto was somewhat curious. He knew that at this point, Akatsuki still had a fairly good relationship with Hanzo the Salamander and had not yet been targeted.

"We're not exactly hiding..." Takeda Shigen said indifferently. "Rent above ground is too expensive."

"Huh?" Hyuga Yuto failed to react for a moment.

"You're a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village and come from a major clan, so it's normal that you don't know how expensive daily necessities are." Takeda Shigen truly had a good temper and was very patient with people. "Ninja tools cost money, treatment costs money, training costs money, food costs money, and publicity and fighting cost even more... Akatsuki is already fairly large now, and there are too many places that need money. How could we possibly have spare funds to rent such a large piece of land? Luckily, the village has an enormous underground structure, so it's quite convenient down here, though it does make us seem a bit like rats..."

Takeda Shigen suddenly grunted and shut his mouth.

—His female subordinate had pinched him hard again.

Hyuga Yuto almost laughed. This pair was rather interesting: an honest captain and a cold, sharp-tongued female subordinate. In terms from his previous life, they had an inexplicably "shippable" dynamic.

He felt that this period of hardship had definitely left a deep impression on Konan and Nagato. Otherwise, after going dark, they would not have desperately squeezed their wage slave Kakuzu dry, developing an almost pathological desire to accumulate money.

As they spoke, they arrived before a steel gate.

"This is it. I sent word to the leader on the way here. They'll be waiting for us inside."

"They?" Hyuga Yuto's tone and expression were worthy of a professional actor, displaying just the right amount of surprise and curiosity.

"Yes. Officially, Akatsuki has only one leader, but in truth, all three of them are people worthy of our loyalty."

Takeda Shigen pushed open the steel gate and entered first with Asano Kaoru. Hyuga Yuto followed without the slightest hesitation.

Three young people stood inside.

The one in front had orange hair, a tall build, and handsome features. He looked like an upright and open-hearted person.

Next was a young woman with purple hair. She was very beautiful, though her expression was rather cold, and a paper flower was pinned in her hair.

The last was a crimson-haired fellow standing at the back. He had his head lowered, his long bangs covering most of his face, leaving others able to see only his overly pale skin, nose, and lips.

—Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato!

They're so young. They only look four or five years older than me... Hyuga Yuto thought as he calmly examined them.

"Leader..." Supported by Asano Kaoru, Takeda Shigen walked over and said to Yahiko, "This is the ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. He..."

Hyuga Yuto removed his dark goggles, revealing his pure white eyes.

"My name is Hyuga Yuto."

"Oh... from the Hyuga Clan? This is my first time seeing those eyes up close." Yahiko smiled. "Thank you for trusting us. Even in the Hidden Rain Village, many ninja call Akatsuki rats."

"Rats don't protect civilians. I've seen everything Takeda Shigen has done. He's a ninja with a strong sense of responsibility and courage."

"Haha... uh." Takeda Shigen grinned foolishly, only to receive another thunderous pinch from his female subordinate.

After checking Takeda Shigen and Asano Kaoru's injuries, Yahiko had the two of them go receive treatment.

Only the Rain Hidden Trio and Hyuga Yuto remained in the enormous steel chamber.

Whenever they dealt with outsiders, Yahiko generally took control throughout. He gave a light cough and smiled.

"Hyuga Yuto... I know of you. The genius of the Hyuga branch family, Hyuga's Jade, and the disciple of Lady Tsunade of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Hyuga Yuto's expression remained calm. Three months had already passed since he became Tsunade's disciple. If Akatsuki still did not know that information, then Konan could only be called useless—capable of nothing but wasting money.

"I never expected Shigen to run into you. What incredible luck..." Yahiko paused, then said solemnly, "Hyuga, I would like to ask you to deliver a letter to one of the Three Sannin of the Hidden Leaf Village."

(End of Chapter)