The Land of Rain, Akatsuki Base.
Because their daily activities are all voluntary and they refuse to charge the public, Akatsuki members live a difficult life and can only use abandoned factories as their base.
However, on this day, the appearance of a person claiming to Amegakure Messenger) boosted the morale of the Akatsuki members and filled their leader, Yahiko, with excitement.
"Are you telling the truth? Hanzō the Salamander approves of our actions and is willing to meet with us in a few days?!"
Danzo glanced at the crowd without leaving a trace, confirming that the person in front of him was indeed the leader of Akatsuki. Danzo tone was calm, as if he were really just a messenger responsible for delivering a message.
"That's right, I am Heiji, the right-hand man of Lord Hanzō the Salamander, Heiji the Rain-Dodger. After hearing about your deeds, Lord Hanzō the Salamander instructed me to personally deliver the letter to the Akatsuki leader."
Upon hearing this, Yahiko, with his full head of orange hair and already immersed in excitement, revealed his identity and took the letter from Danzo.
With that face etched deeply into his heart, Danzo farewell and disappeared amidst the crowd's excitement.
After a moment, Danzo, now dressed in his usual attire, tapped his cane, and several Root members appeared.
"That Orange-Haired Hedgehog Head brat is the leader. The little girl next to him seems to be an Akatsuki cadre. She caused some trouble in the Akatsuki's subordinate villages and handed the hostages over to Hanzō the Salamander."
" Konoha will not interfere in the affairs of other countries' ninja villages, understand?"
"Yes!"
The Root ninjas dispersed, looked up at the sky, and the incessant rain throughout the year stirred a sense of unease and doubt in Danzo's heart.
"Did we miss any clues? What exactly is missing in this chilling feeling? Just to be on the safe side, let's prepare an extra layer of insurance."
In the evening, not wanting to disturb her companions who were excited about the impending peace, Konan went alone to inspect the village, which was ravaged by war.
In the ruins, just as I was confirming that there was no problem around me and was about to return, I glanced into a corner and saw a small foot trapped under the rubble.
Rushing to the ruins, Konan confirmed that there was still a faint breathing sound. She quickly pushed the heavy object on top aside, her tone urgent.
"Can you still speak?"
As the child's body turned over, a sudden cracking sound came from its mouth, and puffs of Purple Mist gushed out, instantly making Konan dizzy.
'Poisonous fog! Oh no, the Sunagakure Puppet...'
In the last few seconds before losing consciousness, I only heard a dazed conversation.
"Was it successful?"
"Ah, let's send this guy to Lord Hanzo now..."
' Hanzō the Salamander... Oh no, Yahiko, Nagato, quick...'
They tried their best to send the message back, but they didn't even have the strength to move; the world was plunged into darkness.
After the brief conversation ended and the effects of the medicine wore off, the Root members, dressed in Amegakure Attire, quickly disappeared from the spot.
The next day, as dawn broke, the Akatsuki members, still groggy, had just woken up when they saw Yahiko, pale-faced, instinctively looking around as if searching for something.
" Nagato, hasn't Konan returned yet?"
With his Red-Haired Shanks covering his eyes, Nagato instantly lost his sleepiness. Before the others could set off to search, an Akatsuki member rushed over.
"Brother Yahiko, Nagato, something terrible has happened! Konan has been captured by those ninjas from Amegakure, and they said... they said they'll only release her if the two of you go."
These words immediately stirred up a huge uproar.
"What! That despicable Hanzō the Salamander, who calls himself the God of Shinobi, actually resorted to such a despicable trick as taking hostages."
"Chief, we mustn't fall for it! There's definitely a trap here; they might have already secretly prepared one..."
For a moment, the crowd became agitated. Seeing this, Yahiko raised his voice slightly to signal everyone to be quiet.
"Calm down. There might be some misunderstanding. You all stay here and don't act rashly. Trust in my and Nagato's strength. Let's go, Nagato."
With time running out, Yahiko and Nagato acted swiftly. Even knowing that the road ahead was fraught with danger, they still rushed to the location without hesitation.
Dark clouds swept across the horizon, and a torrential downpour began.
The weeping in the Land of Rain never ceased. When Yahiko and Nagato rushed to the designated negotiation location, they were met with a dense Konan of Rain Ninja and Konan, who had been taken prisoner.
" Hanzo, why did you do such a thing?"
"You childish brats, your existence is far too much of a hindrance. As the leader, you shall die here, Yahiko."
Hanzō the Salamander looked down at the two boys he had once seen as the turning point for the Land of Rain, their Kunai gleaming coldly.
"Hurry up, that redhead over there, or I'll kill her."
The bound Konan hurriedly spoke up, trying to dissuade him, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in Yahiko's eyes.
On the other hand, within the Akatsuki Akatsuki, members who were about to go to support their leader were stopped by a pale-faced, seemingly unrelated being.
"Can you tell me what the urge to defecate actually feels like?"
After a series of screams, the surrounding area fell silent. A half-black, half-white figure emerged from the nearby grass and trees.
"Now that's done, Nagato will have no worries. Alright, just how far can the Rinnegan, driven by hatred, go? Let's go, Tobi."
A moment later, a figure in black stepped through the air, looked down at the tragic scene below, and then turned around.
"What a strange feeling. Only the ability to perceive emotions has been retained. Kid, what exactly did you do?"
"It's just temporarily transferring your spiritual energy into a spirit particle state to this special modified prosthetic Gigai. Are you interested in seeing something you haven't seen for a thousand years? Shunpo."
The surging spiritual energy draws upon Natural Energy, which in turn propels the figure to disappear from its original position.
On the distant hillside, Nagato struggled to pick up the Kunai from the ground. Just as he was about to speak, a familiar figure bumped into his arms.
" Nagato, if it's you, you can definitely save this world... You are the savior of this world. You must live on with Konan..."
" Yahiko!!!"
The torrential rain, the icy raindrops made everything lose its warmth, and the sounds that echoed in my ears gradually faded away, completely taking away the last remaining warmth and bonds.
"Let's do it."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Even now, with Yahiko dead, Hanzō the Salamander still has no intention of letting them go.
Raising his right hand, the murderous intent that he had suppressed deep within him was completely ignited.
" Shinra Tensei ".
Bang bang bang, the dense Kunai of kunai was repelled by an invisible repulsive force until Nagato raised his head and his purple eyes met those of Hanzō the Salamander. With a sway, Hanzō the Salamander quickly retreated, and Nagato casually untied the rope binding Konan.
" Konan, you..."
With a soft splatter, blood splattered everywhere. Nagato stared Nagato -eyed at the tear-streaked face and the dark lines that covered it.