Even if it means death, I have to go

Uchiha Yan still had no idea how deeply his taking the blame upon himself had shaken the Uchiha clansmen.

Nor did he know that the benefits this act brought would keep coming.

He was still on his way to the Land of Rain. With Uchiha Jinyan and the others' chakra sealed, their journey there took longer than last time.

Along the way, Jinyan wanted to ask questions several times, but feared Uchiha Yan would call him an idiot.

As they approached Amegakure, Jinyan could no longer hold back and spoke to Uchiha Yan.

"Yan, how are we supposed to find the killer without any clues? And they might not even be in the Land of Rain!"

"Ah!"

Uchiha Yan had already grown numb to this. After a long sigh, he explained.

"I've already guessed who the killer is. I had you come to the Land of Rain to keep you alive and find a way to learn the Rinnegan's abilities.

"Remember! I'm having you gather intelligence on the Rinnegan, not fight it. You're to gather information without making an enemy of it.

"Most importantly, keep an eye on news from the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind. If they join the war, notify Konoha immediately."

"What did you say?"

Kakashi seized Uchiha Yan by the collar and stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Tell me! Who's the killer?"

"What good would telling you do? They know Space-Time Ninjutsu. Do you?"

Uchiha Yan showed no fear. "It's only a guess. I don't have proof yet. The killer's involvement has too many ramifications, so I can't tell you for now.

"But one thing is certain: once you master the Flying Thunder God Technique, you'll learn who the killer is."

Kakashi covered his left eye, his voice growing flat again.

"I can't learn it!"

"Listen to yourself. Isn't it just that the transplanted Sharingan leaves you short of chakra? Learn Haoran Qi! The Analects was practically made for you.

"Captain Kakashi, not to criticize, but you have to tackle difficulties head-on. Even if there aren't any, you should create some and tackle those.

"Where there's poison, there's an antidote within a hundred paces. I'm the antidote to your Sharingan.

"What are you waiting for? Get on your knees and beg me to teach you Haoran Qi!

"If you don't want to learn Confucian Haoran Qi, there's also the Daoist Qi Body Source Flow and the Buddhist Six Supernatural Powers.

"You know Hashirama Senju? His strongest ninjutsu, Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, came from Buddhism. So did his Sealing Jutsu, Gate of the Great God.

"Here's another example. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist came from Daoist Wudang Tai Chi, and their Eight Trigrams Palm came from the Eight Gates. They just haven't learned them properly.

"I'm telling you...

"Why aren't you talking? Were you born not liking to talk?

"Jinyan, why aren't you talking either?

"..."

Everyone tacitly lowered their heads and ignored Uchiha Yan. After spending days together, they all knew he was a chatterbox who never stopped once he got going.

Not only did he never stop, but he could talk about everything under the sun, from the history of the Shinobi World to war and peace.

Jinyan grumbled inwardly. No wonder Yan said awakening his Sharingan would be easy. If this happened somewhere with no one else around, never mind the Sharingan-he would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!

An hour later, Kakashi and the others entered Amegakure's territory. This time, Uchiha Yan did not head for the center of the village. Instead, he looked straight up and shouted into the air.

"Senior Konan! Senior Yahiko! I've brought you presents!"

"Senior Konan! Come out! I have something good for you!"

"Senior Yahiko, where are you?"

Meanwhile, inside a cave, Nagato opened his eyes, a strange expression crossing his face.

"Zetsu, what's happened in Konoha lately?"

"A while ago, the Uchiha and Root fought a major battle. A lot of people died. These people are being sent to the Land of Rain to investigate the Fourth Hokage's killer."

"The killer is in the Land of Rain?"

"It's just an excuse. They're guarding against the Land of Earth while keeping these people alive. There are two jonin among them, after all."

Nagato nodded slightly. "Konan, go to the village entrance. Uchiha Yan is shouting his head off there."

?????

Konan froze for a moment, then frowned. "Was he involved in this?"

"To save the Uchiha clansmen's lives, Uchiha Yan volunteered to take responsibility. He also has to go to the Land of Water battlefield and serve under Danzo.

"Hehehe, Danzo has wanted to kill Uchiha Yan for a long time.

"Angel, today should be the last time you see Uchiha Yan."

At Zetsu's answer, Nagato and Konan's mouths fell slightly open. Neither had expected that, and Nagato asked outright.

"Why volunteer to take responsibility? What do other people's lives have to do with him?"

"No idea. But he's here, so just ask him."

"True! Konan, I'll have Pain take you there."

Before long, Pain appeared before Uchiha Yan with Zetsu and Konan.

As soon as they met, before Konan could speak, Zetsu asked first, "Uchiha Yan, I hear you're going to the Land of Water battlefield. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Hello, senior!"

Uchiha Yan greeted him with a smile. "Who isn't afraid of dying? But some things have to be done even if they mean death.

"Cultivate yourself, bring order to your family, govern the nation, and bring peace to the world. Only by doing well yourself can you influence those around you. Only when those around you do well can they influence the people of the village, and only when the villagers do well can they influence the entire nation.

"If I die for my clansmen this time, there will be clansmen who die for Konoha. If someone dies for Konoha, there will be people who die for peace in the Shinobi World.

"Peace always demands bloodshed. One generation's blood in exchange for peace for generations to come-that's worth it!"

Zetsu lowered his head, something he rarely did. He was beginning to admire Uchiha Yan a little. He felt that Uchiha Yan was much like him, willing to give everything for his goal.

Pain pointed at Uchiha Jinyan and the others and asked, "The Third sent them here to find the killer. Why seal their chakra?"

"What killer? The killer is an Uchiha. Once I finish putting together the Uchiha family tree, I'll know who it is."

Uchiha Yan stated the purpose of this visit outright. "They're here to guard against the Land of Earth and serve their punishment!

"Right now, three major nations in the Shinobi World are facing war. Missions are bound to pile up in the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and some smaller nations.

"I noticed that the Land of Rain doesn't have many ninja, so I suggested that the Third Hokage send them here to carry out missions.

"Thirty percent of the mission payments will go to Konoha as compensation. Seventy percent will stay in the Land of Rain to improve its people's lives.

"Senior Yahiko, let me make this clear up front. If you agree, that seventy percent can only be spent on the people."

Konan stared fixedly at the masked Root ninja. "What if they die?"

"Then they die! How could there be no deaths on a battlefield?"

"Why don't you stay in the Land of Rain and send them to the battlefield?"

Uchiha Yan explained quietly, "Senior Konan, one side is Root and the other is Uchiha, while Danzo and the clan head are on two different battlefields. Neither side is a suitable place to send them.

"It's best to send them somewhere else. If Konoha's front lines can no longer hold someday, these two elite jonin might be able to turn the tide.

"The Land of Rain is the best place for them. You're Senior Jiraiya's students, and you're strong enough to keep them in check.

"They've also never seen how people in small nations suffer. Let them experience it. Perhaps it'll change their temperaments, and they'll be able to protect the weak in the future.

"Without experiencing suffering, you can't understand it. Without experiencing the cruelty of war, you'll never understand how hard-won peace is."

"I can agree to that."

Konan gave her answer gravely. "But you have to stay too. Danzo will definitely kill you."

"No!"

Uchiha Yan shook his head. "I have to go, even if I'm cut to pieces."

"But if you die, everything will be gone. Haven't you always wanted to pursue peace?"