Land of Rain X Akatsuki Organization

"Land of Rain?"

The next day, Yue's three-person team set off again, following their new teacher, Shishiro.

However, after learning the details of the mission, Yue's expression changed.

"Things are quite chaotic in the Land of Rain right now, aren't they?" he asked softly.

"Mm."

Shishiro, not yet twenty, nodded gravely. "But you don't need to worry too much. Our mission is just to escort this merchant caravan. It's precisely because the situation in the Land of Rain is unfavorable that the employer entrusted our village with this task."

According to the map, the Land of Rain, ruled by the so-called "Demi-God of Shinobi," Hanzo of the Salamander, was located below the Land of Grass.

The two countries were adjacent, so the journey wasn't far.

But the problem was that internal affairs in the Land of Rain had become somewhat delicate due to the emergence of a new power.

This was the Akatsuki Organization, led by Yahiko.

After the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzo of the Salamander had lost his youthful vigor and ambition. He now spent his days indulging in pleasure at the 'royal court,' rarely concerning himself with state affairs. Initially, Hanzo had no strong feelings about the emergence of the Akatsuki Organization. But with the appearance of one person, Danzō… after this old man stirred up trouble, Hanzo began to fear the Akatsuki, leading him to conspire with Danzō to plot the demise of Yahiko.

While it wasn't clear if Hanzo had colluded with Danzō, the appearance of the Akatsuki had indeed thrown the Land of Rain into chaos.

These individuals, under the guise of justice, were eradicating evils within the Land of Rain, which was indeed a good deed. But Hanzo was still alive… their actions were somewhat overstepping the boundaries. Moreover, the greater Yahiko's fame grew, the more he rallied people to his cause, gaining good reputation and prestige… this in itself was a provocation to Hanzo.

Furthermore, the constant wars had also made the Land of Rain very unsafe.

After giving a few instructions, Shishiro turned and walked towards the caravan not far away.

The caravan consisted of four people and three wooden carts pulled by horses.

"What's wrong?"

Ryuga noticed Yue's unusual expression and asked quietly.

"Nothing…"

Yue shook his head. "Just be careful. There's an organization in the Land of Rain that's recently risen to prominence, called the Akatsuki. They're a group not under the control of the Rain Village. The members are all very strong, beyond our current capabilities… Fortunately, the Akatsuki acts with a certain degree of uprightness, so they likely won't trouble us if we encounter them. What I'm more worried about is getting caught up in some conflict."

"Although this mission is ranked C, there are potential variables."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Ryuga looked at Shishiro.

"He's much stronger than Masada, so… he should be fine, right?"

"Anyway… if something really happens, the two of us will listen to you."

Ryuga exchanged a look with Yoshitaka and nodded emphatically.

Completely ignoring Shishiro standing beside them.

Yue remained silent.

Shishiro, a Special Jonin.

While he had touched the threshold of Jonin, they shouldn't forget that they hailed from the Grass Village.

Yue knew the Grass Village's reputation all too well.

If measured by the unified standards of the shinobi world, Shishiro would only be an average Chunin out in the world, with much of his rank being inflated.

The group then set off, heading towards the Rain Village.

The first half of the journey was relatively peaceful, with no incidents.

They simply chatted with the members of the merchant caravan from the Land of Rain.

And gathered some information.

According to the caravan boss, each land had its own environment and customs. Although Hanzo of the Salamander founded the Rain Village, he seemed to lack talent in governance. Moreover, Hanzo of the Salamander had established his rule over the village through sheer force in his early years. Coupled with the impact and aftermath of the Second Shinobi World War, the various factions within the Land of Rain were extremely fragmented and chaotic, numbering an astonishing amount. Many of these factions were founded with malicious intent, causing the common people to complain bitterly.

Hanzo of the Salamander, however, turned a blind eye to this, as long as these factions outwardly 'bowed to him,' he was too lazy to intervene.

Many of these factions were connected to the higher echelons of the Rain Village, including trusted confidants of Hanzo.

Therefore, only the common people suffered.

Regarding the Akatsuki, the boss admitted… he had heard of them. At least, the reputation of this organization, passed down by word of mouth, was good.

They were different from ordinary factions; they seemed to be a group of righteous warriors.

The group proceeded slowly, stopping and starting, as they had the caravan and its cargo. They walked the entire way.

They were three days away from reaching the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain.

What caught Yue's attention was that they had encountered ninjas from the Land of Earth, the Stone Village, along the way… Both sides had spotted each other. But the ninjas from the Stone Village seemed to be merely passing through. After realizing they were not enemies and posed no threat, they disappeared.

This was still within the borders of the Land of Grass, yet ninjas from another country could appear so 'openly.' This made Yue slightly nervous.

After all, this was not a peaceful era. In the wilderness, especially on one's 'own territory'… encountering ninjas from other villages unexpectedly, without knowing if they were friend or foe, no one could guarantee their safety.

At first, he managed to hold back from asking, until they encountered another group.

This time, it was Konoha from the Land of Fire.

The ninja attire they wore, along with the forehead protectors they carried, made Yue's heart stir.

He didn't recognize these two people, though; they weren't characters from the story.

However, the appearance of one of them was quite distinctive. He was bundled up in a heavy coat, and the sunglasses in particular made him subconsciously think of the Aburame Clan.

There were only two people on the other side, and they seemed to be on a mission as well.

Upon spotting them, they proactively revealed themselves and greeted them.

They expressed 'friendship.'

What was even more 'inconceivable' was that Shishiro went forward and struck up a conversation with them.

After a brief exchange, he watched them leave.

"Teacher... why can people from Konoha freely enter and exit our Land of Grass?" Yue asked Shishiro after the others had gone.

Normally, the borders of countries would have village ninja guarding them.

But it seemed that several major routes connecting the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire were wide open, like empty doorways, completely unguarded.

The same was true for the routes to the Land of Earth.

If it was a matter of the village's strength being disproportionate and lacking personnel... Yue could understand that.

But to be completely undefended seemed a bit excessive.

They truly weren't worried at all.

"There's also diplomacy between villages. Simply put, this is a kind of diplomatic policy for our Grass Village. As long as the other party has village documents and has notified one of our outposts in advance, it's fine," Shishiro explained after thinking for a moment and choosing his words carefully.

"..."

Yue was speechless.

A passage flashed through his mind.

He remembered reading something in his previous life that described the Grass Village's positioning with remarkable accuracy.

Grass Village, Grass Village—since it was grass, this village developed aimlessly, like tender grass swaying in the wind...

Of course, there were gains and losses. Excellent diplomatic tactics were the key to the Grass Village's survival amidst several major powers. It also allowed them to grasp the movements of other countries early on and obtain a large amount of intelligence, including the ninjutsu of other villages.

Although he was somewhat speechless, Yue also understood the village's intentions.

No one wants to show weakness, but there was no other way.

It was very passive.

The encounters with Stone Village and Konoha were just minor detours.

However, they also made Yue realize that the current shinobi world was not 'peaceful.'

The next day, they finally followed the 'official road' and, after submitting documents to the ninja of the Land of Rain, entered the Land of Rain.

Normal exchanges between villages like theirs would not be met with obstruction.