Beneath a leaky roof, Yue lay in a room.
Besides him, there were many wounded Akatsuki members inside.
Everyone was crammed together, with only a small space cleared for him.
It was obvious they were in the midst of a bitter battle.
In the rooms throughout the courtyard, injured people with wounds ranging from light to severe lay scattered about.
This was likely one of their temporary bases.
That explained why Yue had seen so many corpses before entering the village.
Muted conversation between Yahiko and the others drifted in from outside. As the leader, he seemed to be arranging some sort of plan.
His voice no longer carried its earlier cheerfulness. Instead, it had become exceptionally grave.
Through the doorframe, Yue could vaguely see the people gathered around Yahiko. Their eyes held admiration and respect when they looked at him.
The frivolity of teasing their leader was gone as well.
At their first meeting, Yahiko had reminded Yue of someone.
Jiraiya.
Of course, as the leader of Akatsuki, once he got serious... he had a different kind of charm.
Yue mainly watched Nagato and Konan. The way the two looked at Yahiko was somewhat different from everyone else.
After a while, Yue closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Yet he hardly slept peacefully that night.
People kept coming and going through the courtyard, their footsteps a chaotic clatter... and wounded Akatsuki members were occasionally carried in.
Some of them, including Konan, busied themselves treating the injured.
When dawn broke the next morning, he got up.
He sat alone in the courtyard, observing every movement of the Akatsuki Organization.
No one paid him any attention.
Everyone seemed terribly busy, and the battle outside appeared to be at a critical point.
This group was the backbone and core of the Akatsuki Organization on this battlefield, so they were all quite strong... at least, judging from the presence they gave off and the looks in their eyes, they were unlike the ninjas of Kusagakure. After all, the Land of Rain was a different environment, and Akatsuki was practically a force tempered in battles of every scale.
What moved Yue most was their resolve. They were united as one... acting entirely on the passion burning in their hearts.
Though their casualties were so severe, they still charged ahead without hesitation, brimming with drive.
Occasionally, someone with free time would come chat with Yue, but most were merely teasing him for amusement.
Over time, Yue grew familiar with them. At the very least, he could name the people with particularly distinctive faces.
Within a few days, he had perfectly integrated into this environment.
The others did not care about the sudden appearance of this little brat, either.
Yue was certain he would not be able to return to Kusagakure anytime soon. Konan had said she would send him away when she had the time... but that would probably have to wait until this war was over. From the fragments of conversation among these people, Yue had also pieced together some information. Akatsuki seemed to be fighting a local tyrant involved in despicable dealings. Not only did he command hired private troops, but he had also gathered rogue ninjas under his banner... most importantly, this force had dealings with one of Amegakure's higher-ups.
Yahiko had previously received word that the village official would be returning, so he had sent Sousuke to capture him.
Only if there was absolutely no other choice was he to kill the man.
Yahiko did not believe in answering violence with violence. He advocated peace.
For him to give an assassination order, that higher-up must have played a crucial role in the war.
And his character and conduct must have been utterly vile.
Unfortunately, Sousuke had never found an opportunity to strike along the way. He followed the target back to Amegakure, and the mission ultimately failed.
Yue also learned that many forces similar to feudal lords existed within the Land of Rain, akin to regional warlords. Hanzo of the Salamander did not concern himself much with them, since they were far from his reach. Moreover, the leaders of those forces all had ties to Amegakure, which made matters extremely difficult.
However, none of that had anything to do with Yue. Once he realized he could not leave for the time being,
he began his daily training and also studied the ninjutsu he had obtained from Grass Seed.
He was not afraid of exposing his abilities. To these Akatsuki members, the few ninjutsu he practiced were child's play... instead, while training, he received pointers from some of them. From the coordination between Chakra circulation and hand seals to techniques for controlling Chakra during casting, Yue benefited enormously.
At the very least, everyone he had interacted with was at the level of a Chunin. If they were placed in Kusagakure, becoming a special jonin would not be difficult. Sousuke and the others were outright jonin-level powerhouses. Their experience and guidance hit the mark every time, giving Yue a new understanding of ninjutsu.
He picked up the several ninjutsu remarkably quickly as well.
At Kusagakure, one Chunin taught an entire class of students, while jonin only occasionally came in as guest instructors, and not often.
Now, a group of special jonin, jonin, and even elite jonin seniors were watering him alone, a single sapling.
The quality of instruction had immediately risen by several levels.
The group of jonin he mentioned was actually only a handful of people, including Yahiko's trio... it was simply that quite a few people had come to teach him at different times.
After all, it was no easy task for even a village to produce several jonin.
Much less an Akatsuki with no official backing.
Their strength had all been forged through countless battles.
That was the only path.
Naturally, having a group of good teachers helped, but whether teachers could teach well still depended on the student's comprehension.
Yue's comprehension left these Akatsuki experts speechless.
Even when they explained things that were obscure and difficult to understand, Yue, despite being just a little child, seemed able to comprehend them.
They did not need to explain much further.
Sousuke had said more than once that Yue's talent was exceptional.
He had even urged Yue not to return to Kusagakure and instead stay in Akatsuki to become one of them.
Of course, Sousuke had been joking.
Even if he wanted Yue to join Akatsuki, Yahiko would not agree.
The current Akatsuki was a group of people with ideals and aspirations. Yahiko would never drag a child from another village into their affairs.
Even though he also believed Yue possessed extraordinary potential.
Yue did not feel the slightest bit pleased by their praise.
His so-called comprehension stemmed, frankly, from having an adult soul in his body and knowing how to think.
He was not like an ordinary immature child.
As for his aptitude as a ninja, that was also a bonus brought by the Grim Reaper.
It was not the foundation of this former body from the world of Naruto.
Besides, compared with Yahiko's trio, his little bit of talent... was far inferior.
After three years of Jiraiya's instruction, they had gone from ordinary people to possessing the strength to contend with jonin. That was not something just anyone could accomplish.
Their current level was even more beyond mention.
Even with the Uzumaki Clan bloodline and the Rinnegan's buffs, Nagato was still exceptionally outstanding for having achieved this. At present, he had not fully awakened the Rinnegan's power, nor could he wield or use it freely.
Three years. In only three years, they had gone from ordinary people to powerful figures capable of establishing themselves in the ninja world. That was true monstrosity.
Still, it surely had much to do with their teacher, Jiraiya.
The next day, in an unoccupied corner of the rear courtyard,
Yue rapidly formed hand seals and drew upon the Chakra within his body, using the ninjutsu he had just learned.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
He opened his mouth, and a stream of flame immediately shot out, gathering into a thin red line. Only after it neared the target area did the fire slowly spread, scorching the air and sending a wave of heat rolling out.
However, Yue was not very satisfied.
For one thing, the flames did not shoot fast enough. For another, they tended to scatter and splash apart as they traveled, leaving their power insufficiently concentrated.
"The rank of a ninjutsu is not the only measure of its power. Many ordinary ninjutsu can still produce impressive effects in the hands of someone powerful." A voice sounded behind Yue. "Your biggest problem right now is not Chakra control or coordination, but your hand seals."
"All ninjutsu hand seals are combinations of individual seals... the purpose is to synchronize you with the Chakra in your body. So the key lies in synchronization... you need to become familiar with that feeling. Once you are, you can simplify your hand seals, or even cast with one hand. That way, you will have more energy to control your Chakra..."
Leaning against the wall with one eye open, Yahiko smiled.
"Synchronization?" Yue frowned.
"The simplest method is to stop worrying about Chakra for now. Slow your hand seals down as much as necessary. You only need to make the Chakra move and combine with the technique. Do not worry about what the ninjutsu looks like once it is cast... practice repeatedly until you grasp and become familiar with that feeling. Then gradually speed up, faster and faster. As long as you can cast the ninjutsu, that is enough. Once you reach your limit, then correct the Chakra form."
"Can you form hand seals with one hand?"
Yue raised an eyebrow.
"I can't."
Yahiko shook his head.
Hearing that, Yue immediately turned away.
"Single-handed seals are not as simple as you think..." Yahiko coughed. "Besides, just because I cannot do it does not mean you cannot... I know the method, but I cannot train to that point. Furthermore, different ninjutsu vary in type and complexity. Aside from seal-less ninjutsu, being able to cast even one ninjutsu with one-handed seals is already astonishing."
"Still, I think you have great potential. I have high hopes for you."
"Thank you."
Yue answered mechanically.
At that moment, Nagato and Konan walked over as well.
"Yue... you're still training?"
Konan greeted him.
"Big Sister Konan," Yue called.
"Get some rest when you need it."
Konan smiled gently, a trace of sympathy in her gaze as she looked at Yue.
Yue's diligence always reminded the trio of their younger days.
But Yue was different from them. He was not an orphan, nor had he suffered the grief brought by war.
The three of them sometimes wondered why Yue pushed himself so desperately.
"I'm not tired."
Yue replied.
"Nagato, I'll leave him to you. This kid Yue doesn't trust me."
Konan and Nagato had clearly come looking for Yahiko.
Yahiko said something to his friends, then left with Konan.
"It's a C-rank ninjutsu... looks like you've practiced it for quite a while."
Nagato examined the scene before him and smiled faintly. "Yue, you have quite a lot of Chakra."
Before you continue