Separation and Special Souvenirs

The Akatsuki's war continued.

Yue had woken up some time ago, and his once-singed hair had regrown.

After he defended the stronghold, all the Akatsuki members clearly became more enthusiastic towards him. Especially the Yahiko trio, who, though they didn't say it directly, seemed to regard him as 'family.'

Yue didn't mind either way; he continued to train daily on subjects related to Ninjutsu.

Previously, during combat, he found the power of the Dragon Fire Technique and Wind Style: Great Breakthrough to be rather unsatisfactory. Both the range and the speed of Ninjutsu release had flaws. Therefore, there were still many areas where he needed to improve.

Staying at this new stronghold and having more interaction time with the Akatsuki members also allowed Yue to learn more Ninjutsu.

All of them were highly suitable for ninjas of his age and level to learn.

Some were particularly special.

For example, the relatively famous Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, a Ninjutsu with an A-class learning difficulty, created by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. It was once taught to the Yahiko trio by Jiraiya. Upon learning that Yue was from the Fuma Clan and had some 'innate' mastery in controlling ninja tools, Yahiko personally passed it down to him. However, despite the 'Fuma Clan' advantage, Yue failed many times after trying... it could only be said that it wasn't that easy after all.

To master this technique, one needed not only diligence but also talent.

If Yue recalled correctly, among the Sannin, only Orochimaru could initially do it with ease.

Furthermore, his current physical strength was more than 'one dimension' stronger than before he went to the world of Bleach.

The reason was that he had not only ventured deep into District 78 of the Soul Society Outskirts but also District 79, just one step away from the most dangerous District 80.

The environments of District 78 and District 79 were in no way comparable to District 77.

The most obvious difference was that for those incompatible scoundrels in the Soul Society, lawless zones like District 78 and 79 seemed to possess some kind of magic that drew them in.

Every day, formidable individuals from all over the Soul Society would appear, encompassing almost all the dirty and vicious 'elites' of the Soul Society Outskirts. These two places were like a muddy, sewage vortex, constantly absorbing a large number of 'executioners' without end.

Therefore, in those places, the fighting never ended.

Of course, it wasn't just the east of the Soul Society Outskirts; the border areas in the other three directions were the same.

Environments like District 77 clearly couldn't provide these people with much excitement or satisfy their inner bloodlust and destructive desires. Compared to District 77, the difficulty of surviving in District 78 increased by more than just one level; District 79 was even more so.

By the time he reached District 79, Yue could no longer see any houses or road layouts.

The living people wandering there were like wild beasts, occupying various places at will.

As for District 80, it had essentially become wilderness.

Yue had honed himself in District 78 for a period, 'slaughtering' some local villains and gaining renown, before heading to District 79. He had currently established a 'foothold' in District 79, but he did not yet possess the 'qualification' to head to District 80.

It was worth mentioning that although his strength had greatly increased in Naruto, and he had mastered more Ninjutsu, Yue did not utilize the power from Naruto to temper his body. Instead, he continued to grow using the unique combat methods of the Bleach world. His goal was to 'refine' the density of his Spiritual Particles so that his body could withstand the residual power of the Explosive Tags upon returning to Naruto.

Therefore, his killing of the remaining two rogue ninjas seemed to happen in an instant.

In reality, in another world, he had experienced a period of quite dark circumstances.

When he said he crawled back from hell, it wasn't a joke.

It was a literal metaphor.

His current body, whether in terms of flesh and vitality or 'stats' in all aspects, was definitely 'overpowered' not just for a Genin, but even for a regular Chunin. Domoto, one of the Akatsuki members, was a very experienced Medical Ninja, and this fatty had mentioned more than once that his 'cellular activity' was somewhat abnormal.

As time passed, everyone's understanding of Yue's personality deepened.

This young man absolutely could not be treated as a child.

Taciturn and somewhat cold, Yue rarely showed any 'childish' side. There was no hint of youthful energy, and he acted with strong principles.

At times, Yue seemed more mature than adults.

The occasional words he spoke were enough to make others ponder.

Thus, Yue stayed for another two months, a total of nearly a hundred days.

The war finally ended.

The final victor was the Akatsuki.

The Akatsuki, with the strong belief led by Yahiko, displayed astonishing resilience and unity in this prolonged battle. Primarily, everyone harbored ambitions and possessed a spirit of self-sacrifice.

Although there was a minor incident with a traitor like Yota during this period.

It still made people 'look at them with new eyes.'

The conclusion of this casualty-heavy conflict also meant that the time for parting had arrived.

Yue was returning to Grass Village.

Accompanying Yue back to the Land of Grass was Sousuke.

He would only escort Yue to the border of the Land of Grass.

The next day, a group of core Akatsuki members gathered at the foot of the mountain to see Yue off, the scene appearing quite grand.

The Akatsuki were on the rise at this time. Although the war here had ended, it didn't mean that the leader Yahiko and the others could rest. The situation in the Land of Rain was very complex; victory on a single battlefield couldn't alleviate any 'worsening trend.'

They still had to rush to other locations to carry out new operational plans and deployments.

Therefore, they didn't have much time to chat with Yue and could only delegate Sousuke to see him off.

To be honest, Yue disliked these 'partings' involving social niceties; the atmosphere made him feel a bit uncomfortable. He had intended to leave directly with Sousuke, but Yahiko and the others insisted on seeing him off, which made him very uneasy now.

"Let's go, goodbye."

Facing familiar gazes, Yue's expression was blank. He raised a hand and said numbly.

He wished he could turn and leave immediately.

"Hahahaha... Rushing off like that, Yue, aren't you shy?"

"Ooh... Our Yue actually has a bashful side. I think I've discovered a major secret."

"You've always acted like a little adult in front of us, and we finally caught you with your weakness."

"Are you reluctant to part with us?"

"If you ask me, why don't you just not go back to Grass Village and come with us..."

A group of people chattered incessantly, their voices laced with sarcasm. Some even whistled.

"Sigh."

Yue sighed.

"Can't you guys be more mature? You're all seasoned veterans who've been through countless battles. Stop being so flippant, alright?" Yue retorted.

"You heartless brat, aren't you even a little sad to part with us?"

"Wuwuwu... Yue, I'll miss you."

Someone else pretended to shed tears.

"..."

"Let's go."

Enough was enough. Yue couldn't be bothered to deal with these people any longer. He called out to Sousuke and turned to leave.

"Yue... Catch."

Just as he turned, a voice called out.

Yahiko, smiling, tossed something over.

Yue caught it with his backhand. It was a Fire Cloud Robe, a symbol of Akatsuki.

But it wasn't an adult-sized one. It was a miniature version, clearly newly made and tailored for him.

"Your sister Konan made this for you herself."

Yahiko said, crossing his arms with a hint of smugness.

"I don't recall ever agreeing to join Akatsuki... Given what you guys do, I don't want to get involved in any trouble," Yue said bluntly, showing no deference.

"You arrogant little brat, I still can't stand you,"

Yahiko's smug expression instantly soured, his lips twitching as he cursed.

"I also think a brainless idiot like you isn't fit to be leader. I believe Nagato-bro or Konan-sis would be more suitable than you," Yue shot back.

Veins bulged on Yahiko's forehead, and he gritted his teeth, shouting in anger.

He rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was about to teach Yue a lesson.

Fortunately, someone pulled him back in time.

"Kashiwagi, let go of me! I'm going to beat this kid up today, no matter what!"

"Oh, Leader... Why are you getting angry? Yue might have a point, but how can you stoop to a child's level? Children say whatever they think; it's innocent talk." The man holding Yahiko said with a sarcastic, smiling tone.

Then, everyone burst into laughter.

Yahiko was just putting on a show. He would never actually lay a hand on Yue.

He was merely trying to use this method to lighten the mood.

Though he often appeared careless, he was actually quite perceptive. Otherwise, how could he have become the leader and commanded such respect?

He had noticed that Yue wasn't particularly fond of these farewell scenes.

"It's a souvenir... Just a souvenir. I was afraid you'd forget about us once you went back to Grass Village and lived a good life," Yahiko grumbled, his tone gruff. "Besides, even if you wanted to join Akatsuki, I wouldn't accept you... So stop acting so high and mighty."

"Then I can rest assured."

Yue nodded and put away the small Fire Cloud Robe.

"..."

Yahiko.

After that, Konan walked over.

"Yue... When we have time, we'll come visit you in Grass Village. Make sure you take good care of yourself. Remember, if you ever encounter danger, don't be reckless. Your life is always the most important thing. Run when you need to run; as long as you're alive, there's hope."

"If you ever run into something you can't handle, remember to come find us."

As she spoke, Konan took Yue's hand, opened his palm, and placed a special paper crane into it.

Then, she lightly kissed Yue's forehead.

"Tch, Konan... You're too biased towards him. Don't let this kid get too full of himself," Yahiko grumbled sourly from behind, still lingering.

Next was Nagato.

"Yue, I look forward to the day we meet again."

Nagato spoke little, and wasn't as outwardly emotional as Yahiko and Konan, but the way he looked at Yue was incredibly gentle, like a doting older brother.

Yue looked at the two, and for once, a rare smile graced his lips.

Without saying much, he gave a slight nod.

"Let's go, everyone."

He didn't call out each person's name individually, but Yue still hesitated for a moment, then swept his gaze across everyone present, waving goodbye.

Then, he was the first to flash away.

Seeing this, Sousuke quickly followed.

After Yue had completely disappeared, the group, who had been laughing and making a lot of noise, suddenly quieted down, their feigned smiles vanishing.

It was as if a group of boisterous children had all matured at once, becoming adults.

Yahiko also dropped his upset expression, revealing his true feelings.

He looked up at the sky and chuckled softly, "Yue... you'll definitely grow up happy."

Everyone had a different definition of happiness.

At least from the perspective of the Yahiko trio, the 'happiness' they envisioned, Yue already possessed.

On the other side, Yue and Sousuke moved one after the other, leaping through the forest.

When Yue had first come to the Akatsuki's hideout with Sousuke, he couldn't keep up and was left breathless and exhausted. Now, he could easily keep pace with Sousuke.

The transformation was extremely noticeable.

This made Sousuke genuinely marvel at Yue's growth rate.

As Yue ran, he opened his palm, looking at the paper crane Konan had given him.

"Goodbye... the next time we meet, it'll probably be..." Yue thought to himself, his emotions stirred.

He understood Yahiko and the others very well. Even if he told them certain things, Yahiko would believe him, but he couldn't change or stop his destiny. Because Yahiko was that kind of person, stubborn to a fault... he would pursue his ideals even unto death.

That's why he often called Yahiko an idiot.

Yue knew this very well. So, before the tragedy struck, Yue felt it was better to let them face it with this kind of 'optimistic' mindset... it was better than being anxious and dwelling on it constantly.

There were some things he couldn't change with his current abilities.

It was frustrating... and a bit depressing, but it also made him crave 'power' even more.

"Do you know... why Konan likes you so much?"

Suddenly, Sousuke spoke up from beside him, looking over.

Yue looked at him.

"Konan privately told us that you were very much like them when they were children... actually, we could feel it even without her saying it. You're clearly not an orphan, and you lived in a place like the Grass Village, which is considered 'peaceful' compared to the Land of Rain... but for some reason, you always carried a sense of urgency, as if some great crisis was chasing you," Sousuke said calmly. "That's why you're constantly pushing and driving yourself..."

"..."

Yue's eyes flickered, but he didn't respond.

"Most of the Akatsuki members are orphans, myself included... your state is just like ours when we were children, constantly on edge, always wondering if we'd survive the day. So, we're all very familiar with this feeling of yours. Many of us experienced that war firsthand, witnessing brutal and cruel scenes... that's also why we joined the Akatsuki and gathered around our leader. This is our home, and we want to bring peace to the Land of Rain, true peace... Gods can do anything, and we believe Yahiko is the god who can bring light to this country, and he's been doing just that. For that, we're willing to give everything."

Sousuke spoke his heart to Yue, treating him like one of their own.

Most Akatsuki members were orphans, and even their current state of mind was a lingering issue and impact from the Second Shinobi World War.

The entire Land of Rain, including Hanzo of the Salamander himself, seemed to have solidified their position by leveraging the Second Shinobi World War.

But in reality, all the citizens were deeply scarred by the war.

These scars had yet to heal.

"Yue... compared to us, you are happy. Whatever you're worried about, whatever you're thinking... you have the best youth and age. Enjoy it properly, don't let yourself bear such a heavy burden."

"You... will fail."

After a long pause, Yue suddenly said.

Sousuke blinked, but he wasn't angry.

"You don't believe our leader?"

"It's not that I don't believe..."

Yue looked straight ahead and said faintly, "Yahiko is good, very good... but his personality makes him too trusting of others, and he tends to oversimplify things."

Finishing, Yue looked directly into Sousuke's eyes. "Passion alone won't accomplish anything."

"Don't test human nature, trust it. Everyone's disposition isn't one-sided, but multifaceted, containing both good and evil."

"In my eyes, the essence of humanity is predominantly evil... including myself."

Sousuke was stunned by these words.

Then he burst into laughter, "Yue, you rascal... sigh."

"What exactly is going on in your head? Why do you think about things so darkly... Honestly, I'm starting to worry about your future growth. I'm not sure I want you to go back to Grass Village," Sousuke said, clutching his forehead. "You need to have a brighter, more optimistic outlook. Don't be so pessimistic; believe in yourself and the world around you."

Yue looked at him but said nothing more.

"So... you think we're going to fail, right? Then we'll prove you wrong. I believe that in the near future, you'll hear good news coming from the Land of Rain. When we achieve it, you'll understand that you can't look at things this way... I admit there are plenty of scumbags in this world, but there are also many good people."

"I said, whether someone is good or bad depends on who it is..."

Yue interjected.

"Anyway, we'll prove it to you. When we meet again, you can't still have this kind of mindset, okay?"

"That's an agreement between us."

Sousuke said with a serious expression.

He was very concerned about Yue's mental health.

"Okay."

Yue replied.

Indeed, given Akatsuki's current momentum and the state of its members, anything more he said would be useless.

The Sousuke before him was a perfect example.