The daimyō said angrily, "Those damned Iwagakure Ninja openly sent assassins after me, with no regard for our agreement..."
"Lord Daimyō, this was definitely not the work of Iwagakure Ninja!" Yotaka suddenly interrupted.
...??
Everyone present turned to look at him, including the daimyō, whose face showed his confusion.
Yotaka hurriedly explained, "I mean, although they wore Iwagakure Forehead Protectors, neither their builds nor their fighting styles matched Iwagakure's.
"I suspect the enemy deliberately concealed their true identities to make you draw the wrong conclusion."
The daimyō frowned at that, uncertain what to think.
Then Shinonome questioned him. "Oh? You seem quite familiar with Iwagakure Ninja, Captain Yotaka."
"Hmph, are you saying you suspect me, Captain Shinonome? One of my team members died and another was gravely injured in that battle. Do you think I'd cover for the enemy?"
Yotaka retorted angrily.
"I know about Iwagakure Ninja because our Iron Fang Group operates in the northern Land of Rain and has had dealings with them. That's how I noticed something was off."
"I see. I was overthinking it. Then who do you think the enemy really was?" Shinonome pressed.
Yotaka sneered. "How would I know something like that?"
He promptly fell silent. Shinonome was trying to set a trap for him, and he wasn't about to fall for it.
"I think we need to investigate before reaching a conclusion. Everyone, take care of things here first."
The daimyō smoothed things over, then turned and went back inside.
He couldn't be bothered with the struggles between ninja.
Afterward, Shinonome Squad and Yotaka Squad each cleaned up the battlefield, including collecting the enemy ninja's bodies. Whoever had killed an enemy got to claim the body.
Ninja corpses held many secrets and counted as spoils of war.
Of the two ninja dressed as Iwagakure ninja whom the Rain Ninja had killed, one had been split in half by Aoki Tsuki, while the other had been forced to kill himself with an explosion.
Neither corpse was intact.
Captain Shinonome still examined them carefully, but said nothing more.
From the way they fought, Aoki Tsuki had guessed they were Root ninja, but this time he didn't examine the bodies.
Doing so last time seemed to have brought him some trouble. The two Root members who had come after him this time had both been noticeably more hostile toward him.
Have they noticed me? Looks like I'll have to be more careful from now on.
He knew that Hanzō and Danzo would soon join forces. If Root really set its sights on him, Hanzō might hand him over as a show of good faith in their cooperation.
He had to keep growing stronger and prove he was valuable enough.
"Your squad did well this time. The enemy probably won't be back anytime soon, but you can't let your guard down."
"I'll be careful."
The next few days were relatively quiet.
One day, Jōnin Shinonome called Aoki Tsuki over and said, "Shioame was badly injured in the last battle and needs time to recover. For now, you'll take over his duties."
"Yes." Aoki Tsuki readily agreed.
He knew his performance lately had been recognized and that they were preparing to involve him in core affairs, and he was secretly pleased.
"My lord, is there anything I should keep in mind?"
"Talk less, listen more, and do more!"
Aoki Tsuki noticed that Shinonome had placed extra emphasis on the last two words and quickly said, "I'll follow your orders, my lord."
"In recent years, quite a few ninja factions independent of the village have appeared in the country. They're trying to approach the daimyō to gain legitimate standing, with the goal of replacing the village.
"Our job isn't just to protect the daimyō. Do you understand?"
That was the core task of this guard assignment.
"I understand. I'll keep a record of every faction that comes to visit," Aoki Tsuki replied.
Only then did Jōnin Shinonome nod in satisfaction. "Good. We're responsible for gathering intelligence and sending it back to the village. Someone else will follow up afterward.
"I hear you have an exceptional talent for intelligence analysis. This task shouldn't be difficult for you."
"I'll do everything I can and won't betray the trust you and the village have placed in me."
Hanzō was clearly paying close attention to this task, so he had to do it well.
"Mm." Shinonome nodded impassively.
He was a man who cared only about results. If Aoki Tsuki failed to do the job well, all the boasting in the world now would be useless.
Was it Aoki Tsuki's loyalty he wanted?
What ninja in the village wasn't loyal to Lord Hanzō?
That night, Aoki Tsuki took his usual shift and slacked off. Those people had suffered heavy losses last time, and no matter how reckless they were, they would need some time to prepare.
On top of that, he now knew the village's attitude toward the daimyō: they were watching him more than protecting him.
So he took the guard duty even less seriously.
Early the next morning, he met up with Shinonome Squad and began the daytime security work.
They made a rough check of the areas they needed to patrol, making sure no one was hiding and waiting to ambush them. After that, they followed the daimyō without leaving his side.
The daimyō was quite busy during the day. The Land of Rain was a small country, but there was no shortage of things that needed doing.
Especially now, during a Shinobi World War, bandits, rogue ninja, and rōnin were causing trouble everywhere. Small villages could be wiped out at the drop of a hat, and murder and robbery were frequent occurrences.
Those people produced nothing and couldn't get any missions.
All they could do was rob.
There were also public works and other affairs of state to handle. Being a daimyō wasn't easy either.
But ever since the last attack, the daimyō seemed increasingly anxious. He received the leaders of quite a few factions and organizations in the country.
Every one of them claimed to have a way to solve the Land of Rain's predicament, but they only talked grandly, and few could offer any concrete measures.
In truth, they had all come asking for money, support, and official recognition.
Aoki Tsuki paid no mind to that. He got himself a little notebook and recorded the name and ideals of every visiting organization, along with information on its leader.
He then analyzed their true objectives and assessed the threat they posed.
Shioame had originally done this work. Aoki Tsuki asked him for some advice, then got started.
One day, another faction came to visit the daimyō. It was a mercenary organization that had risen rapidly around the time of the Third Shinobi World War.
Its name was "Akatsuki."
Aoki Tsuki looked through his gas mask at Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan standing in the hall, thoughts flashing through his mind.
A new ship had appeared, but he didn't intend to buy a ticket just yet.
The time wasn't right.
Yahiko said, "Lord Daimyō, we of Akatsuki believe in resolving disputes through dialogue, bringing peace to the Land of Rain and even the entire Shinobi World."
"Oh, that's a rather novel idea." The daimyō motioned for Yahiko to elaborate.
At present, the military forces of the Konoha continent were primarily composed of ninja, and war was a standard means of seizing resources and land.
The Land of Fire had been able to occupy so much territory because its first generation of ninja were relatively strong.
After the first generation grew old, those in other countries who were dissatisfied with the status quo had taken turns testing Konoha.
Thus came the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, and now the Third.
Bringing peace through dialogue was rather like the First Hokage's proposal to convene the first Five Kage Summit.
"Yes. War has brought too much hatred, and that hatred will breed another round of war. We need to stop and take another look at ourselves.
"Because of its geographical position, the Land of Rain has become a battlefield for other countries, as well as a buffer zone between the great powers.
"We only need to provide an opportunity for dialogue, and we can surely resolve conflicts peacefully."
Yahiko was a man of great personal charisma. His words made people believe him without realizing it.
It seemed he really could do it.
However, the man sitting opposite him was the daimyō of a nation. To his ears, those words sounded a little like a young man's passionate declaration.
He didn't agree, but he didn't show it.
"Young man, you have some interesting ideas, but how will you get the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Earth to sit down and listen to you in peace? Even Hanzō can't do that."
At those words, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew oppressive.
Although everyone in Shinonome Squad wore gas masks, Aoki Tsuki could clearly sense their displeasure.
The daimyō was taking the opportunity to make a pointed remark about Amegakure.
It seems the relationship between Hanzō and the daimyō is terrible, Aoki Tsuki thought to himself.
In truth, it wasn't that the Rain Ninja did nothing, or that Hanzō wasn't strong enough. Their overall strength was too weak, and there was nothing they could do about it.
In the Second Shinobi World War, Amegakure had taken on the Three Great Shinobi Villages alone. That must have been the greatest moment of Hanzō's life.
He had harbored great ambitions, determined to fight for a bright future for the Land of Rain.
But harsh reality had dealt Hanzō a cold blow. From then on, he had shut himself away in the village and grown decadent and corrupt.
The people of the Land of Rain, who had once believed in him and looked up to him, gradually began to question and challenge him.
As a result, all kinds of new factions were now emerging.
The members of Shinonome Squad looked at Yahiko and his companions with hostility, leaving the three of them somewhat bewildered.
They had come to spread their ideals, not make enemies.
Yahiko suppressed his panic and replied:
"Akatsuki is still in its early stages and very weak, but I believe that as we continue to put our ideals into practice through our actions,
"more and more like-minded people will come to believe in us and join us, and we will gather more strength.
"Until one day, the three great nations will have no choice but to take us seriously and be willing to sit down and talk to us."
"Then you may need a very long time. Right now, I may not be able to wait that long. Just a few days ago, a group of people attacked this place. Clearly, the enemy doesn't want to wait any longer either."
Faced with that fact, Yahiko fell into thought.
The fact was, no one would give you time to grow.
"I'm deeply sorry, Lord Daimyō. Even so, I won't give up on my ideals. One day, I'll put an end to this war-torn world."
"Young man, I'm heartened that the Land of Rain has young people like you with such firm convictions. Visit the finance department later and collect a sum of money. Consider it my support for your cause.
"I look forward to hearing your names in the future."
The daimyō waved his hand, indicating that Yahiko could leave.
This was not the first time something like this had happened. Many independent organizations that had grown strong in the Land of Rain came to visit the daimyō.
Those who earned his approval were rewarded with money, while those who didn't could only slink away.
It was a kind of investment.
If Akatsuki really grew powerful in the future, the daimyō wouldn't mind granting them an official title and having them represent the Land of Rain in peace talks with the neighboring countries at war.
"We'll take our leave now."
After bowing to the daimyō once more, Yahiko and his companions left the residence. Once outside, they grew excited.
Nagato said, "Yahiko, coming to visit the daimyō was the right move. He approved of Akatsuki's ideal of avoiding war."
War brought only tragedy. Communication alone was the bridge to peace.
Konan nodded happily as well.
"Although we didn't receive the daimyō's authorization, we at least made an appearance. As long as we continue building our reputation when we get back, I believe we'll soon be qualified to hold talks with other countries."
"You're right. We have to seize our opportunities and keep moving forward. No matter how difficult it gets, one day I'll bring peace to this country that never stops crying."
Yahiko spread his arms and felt the falling rain. At that moment, he was full of confidence.
Even if the road ahead was covered in thorns, his heart was full of hope.