Smack...!
A scroll was tossed down in front of him. Aoki Tsuki picked it up and glanced at it, immediately forming a guess.
"Someone told me you had a talent for analyzing intelligence, so I put you in charge of recording the daimyō's visitors. I never expected you to make such a serious mistake.
This Akatsuki has now grown into a threat to the village. How did you let this happen?"
Aoki Tsuki ignored Shinonome. The man seized every chance to make his presence felt and especially liked putting others down to make himself look better.
After two years of quietly developing himself, Aoki Tsuki was no longer afraid of him.
He turned to Hanzō and said, "My lord, when this organization first visited the daimyō three years ago, it had only a handful of members. There are many such organizations in the Land of Rain.
Their belief was that disputes should be resolved through dialogue, ultimately creating peace. Even the daimyō himself found it absurd at the time.
That was why I made the record as I did."
Hearing this, Hanzō handed Aoki Tsuki the latest information on the Akatsuki. Only after Aoki Tsuki had finished reading did he ask, "Do you still think the same way now?"
"I never imagined they could get this far. Unbelievable. How could an idea like that... uh... I understand now..."
Realization dawned on Aoki Tsuki. "The successive wars have left people deeply weary of fighting. Everyone longs for a peaceful life, and this idea happens to answer that need in their hearts.
"That's why it has spread so widely and gained acceptance. It's actually a good thing."
"What's good about it?"
"The village lost many of its core members to the war, severely weakening its control over the country. That gave the rebel forces their chance.
"Even if we wipe out the Iron Fang Group, another organization like the Akatsuki will pop up, and dealing with them will keep draining our strength.
"That would leave us trapped in a vicious cycle. Other villages wouldn't even need to attack us; we'd wear ourselves out through internal strife."
Only then did Hanzō look Aoki Tsuki in the eye. "I didn't expect someone your age to have such an understanding of the village and the country. Very good."
No one knew the Land of Rain's current situation better than he did. He had tried to fight against it, but every attempt had failed.
As his body aged day by day, he grew increasingly anxious.
"You flatter me, my lord. I came to these conclusions through conversations with my colleagues. Everyone is very worried about the village's future."
Aoki Tsuki hurriedly brought up his colleagues. His greatest virtue was that he liked to share.
That was how the workplace worked: make more friends and fewer enemies.
"Anyone can say pretty words. What matters is solving the problem," Shinonome interjected.
He wanted to use this chance to poison Hanzō's opinion of Aoki Tsuki, completely ruining his image in Hanzō's eyes and keeping him stuck on the outer guard for the rest of his life.
For no other reason than that he had recently heard his fellow Jonin say that, among Amegakure's younger generation, Aoki Tsuki was the one they had the highest hopes for.
He was easy to get along with and got things done.
Of the dozens of people on the outer guard, colleagues and superiors alike had nothing but praise for him.
The little Chunin he had bullied before was about to catch up to him. How could he feel at ease?
"Look at you, getting impatient again. I was just about to get to that!" Aoki Tsuki said reproachfully.
"You..."
"Let him speak," Hanzō said.
"Doesn't the Akatsuki like helping people settle disputes? Then let them do it. If that brings stability to the Land of Rain, people can work in peace.
"Only then can the village's income and standing be secured. We'd gain both fame and profit."
Shinonome objected again. "Then what about the share of missions the Akatsuki has taken from the village? What if they use the opportunity to grow stronger? Hmph, that's raising a tiger to invite calamity."
Aoki Tsuki shook his head. "First, we Rain Ninja are only good at assassination. Mediating conflicts isn't our line of work, so there's no financial dispute between us.
"As for the Akatsuki taking the chance to grow, that's a matter for the future. When the time comes, it will be up to Lord Hanzō to decide."
Use them for now. Once they had served their purpose, they could decide whether to kill them or carve them up.
Besides, if they really investigated this matter, some people in the village would be in trouble.
The Akatsuki was an organization that had grown with Amegakure as its base, and many young people from the village's lower ranks worked for it.
Where did they get their weapons, soldier pills, Explosive Tags, and medical supplies?
People were secretly selling them those things, of course.
Some of the Akatsuki's work even came from brokers in the village. It was only now that they had grown large enough to attract the attention of those above.
And those above wanted to make an issue of it.
"My lord, I suggest we act immediately and nip this danger in the bud," Shinonome proposed.
Aoki Tsuki said nothing. He was only a Chunin; unless asked, he had no standing to offer Hanzō advice.
Hanzō was also torn. For him, it came down to whether to kill them or not. As Aoki Tsuki had said, what would killing them accomplish? In another two years, another group would appear.
It was better to let the Akatsuki help ease the conflicts between the forces in the country first.
He could kill them after they had served their purpose!
He could not allow them to threaten his rule.
"Leave them alone for now. That's settled," Hanzō said, making his final decision.
"My lord!" Shinonome said urgently. "If we let them be, they could become another Iron Fang Group..."
"Hmph, do you also think I'm too old to lift a blade?!"
Hanzō's gaze suddenly turned dangerous. In the past, his subordinates had never said a word against his orders. Now one of them actually dared to contradict him to his face.
How could he tolerate that?
"Uh... that's not what I meant." Frightened, Shinonome hurriedly denied it.
Although everyone could sense that Hanzō's strength had declined, no one dared say so openly.
Hanzō, having lost interest, waved for the two men to leave.
Shinonome shot Aoki Tsuki an angry look, then turned and returned to his post to continue his watch.
Aoki Tsuki chose to ignore him. Shinonome's concerns were reasonable, and his suspicions were correct. As Hanzō's strength declined, the interest group he led was inevitably going downhill.
The emergence of any force would put this small group on guard and be regarded as a threat.
To preserve their positions, they would do many crazy things.
Aoki Tsuki, on the other hand, represented the rising generation. They longed for a major upheaval in the village and a power vacuum. Only then would they have a chance to rise.
Otherwise, if they really had to wait for those old geezers to drop dead one by one, wouldn't the wait drive them crazy?
The Akatsuki's emergence was an opportunity.
After Aoki Tsuki returned to his post, his colleagues questioned him.
"It's nothing. The village ran into a thorny problem, and Lord Hanzō wanted to take the opportunity to test my abilities, so he asked me for some suggestions.
"What do I know about any of that? I just told him some of the things you all usually discuss with me."
His colleagues all looked at him with envy.
"That's our little brother for you, earning Lord Hanzō's favor."
"Amazing, little brother. Take me along when you soar."
Aoki Tsuki received a round of compliments and ended the day's work in a good mood.
He had never regarded Shinonome as a threat. The man was just a remnant of the old era; when the ship sank, he would go down with it.
In the changing room, Aoki Tsuki was changing clothes when Shioame came over.
"Little brother, you're free today, right? There's a shipment to deliver tonight."
"It's really nothing," Aoki Tsuki said unconcernedly. "Lord Hanzō is just a little anxious. People can't help getting suspicious as they grow old. We'll carry on with our business."
They could go ahead without fear. If they really got caught, the worst that could happen was being demoted to border guard duty.
"True. Business can't stop." Shioame nodded.
The worry was real, but so was the greed.
The two of them ate first, then went to a secret warehouse, where a team had already packed the supplies and was ready to leave at any moment.
Someone above them was specifically responsible for communications and negotiating deals.
All underlings like them had to do was deliver the goods to the other party.
"Put your masks on. Let's go."
The group traveled through the pitch-black curtain of rain along a sparsely traveled road.
Inside a half-collapsed wartime fortress on the outskirts of Amegakure, Yahiko and his two companions stood among the ruins, chatting and imagining the future.
Yahiko said, "It's already been so many years since we parted from Teacher Jiraiya, but it feels like yesterday. I really miss those days."
"Yes. Somehow, we became students of Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin. We were so lucky," Nagato agreed.
Konan, however, said, "It wasn't just luck. Yahiko took the initiative to make it happen. I was terrified at the time, since the Sannin were people who could fight Hanzō."
"Nagato, Konan, you're both right. We were lucky to become Teacher Jiraiya's students, and we also put in our own effort. That gave us a great head start.
"That's why we have to work even harder to live up to Teacher's expectations, change this country, and bring true peace to the Shinobi World."
Yahiko had resolved himself when he first decided to seek power, and that resolve had guided him all the way to where he was now.
He had seen too much suffering caused by war, and from the bottom of his heart, he wanted to change it all.
Gaining power and founding the Akatsuki were both means to that end.
"Mm, Yahiko, we believe you can do it. Everyone came together because they feel the same way."
To Nagato, Yahiko was the light in his life.
Konan also nodded in agreement.
Yahiko was deeply moved as he looked at his two companions. No matter what, they supported him unconditionally. But as the Akatsuki's reputation grew, the forces involved became increasingly powerful.
He realized that his strength was gradually failing to keep up, and that he was only an ordinary person.
If that day really comes, Nagato, maybe you're the one who...
The thought weighed on Yahiko. Suddenly, he said, "They're here. You two hide first."
"Mm!" Konan and Nagato immediately darted into the shadows.
The three of them had been able to build such a large group by being careful and cautious.
Yahiko waited silently with several Akatsuki members.
Before long, a group approached out of the darkness with several wagonloads of goods. Their leader was tall, wearing a straw hat with his face hidden behind a mask.
He spoke. "The rain is really heavy today."
"It's this country weeping!" Yahiko replied.
The countersign matched. Although this wasn't the first time they had handed goods over to the Akatsuki, it was better to be careful. They recognized the countersign, not the person.
Aoki Tsuki reached up, removed his straw hat, and shook off the rainwater.
"One thousand Kunai, three thousand Shuriken, three hundred packs of soldier pills, five hundred Explosive Tags, and two hundred fine blades. Count them."
After listing the numbers, he walked to one side, lit himself a cigarette, and smoked in silence.
Yahiko nodded slightly and waved a hand. The Akatsuki members behind him immediately stepped forward and divided up the work of counting.
The Akatsuki's funds were limited, so they had to be careful.
Yahiko walked up to Aoki Tsuki. "Thanks for your hard work. If the quantities are correct, we'll pay for the goods promptly."
"I trust the Akatsuki's reputation. Do you know what people out there are calling you? Amegakure's new hope. Even Lord Hanzō is paying close attention to you..."
"Oh, even Lord Hanzō has noticed us?!"
Yahiko was shocked at first, but delight actually appeared on his face.
Young people like them had grown up listening to legends about Hanzō, and they felt genuine respect for this powerful man of the Land of Rain.
"Of course. You've been operating so openly. It's not like the people in the village are blind."
The village wasn't exactly small; it was about the size of a small county town.
But it wasn't very big, either. People had heard at least a little about which gangs were on which streets and who backed them.