"I see..."
Yahiko seemed to catch the warning in Aoki Tsuki's words and fell silent.
"Someone brought your activities to Lord Hanzō's attention today and suggested getting rid of you. Lord Hanzō summoned me for questioning."
Yahiko knew they had reached the crucial point.
Perhaps because they had done business together, the other man was giving him a warning.
"I told him that your existence wasn't a bad thing, that it was a great help in easing tensions and stabilizing the situation within the Land of Rain.
"Lord Hanzō took my advice and decided to leave you alone for the time being."
"Thanks, even though I still don't know your name."
Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief. Akatsuki's development was entering a critical phase.
If the person in charge of the village came after them now, they wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"I'm just warning you: you should stop once you've gone far enough. If your forces grow too much, some people won't be able to sleep at night."
Aoki Tsuki had no intention of introducing himself. He wasn't strong enough yet to get involved in that kind of trouble.
Yahiko shook his head. "No matter what difficulties we face, we won't stop moving forward."
That was his conviction.
Aoki Tsuki said no more. He wasn't one to meddle.
"Your actions are admirable, but they'll bring disaster upon you and your friends. I hope you're prepared for that."
With that, Aoki Tsuki tossed his finished cigarette onto the ground and crushed it underfoot.
"Let's make the exchange."
By then, Akatsuki's people had finished checking the goods and signaled to Yahiko that everything was in order.
A case full of money was then handed over.
Shioame took it and quickly began counting. He was highly skilled, finishing in less than two minutes.
"It's all here."
Aoki Tsuki said, "It's getting late, so we'll take our leave."
With that, he led his team into the night.
Yahiko remained where he was, lost in thought. Aoki Tsuki's words had put him on guard.
It wasn't the first time the two sides had done business. The fact that the other man had warned him meant Akatsuki had already ventured into deep waters.
"I knew this day would come eventually. I didn't expect it so soon."
Nagato and Konan emerged from their hiding places.
"Yahiko, was what that guy said true? Has Hanzō already noticed us?" Konan asked worriedly.
Hanzō's strength had been proven in battle after battle. He was far beyond anyone they could take on.
Nagato said nothing, but his grave bearing showed how tense he was.
Yahiko, however, spoke unconcernedly. "Don't be nervous. I know what you're worried about. Akatsuki is still too weak and needs time. You heard what that man said.
"Hanzō still doesn't take our existence seriously enough. He's even letting us expand. This is our chance."
"But..."
"Konan, from the moment I decided to become a ninja, I prepared myself to face any danger."
Yahiko spread his hands, trying to catch the rain falling from the sky. "This country has always been crying. I want to save her, even if it costs me my life."
"Yahiko, you..."
Konan felt deeply saddened. Yahiko had embarked on a path destined to be full of danger, yet she couldn't find a reason to stop him.
If everyone feared sacrifice and clung to their lives, this country would never change.
Yahiko, a war orphan just like her, had suffered since childhood. They had racked their brains just to find something to eat.
Nagato had nearly starved to death on the road before she found him and brought him back.
They had come together because of their shared experiences, and they were fighting for a common goal.
"Konan, Yahiko's right," Nagato said. "I want to do something for this country too. Yahiko's dream is my dream."
"Mm." Konan nodded.
Smack...
Yahiko slapped his fist into his palm and said:
"You two, don't make things so gloomy. Relax! Listen, we have plenty of supplies now. It's time to get to work in a big way."
No one knew how much longer Hanzō would stand by and watch them grow, so they had to make every second count.
Akatsuki's expansion was about to enter its final, frenzied phase.
Soon, several months had passed.
Akatsuki grew so famous that Aoki Tsuki often heard the other guards talking about their exploits.
They had intervened to mediate quite a few disputes between major powers.
Rumor had it that their ultimate goal was to bring the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Earth to the negotiating table, and that they had even begun contacting all three sides.
For a time, no one attracted more attention.
When he returned home one evening, another note had appeared on his desk: "Hanzō's attitude toward Akatsuki."
"Oh, has Danzo already started moving against Akatsuki?"
Danzo had probably discovered Nagato's Rinnegan. Once the Rinnegan grew stronger, it would threaten Konoha's position.
That could not be allowed.
Aoki Tsuki replied immediately: Hanzō was probably still willing to tolerate Akatsuki for now and had no intention of acting against them immediately.
He wrote it on the back of the same piece of paper.
He pretended to go to work as usual the next morning, but after arriving, he took leave and quietly slipped back home to lie in wait.
This time, he took two days off.
He wanted to see exactly who this hidden Root spy was.
He waited an entire day without seeing anyone enter his room.
"That's strange. Could this person be a sensory ninja?"
Aoki Tsuki was puzzled. This wasn't the first time in the past two years that he had tried to investigate in return, but the fellow was extremely crafty.
He had also followed and checked each of his suspects, but found no leads.
He spent the second day waiting in vain as well.
He was on the night shift on the third day, so he continued his stakeout during the day.
Aoki Tsuki wasn't worried. The other party was surely more anxious than he was, since they still had to pass the information to Root.
Just then, a shapely woman wearing a kimono caught his attention.
She first bought a steamed bun from Granny Chiki's shop next door, then wandered toward his family's gift shop.
"Huh... Isn't that Mrs. Asami, Umatsu's wife? Could it be..."
She chatted with his mother, Eiko, as she picked out a gift. A short while later, she paid and left with it, showing no intention of going upstairs.
"Damn..."
Aoki Tsuki hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to reach the roof, but all he saw was a black shape flash around a corner and disappear into a metal pipe.
Through the window, he could see that the note on his desk was gone.
"Was that just now... a cat??"
Aoki Tsuki scratched his head. He didn't have a summon of his own and had almost forgotten about that possibility.
That evening, he went on duty without even stopping to eat. He sat patiently waiting in the changing room, and before long, Umatsu came in.
"You're here. How have you been lately?" Aoki Tsuki struck up a conversation, hoping to get something out of him.
"Can't complain. Though I can't compare to you guys, making money on the side," Umatsu said enviously.
If he hadn't had a wife and child, he would have joined in long ago.
"Haha... If I had such a beautiful wife, I wouldn't take risks either. Asami came to my family's shop to buy a gift today. Is there a happy occasion?"
At that, a smile appeared on Umatsu's face. "It's nothing much. It's my daughter's birthday today, so Asami went out specially to buy her a gift."
"Oh, is that it? If you'd told me sooner, I would've given her a present too. You really are treating me like an outsider."
Aoki Tsuki pretended to be angry.
"Well, it's just a child's birthday. Sorry for the trouble, haha..."
"Speaking of which, kids usually like pets, don't they? How about I give her a kitten as a belated present?"
Umatsu shook his head at once. "There's really no need. My wife is sensitive to the smell of cats and dogs, so we can't keep them."
"Oh, I see. I didn't think that through."
Aoki Tsuki had visited Umatsu's home before and indeed hadn't seen any pets. Mrs. Asami had a bit of a pampered young lady's temper and was especially fond of cleanliness.
What Umatsu said was probably true.
Kurokawa arrived just then. Seeing the two talking, he said, "What are you two talking about? You look so happy!"
"Ahem... Just some family matters. A guy who lives alone like you wouldn't understand."
Kurokawa was an orphan. He only had himself to feed and didn't have so many worries.
"You guys just love making fun of me for that. To tell you the truth, there's already someone I like, but... sigh..." Kurokawa's face was full of helplessness.
Aoki Tsuki smiled. "A married woman?"
"Huh... You... How did you know?" Kurokawa immediately blushed.
"You run to the Silver Fish Pavilion every chance you get. Anyone could tell, couldn't they? Do you really love eating salted fish that much?"
"You... You... Don't talk nonsense. I just... just wanted a change of taste."
Kurokawa's hands trembled nervously, and he glanced guiltily at the door, afraid Satō Ichirō might come in just then.
"Look how nervous you are. Our captain's wife is one of the village's rare beauties. Who wouldn't like her? The captain knows that perfectly well. Even if he found out, he wouldn't take it to heart."
"Uh... That's true, but..."
"You want to say your feelings are genuine? Who doesn't genuinely like her? But as long as the captain is alive and well, all we can do is dream."
"Shh...!!" Umatsu suddenly raised an index finger to his lips.
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa quickly stopped talking and silently put on their gear.
Sure enough, not long afterward, Satō Ichirō walked in with steady steps. He looked at them and said, "It's time. Let's go relieve the other shift."
"Yes, sir."
The three then walked past their captain without a change of expression. All they could say was that having a sensory ninja on the team was wonderful.