Yahiko

"What's going on with you two?" Satō Ichirō asked in a low voice.

"Captain Shinonome wanted to give me some pointers on my swordsmanship. When people like us who use swords spar, it looks dangerous, but it's actually not safe at all.

"I still have a mission to carry out, but he insisted."

Aoki Tsuki shrugged helplessly and looked at Umatsu. "Someone can vouch for me."

Umatsu nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, I can vouch for him. They were just practicing together."

Shinonome snorted at that but said nothing.

"I don't care what you two were doing. The most important thing now is to keep an eye on this woman. If anything goes wrong, you can explain it to Lord Hanzō yourselves."

"You're right, Captain. I was here guarding the prisoner when Captain Shinonome suddenly showed up. I don't know what he wanted."

"Shinonome, does Lord Hanzō have any new orders?"

Given a way out by Satō Ichirō, Shinonome took a deep breath and steadied his trembling hand. He could only swallow this loss today.

"No, nothing like that. This woman is crucial to the upcoming plan, so I came to make sure the hostage was secure."

Satō Ichirō stepped in to smooth things over. "I see. We're all doing this for the village, so let's be understanding of each other."

He couldn't deny the captain that much, so Aoki Tsuki spoke up. "Rest assured, Captains. With our squad here, I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Shinonome wouldn't live past tomorrow. There was no need for him to quibble with a dying man.

"Hmph, it had better be that way."

Shinonome shot Aoki Tsuki a resentful look and turned to leave the dungeon.

Satō Ichirō sighed and left without saying anything else. He couldn't control such matters, nor did he want to get involved.

Umatsu silently gave Aoki Tsuki a thumbs-up, then began cleaning up the battlefield.

A little while later, Kurokawa returned carrying food. He looked around at the mess, his face full of confusion.

"What happened...?"

"Jonin Shinonome and Aoki Tsuki had a spar just now," Umatsu informed him.

"A spar?? They must have a lot of time on their hands."

Kurokawa immediately put his curiosity aside. He shouldn't ask what he shouldn't ask. Instead, he said, "Has this woman behaved herself? If you ask me, we should just break her arms and legs to stop her from causing us trouble."

"Isn't that a bit cruel? She's pretty, too. It'd be a shame to cripple her."

Umatsu couldn't quite bear the thought.

Aoki Tsuki rolled his eyes inwardly. My foolish colleagues, you really aren't leaving yourselves any way to survive.

Konan might look kind now, but she would soon turn cold and ruthless, imposing a heavy-handed reign of terror on Amegakure.

Whether remnants of Hanzō's era like them survived would depend entirely on her mood.

"What nonsense are you two talking about? She's an important hostage. Nothing can happen to her. Small fry like us should just stand guard."

Aoki Tsuki waved a hand, cutting off Kurokawa and Umatsu's discussion.

Their squad was on duty tonight, which meant they wouldn't take part in tomorrow's operation and could escape with their lives.

Once tomorrow was over, Hanzō's core guards would all be wiped out. A new group of Jonin would certainly be promoted then, and he had been waiting a long time for this chance.

"That's true. We just need to do our duty and hand her over tomorrow morning," Umatsu agreed.

The three of them ate and chatted after that.

The night soon passed.

Hanzō had already put on his gear and was preparing to set out for the appointed location.

"There haven't been any problems with the hostage, have there?"

Shinonome hurriedly replied, "Aoki Tsuki is in charge of guarding her. Although he's only a Chunin, his practical combat ability is already at Jonin level. There shouldn't be any problems."

"Oh? He's already reached Jonin level!" Hanzō was somewhat surprised.

Becoming a Jonin at seventeen or eighteen was nothing special in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but in Amegakure, it was already outstanding.

With a little training, he would become an important fighting force in the future.

"Have him join this operation too."

"Yes!" Shinonome was secretly delighted.

As far as he knew, Akatsuki had quite a few people. A major melee would be unavoidable, and Aoki Tsuki might just get killed.

In the dungeon, Aoki Tsuki went pale with fright when he learned he was joining the operation too.

"What? I have to go too... But I heard this was a top-secret operation that only the core guards could take part in."

Shinonome said smugly, "That's right, but Lord Hanzō thinks highly of you and wants to broaden your horizons."

"Really?!" Aoki Tsuki didn't believe a word of it.

"I recommended you. Surprised?"

Shinonome made it clear. "After our fight last night, I realized your talent had been overlooked. Someone like you should be serving Lord Hanzō."

"Then thank you very much!"

"No need. Just serve Lord Hanzō well. Bring her and follow me."

With that, he turned and left.

Aoki Tsuki had thought he could avoid it, only for this to happen. A petty man sought revenge all day long.

Konan had spent the night in a daze, and now she knew this moment had finally come.

Aoki Tsuki wasn't close to her, after all, and it would have been strange to comfort her out of the blue. He said nothing and simply brought Konan along, following behind Shinonome the whole way.

He was just a lowly Chunin, a tool in other people's eyes himself.

It was ridiculous for him to worry about the fate of someone stronger than he was.

Before long, they reached the meeting place, in front of a cliff. Quite a few people were already standing on either side. On the right were masked Root ninja.

On Amegakure's side to the left, there were only about ten people, including Aoki Tsuki.

After handing Konan over to Hanzō, Aoki Tsuki breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He had been afraid Hanzō would make him hold the hostage.

He was already thinking about how to run away later.

He had barely returned to Amegakure's ranks when Shinonome whispered beside him, "I'll be watching you."

"Heh heh... I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time. It's an honor to fight for Lord Hanzō."

No matter what he thought inside, he had to talk tough.

"Oh? Then you'd better make a good showing."

Shinonome strongly suspected Aoki Tsuki was colluding with Akatsuki, but he had no proof.

Before long, two figures approached from the distance, leaving everyone puzzled. They planned to wipe out Akatsuki today, yet only two people had come?

Hanzō glanced at Danzo, who gave no response and simply stared at the red-haired figure.

"Yahiko!!" Konan called out, trying to warn him.

Yahiko and Nagato trembled when they heard her voice. Looking closely, they saw Konan kneeling beside Hanzō, evidently taken hostage.

"Konan!!... How could this happen?"

Yahiko couldn't believe it. That man, the powerful ninja of Amegakure-

The man who had claimed to admire them and wanted to entrust Akatsuki with peace negotiations among the three surrounding countries had deceived them.

Today's meeting was a trap from the very beginning.

Nagato was completely stunned, falling into a daze as the painful experiences buried deep in his memories surfaced once more.

Perhaps he had sensed in the depths of his being that this day would come. Yahiko was the first to regain his composure and called out, "Hanzō, why are you doing this?"

"Your organization is too much of an obstacle to me, Yahiko. Today, I want you, the leader of Akatsuki, to die here. If you dare resist, this woman dies."

With that, Hanzō tossed a Kunai in front of Nagato.

"You, the red-haired one. Use that Kunai to kill Yahiko, and I'll spare you and this woman."

Nagato stared wide-eyed at the Kunai on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Once again, he had been forced to stand at a crossroads of fate.

The terror of about to lose the person most important to him filled his heart once more.

Konan cried anxiously, "Yahiko, Nagato, forget about me and run!"

Yahiko breathed out softly. He knew this trap had been set for him, and if he didn't die, Hanzō would never let the matter rest.

"Nagato, kill me."

"Yahiko..." Nagato was breaking down.

"Nagato!!" Yahiko shouted in a commanding tone. He had long been prepared to face death, so he faced it calmly.

Konan cried out, "Stop, don't!"

Hanzō seemed impatient as he urged them on. "Hurry up and do it. Are you going to stand there and watch this woman die?"

The dozens of people on the cliff watched the scene in silence, all waiting to see what Nagato would choose.

Aoki Tsuki looked at Hanzō. The man who had once spent half his life fighting for the Land of Rain was now breaking his word and betraying others for the sake of his own rule.

He was destroying the reputation he had built over half his life.

Only those who experienced what was happening now could understand Nagato's despair and hatred.

He needed to choose a side quickly, or he really would be crushed like an ant when the time came.

"Huff... huff..."

The terrifying pressure made Nagato feel as though he were suffocating. Trembling, he picked up the Kunai from the ground, not knowing what to do.

He turned and was about to speak. "Yahiko..."

The familiar figure suddenly lunged in front of him, giving him no time to react.

"Pfft..."

"Live on with Konan, no matter what. Because you... are the savior of this world. If it's you, maybe you really can..."

Yahiko lost consciousness and fell to the ground, motionless.

Nagato's mind went blank. He stepped back twice in a daze, feeling as though his entire world had gone dark.

Yahiko was the light in his world, and now that light... had gone out.

Intense emotion stimulated the Rinnegan.

"Yahiko!!!" Konan let out a heart-rending wail.

But Hanzō did not keep his promise to let them go. Instead, he coldly ordered everyone, "Attack!"

Almost simultaneously, everyone hurled the Kunai or Shuriken in their hands at Nagato below.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Faced with the rain of attacks, Nagato simply thrust out a hand, and every projectile was repelled.

"What was that just now?"

"What happened?"

Everyone began talking at once. They had never seen such a bizarre ability.

Nagato flashed forward and leaped onto the cliff. Hanzō quickly jumped away and, while Nagato was rescuing Konan, slapped one hand on the ground.

"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"

The Explosive Tags laid beforehand immediately appeared and climbed up Nagato's legs. The dazzling flames were reflected in his purple eyes.

Boom, boom, boom...

The violent explosions filled everyone's field of vision.

"Did it work?!" Hanzō was confident in this move of his.

But Nagato burst out of the blast zone with Konan, flames still burning on his feet.

"Nagato..."

"Konan, look after Yahiko. Don't move," Nagato said quietly.

Konan keenly noticed that Nagato's tone was completely different from before: decisive and calm. The timid, indecisive Nagato had suddenly disappeared.

"Impressive, kid. You took my Fire Release and still got away."

Nagato abruptly raised his head and looked Hanzō straight in the eye with his Rinnegan. This was the first time he had openly displayed his eyes in front of others.

The purple ripples gleamed with an icy light, like the gaze of the god of death, inspiring fear in those who saw them.

Hanzō's heart tightened as a bad premonition rose within him. "You're no ordinary person... Your eyes..."

The Root ninja could wait no longer. They had already received orders from Danzo to kill the red-haired man at any cost.

"Attack! Kill him!"

Dozens of ninja leaped at Nagato below at once. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were throwing their lives into the fight for the sake of the alliance.

The Rain Ninja were all crafty old foxes. Not one of them acted rashly; they were all watching and waiting.

Aoki Tsuki retreated behind everyone else, his face tense. Seeing this, the others assumed he had never witnessed such a grand scene and had been frightened.

Shinonome even sneered, "Hmph, cowardly brat."

Aoki Tsuki couldn't care less about that. His colleagues around him were about to die, and he didn't want to die yet.

He quietly gathered Chakra in his legs, once again thankful that he had never neglected his Body Flicker Technique practice over the past two years.

When it mattered, he would have to rely on it to save his life.

"Summoning Technique: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"

A gigantic monster with a wood-grain texture suddenly appeared on the battlefield. With a casual sweep of its hand, it sent the enemies flying like flies.

Two figures in the distance watched everything unfold.

White Zetsu said in surprise, "It's appeared."

"He actually summoned the Ten-Tails' empty shell." Obito was also shocked by Nagato's performance.

Konan was no stranger to this monster and knew the risks of the technique. She hurriedly said, "Nagato, you can't use this..."

Nagato could no longer concern himself with all that. His intense hatred made him want to kill everyone present. With a roar, he channeled his Chakra.

The statue extended iron rods like tree roots and drove them into Nagato's back, absorbing his Chakra.

Soon, a long purple dragon shot out of the statue's mouth and lunged toward the cliff. With one sweep, it sucked away the souls of more than a dozen ninja.

Whether they were from Root or Hanzō's guards, it killed them indiscriminately.

"Crap, touching that thing will kill you!"

"Run!"

Terror appeared on everyone's faces. Caring about nothing else, they turned to run, but the purple dragon moved at incredible speed and caught up in an instant.

Yet two figures managed to escape.

One had bandages wrapped around his head and was moving at breakneck speed, far in the lead.

The other was no slower than the man ahead of him, leaving only a series of flickering afterimages in his wake. Clearly, he had started running late and mistimed his escape.

They were Danzo and Aoki Tsuki. The moment the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path appeared, they had fled.

Without a moment's hesitation.

One after the other, they vanished into the vast curtain of rain.

Hanzō watched his subordinates get slaughtered, standing still until the long purple dragon reached him.

"So you're the true leader behind Akatsuki. To think you possess the Rinnegan. You've really surprised me."

He knew he had gotten himself into serious trouble. The enemy before him was more powerful than he had imagined.

Nagato let out a roar and directed the long purple dragon to attack Hanzō.

"Roar!"

"Body Flicker Technique!"

Hanzō immediately used Water Body Flicker, escaping as the attack fell. He had no intention of fighting and instinctively wanted to run.

When it came to speed, he was even faster than the two who had fled ahead of him.

Nagato was nearly at his limit by then. Unable to pursue Hanzō, he had no choice but to release the Summoning Technique.

Poof...

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path vanished.

"Huff... huff..."

Nagato gasped for breath. Although the statue had drained his body until he was skin and bones, he felt an unprecedented pleasure.

A manic smile lingered on his lips. It was the pleasure of years of pent-up repression being released in a single moment.

In the distance, Obito murmured to himself, "Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, I'll reunite you in the world of dreams. I promise."