The next day, Aoki Tsuki reported for duty wrapped in bandages once again, ready for another day of slacking off.
He had even less to do after becoming a guard captain. Hanzō was his only superior, and as long as Hanzō stayed out of things, no one could tell him what to do.
The job was even better than he had expected. No wonder everyone wanted a cushy position. Compared to those poor workhorses struggling in misery, life in one was absolute bliss.
It more than made up for all the effort he had put in.
In outsiders' eyes, he was a guard captain who worked almost every day of the year, an exceptionally diligent man. But who knew that his idea of work was nothing like what everyone else imagined?
He finally understood why so many people supported Hanzō. They were protecting their own privileged lives.
Aoki Tsuki knew that a storm would soon break over these peaceful days.
Nagato's revenge would come soon, utterly destroying everything.
As one of Hanzō's guard captains, he would presumably be among the first to be eliminated. If he wanted to survive, he had to prove his worth.
That meant playing a part in the coup.
You're the only one I can sell out, Lord Hanzō. Don't blame me. I don't have a choice either.
Aoki Tsuki began mentally preparing himself for his betrayal in advance.
In his current position, he knew the defensive arrangements and manpower inside out. He was even confident he could persuade Hanzō's personal guards.
There was no need to mention Satō Ichirō, who had already decided to lie flat.
As for Tsunodahara, he was definitely not the sort to risk his life for Hanzō. He appeared loyal, but was actually quite slippery.
He privately did business with various factions in the Land of Rain, reselling the village's supplies.
Still, he knew how to handle people and was generous with his money. Everyone benefited, so they all turned a blind eye.
Both men had previously only managed to become outer guard captains, neither particularly favored nor disregarded by Hanzō.
Jonin Takenaka Osamu certainly wouldn't survive. As a die-hard supporter of Hanzō, he would definitely be killed.
Aoki Tsuki mentally reviewed the village's key personnel and came to a rough assessment.
This was all important intelligence. He knew it like the back of his hand, but for an outsider, obtaining it would be next to impossible.
If Konan wanted to quietly seize control of Amegakure at the first opportunity, she had to rely on this intelligence. It was his bargaining chip, and the fundamental reason she had sought him out.
Both sides understood that perfectly well.
They would only discuss it after a few more transactions had established a basic level of trust. For now, they were merely testing the waters.
Last night, he had secretly drawn up a list based on what he knew, noting who was utterly loyal to Hanzō and who could still be saved.
It was his token of allegiance.
Even if Pain hated Hanzō, surely he wouldn't really exterminate nine generations of his family. If he killed everyone, who would keep the village running?
Amegakure would exist in name only.
Young people needed time to grow, and Jonin weren't easy to train.
No matter how powerful Pain was, he was still just one person, and one with limited mobility at that. There were many things he couldn't do.
A month passed, and Aoki Tsuki's daily routine remained extremely consistent.
One morning, half-asleep and barely conscious, he sensed someone standing beside him. Startled, he opened his eyes and looked.
It was that woman again.
"Phew... you scared me to death. Are you part cat?"
At Aoki Tsuki's complaint, Konan said coldly, "As a ninja, you should always be on guard. I didn't expect the people in the village to have degenerated this far."
Sure enough, she could bring anything back to the village.
Her resentment was no small thing.
Aoki Tsuki hurriedly explained, "No, this is my home. It's normal to relax here. That doesn't mean the other ninja do the same. Don't judge everyone by one example. There are still plenty of capable people."
A woman who had lost the man she loved could be unhinged at a time like this. She couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
He had only gotten home in the middle of the night, then done about an hour of physical training before going to bed.
Now, with dawn just breaking, he had only slept three or four hours in total. Normally, he wouldn't get up until eight or nine.
"Go on, what is it? I still need to sleep."
"Has Hanzō made any moves recently?" Konan asked.
"No. Ever since that incident, he seems to have taken quite a blow. He's stayed in his room all day and hasn't come out. Don't worry.
"Since I've accepted your benefits, I'll contact you if anything important happens."
"How much intelligence do you have on Danzo in Konoha?"
Aoki Tsuki shook his head. "How would I have the ability to get any? But I've heard that Konoha's 'Yellow Flash' has a lot of support to become the Fourth Hokage. Danzo probably doesn't stand a chance.
"He probably won't have the mind to pay attention to Amegakure's affairs again in the short term."
Nagato had killed all the Root members Danzo had brought last time. That would be enough to keep Danzo quiet for a long while.
With that, Aoki Tsuki lay back down and said, "It'll be light soon. I'm on duty this afternoon and tonight, so I can't stay up chatting with you."
But Konan remained standing there without moving.
"If there's something else, hurry up and say it. Don't just stand there. I can't sleep with you like that."
Pressed by Aoki Tsuki, a conflicted Konan spoke, somewhat embarrassed. "Do you have any money?"
"Huh...?!"
Aoki Tsuki thought he had misheard. "Hang on... aren't I the one working for you right now?"
What kind of boss asked an employee for spending money?
Konan fell silent for a long while before finally saying, "I'll pay you back double later."
Lady Angel still wasn't very good at making grand promises.
When Yahiko was around, Akatsuki's ideals had led them to take on thankless work. They often received no payment, and many members kept going out of sheer devotion.
Now they had no income at all, and Nagato needed medicine to sustain his body.
Akatsuki was at an unprecedented low, with no manpower and even less income.
Their earlier savings had already run out. If she had any other choice, Konan wouldn't have asked someone she had barely met for a loan.
In all of Amegakure, Aoki Tsuki was probably the only person who might lend her money.
Looks like Lady Angel has nowhere else to turn. This is exactly when I should show my worth.
At that thought, Aoki Tsuki pointed to the desk drawer. "I'm taking you at your word. Take however much you need."
His current job paid him 100,000 ryō a month, and he also had income from a side business in the gray market: reselling ninjutsu. He knew very well how badly lower-ranking ninja wanted ninjutsu.
More than half the reason for his good reputation was his willingness to sell others the ninjutsu he obtained through various channels.
Over time, many lower-ranking ninja had come to speak of him with gratitude.
As his own status rose, business at his family's shop had also improved. He had saved quite a bit of money and hidden it in several places.
Hearing that, Konan stepped forward and opened the drawer, finding it stuffed full of money.
She took half of it and put it away.
"Thank you."
Even her tone had grown considerably lighter.
This money was enough to keep her going for quite a while. Her body then turned into sheets of paper, which flew out the window and vanished into the curtain of rain.
"Oh, has she already mastered the Dance of the Shikigami?"
Mastering that technique meant her strength had begun to increase dramatically. Ordinary Jonin were no longer a match for her.
It could only be said that after experiencing pain, ninja recognized the importance of strength and could grow rapidly in a short time.
Not long after that day, he heard that Konoha's Third Hokage had stepped down and the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, had been chosen as the Fourth Hokage. An inauguration ceremony would be held at a later date, with allied nations widely invited to attend.
Because of this, Hanzō even summoned Aoki Tsuki specifically to ask about it.
Hanzō was more concerned about whether his collaborator Danzo would lose power as a result. Although their last operation had ended with less than it had promised, it could still be considered a success.
Akatsuki's leader Yahiko had indeed been killed on the spot through Danzo's scheme, and Akatsuki had disappeared from sight ever since.
"Because of our alliance, Konoha has sent an invitation for Amegakure to attend the ceremony. You'll represent the village."
Aoki Tsuki understood that Hanzō was sending him for more than simply attending the ceremony.
"Do you need me to meet that man in secret?"
Hanzō liked perceptive subordinates like this, who immediately understood what he meant.
"Once you reach Konoha, first make contact with Danzo in secret. Then sound out the newly appointed Hokage and find out his attitude toward Amegakure."
"Yes."
"Don't tarnish Amegakure's prestige while you're out there," Hanzō said.
Amegakure's reputation is already in the gutter!
By using the good reputation he had built up over the years to set a trap for Akatsuki, Hanzō had become a prime example of treachery.
Aoki Tsuki grumbled inwardly, but hurriedly assured him aloud, "I'll make those who look down on Amegakure's ninja pay a heavy price!"
"Mm. Has anything worth noting happened in the country recently?"
Hanzō was still concerned about Akatsuki, worried that they would rise again.
"Nothing for now. The ninja from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha have withdrawn from our country one after another. Aside from a few more rogue ninja, things are fairly stable, and no major rebel organization has formed."
"Good. Keep watching. We can't let our guard down."
"Understood."
In Amegakure, the only job of Hanzō's inner guards was to stay close and protect him.
The outer guards, on the other hand, occasionally handled troublesome missions and matters the village's ordinary ninja couldn't deal with.
Hanzō glanced at the bandages wrapped around Aoki Tsuki's left arm. "I hear you've been training hard lately. With your perseverance, I believe you'll surpass me one day."
Aoki Tsuki broke out in a cold sweat. Who knew whether the old geezer was encouraging him or wary of him?
He hurriedly explained, "My swordsmanship has reached a bottleneck, and I'm trying to improve it. I just haven't gotten anywhere yet."
Hanzō showed no intention of offering guidance. Instead, he cautioned, "Impatience is a mistake in sword training. You're still young and need time to build a foundation. Don't rush."
"You're right, my lord. I was too eager for quick results."
As stingy as ever.
Aoki Tsuki had discreetly asked many people about it. Hanzō liked to praise others, but rarely offered them guidance.
He was so powerful, yet in all these years, Amegakure had failed to raise a single talent worth mentioning.
It seemed the old geezer intended to take his secret skills to the grave.
One morning, Aoki Tsuki was sitting on a rooftop practicing Senjutsu. He had barely settled into it when he sensed something was wrong.
"This rain isn't right. Why is there chakra in it? Could it be...?"
He had kept up his sensing continuously for years and was thoroughly familiar with the rain in the Land of Rain. No change could escape his notice.
Just now, he had actually sensed an extremely faint trace of chakra in the rain.
"The Rain Tiger at Will Technique... has he developed it already?"
This meant the whole of Amegakure was under his surveillance. Information on the movements of every ninja active in the village was no longer secret.
Their addresses, daily routines, and shift-change times, for example, along with Konan's paper butterflies.
This meant the village was already within their grasp.
It wouldn't be long before they made their move.
The west district, at the tower.
Deva Path Pain was using a technique to gather information on Amegakure's ninja. Morning was the busiest time for people heading out.
Through the chakra in the rain, he could determine the number and strength of the ninja.
"How is it?" Konan asked.
"There are far fewer ninja in the village than expected. Judging by the strength of their chakra, there are fewer than ten Jonin."
Even Pain himself was shocked by the figures.
The village they had treated so cautiously as a formidable enemy had actually declined this far. No wonder Hanzō had considered Akatsuki a powerful threat and only dared make a move with Danzo's help.
"Could it be that they haven't gone out? Hanzō's guards are required to protect him in shifts around the clock."
"No. According to the intelligence Aoki Tsuki provided, six in the morning is when they change shifts, and the number of guards matches. Perhaps this really is all the strength the village has left. Hmph, how laughable."
Deva Path Pain gave a cold laugh. It was unclear whether he was mocking them or felt sad.
The entire village had begun to decay, just like Hanzō.
This village is about to welcome a new god.
"What about Shibuki Bridge?"
"He's undoubtedly an elite Jonin, but..."
"What is it...?"
"His chakra is indistinct one moment and clear the next. It's hard to pin down. It feels strange... never mind. Even if something unexpected happens, I can handle it."
"Mm. When do you plan to make your move?"
Deva Path Pain looked at the steel city in the curtain of rain. When Yahiko was alive, he had liked watching the falling rain like this.
He would watch it for an entire day.
"All Six Paths are assembled. Sometime soon. We need to bring the village under our control as quickly as possible. Madara has already begun looking for suitable candidates."