A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and the rain grew heavier and heavier.
However, no one present paid attention to the minor issue of rain.
For them, the immediate crisis requires more attention.
"Why, Hanzō? Why did you do this? If you think we're a threat, you could have just let us leave." Yahiko roared angrily at Hanzō, who was standing some distance away.
He didn't understand why Hanzo would renege on his decision without even discussing it, since it was Hanzō who had offered the choice.
He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way. He only wanted to realize the ideal of peace and to let the villagers have a happy life, but he was opposed by the actual leaders of the village and they wanted to kill them completely.
At that moment, he felt that reality was so cruel, and it dealt him a huge blow.
"Why? Because your ideals are too dangerous; they shouldn't exist in the Shinobi World. Because your actions have put immense pressure on Amegakure. Three major Shinobi World nations —Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha— are pressuring me to eliminate you, or I'll retaliate against Amegakure. So, you understand now? For Amegakure's sake, I have no choice but to do this. It's a pity; I had high hopes for you. It's truly a shame."
Hanzō's words were filled with regret. He had originally been very optimistic about the newly formed Akatsuki, because Akatsuki never interfered with Amegakure's internal policies and even assisted Amegakure in developing the Land of Rain's livelihood, greatly helping Amegakure's chaotic and impoverished situation.
However, as the Akatsuki expanded and Akatsuki policies towards civilians improved, its Akatsuki in the Land of Rain soared, even beginning to overshadow his own, which made him feel threatened.
Of course, if that were all, he wouldn't care, because he's getting old and it's time for him to find a successor. Yahiko could become the next Amegakure, and then Akatsuki and Amegakure would completely merge, and there would be no threat.
However, the rise of Akatsuki and its methods of operation put pressure on the major powers bordering the Land of Rain, especially the Land of Rain, which was gaining momentum for growth under the joint development of Akatsuki and Amegakure.
How could the leaders of a major power want to see such a situation? Furthermore, since the Land of Rain serves as a buffer zone in the struggle between the three nations, they are even less likely to allow the Land of Rain to have any hope of rising to power.
Therefore, they used the Akatsuki's interference in the battles between national ninjas as a pretext to demand that Hanzō take action to eliminate the Akatsuki. Otherwise, their great nation would impose sanctions on the Land of Rain through economic and material means, and might even send a special ninja force into the Land of Rain.
Therefore, in order to prevent the Land of Rain from falling into chaos again, he had no choice but to order the purge of the Akatsuki.
He first tricked Yahiko into waiting in the plains under some pretext, while he led his team to raid the Akatsuki's base, killing all the Akatsuki members except for Konan, who was close to Yahiko. He used this as a means to threaten Yahiko into not escaping.
After the remaining people were dealt with, the crisis in the Land of Rain was considered over. Unfortunately, the hope for the Land of Rain to awaken again vanished with the destruction of Akatsuki.
Hanzō sighed inwardly, but soon, the reluctance and regret in his eyes turned into cold cruelty.
Then, with a wave of his hand, the previously quiet Amegakure behind him instantly sprang into action. Their calm, indifferent eyes suddenly changed, revealing a chilling killing intent. With a flick of their wrists, they drew their Ninja Blade or Kunai and other weapons, then charged towards Yahiko and the others.
When Yahiko and the others saw Hanzō's actions and the Amegakure's menacing approach, they knew there was no possibility of peace talks. The only thing they could do was take out their weapons and meet the enemy.
The next moment, the two sides' forces were intertwined.
In an instant, the sounds of fighting, screams, and explosions echoed across the plain.
The Kakkō from the battle illuminated the previously gloomy plain with extraordinary brightness.
In the Kakkō, Yahiko's face looked extremely grim; this was the last thing he wanted to see.
He knew that even though the Akatsuki was developing well, it was still far from being able to withstand attacks from the Amegakure ninja.
After engaging in battle, only defeat and death awaited him, but he had no choice. Konan was still in Hanzō's hands, and he couldn't abandon Konan to escape with the others. Moreover, his and Nagato's strength was not yet at the level to determine the course of the battle or turn the tide of war.
"Damn it, what should I do?"
Looking at the unfavorable situation before him, Yahiko felt secretly anxious.
Just as Yahiko was at a loss about the current situation, Yusuke, whom he was protecting behind him, said with a hint of emotion, " Yahiko, we've known each other for several months now!"
"Yes, that's right, Brother Yahiko," Yahiko replied without turning his head when he heard Yusuke's question. He was completely focused on observing the enemy's situation and had no time to pay attention to Yusuke behind him, so he didn't notice that something was wrong with Yusuke's tone.
"To be honest, I really didn't expect to stay in the Land of Rain for so long. I also didn't expect to meet someone like you, Yahiko. I'm truly grateful for this time."
Even the slow-witted Yahiko noticed the unusual tone in Yusuke's voice. He turned to look at Yusuke, asking with a puzzled expression, "Brother Yusuke, what do you mean by that?"
Yahiko sensed a farewell in Yusuke's tone, but he didn't understand what Yusuke meant. Nagato, on the other side, also heard Yusuke's words and noticed Yusuke unusual behavior. A sudden unease arose in his heart, and he asked with concern, " Yusuke, what's wrong?"
When Yahiko and Nagato asked him questions, Yusuke smiled and shook his head, saying with a hint of melancholy, "I just feel so grateful to have met you all. It's just a little sad that such carefree days are over."
After speaking, he ignored the puzzled expressions on Yahiko and Nagato and slowly walked towards Hanzō. While snatching Ninja Blade from an Akatsuki member, he reached out and took off his black-rimmed glasses.
As he removed his glasses, Yusuke's refined and easygoing demeanor suddenly changed, inexplicably exuding a strong aura of dominance. He seemed like an arrogant and overbearing ruler.
This stark contrast made those who knew Yusuke feel extremely uncomfortable. It was the same face, but his demeanor was completely different.
Looking at him now, no one would ever say that the person in front of them is the Yusuke they know.
"As a way of repaying you for what you've done for me, I'll take care of your current crisis."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yusuke's figure flashed and he suddenly disappeared.
Immediately afterwards, a dazzling flash of sword light appeared around Amegakure and Konoha's Anbu. Then, countless screams suddenly rang out.
To their surprise, Yahiko and his group found that most of the Amegakure and Konoha Anbu who had been densely surrounding them were now lying in pools of blood, and the remaining ninjas no longer posed a threat to them.
This shocked Yahiko and the others. In their minds, Yusuke was just an ordinary person. How could he possess such great strength?
But no one could answer the questions that lingered in their minds.
The next second, Yusuke suddenly appeared in front of Hanzō.
This caused Hanzō's pupils to shrink abruptly; Yusuke's speed and sudden appearance caught him off guard.
However, his still-intact intuition as a powerful warrior sensed a tremendous aura of danger Yusuke; his unseen sixth sense was frantically warning him.
But that wasn't what surprised him the most.
What surprised him even more was that, despite saying she would help the Akatsuki, the white figure completely disregarded the hostage in his hands and thrust the sharp, gleaming blade of her Ninja Blade directly into the woman's chest, showing no mercy whatsoever, as if she wanted to pierce him through along with the woman.
Although Hanzō kept staring at the white figure, trying to discern any wavering in its eyes, he eventually gave up.
Because what he saw was a cold indifference devoid of any emotion, like ice that had stood for millennia.
This made him realize that it was impossible to use hostages to deter the enemy from acting rashly; on the contrary, the presence of hostages would only delay his actions.
Therefore, in order to Yusuke's attack, Hanzō first pushed Konan in his hand toward the Yusuke of Yusuke's sword, and then suddenly leaped backward.
Unfortunately, he guessed wrong, or perhaps Yusuke's cold expression led him to a misjudgment.
With a flick of his Yusuke's Ninja Blade, which was originally aimed at Konan's chest, quickly turned into the back of the blade. Then, Yusuke's arm sank, catching Konan who had lost her balance due to Hanzō's release.
" Konan, remember this. The struggle between ninjas is extremely brutal, and you can't always be saved. Especially when you're just an ant, you must learn to preserve yourself." The same old sermon rang in Konan's ears. It was the same voice, but Konan didn't feel any familiarity; instead, it felt utterly alien.
" Yusuke??" Konan murmured, her face Byakugan glazed over as she stared at Yusuke. She was frightened by Yusuke's cold tone and icy gaze, and even more so by Yusuke merciless attack just now.
She could sense that in that instant, if Hanzō hadn't pushed her away and hadn't run away, Yusuke would have stabbed her without hesitation to injure Hanzō. She would have truly died at the hands of the person she respected.
Seeing Konan's frightened expression, Yusuke didn't offer any words of comfort as usual. He simply glanced at her coldly, then flashed away and chased after Hanzō.
After all, as a former demigod, Yusuke was quite interested.
Because of Yusuke's sudden departure, Konan, who had not yet recovered from the shock, suddenly collapsed to the ground without anyone to rely on.
Fortunately, Yahiko and Nagato, who had been following Yusuke, arrived in time and helped Konan, who was about to fall.
" Konan, how are you? Are you alright?" Yahiko asked with concern, looking at Konan's listless eyes.
Seemingly, with a childhood friend by her side, a glimmer of light finally returned to Konan's dull eyes. She reached out and tightly grasped Yahiko: "Why did Yusuke become like this?"
Konan was confused and in pain. In her memory, Yusuke was a refined, easy-going, gentle and kind person who would patiently teach her no matter what mistakes she made, and would also gently comfort her when she was made to cry by Yahiko and Nagato.
This kind of care from an elder was something she had never felt before, except from Jiraiya- sensei.
So even though it had only been a few months, she had already come to regard him as her own brother.
But now, everything is different. The brother she remembered has become a completely different person, someone she doesn't recognize at all. This feeling of being abandoned by her family is incredibly painful for her.
Hearing Konan's question, Yahiko couldn't answer; he didn't know what was wrong with his Yusuke brother, Yusuke.
His thoughts were also in a state of confusion; Yusuke's sudden change left him bewildered.
You should know that he has always regarded Yusuke as his mentor and respected Yusuke as a teacher.
But now he discovers that his teacher is not his teacher at all; beneath Yusuke's outward appearance lies another mysterious and unpredictable person.
" Konan, cheer up. Although we don't know why Yusuke has become like this, we can try our best to bring Yusuke back. Didn't Yusuke once say that as long as we persevere enough, the world will change?"
Although Yahiko was also saddened by Yusuke's drastic change, as Konan's closest companion, he had to comfort her.
At this moment, Nagato nodded in agreement, " Yahiko is right, Yusuke- nii has changed, so we should..."
Before Nagato could finish speaking, he saw Konan and Yahiko looking at him with surprised expressions, then exclaiming, " Yusuke?"
Hearing Konan and Yahiko calling out, Nagato couldn't help but turn his head to look.
A white-clad figure stood behind him; it was Yusuke, who had just disappeared while chasing Hanzō.
Then, Yusuke said with regret, " Hanzō ran too fast, I couldn't catch him. What a pity."
But what Yusuke next made Nagato, Yahiko, and Yahiko 'Konan hair stand on end instantly.
Just moments before, Yusuke's expression had changed drastically, and he said with great interest, "But thankfully, although Hanzō escaped, his Rinnegan is still intact."
These words immediately froze the expressions of surprise on Nagato, Konan Yahiko's faces, leaving them momentarily stunned.
With lightning speed, Yusuke extended his right hand and aimed straight for Nagato's right eye.
In Nagato's vision, three slender, white fingers magnified before his eyes.
At that very moment, a powerful force suddenly emanated from Nagato's Rinnegan, rousing Nagato from his dazed state.
Nagato's Rinnegan suddenly widened, Rinnegan purple pupils contracted sharply, and an incredibly powerful force emerged from nothingness, slamming heavily into Yusuke's body.
The next second, Yusuke's body was violently thrown into the air, then spun 720 degrees before crashing to the ground, splashing a considerable amount of water onto the muddy surface.
However, after delivering a powerful blow, Nagato ignored the fallen Yusuke and instead covered his eyes, gasping for breath.
"Ha-hu, ha-hu"
He sensed that his Rinnegan had changed just now, as if some qualitative change had occurred.
The Rinnegan was powerful in his body before, but it didn't display the formidable reputation that the Eye of the Six Paths should have. However, just now, he could clearly feel the power of the Rinnegan. That immense power captivated him, but it also strained his body.