"To think that during our crucial period of planning revenge for Yahiko and preparing to kill Hanzō of the Salamander, such a powerful figure would suddenly emerge in the neighboring country of the Land of Rain."
One of Akatsuki's temporary bases.
Konan, dressed in a black cloak embroidered with red clouds, her light blue-purple hair tied in a bun, and her face exquisitely beautiful, was undoubtedly the most striking presence in Akatsuki.
She pushed a wheelchair to a spot where sunlight could reach, gazing at a dense, undeveloped forest ahead.
Sitting in the wheelchair was a man.
Compared to Konan, he could only be described as having a face with a nose and eyes, looking indeed like a person.
"Whitebeard," Konan said. "I've never heard of that name before. It doesn't seem to be a person's name; it sounds more like a nickname."
"Nagato, do you think he will affect our plans?" Konan asked.
"No," Nagato, the man in the wheelchair, shook his head. "I don't know why, but maybe it's a gut feeling."
"However, someone who can single-handedly destroy a ninja village and isn't afraid of becoming the target of the entire ninja world by killing a country's Daimyo is indeed remarkable."
Nagato looked up at the bright sunlight.
In Amegakure...
Out of the 365 days a year, there might be less than ten days with such weather.
"I want to recruit him into Akatsuki! He's a formidable person. If he joins us, Akatsuki's strength will definitely rise to a new level."
Nagato finished speaking and then asked, "Who do you think we should send to contact this Whitebeard?"
Konan thought for a moment.
"Orochimaru hasn't done any substantial missions since joining Akatsuki. Every time we assign him a task, he half-asses it, and this isn't a one-time thing."
She continued, "Akatsuki is not his refuge from being hunted. This time, let's send Orochimaru and Sasori together!"
Nagato nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, it's time to make him move."
...
"The Whitebeard Pirates destroyed the Land of Grass. Such an ambitious pirate group, could they attack our Takigakure?"
A ninja from the Land of Waterfall worriedly said, "Leader, although no ninja village has attacked us for decades, we must be wary of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Pirates, the name alone screams 'thieves!' They don't care about morality. They only know looting and killing!"
The leader of Takigakure sat in a chair, his fingers interlaced, elbows resting on his desk. He said, "If a mere pirate group dares to invade the Land of Waterfall, we'll ensure they never return!"
"There's no need to worry too much."
The Takigakure leader continued, "I believe that after the Five Great Nations, our Land of Waterfall is second only to the Land of Rain."
"Don't forget, we have a Jinchūriki! The power of a Tailed Beast is unrivaled in the entire ninja world!"
As the village leader, his words served to reassure the people of Takigakure.
And he wasn't wrong.
Although the Land of Waterfall was a small country, it had never experienced war in decades, which meant it had accumulated considerable strength unmatched by the Land of Grass.
Moreover, they had the power of a Tailed Beast.
This gave them even more confidence.
...
"Absurd! How can someone dare to kill a country's Daimyo? Only scoundrels like the Whitebeard Pirates could commit such an outrageous act!"
The Land of Earth.
Iwagakure.
The information reached Iwagakure two days later than it did in Konoha, Amegakure, and Takigakure. Although Iwagakure was well-defended, it had poor communication with the outside world.
Ōnoki's rigid and stubborn nature meant he strongly disapproved of Whitebeard's actions.
The ninja world had very few unwritten rules.
One of them was—never to kill a noble or a Daimyo.
Any ninja who dared to break this rule was considered an outcast among ninjas.
And they would be wanted throughout the ninja world.
Becoming a wanted criminal.
Ōnoki threw down the information file and snorted, "If this so-called Whitebeard Pirates dare to appear in the Land of Earth, Iwagakure will destroy them!"
"However..."
Ōnoki's crafty old eyes turned. "The Land of Grass, having lost its Kusagakure and Daimyo, is now leaderless."
He was tempted.
Ōnoki spent his life thinking about his village's interests.
But soon, he shook his head.
The Land of Grass...
was too poor!
Even if Iwagakure didn't target the nobles of the Land of Grass, there would be no way to squeeze any profit from such a poor country.
Moreover, Kusagakure had probably already been looted by the Whitebeard Pirates.
They would likely not make a profit if they made a big move.
...
The news of "Kusagakure being destroyed" and "the Daimyo of the Land of Grass being killed" spread throughout the ninja world, causing an uproar.
The nobles and Daimyos of various ninja countries immediately became restless.
First to react were the nobles of the Land of Grass.
Who could have imagined that the Daimyo of their country had become a corpse split in two overnight?
While enraged, the nobles of the Land of Grass were also terrified, and the strong sense of crisis made them restless.
Previously...
Hardly any ninja dared to attack nobles or Daimyos. The conflicts between ninjas had nothing to do with them.
But now...
The appearance of the Whitebeard Pirates had broken this unwritten rule, causing all the nobles in the Land of Grass to worry about their safety.
After days and nights of intense discussions, they reached a conclusion.
—The person who broke this unwritten rule must be killed! To prevent other ninjas from imitating these scoundrels!
The nobles of the Land of Grass began contacting the nobles of other ninja countries.
Naturally, the nobles of other countries were also afraid of someone like Whitebeard.
No one wanted to suddenly become prey after being so high and mighty.
Therefore...
A bounty for Whitebeard circulated throughout the ninja world. This bounty was jointly funded by the nobles and Daimyos of various ninja countries and announced to all major ninja villages!
Wanted: Edward Newgate
Alias: Whitebeard, Nation Destroyer, Giant
Affiliation: Whitebeard Pirates
Level: S-Rank Wanted Criminal
Bounty: 1 Billion Ryo
Objective: Kill on Sight
When this astounding bounty appeared on the ninja mission boards of various villages, it shook the entire ninja world!
A bounty of 1 billion ryo!
That's the annual budget of a small ninja village.
This clearly showed how much the nobles and Daimyos of the ninja world feared for their lives.
...
...