With the efforts of Byakuya, Yahiko, and Jiraiya, both Kumogakure and Konohagakure agreed to withdraw their troops from the Land of Hot Water.
As long as Yugakure remains neutral and does not ally with other ninja villages, both Konohagakure and Kumogakure will not take the initiative to attack the Land of Hot Water.
Upon learning this outcome, the leader of Yugakure was very excited.
After the talks had just concluded, the leader found Yahiko at the inn where the Rain Ninja were staying, shaking Yahiko's hand and saying, "Lord Yahiko, I truly thank you for your efforts. If it weren't for you, even if Kumogakure and Konohagakure stopped the war, they would still have acted against the Land of Hot Water."
Yahiko also appeared very excited, having realized his childhood dream of mediating a war between great nations.
After regaining his focus, Yahiko said to the leader of Yugakure, "This is what we should do. Both Amegakure and Yugakure are small ninja countries. If we cannot unite, we will only be harassed by the Five Great Ninja Villages."
The leader of Yugakure nodded, fully aware of the difficulties faced by small nations.
However, there is no free lunch in the world. The reason Amegakure was willing to help Yugakure was not only because they were both small countries but also for the resources and market within the Land of Hot Water.
This point had already been discussed during their last meeting.
Compared to Konohagakure, which often demands garrison rights, and in name only acts as allies while treating the Land of Hot Water as a vassal state, Amegakure has merely rented a few ports.
As for the ambitions of Kumogakure, they were even more outrageous, seeking to directly annex the Land of Hot Water.
Just as the leader of Yugakure and Yahiko were engaging in mutual flattery, Byakuya walked over and smiled, saying, "Hey Yahiko, did you forget to mention a condition to the leader of Yugakure?"
"Byakuya-senpai, what else is there?"
The leader of Yugakure was taken aback. He respected Byakuya for his strength but wondered why Byakuya suddenly had an additional condition.
Could it be that he picked the wrong side this time, and the ambitions of Amegakure were actually greater than those of Konohagakure and Kumogakure?
Byakuya approached the leader of Yugakure and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious; I just want to invite you and Yugakure to join our Akatsuki organization."
"Akatsuki?" The leader of Yugakure looked even more confused.
He had heard of the Akatsuki's name and knew that both Yahiko and Byakuya were once members, but wasn't the Akatsuki a subordinate organization of Amegakure?
Seeing the leader's confusion, Byakuya chuckled and said,
"Lord leader of Yugakure, you are not thinking that the Akatsuki is a subordinate organization of Amegakure, are you? In fact, Amegakure is a subordinate organization of the Akatsuki.
The goals of the Akatsuki are not limited to one country or one village. We are here to achieve peace in the ninja world. When Hanzo the Salamander tried to stop us, we defeated him, and the war between Kumogakure and Konohagakure has also ceased because of our intervention.
If you are willing to lead Yugakure to join the Akatsuki, I can consider protecting you."
After saying this, Byakuya formed hand seals, and a small sapling burst forth from the ground, rapidly growing to fill the entire room.
"Wood Release! The legendary Wood Release!"
Seeing this scene, the leader of Yugakure was wide-eyed, suspecting that he was under a genjutsu.
While Wood Release was merely a bloodline limit, the last user of Wood Release was the First Hokage, who had pacified the warring states, and from then on, Wood Release carried a special significance.
Yahiko was also somewhat surprised. Although he had long suspected that Byakuya had mastered Wood Release, this was the first time he had seen Byakuya use it.
In the previous battle with Hanzo, Byakuya would have never been able to defeat the demigod of the ninja world and force Hanzo to surrender without mastering such a secret technique.
However, he couldn't quite understand why Byakuya wanted the leader of Yugakure to join the Akatsuki.
After a moment, the leader of Yugakure finally recovered from his shock. He looked at Byakuya with a newfound respect, and his tone became even more respectful.
"Lord Byakuya, was that Wood Release you just used?"
Byakuya smiled casually and said, "You have good insight; you recognize that I used Wood Release, so you should understand its power."
"Of course, of course…"
After a brief pause, the leader of Yugakure curiously asked, "However, Lord Byakuya, since you have mastered Wood Release, why are you still in the Land of Rain... What I mean is, the territory of the Land of Rain is not worthy of you."
The resources of the Land of Rain are not worthy of Byakuya; this was not flattery from the leader of Yugakure but his genuine thoughts.
Byakuya could contend with the Fourth Raikage in a short time even without using Wood Release, which undoubtedly proves that he possesses power on par with the Five Kage. Coupled with his Wood Release that is extremely effective against Tailed Beasts, even without the power of the Sage of the Six Paths, Byakuya could be referred to as a demigod.
Byakuya stared at the leader of Yugakure and retorted, "I'm a ninja who loves peace and dislikes killing. If I were to join other ninja villages, what would happen to your Yugakure?"
Upon hearing this, the leader of Yugakure fell silent.
He did not believe Byakuya's claim of loving peace. According to records from the black market, during the recent war between Konohagakure and Kumogakure, Byakuya had eliminated dozens of ninjas. Even the information regarding the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails was vaguely connected to him.
Compared to Byakuya, even the crazies from Kirigakure and Sunagakure seemed quite amiable.
Byakuya continued, "Alright, alright, you can now make a decision on whether or not to join the Akatsuki."
The leader of Yugakure no longer hesitated and nodded, saying, "I am willing to bring Yugakure into the Akatsuki. However, are there any specific rules or regulations within the organization?"
Byakuya fell into thought for a moment and then said,
"Aside from prohibiting mutual killings, there are no special regulations. For specific questions, you can ask Lord Yahiko. I'm not good at managing ninja villages."
Seeing Byakuya pass the responsibility to him, Yahiko could only accept it with a forced smile.
Since Byakuya became the leader of the Akatsuki, he had dedicated all his attention to the organization, leaving all matters concerning Amegakure to Yahiko.
Along with Nagato, who loved civil engineering, and Konan, who enjoyed making money, it seemed that without Byakuya's input, Amegakure and the Akatsuki would likely face major troubles soon.
After a light sigh, Yahiko turned to the leader of Yugakure and said,
"Let's continue our previous discussion. There are still many areas where Amegakure and Yugakure can collaborate."
Having intimidated the leader of Yugakure and facilitated his joining the Akatsuki, Byakuya didn't linger and simply found a quiet room to wait.
Before long, a familiar electronic notification sound echoed in Byakuya's mind.
[Yugakure has joined the Akatsuki. You have gained Basic Water Release, Basic Fire Release, Basic Earth Release…]
[Yugakure has joined the Akatsuki. You have acquired the Forbidden Techniques of the Evil God Cult.]