At the same time, another person received a letter—Hanzō of the Salamander from Amegakure.
Two months ago, after hearing about a group called the Akatsuki emerging within the Land of Rain, Hanzō finally started paying attention to domestic affairs.
To gather information on the Akatsuki, he even sent spies to join the organization, aiming to obtain first-hand intelligence.
Upon opening the letter from his subordinates, Hanzō paused. The first sentence mentioned that the spy had been captured by the Akatsuki ninja and was undergoing inhumane torture and humiliation.
This made Hanzō instinctively frown.
But on further reflection, he found something odd. If his spy were truly being tortured, this letter would never have reached him.
Moreover, spies are naturally prone to exposure and torture, which is quite normal.
Thinking this, Hanzō grew more interested in the Akatsuki.
Continuing to read, he noted the details of the torture and information about the Akatsuki's structure and philosophy. His frown eased considerably.
The Akatsuki indeed appeared to be a peace-oriented organization, striving to convey messages of peace to the outside world.
From Byakuya's use of spies from various factions as labor, Hanzō understood that the Akatsuki was genuinely implementing the concept of mutual understanding among people.
If he had discovered spies in Amegakure, they would have faced severe torture.
Having such an organization emerge in the Land of Rain was, in a way, a stroke of luck for the country.
However, as the ruler of Amegakure, Hanzō considered more than just this.
He contemplated the possibility of the Akatsuki joining Amegakure as his subordinates. If they did, they could undoubtedly bring new vitality to the decaying village.
Moreover, it would solve his issue of finding a successor.
Yahiko, Nagato, and Byakuya were not only young but also had the strength of Jōnin. Given time, they could lead the Land of Rain, potentially turning Amegakure into the sixth great ninja village.
But all of this depended on whether Yahiko and the Akatsuki's ideals are genuine.
They needed to be a truly peaceful organization, not just using peace as a facade to secretly plan to overthrow him.
With this in mind, Hanzō looked at a one-eyed Jōnin nearby: "I have a task for you to complete."
"Please, Lord Hanzō, give your orders!"
"Go to the Akatsuki in my name and find out what the situation within the organization truly is."
Upon hearing the order, the Amegakure Jōnin nodded quickly.
Although he didn't know why Lord Hanzō wanted him to visit the Akatsuki, it was a rare and positive sign that the usually indifferent Hanzō was taking an interest in domestic affairs.
The Akatsuki was somewhat familiar to him.
It was said to be an independent ninja faction within the Land of Rain, not under Hanzō's command. Could it be that Lord Hanzō had finally decided to clear up the chaos in the Land of Rain?
With this thought, the one-eyed Amegakure Jōnin felt a surge of excitement.
Wasting no time, Hanzō immediately penned a personal letter.
He intended to first establish contact with Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki, through the letter and then arrange a face-to-face meeting at an appropriate time.
He believed that Yahiko, a native ninja of the Land of Rain, would become his subordinate.
---
After receiving Hanzō's letter, the one-eyed Jōnin left Amegakure.
After wandering around the Land of Rain for some time, he finally found Akatsuki members helping villagers in a small village.
Seeing the Akatsuki assisting villagers, the one-eyed Jōnin felt a bit more favorable toward them.
Being able to peacefully interact with the villagers indicated that this Akatsuki was different from other rogue ninja organizations.
The Akatsuki members noticed the one-eyed Jōnin and became wary.
This area was under their team's responsibility.
Apart from them, the only other Rain ninjas in this area would be either rogue ninjas or Amegakure ninjas.
The former was manageable, but the latter posed a significant threat.
Although both Akatsuki members and Amegakure ninja were from the Land of Rain, they belonged to different factions. The Akatsuki members, having left Amegakure, were technically considered rogue ninjas.
The one-eyed Jōnin noticed the Akatsuki members' unease and, after a cold snort, revealed his identity and purpose.
If not for Lord Hanzō's specific instructions to avoid causing trouble, he would have already subdued this group.
In Hanzō's view, there was no room for a second voice in the Land of Rain.
Upon learning the one-eyed Jōnin's identity as Hanzō's emissary, the Akatsuki members didn't dare to be careless. They quickly sent a letter to Yahiko with the news.
---
After some time, Yahiko received the message from the Akatsuki members.
Realizing that Hanzō's emissary was coming to visit the Akatsuki, Yahiko didn't dare to take it lightly. He immediately summoned the Akatsuki leadership to the meeting room, including Byakuya.
Byakuya arrived at the meeting room, casually chose a seat, and asked the anxious Yahiko, "Leader Yahiko, what's going on? Is Amegakure planning to attack us?"
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew tense at his words.
If Amegakure was indeed going to attack the Akatsuki, they could resist with their current strength, but it would be a devastating fight. The reputation of the "demi-god" Hanzō was built on battle achievements.
Yahiko glanced at Byakuya, then shook his head and said, "The intel is related to Amegakure, but it's not about war. Lord Hanzō has taken an interest in the Akatsuki and has sent an emissary to inspect us."
At these words, the tension in the room immediately eased.
They had truly feared a confrontation with Amegakure, but if it was merely an inspection, there was still room for maneuver.
However, they quickly began to worry again.
They were unsure whether Hanzō's emissary was coming solely for an inspection or as a precursor to war. The difference between the two was significant.
Regardless, they had to take this visit seriously.
This visit was crucial for the future of the Akatsuki. If they could gain Hanzō's approval, the Akatsuki would no longer be a clandestine organization and could expand its influence throughout the Land of Rain.
If they failed to gain his approval, they would need to reconsider the Akatsuki's future development.
Seeing the growing anxiety among the group, Yahiko spoke up, "We must take this visit from Hanzō's emissary seriously and show him our organization's principles and determination."
He glanced at Byakuya, worried that he might provoke Hanzō's emissary during the upcoming interactions.
After all, Byakuya had a rather negative view of Amegakure, always suspecting that they would eventually attack the Akatsuki.
Byakuya glanced back at Yahiko but remained silent during the meeting. He had little interest in Hanzō's emissary's visit.
As the Akatsuki grew, Hanzō was bound to take notice sooner or later.
Hanzō had already sent spies into the Akatsuki. Whether Hanzō would be willing to coexist peacefully with the Akatsuki was uncertain.
Byakuya thought there was a possibility, but it was unlikely.
Hanzō might have a favorable impression of the Akatsuki, but the leadership of Amegakure would not agree. The rise of the Akatsuki threatened their interests.
Unless Hanzō could unilaterally suppress all opposing voices and force a peaceful coexistence between Amegakure and the Akatsuki, as well as resolve conflicts between their leaderships, it was unlikely.
From what Byakuya knew of Hanzō, he didn't seem capable of such feats.
With this in mind, Byakuya quietly left the meeting room. Rather than wasting time discussing how to welcome Hanzō's emissary, he preferred to think about how to deal with Hanzō in the future.
Hanzō might be a "demi-god" of the ninja world, but the Akatsuki's current strength wasn't without a chance.
Even without Nagato summoning the Gedo Statue, the Akatsuki currently had three members close to Kage-level strength. If the Gedo Statue was summoned, their advantage over Hanzō would be significant.
However, considering Amegakure backing Hanzō, even if the Akatsuki won, the cost would be enormous, far outweighing the benefits.
Therefore, it was essential to wait for a more opportune moment.