Three days had passed since the Akatsuki took control of Amegakure. In this short period, the ninjas of Amegakure had transitioned from initial anxiety to gradually adapting to Akatsuki's rules.
Overall, the Akatsuki's regulations weren't much different from those during Hanzo's rule. However, the newly appointed Yahiko was far more diligent than the complacent Hanzo. Yahiko not only handled the Land of Rain's various requests punctually but also showed great concern for the villagers and the lower-ranking ninjas.
These efforts were enough to endear Yahiko to the villagers of Amegakure. Under Hanzo's rule, the village had been a place of misery and hardship.
Of course, in these few days, several remnants of Hanzo's faction noticed Yahiko's leniency and attempted to cause trouble. However, they often disappeared without a trace before they could act.
This reminded the remaining Amegakure ninjas of Byakuya's terrifying nature. Unlike the mild-mannered Yahiko, Byakuya was known for his decisive and ruthless strikes against any rebellious ninjas.
With a combination of rewards and punishment, the Akatsuki effectively completed their takeover of Amegakure.
Once everything settled down, Byakuya was summoned to the Amegakure Tower.
Seeing Yahiko seated in the leader's chair, with Nagato, Konan, and others by his side, Byakuya instinctively frowned and asked, "Yahiko, why did you call me here? Are Hanzo's remnants causing trouble again?"
Yahiko gently shook his head, thinking to himself that Byakuya's bloodlust was indeed strong. However, without Byakuya's thunderous methods, Hanzo's old followers would never have conceded.
After a moment of contemplation, Yahiko spoke, "I called you here today to fulfill our agreement from the other day. Do you remember our bet?"
Byakuya nodded slightly and replied, "Of course I remember, and you've already lost that bet."
Hearing this, Yahiko sighed softly and said, "Yes, I overestimated Hanzo's magnanimity. He really did act against the Akatsuki, even though we had no intention of ruling Amegakure."
"I told you, you were too naive!"
"Byakuya, you were right..."
Yahiko nodded and continued, "So, now you are the leader of the Akatsuki. If you wish, you can also become the leader of Amegakure and guide us forward."
At this point, Konan and Nagato, who were standing beside Yahiko, were taken aback but did not object.
Although Byakuya was immature in some aspects, he was undoubtedly the greatest contributor to their victory. Without Byakuya, it might have taken the Akatsuki many more years to control the Land of Rain.
More importantly, Yahiko realized his own weakness and acknowledged that he was not fit to be the leader of the organization.
"I will become the leader of the Akatsuki..."
Pausing for a moment, Byakuya stared at Yahiko and said seriously, "But you should remain the leader of Amegakure. I don't like dealing with nobles and officials. Compared to me, you are more suited to be a true leader."
Byakuya was speaking from his heart.
Having proven himself with the necessary judgment and resolve, Yahiko had become a competent leader and was the perfect choice to lead Amegakure.
As for Byakuya, he only needed to serve as the head of the Akatsuki from the shadows.
In just a few sentences, the matter of who would lead the Akatsuki and who would lead Amegakure was settled. Naturally, Konan and Nagato became elders of Amegakure.
Following this, Yahiko earnestly asked Byakuya how to manage Amegakure and the Land of Rain.
Unlike previous occasions, Byakuya didn't boast. Instead, he handed Yahiko a small booklet containing governance methods he had read about in his past life. These could serve as references for Yahiko.
Since the past life and the ninja world were vastly different, many methods couldn't be directly applied.
Yahiko accepted the booklet and, after casually flipping through a few pages, his eyes lit up as he found solutions to many previously troubling issues.
After completing the handover of leadership at the meeting, Byakuya planned to leave. Now that he was the leader of the Akatsuki, he could expand his departments without restraint, allowing for greater feedback.
Before leaving, Byakuya suddenly remembered something important and turned to look at Yahiko.
Seeing Byakuya's gaze, Yahiko showed a puzzled expression. "Byakuya, is there something else?"
Byakuya nodded and asked, "By the way, is the Akatsuki an organization under Amegakure, or is Amegakure subordinate to the Akatsuki?"
Is there a difference?
Yahiko didn't understand Byakuya's point.
Byakuya shook his head and explained, "I believe the Akatsuki's status should be above Amegakure. After all, our vision shouldn't be confined to the Land of Rain. The Akatsuki's ideology needs to spread across the entire ninja world."
Byakuya's words resonated with Yahiko. The Akatsuki certainly couldn't be limited to Amegakure.
However, with the Akatsuki's current strength, controlling Amegakure was already their limit. It would take several years just to stabilize the Land of Rain. Setting their sights beyond the Land of Rain now seemed a bit overly ambitious.
But Yahiko wasn't one to dwell on details. He said, "If you wish, the Akatsuki's status can be above Amegakure, but for now, the Akatsuki and Amegakure are one entity with no distinction."
"Just asking casually..."
Byakuya said as he left the Amegakure office, hearing a series of system notifications in his mind.
[Amegakure ninja xx has joined the Akatsuki. You have received chakra fragments.]
[Amegakure ninja xx has joined the Akatsuki. You have received water release fragments.]
[Amegakure's Salamander has joined the Akatsuki. You have received salamander poison.]
[Amegakure...]
Sitting in the central tower, Byakuya clicked through the notifications for several minutes before claiming all the rewards.
The system's rewards included ninja technique packs, chakra insights, and fragments.
Although the joining of Amegakure ninjas didn't bring high-level secret techniques or bloodline limits, they significantly boosted Byakuya's basic stats.
The system's final evaluation also upgraded from initial Kage-level to mid-Kage-level.
Byakuya generally trusted the system's power evaluations, but not entirely. He could go toe-to-toe with Hanzo of the Salamander even at the initial Kage-level.
Although Hanzo didn't have his salamander with him and had been exhausted by a series of battles, Byakuya also didn't fully utilize his Wood Release and Yin-Yang Release abilities. Both sides had held back, so the initial Kage-level rating was questionable.
Not dwelling on it for long, Byakuya closed the system panel and headed to the Anbu base. He had one important task left to complete: persuading Hanzo to join the Akatsuki.
Despite his aged status and diminished power, Hanzo still held considerable value. It would be a waste to turn him into just another Pain's Path.