Thoughts that once lingered now came to a halt. The stigma of being labeled a rogue ninja might never be cleared, and the response Ye Zi had hoped for would likely remain as elusive as ever.
With Ye Zi now declared a rogue ninja, all malice from the shadows and good intentions in the light were lumped together under this new reality.
In the post-war period of recovery, Jiraiya chose to leave the village to gather intelligence. Meanwhile, Konoha's medical system had been nearly perfected, giving Tsunade the desire to leave the village as well, though she hadn't acted on it yet.
Kushina, determined to find Ye Zi and ask him for answers, was forbidden to leave due to her role as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Many were shocked to learn that Ye Zi was not dead and had now become a rogue ninja.
For people like Guy, this news brought a mixture of emotions, uncertain whether to be happy or sad.
As a rogue ninja, Ye Zi was now an enemy, to be captured dead or alive.
Danzo's organization, Root, also received the news. When Danzo learned that Ye Zi was still alive, his eyes filled with a deep, cold killing intent. He immediately ordered his information channels to focus on tracking Ye Zi. Ye Zi had spent years within Root, and Danzo had no interest in knowing how much Ye Zi might know. All Danzo wanted was for Ye Zi to be dead—that was the only thing that would put him at ease.
The necessary people soon learned of the development.
Intelligence spread swiftly and secretly: Ye Zi was alive.
Unaware of the turmoil his survival had caused, Ye Zi stood by a window in the Land of Rain, watching the rain-soaked streets outside, faintly sensing a hint of life.
Rebuilding the Rain Village and training its ninja required vast sums of money and resources, both of which took time. In this newly seized Rain Village, it remained uncertain whether they could even train capable ninja.
Rather than waiting for new ninja to grow strong, Ye Zi preferred to recruit rogue ninjas from various villages. Those who chose to leave their villages were generally not weak.
However, out of all the rogue ninjas he had recruited, only Kakuzu seemed to fit the role for the Phantom Dragon Seal. Finding more people on Kakuzu's level would be no easy task.
In the simple room, the floor near the bed bulged, transforming into Zetsu's form.
"Did you find anything?" Ye Zi asked, still watching the street outside.
"Your sensory abilities are getting sharper," White Zetsu said with a sly grin before answering, "Yes. The one who killed the Third Kazekage was Sasori of the Red Sand, a rather formidable guy."
"Has Nagato been informed?"
"I told him before coming here. I won't be involved in the recruitment, though. He treats me like a workhorse, assigning me all the intelligence-gathering tasks," White Zetsu grumbled.
Ye Zi turned to face White Zetsu, who was half-submerged in the ground. "That's your specialty."
"It is, but I much prefer this to running around with you," Zetsu said with a grin, showing his sharp teeth. "As for recruitment, you'll have to handle that yourself."
Knock, knock.
Before Zetsu finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.
Ye Zi opened the door, already aware of who was outside. It was Konan. He had sensed her approach before she even knocked, so her arrival wasn't surprising.
White Zetsu watched Konan enter, thinking, Here comes the work.
Konan glanced at White Zetsu before walking past Ye Zi and into the room without a word.
"The identity and location of Sasori have been confirmed. Nagato has assigned me to accompany you for the recruitment," Konan said, turning to face Ye Zi.
"I can handle the recruitment alone. If you come along, it'll only slow me down," Ye Zi replied bluntly.
Konan's expression remained neutral despite the insult. "This is an order. Do you think I want to go with you?"
Ye Zi retorted, "If you're that close to Nagato, you could always decline the task and save us both the trouble."
As he spoke, Ye Zi pondered Nagato's reasoning. He didn't need Konan's help for recruitment—his team wasn't even fully staffed yet. Why send her along?
"Is this about surveillance? That doesn't seem necessary," he thought.
Konan's eyes flashed with brief anger, but she suppressed it. "I won't repeat myself. Instead of wasting time talking, you should focus on preparing to leave."
"Bringing along dead weight isn't exactly ideal," Ye Zi muttered, realizing that traveling with Konan was inevitable. He added, "I'm ready whenever."
White Zetsu, crouching in the corner of the room, watched the scene with interest. Didn't expect Ye Zi, usually so quiet, to have such a sharp tongue.
With each reference to "dead weight," Konan's anger barely stayed in check. She glared at Ye Zi before finally saying, "Then let's go."
Through the pouring rain, two figures left the Rain Village, heading toward the Land of Stone to find Sasori of the Red Sand.
According to White Zetsu's intelligence, Sasori was currently located in the remote and isolated Land of Stone, a barren nation with little plant life. Though it was a small country, the harsh environment had spared it from the ravages of war, as its terrain was unsuitable for battlefields.
However, the Land of Stone's poor environment led to low productivity, limiting population growth and contributing to widespread aging.
Given the limited population and the intelligence about Sasori's appearance, finding him in such a country shouldn't be difficult.
Meanwhile, Zetsu, having proven his exceptional reconnaissance abilities, had been assigned by Nagato to gather intelligence between the great nations and smaller ones. This intelligence would serve Akatsuki's goal of accumulating wealth. By understanding specific needs, Akatsuki could manipulate them and profit.
Ye Zi would have preferred traveling with Zetsu over Konan—it would've saved him a lot of hassle.
The two walked in silence.
As Ye Zi predicted, traveling with Konan slowed them down significantly.
When traveling with Zetsu, Ye Zi never had to worry about whether he was keeping up. In the end, Zetsu would always appear by his side.
Ye Zi briefly considered ditching Konan and using Lightning Release to speed up his journey, but he dismissed the idea after a moment's thought.
"You should hurry up," Ye Zi said, growing impatient after traveling for half a day and noticing Konan's pace slowing down.
They had left the center of the Rain Village and reached the outskirts, where the rain had lessened, no longer posing a major inconvenience.
Konan wasn't slow by any means, but she was struggling to keep up with Ye Zi's pace.
After half a day without rest, her speed inevitably began to drop.
This bastard is doing this on purpose, Konan thought angrily. The more she thought about Ye Zi's remarks, the more it fueled her determination to keep up, biting back her frustration as she forced herself to continue despite her waning stamina.
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