Within the base of Akatsuki.
Since Yahiko left, Nagato's mental state had started to deteriorate, and he sat there in a daze, lost in thought. Daibutsu went to find other companions, and with nothing to do, Asahi stood alone in the hallway, deep in thought.
"Why are you so sure that Kyusuke is not dead?"
A voice suddenly came from beside him. It was Konan.
Asahi's eyes flickered slightly as he replied, "Didn't Yahiko already say this?"
"Is that enough of a reason for Yahiko to take such a risk?" Konan asked again.
Asahi said, "Do you think I was the one who pushed Yahiko to take the risk?"
Konan paused for a moment. Of course, she couldn't blame Asahi for the matter. She understood what Yahiko was thinking, but the feeling of being unable to do anything and just waiting silently was incredibly painful for her.
She also hoped that both Yahiko and Asahi's speculations were correct, and that this matter would have a happy ending.
Konan didn't have ill feelings toward Asahi, but before he had asked Kyusuke to deliver a love letter to her, she hadn't really paid attention to him. Asahi always had a weak presence; only when she thought back did she realize that 'this guy doesn't talk much on a regular basis, but he's reliable when it comes to missions.'
But after that "Tier 2 Authority" thing appeared in her mind, she couldn't help but pay more attention to Asahi. She was becoming more and more certain that this wasn't some illusion, but rather some force beyond her understanding.
[First Level Reward Unlock Condition: First Kiss]
[First Level Reward: Triple Chakra]
However, this content was simply too absurd. If what she thought was true, and she had to kiss Asahi... there was no way she could accept that.
Konan certainly did not want to have such intimate contact with a man she didn't even like.
Although triple chakra is something that seems extremely tempting, for a ninja, the amount of chakra essentially determines a person's strength. The reserve of chakra can only increase through years of painstaking training.
Konan simply regarded this as an untrustworthy, absurd joke.
However, if she really did obtain three times the chakra, her strength would undergo a qualitative leap. At that time, even compared to the elite ninjas of the major countries, she likely wouldn't be inferior.
If that were the case, when facing situations like the one they were in now, she would have some confidence, and Yahiko wouldn't need to take such a huge risk...
Konan shook her head, dispelling these unrealistic thoughts. She glanced briefly at Asahi, then turned and left.
At that moment, Daibutsu suddenly rushed over in a panic.
"Nagato, Konan! Something's happened!"
Konan's heart skipped a beat, and Nagato immediately appeared beside her.
"What happened? Is there news of Yahiko?" Nagato asked urgently.
Yahiko had just left, so it shouldn't be anything urgent…
Daibutsu shook his head, speaking quickly, "No, it's not that. A group of ninjas suddenly appeared not far from here!"
Asahi furrowed his brow upon hearing this. Ninjas? Was it from Hanzo?
Could it be… that he had been wrong all along?
Yahiko, alone as promised, arrived at the meeting place with Hanzo.
It was an open canyon area, but when Yahiko arrived, he found that there wasn't a single person in sight.
This made Yahiko uneasy. He looked around, standing in the middle of the canyon, and a sudden thought arose in his mind.
This place... is an ideal spot for an ambush...
He was startled by this thought and quickly calmed himself down.
But just at that moment, a large number of figures suddenly appeared on the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, enough to surround him with one or two hundred people!
Rain ninjas...
Yahiko's fingers trembled involuntarily as his eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on his target.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Hanzo, I am Yahiko, the leader of Akatsuki. As agreed, I have come to meet with you."
The Salamander Hanzo stood high above, looking down at the young orange-haired boy below.
"Yahiko, why did you create Akatsuki?" Hanzo's voice was low but extremely steady and powerful, reaching Yahiko's ears.
Yahiko responded loudly, "For the same goal as you, Hanzo. We aim to help others, to bring peace to the Land of Rain and the world, to solve problems through peaceful means."
"Nonsense!" Hanzo snapped with a grunt.
"You are clearly harboring ill intentions, seeking to make this country even more chaotic!"
Yahiko hurriedly replied, "Hanzo, I have no such intentions!"
Hanzo interrogated, "Is that so? Then why did you kill Iwa ninjas a few days ago? Don't you realize this would lead to a severely worsened diplomatic relationship between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth?"
Yahiko began to explain, "Hanzo, although it is true that we did kill them, it was entirely unintentional. The Iwa ninjas were causing chaos in our country, and we were entrusted by the local villagers who were being disturbed to peacefully negotiate with them. But they refused to give us a chance and attacked us as soon as we met..."
"Enough!" Hanzo interrupted him.
"You think this isn't your fault, do you?"
Yahiko fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. Standing in the valley, he looked up at Hanzo's silhouette before replying again, "I do not deny that my actions were wrong. If this incident caused serious consequences, I should indeed take responsibility for it."
Hanzo narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered coldly, "Is this the resolve of a leader? Do you think this road is easy? The current situation in the Land of Rain, how many more situations like this will there be in the future? You want to bear responsibility, but how many lives do you have to atone for it?"
"I..." Yahiko was at a loss for words.
The cliffs were filled with rain ninjas, all of their gazes fixed on Yahiko below.
Yahiko stood alone, unable to see more than just Hanzo's outline from a distance.
Whoosh—
The wind suddenly grew stronger, making his cloak flap loudly.
"Yahiko." Hanzo of the Salamander's indifferent voice echoed again through the canyon.
"You, a ninja of the Hidden Rain, why do you hide the Rinnegan and conceal the truth from your village?"
Yahiko's pupils instantly trembled.
His mind raced, and an answer immediately surfaced in his mind—it was the truth. Nagato did not want too many people to know about it.
But this very answer was one he could not give.
"Still claiming you have no ill intentions?"
Yahiko clenched his fists. At that moment, he desperately wanted to shout at Hanzo, asking him: After all the things Akatsuki has done over the years, don't you, Hanzo, know about it?
But in the end, he chose another way.
"Hanzo, I was born during the most chaotic period in the Land of Rain. I've truly experienced a hellish life, and because I know that feeling, I don't want more people to live like that. I believe the nations of this world can communicate in a different way. This has always been my goal and the original intention of founding Akatsuki. All of us in Akatsuki are fighting with our lives for this ideal."
Hanzo of the Salamander stared at him coldly. "Are you truly willing to sacrifice your life for those unrelated people?"
He knew that Hanzo had twisted the concept, but Yahiko still firmly responded, "Yes!"
At that moment, another figure appeared at Hanzo's side.
It was Kyusuke!
He was bound tightly, his mouth gagged with cloth, and he was struggling incessantly.
Hanzo threw a kunai down, embedding it into the ground near Yahiko's feet.
He said indifferently, "In that case, you may commit seppuku here. I will release your companion."
Yahiko's pupils quivered as he looked at the kunai in front of him, then glanced up at Hanzo and Kyusuke.
Just as Yahiko hesitated and struggled for a moment, preparing to step forward and pull out the kunai, Kyusuke suddenly exerted force, knocking aside the nearby ninja. He struggled to spit out the cloth gag from his mouth and, with all his might, shouted angrily.
"Yahiko!"
His roar echoed throughout the entire canyon, but Hanzo of the Salamander did not order anyone to stop him.
Kyusuke, disregarding everything else, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Is dying so impressive? You have the resolve to die, but don't you have the courage to live?! You are the leader of Akatsuki, you can save this country! We all follow you because we believe in that! Dying for me would be tainting our ideals!"
"Yahiko!"
"Pull out that kunai, and you'll be nothing but a coward!"