After a night of hurried travel, Yahiko and his group finally reached another Konoha camp.
The Konoha ninjas who came to greet them welcomed them inside, and the camp leader was a member of the Uchiha clan, wearing a ninja uniform adorned with the image of a flame fan.
Ninjas wearing this kind of uniform could also be seen occasionally throughout the camp.
Asahi speculated that the young Uchiha man he had seen earlier must be Uchiha Fugaku. Apart from him, there shouldn't be anyone else of such high rank within the Uchiha clan.
Compared to the attitudes of Jiraiya and Minato's group, the Konoha ninjas here were much more indifferent. Uchiha Fugaku didn't show much enthusiasm toward Yahiko and the others.
He merely nodded indifferently and had someone arrange accommodations for them.
The group finally rested for the time being.
However, Yahiko couldn't sleep. He sat outside the tent alone, staring at the campfire that was burning in the center of the camp, lost in thought.
Konan also came out and sat next to him. "Are you still thinking about the Kusa ninjas?"
Yahiko sighed lightly. "Before we came here, I thought I was prepared to witness countless deaths. War is so cruel, and there might already be an unending grudge between the Konoha and Iwagakure ninjas. But I didn't expect them to be so cruel to innocent people."
Akatsuki had always upheld the principle of not killing and resolving conflicts through peaceful negotiations.
When Hanzō entrusted him with this task, he truly thought that with his efforts, he could change the balance between Konoha and Iwagakure.
But now, it seemed he was just being naive.
"Could it be that, in the end, they will gain more than they lose in this war?" Yahiko murmured.
Konan thought for a moment and said, "If the people of these great nations were all open-minded and enlightened, how could war even happen? And isn't that exactly why Akatsuki exists?"
The crescent moon hung high in the sky, and the crackling sound of the campfire echoed through the night.
Yahiko stared at the flickering flames, as if seeing something within them.
The next day.
Yahiko actively went to see Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, but was told that they were in talks with ninjas from other countries.
Ninjas from other countries?
Yahiko was immediately puzzled, until he saw two people standing outside the main tent, both wearing Sand ninja headbands.
Sand ninjas...
In that instant, Yahiko suddenly understood many things. He turned around and returned to the camp, writing a letter to inform Hanzō of everything that was happening here.
Kyusuke took the letter, summoned his rat summoning beast, and sent the message to Amegakure.
"Yahiko, what should we do next?" Kyusuke asked.
Yahiko glanced at Asahi, realizing that everything had already been figured out by him.
Konoha didn't care about them at all. From the moment they arrived at the Konoha camp, Konoha's objective had already been accomplished.
What should they do next…
Now that Yahiko had realized Konoha's purpose, he was momentarily confused. In the end, he could only say, "We should stay here for now. The alliance mission was assigned by Lord Hanzō, so we must try to fulfill it as much as possible."
Afterward, Yahiko found Asahi and Kyusuke separately, explaining to them that Konoha was currently negotiating with Sunagakure.
Upon hearing this, Kyusuke couldn't help but feel that recently, Asahi had been eerily insightful.
"I just guessed, and it turned out to be right," Asahi said.
Yahiko chuckled lightly. "So what do you think we should do next?"
Seeing the three of them looking at him, Asahi pondered for a moment and then said, "If we really need to push for an alliance, we'll have to lower our terms."
Before leaving, Ganma had told Yahiko that the goal of this mission was to secure certain benefits for Amegakure.
Yahiko thought for a moment, recalling Konoha's current attitude, and silently concluded that perhaps this was the only way.
However, Asahi was thinking about what Hanzō was seeking at this point.
In the original story, very little was described about this part of the plot, and all that was known were the final outcomes and a few key events.
Hanzō couldn't possibly be unaware of the current situation. Was he really only coming to form an alliance with Konoha for the small benefits they promised?
The war between Konoha and Iwagakure was nearing its end, and if nothing unexpected happened, once Sunagakure officially declared its stance, Iwagakure and Konoha would begin formal peace talks.
Could Hanzō simply be trying to get a piece of the pie?
But when thinking about it carefully, the Land of Rain was just a small country without the power to influence the battlefield's balance. The only thing they could do was this.
Yet, in Asahi's view, Hanzō's actions were highly unwise. Even if Amegakure and Konoha managed to form an alliance, doing so would certainly provoke the Land of Earth's hostility. Since Amegakure bordered the Land of Earth, there could be friction after the ceasefire.
However, this reasoning was too simple. Asahi considered Hanzō as a leader who could see this point, which led him to a conclusion.
Hanzō must have some other hidden agenda regarding this war.
Only Asahi, who had seen the original story's plot, knew that the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire were already planning for peace.
The people in this world still didn't know how much longer the war would continue.
Asahi looked at Yahiko, who was frowning deeply, and suddenly had a flash of insight.
"Yahiko"
"Hmm?" Yahiko immediately looked up at him.
Asahi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Never mind... I suddenly think, since Lord Ganma has already clearly stated the requirements for the alliance, we shouldn't act on our own and lower those conditions."
Yahiko was confused. He wondered why Asahi had suddenly changed his mind. "But if we do that, will Konoha still agree to form an alliance with us?"
Asahi slowly replied, "Even if we don't succeed in forming the alliance, we can only say that Konoha was too arrogant. I believe Lord Hanzō won't blame us for that."
Yahiko furrowed his brow. He took this mission very seriously and naturally hoped for a successful outcome.
He looked at Asahi, wondering if the other was afraid that even if they succeeded in forming the alliance, lowering Lord Hanzō's standards would end up displeasing him.
After all, Asahi was the same age as him, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts.
Yahiko sighed lightly, feeling that many things still had to be handled by himself.
At that moment, Asahi had a realization.
There had always been a thought that troubled him—could it be that, during the meeting between Hanzō and Yahiko, Yahiko truly persuaded Hanzō with his rhetoric, earning Hanzō's trust and a heavy responsibility?
This mission was entirely entrusted to Akatsuki, and Hanzō didn't even send anyone personally.
Did Hanzō truly believe that Yahiko could accomplish such an important task?
No, perhaps from the very beginning, Hanzō, like Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, had underestimated Akatsuki and Yahiko.
Alliance?
What Konoha wanted was simply the attitude that Amegakure was willing to consider an alliance.
And as for Hanzō, he only wanted to show his willingness to negotiate.