Naruto : Rise From The Rain

Inside the Konoha camp, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Uchiha Fugaku all wore grim expressions.

Three corpses lay on the ground before them, their deaths gruesome. In addition to the various wounds on their bodies, each had a kunai embedded straight into their foreheads, piercing through their brow bones. The bloodstains on the weapons had already dried.

The three were none other than the Sand emissaries who had left not long ago: the Wind Shadow advisor, Ebizō, and his two guards.

"They had already been dead for some time when discovered," Uchiha Fugaku reported.

"Who could have done this? Someone from Iwagakure?" Utatane Koharu speculated.

After all, this was the territory of the Land of Grass, not within Konoha's sphere of influence.

"But how would the Iwa-nin know their whereabouts?" Mitokado Homura frowned.

Furthermore, if Iwagakure had acted against the Sand emissaries at this time, wouldn't that unnecessarily make them an enemy?

"What should we do next? Notify Sunagakure?" Fugaku asked.

He was concerned that the deaths of these three might jeopardize Konoha's alliance with Sunagakure. Right now, Konoha desperately needed a strong ally to escape its current predicament.

At that moment, another ninja approached and whispered something into Fugaku's ear.

Fugaku added, "The Amegakure emissaries have already left."

No one paid it much attention at first.

Mitokado Homura stared at the three corpses on the ground, his pupils suddenly contracting. He abruptly raised his head and asked Fugaku, "What did you just say?!"

Fugaku, puzzled, repeated, "The Amegakure emissaries left just now."

"Amegakure…"

Mitokado Homura muttered to himself, then quickly asked, "Did those people communicate with Amegakure through letters during their time in the camp?"

Fugaku frowned. "I'll investigate."

Not long after, Fugaku returned and said thoughtfully, "That Amegakure emissary, Yahiko, sends a letter to Amegakure every day. We didn't inspect the contents, but Amegakure did send them a reply. Using special methods, we intercepted the message. It was from Hanzo, and the gist of it was for them to do their best regarding the alliance."

One letter every day...

Mitokado Homura's expression darkened.

Fugaku considered and asked, "You suspect Amegakure?"

Homura's face grew even grimmer as he recalled Yahiko's idealistic and, in his view, foolish rhetoric.

He exhaled heavily, his teeth clenched. "I've been tricked. Completely fooled!"

Utatane Koharu said, "It seems we need to explain the situation to Sunagakure."

Fugaku glanced at the two elderly advisors and asked bluntly, "Do you think Sunagakure will believe us?"

Amegakure assassinating Sand emissaries?

It sounded less plausible than blaming Iwagakure.

And what reason would Amegakure have to act? Had they already aligned with Iwagakure? Was sending emissaries just a ploy to gather intelligence?

If that were true, was Iwagakure really preparing to escalate the conflict?

There were too many unanswered questions.

Mitokado Homura felt his mind buzzing with chaotic thoughts. The alliance that had been within their grasp, the peace they had envisioned… all seemed to be slipping away.

Fugaku proposed, "We could simply report that the three were ambushed on their way back. This is the Land of Grass, after all. Iwagakure's forces are scattered everywhere, and Sunagakure can't pin the blame on us."

After some internal struggle, Homura gave a reluctant nod.

If he revealed his suspicions about Amegakure, the fact that the Amegakure emissaries had knowledge of the Sand emissaries' movements from Konoha would implicate them as well.

He turned to Fugaku and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. We need to return immediately to consult with Hiruzen about the next steps."

The deceased included Ebizō, a key advisor to the Kazekage and a figure of great importance in Sunagakure.

Fugaku glanced at the two elderly advisors, silently cursing their incompetence.

Asahi followed the group for an indeterminate amount of time until the long-forgotten rain returned to the skies.

The world ahead was shrouded in gloom, and Yahiko suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring silently at the curtain of rain.

"Yahiko?" Konan softly called from beside him.

Out of nowhere, Yahiko asked, "Do you think we can really change the world?"

"Of course we can, Brother Yahiko!" replied Kyosuke enthusiastically, followed by the voices of others who echoed their agreement.

Yahiko, however, cast a sidelong glance at Asahi, who remained silent.

At the moment, the Akatsuki was no more than an insignificant speck of sand in the vast ninja world. Thinking they could disrupt the shinobi world's balance seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream to outsiders.

Then Yahiko broke into a wide grin. "Yeah, I believe it too!"

Upon returning to Amegakure, Yahiko went to see Hanzo first.

"Lord Hanzo, I have failed in my mission."

Hanzo seemed to have anticipated this outcome. He responded calmly, "It's fine. Those Konoha elites are all arrogant and condescending. It's no surprise they look down on us."

He didn't blame Yahiko.

Yahiko continued, "However, now that Konoha and Sunagakure have formed an alliance, the war may soon come to an end. At least that's something good."

Hanzo didn't acknowledge this comment. Instead, he said, "There will be more missions like this involving negotiations with other nations in the future. Yahiko, I hope you learn something from this experience."

"Thank you for your trust, Lord Hanzo."

Yahiko then inquired about Nagato.

Hanzo replied, "He's out on a mission with Genma. It will be a few days before he returns."

Yahiko said, "Nagato still has much to learn. I ask Lord Hanzo to guide him as much as possible."

Hanzo paused for a moment before replying, "Don't worry, I will."

Leaving Hanzo's residence, Yahiko found Konan and Asahi waiting for him outside.

"Are we going to see Nagato?" Konan asked.

"He's on a mission and won't be back for a few days. Let's return to the base for now," Yahiko replied.

The Akatsuki base was still in its old location. The group often helped nearby residents resolve various issues in exchange for payment, functioning as a mercenary ninja organization.

Thanks to their earnest efforts and approachable nature, they had earned the trust of the surrounding communities.

As soon as they arrived back at the base, the members who had stayed behind eagerly gathered around them.

"Yahiko, how did the mission go?"

"With Yahiko leading, those Konoha guys must've been easy to deal with!"

Before Yahiko could respond, Kyosuke stepped in, waving his hand to quiet them.

"Why are you even asking? This kind of thing is a national secret, you know!"

Yahiko smiled wryly and sighed inwardly. "The mission was a failure. I couldn't secure an alliance between Amegakure and Konoha. Sorry to disappoint everyone."

His words instantly dampened the group's enthusiasm.

Kyosuke, noticing their reaction, added, "This wasn't Yahiko's fault! Those Konoha shinobi are just too arrogant. Once Akatsuki grows stronger, we'll make them regret it for sure!"

This remark resonated with the group, stirring agreement. Many harbored resentment toward the major villages, especially Konoha, which had previously attacked them.

Yahiko followed up with a few words of encouragement before asking about the recent happenings in Akatsuki.

Someone quickly responded, "Yahiko, while you were away, many people came wanting to join Akatsuki! With Lord Hanzo's endorsement, our reputation in the Land of Rain has skyrocketed!"

Yahiko was surprised. "New recruits, you say?"

"I'll go get them to meet you."

Before long, a group of a dozen young men, ranging from their teens to twenties, was ushered in.

"They've registered but haven't officially joined yet. We were waiting for you to decide, Brother Yahiko."

The newcomers, all male, stood looking at Yahiko with curious expressions.

Suddenly, one of them exclaimed and rushed forward, grabbing Yahiko's hands with an overly excited demeanor.

"You're Lord Yahiko, aren't you?! I've heard so much about your exploits and admired you for a long time! I can't believe I'm finally meeting you in person!"

The man's fanboy-like enthusiasm was so exaggerated that Yahiko felt slightly awkward. Someone in the group quickly scolded him.

"Tobi, don't be disrespectful to Brother Yahiko!"

Asahi, who had been quietly observing, froze upon hearing the name "Tobi." He turned to look more closely and saw a young man with short black hair and an unremarkable appearance, around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Noticing Asahi's gaze, Tobi glanced back at him briefly.

Tobi...