Naruto : Rise From The Rain

As a ninja under the banner of Amegakure, Nagato found it not difficult to enter the village. However, his striking red hair caught the special attention of the village's guard ninjas, who escorted him to the residence of Hanzo of the Salamander.

Thus, Nagato effortlessly met this legendary man.

Hanzo's room appeared ancient and elegant, with a white screen embroidered with cherry blossom patterns. The air was filled with the scent of books.

A man wearing a special breathing mask sat at a desk, intently writing something.

The room was silent, with only the two of them present. Hanzo, without raising his head, spoke in a calm and steady tone: "Don't play such tricks in front of me."

Nagato first bowed, then said, "Lord Hanzo, aren't you going to look at me?"

Upon hearing this, Hanzo paused his actions and slowly raised his head, meeting Nagato's gaze.

In that instant, Hanzo narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, a puff of white smoke enveloped Nagato's body, and when the smoke dissipated, it revealed the form of Kyusuke.

Hanzo's eyes flickered, but he remained silent, staring at Kyusuke.

"I did not intend to deceive you, Lord Hanzo. Just now, I used the Transformation Technique to become one of the Akatsuki members," Kyusuke said, bowing his head.

Hanzo pondered for a moment, then replied, "I'm about to meet with your leader. Why are you coming to see me now?"

He had been surprised when he first learned an Akatsuki member had arrived in Amegakure, but quickly realized that something had likely gone wrong with Konoha's Danzo Shimura, leading Akatsuki to become more cautious.

"Lord Hanzo, we were attacked by Konoha ninjas!"

Hanzo's expression remained unchanged as he uttered a soft "Hmm?"

Kyusuke immediately explained, "They infiltrated the Land of Rain in secret, with ill intentions."

"What were they plotting?"

Kyusuke couldn't discern anything from Hanzo's tone, so he took a deep breath and continued, "As you just saw, one of the Akatsuki members possesses the Rinnegan!"

Hanzo remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke: "Did you say that an Akatsuki member has the legendary Rinnegan?"

Kyusuke nodded firmly, "Yes, Lord Hanzo. His name is Nagato."

Upon hearing this, Hanzo fell silent. Kyusuke, feeling the tension, hurriedly added, "Lord Hanzo, the Rinnegan is a precious treasure belonging to our Amegakure, and it must not fall into the hands of these major nations!"

"Amegakure?" Hanzo questioned, his tone neutral.

Kyusuke, sensing the shift in the conversation, quickly responded, "From the very beginning, the establishment of Akatsuki was with you, Lord Hanzo, as our target. Everything we've done so far has been for the Land of Rain, for you, Lord Hanzo. Every member of Akatsuki is a loyal follower of you."

"If that's the case, why didn't you report the Rinnegan earlier?" Hanzo continued to question. "And why didn't Nagato come with you?"

A cold sweat formed on Kyusuke's forehead as he replied, "Lord Hanzo, we were initially just a group of insignificant people. We didn't dare disturb you until we had some achievements. Nagato was injured during the Konoha ninja attack, so he couldn't come this time."

The room fell silent once more.

Kyusuke, not daring to speak, waited for Hanzo to speak again.

After a while, Hanzo said, "I understand. I will send someone to investigate the Konoha ninja issue. As for the rest, I will discuss it after meeting with your leader, Yahiko."

"…"

"You may leave now."

Leave?

Kyusuke still didn't know Hanzo's stance on the matter and wasn't sure whether Hanzo had already known about the Konoha ninja issue. Should he just leave like this?

Kyusuke felt somewhat unwilling, but looking at Hanzo, who sat there unmoving, a natural fear arose within him.

But, at most, he was just a messenger. What could Hanzo possibly say to him or promise him?

"Have Nagato come here as well, during the day," Hanzo suddenly spoke again. "If he truly possesses the Rinnegan, it shouldn't fall into the hands of anyone outside the Land of Rain."

Kyusuke froze for a moment, then suppressed his excitement and quickly bowed, "Yes, Lord Hanzo!"

With that, he turned and left the room.

After Kyusuke left, Hanzo called in his subordinates.

"Go and check the villages and towns that Akatsuki has helped. I want to know everything about that Nagato," Hanzo said, setting his pen down, his eyes sharp.

When he first learned of Akatsuki's existence, he didn't hold any malice towards the organization. Hanzo was quite willing to cooperate with those who shared his ideals, but only if they weren't harboring ulterior motives.

If Akatsuki truly was a group of sincere people, Hanzo would view them as a repayment for all he had done for the Land of Rain.

He then sent someone to invite Konoha's Danzo Shimura.

Outside, the sky had started to lighten, and the rain had finally stopped. Hanzo stood at the door, calmly watching the sky.

Another rare clear day.

"The plan has changed," Hanzo told Danzo, who had just arrived.

Danzo frowned upon hearing this. "What do you mean?"

Hanzo's tone remained indifferent: "I'll personally test Akatsuki's capabilities. Today's meeting, your Konoha people should not participate."

Danzo's eyes darkened slightly. "This is different from what we agreed upon. We've already made preparations for this. If you change your mind, who will give us an account for our fallen comrades?"

"Comrades?" Hanzo asked with a hint of mockery. "Do you really care about that?"

A few days ago, Danzo had brought several Konoha ninja corpses to Hanzo, claiming they had been killed by Akatsuki members.

At the time, Hanzo didn't have a clear understanding of Akatsuki's true nature, so he was filled with suspicion. When he heard Danzo's claims, he immediately decided to eliminate this uncertain factor and deal with the Konoha ninja.

But now, things were different.

"Stop with the excuses, Danzo. We are different people. You'll never understand the people of the Land of Rain."

Danzo's face darkened as he sneered, "So, you really consider Akatsuki as your own now? I've already told you they're a threat, and you're ignoring my goodwill."

Hanzo glanced at him sideways. "You Konoha people should focus more on the peace talks with Iwagakure. If the ceasefire fails, you'll come asking for our help."

Seeing that Hanzo had made up his mind, Danzo no longer said anything. With a cold snort, he turned and left.

Hanzo watched him go and then called his subordinates.

"Go, capture that Kyusuke and bring him back."

The agreed-upon time with Hanzo was quickly approaching, yet Yahiko and the others were still waiting for Kyusuke's return.

This situation caused their hearts to sink further.

"Hanzo really intends to make a move against us!" Daibutsu said angrily, slamming his fist into the wall.

Among those present, he was the closest to Kyusuke, so the fact that Kyusuke had not yet returned left him with a bad feeling, and he suspected the worst. He was filled with both sadness and anger at the thought.

"Yahiko, what should we do?" Konan asked, her expression troubled as she turned to Yahiko.

Kyusuke's absence, regardless of whether he returned or not, had already sent a message to the others. Everyone in the room understood that.

What should they do...?

Yahiko didn't have the luxury of grief. He had to think of a way forward for Akatsuki.

Hanzo was planning to make a move against them, and they were powerless to resist. What could they do now? Escape?

Yahiko took a deep breath, looking around at the others: Nagato, Konan, Daibutsu, and Shin...

"Yahiko," Shin suddenly spoke.

"Perhaps, it's not what we think it is," he continued.

Everyone looked over at him.

"If Hanzō really wants to kill us, he could have easily tricked Kyusuke and let him return to lure us into a trap. If he kills Kyusuke, wouldn't that just make us more alert?"

Before Yahiko could speak, Daibutsu angrily grabbed Shin's collar: "You fool, do you have any idea what you're saying! Kyusuke is dead because of you!"

Yahiko and the others didn't understand the full meaning of Daibutsu's words, but Shin managed to calm himself: "But what other choice do we have right now?"

"Daibutsu," Yahiko called out gently, signaling for him to calm down.

He sighed bitterly. "We really don't have any other options."

Kyusuke had given his life to bring them this information.

Should they escape? Should they leave the land of the rain, hide, and abandon everything they've worked for?

Yahiko stepped out of the room and gazed at the now clear sky, with water still dripping from the eaves.

He whispered, "I really do want to save this country."

Everyone fell silent. Haven't they all felt the same way?

"I won't give up. What does my life matter? I've already made up my mind for this," Yahiko continued.

He looked at everyone, and his voice became firm. "I'm going."

"Yahiko!"

"Yahiko!"

Nagato, Konan, and Daibutsu all called out in unison.

"I won't give up everything," Yahiko said slowly. "Even if it costs me my life, I have already made up my mind."

He looked at Nagato and Konan. "Nagato, from now on, you will be the new leader of the Akatsuki. Everyone respects you."

Nagato immediately grabbed his arm tightly. "What are you talking about? The leader of Akatsuki can only be you!"

"I'll go with you!"

Konan also hurriedly spoke up.

Shin frowned upon seeing this.

The human heart is the hardest to read. He had never met Hanzō, and even now, he felt unsure.

Was Hanzō's gaze really so shallow, or was there something more going on with Danzo's interference?

It's also possible that Hanzō didn't believe the news about the Rinnegan, and it would have been better to send Nagato directly...

But Shin had no authority to speak, and since Kyusuke had already said it, he couldn't oppose it anymore.

At this point, they had no choice but to continue gambling!

Shin spoke again: " Yahiko, I don't think Kyusuke is dead."

Yahiko remained silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Ah, I think so too. Maybe Hanzō is just being hospitable."

This reason sounded too far-fetched. As a messenger, no matter how hospitable Hanzō was, he wouldn't have kept Kyusuke against his will.

Konan shot Shin a glare, her eyes full of Annoyance.

Yahiko continued, "Listen to me."

He looked at Konan and Nagato. "Although I'm prepared to die, I'm not going to die recklessly."

"Hanzō is not a short-sighted person. I've thought it through carefully. There are two reasons Kyusuke hasn't returned: One, something unexpected happened on the way. Two, Hanzō has his own plans. He would at least confirm the authenticity of the Rinnegan news before making any decisions."

Konan couldn't help but say, "But these are just your guesses!"

Yahiko grinned. "I'm pretty sure."

"But..." Nagato wanted to say more.

"Enough!" Yahiko suddenly turned serious.

"Did you forget why we started down this path?"

Konan and Nagato fell silent for a moment.

"If you truly respect this ideal, you should support my decision. People who only think about dying together when danger comes… are not fit to be my companions in achieving this dream!"

Yahiko's words were harsh and left Konan and Nagato standing there, stunned.

His voice quickly softened again: "Even if everything I'm thinking turns out to be wrong, you two can continue leading Akatsuki."

He looked at Daibutsu and said, "Don't tell everyone about this just yet."

"Yahiko"

Yahiko gave them one last look, his gaze growing firmer, as he looked at the distant sky. He said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Shin silently watched Yahiko's retreating figure.

When he had disappeared, Nagato looked up, confused, and asked uncertainly, "Has he left?"

No one answered him. Nagato stepped forward. "No, I have to go with him."

"Nagato."

In the end, it was Konan who stopped Nagato, her eyes red.

For the two of them, each other's life and death was the most important thing.

But for Yahiko, it wasn't the same. There was something far more important to him. If that was taken away, it would be as if he had been killed.

Konan understood this.

"Damn it... Damn it!" Daibutsu growled again.

He couldn't control his anger and rushed toward Shin, seemingly wanting to strike him, but when he saw this companion he had been with since childhood, it all turned into a roar of frustration.

"Why did you do this? Why did you have to encourage Yahiko big brother to take such a risky step? Don't you feel guilty at all?!"

Why?

Shin glanced at Konan.

Some things were better left unsaid, as saying them would only hurt.

After all...

The worst-case scenario, today, it wouldn't be him who died.