NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157: What Do You Think of the New Member?
Hanzo's death meant that the Rain Village was about to welcome a new ruler.
It would also become the first nation in the ninja world to possess a "god."
Master of Management, Nagato, overthrew Hanzo's rule with overwhelming force.
The "Rain Tiger Self-Defense Technique" enveloped the entire Rain Village three days after Hanzo's death.
This speed was remarkable.
But even more astonishing events were on the horizon.
With the vengeance achieved, Nagato did not slow his pace.
Instead, he turned his attention to the Mist Village's Three-Tails, preparing to seize it directly.
Qingchuan quietly gave him a thumbs up.
As Akatsuki's best employee and partner, he acknowledged Nagato's efforts with admiration.
But a problem arose.
Sasori and Jūzō had split into two groups to pursue Orochimaru.
With the Rain Village newly taken and in a state of disarray, both Nagato and Konan were tied down with responsibilities.
Qingchuan seemed to be the only member of Akatsuki left with free time...
While Qingchuan was more than willing to pay a visit to Yagura in the Land of Water,
it was clear that Nagato did not intend to let him go alone.
With Konan's presence, it almost seemed like they wanted to keep him in the Rain Village indefinitely.
In the end, Qingchuan still set off.
His mission was adjusted from heading to the Mist Village to recruiting a partner there.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
He was rumored to have failed in an assassination attempt on the Daimyo of the Land of Water and was currently being pursued by the Mist Village.
Akatsuki had already made preliminary contact with him, and he showed some willingness to join their peace-seeking organization.
The task of capturing the Three-Tails was assigned to Jūzō and another new member who would soon join Akatsuki.
Yes, a new member.
Qingchuan, who had always maintained a low profile, hadn't affected the world's original course much, even after a slight slip with his Bankai.
The new member hails from Konoha.
A man named Itachi Uchiha,
who had failed in an assassination attempt on the Hokage and had become a defector.
When Qingchuan learned of this news, he was somewhat stunned.
Itachi had indeed walked the path to becoming a shadow emperor after all.
Failing to assassinate the Hokage...
Evading the pursuit of Konoha's security forces and the Hokage's Anbu...
He had found a new approach while still solving his problem,
successfully infiltrating enemy territory.
As a result,
Qingchuan's task shifted from capturing the Three-Tails to subduing the shark.
The capture of the Three-Tails had now turned into a plot identical to that of the original storyline.
Jūzō + Itachi Uchiha.
Everything seemed to have returned to its rightful path.
This realization left Qingchuan both sentimental and accepting of the million explosive tags he received from Konan.
"If that person doesn't cooperate, use these explosive tags to teach him a lesson.
"Don't hold back; your safety is what matters most."
These were Konan's exact words.
So, with immense funds and astronomical debts in hand,
Qingchuan set off toward the Land of Water...
Qingchuan actually wanted to inform Konan that in a certain building in Konoha,
in a corner of an old man's office,
there existed something called the Forbidden Book of Seals.
According to this book, there was a forbidden technique known as "Mutual Explosive Tags"...
While it worked best when paired with Edo Tensei for optimal results,
with Konan's Paper Jutsu,
the move could still pack quite a punch.
The potential explosion of six hundred billion explosive tags...
Just envisioning it made him wince.
Wasn't it just a little task for a fellow ninja?
He thought, Why waste so much?
Once Qingchuan departed,
upon the highest point of the Rain Village, Konan and Pain silently gazed in the direction where the girl had long since disappeared.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
"You can't protect her forever, Konan."
Pain's voice carried a note of melancholy.
Ever since he made the decision to send the girl to the Mist Village,
Konan had not given him a single good expression—
it was the first occurrence of such.
And it was evident... that this situation would likely become more common in the future.
"But she's not even thirteen!"
Sure enough,
Konan sharply retorted, prompting Pain to sigh inwardly and go quiet, adopting a listening stance.
"If you want to train her, remaining in the Rain Village would serve her better!"
"Have we reached a point now where we cannot progress without a young girl?"
"How absurd!"
Konan was furious.
She had even considered a legal identity for the girl in the Land of Water.
With a new leader, the Rain Village would remain just that: the Rain Village.
It needed to maintain connections with the other five great nations and the minor ones.
It was essential to cultivate new ninjas.
Haruko would thrive in such an environment.
As gods ruling the Rain Village, she and Nagato could not make their presence known easily.
The future of the Rain Village still required an exceptional ninja, someone with a bright future.
And although the girl had defected from Konoha,
but...
Girls undergo significant transformation during their teenage years; after a few years and with a little disguise,
she could seamlessly become a young genius of the new generation in the Rain Village,
actively making her mark in the ninja world.
This was the best choice for Haruko.
At least, that was how Konan saw it.
Of course, Nagato didn't want to argue about it.
It was just a recruitment mission, after all—
go, come back, that was all there was to it.
Why muddle things up with unnecessary twists?
Nagato felt he had a lot to keep bottled up.
"Calm down. The new member seems to be an acquaintance of Haruko; what do you think, Konan?"
Maintaining a neutral demeanor,
Pain subtly steered the subject away.
"Don't think you can distract me with this, Nagato."
"You know who understands you best in this world."
Konan's expression remained icy.
But when it came to the new member,
especially one from Konoha who had ties to Haruko and even shared the same clan...
Konan's eyes suddenly turned icy cold!
"I hope that guy doesn't join Akatsuki with ulterior motives."
Konan stated with a chill, and suddenly, a stack of papers appeared in her hand.
She had encountered the new member before.
His strength was mediocre; if it weren't for Haruko's leniency...
"If not, I'll use these billion explosive tags to blast him to bits!"
Konan declared fiercely.
Then, her form transformed into sheets of paper and vanished.
Meanwhile, Pain felt a flicker of unease, but his expression quickly returned to its usual indifference.
Blast him to bits?
If it truly came to that,
it would be too much of a concession for that guy!
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