Land of Rain.
Amegakure.
Hanzo's death was a great disaster for this country, but for Yahiko and his companions, who had defeated Hanzo and returned to Amegakure with his corpse, it was a show of dominance.
Under immense pressure and the collapse of their faith, Amegakure barely put up any real resistance. They quickly switched allegiance and accepted Yahiko and his companions as their new rulers.
Through unanimous approval, Yahiko, originally one of the three leaders of Akatsuki, was officially recognized as the Kage of Amegakure.
Konan and Nagato became his advisors and personal guards. As for Kakuzu? He was appointed as Amegakure's financial manager.
Since Hanzo had taken more than half of Amegakure's elite forces with him—only for them to perish alongside Kirigakure's forces at Ancor Vantian—the village was left in a severely weakened state.
Fortunately, Yahiko and his group had no intention of conducting a large-scale purge. After driving out the remaining loyalists of Hanzo, they focused on rebuilding and recovery.
"This is Amegakure? A damp village that's always crying."
Stepping out from the Garganta, Tsunade, clad in a black robe, looked up at the rain falling from the sky. She reached up and pulled her hood over her head.
"I can sense their chakra."
Shrouded in a black hood, Kagetsu concealed his face as he identified the direction of Kakuzu's chakra and started walking toward it.
"The security is lax… No one has even come to question us."
As they walked, Tsunade glanced around and commented to Kagetsu.
"That's because this entire village is under their surveillance."
Kagetsu slightly raised his head and glanced at the rainy sky.
Reminded by Kagetsu, Tsunade immediately stretched out her hand, catching a falling raindrop. As she carefully sensed it, her expression changed.
The raindrops contained chakra, which meant someone was using the rain to monitor the entire Amegakure! As long as the rain covered an area, it was under the enemy's surveillance.
This method wasn't new to Tsunade. The ninja world had all kinds of surveillance techniques. What truly shocked her was the sheer scale and the continuous chakra consumption required to maintain it!
Whoever was using this jutsu had an astonishing amount of chakra and a far superior physique compared to ordinary ninjas.
"Kagetsu! Why are you here?"
Sheets of paper fluttered in the rain, swirling like a white torrent. In front of Kagetsu, the papers converged into a human figure—a woman with two paper wings flapping behind her, hovering mid-air.
It was Konan. She looked at Kagetsu in surprise, then shifted her gaze to the black-robed figure beside him, her eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.
"This is my teacher, Tsunade. Where is Nagato?" Kagetsu briefly introduced her.
"Nagato and Yahiko knew you were coming. They're waiting for you inside."
Konan was curious about their reason for coming but didn't ask. She landed gracefully and took the lead in guiding them.
With Konan leading the way, the group moved through Amegakure unimpeded. Soon, they arrived at the Amekage's office, where Yahiko was buried in paperwork, processing documents at an incredible speed. Beside him, Nagato assisted with the workload.
"Red hair... Is he from the Uzumaki clan?"
The moment she saw Nagato, Tsunade's eyes immediately focused on his striking red hair. That distinct shade of red stirred a sense of nostalgia in her.
Her grandmother, Mito, had once possessed the same deep crimson hair.
Kagetsu stepped forward and introduced Tsunade to the three of them, then introduced the three to Tsunade.
After the greetings, Kagetsu directly stated his purpose.
"I need to borrow Nagato's Rinnegan," Kagetsu said straightforwardly.
The three of them exchanged glances, their eyes occasionally darting toward Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sensei already knows, so don't worry about that," Kagetsu noticed their hesitation and said openly.
Tsunade, however, was somewhat shocked by Kagetsu's request.
She hadn't expected him to make such a request. For a moment, her body tensed, worried that at any moment, Yahiko and the others might attack them in a fit of rage.
But Yahiko and the others stood calmly in place, as if they were indifferent to the harsh request Kagetsu had made.
Even Nagato himself appeared unfazed, as though what Kagetsu had said about borrowing his eyes wasn't a big deal.
"We have no problem with it, but what about the payment? You can't expect Nagato to just lend you his Rinnegan without any compensation," Yahiko said, noticing Nagato's slight nod. He immediately turned to look at Kagetsu, his expression serious.
Kagetsu and Tsunade raised their eyebrows at Yahiko, who had stood up, his expression solemn.
Tsunade was surprised that such a demanding request had been agreed to, while Kagetsu was surprised that Yahiko would bring up the issue of payment.
"You've grown, Yahiko," Kagetsu said softly.
"Responsibility always makes people grow, doesn't it?" Yahiko wasn't bothered by his change.
The three of them were now the leaders of the Rain Village, so they had to think from the perspective of the village.
Kagetsu's relationship with them was complex but strong. Whenever he needed help, they would do everything they could to assist.
But now, as the leader of the Rain Village, he also needed to consider how to bring some benefits and advantages to the village while helping.
Currently, the top fighting force of the Rain Village depended entirely on them. Especially Nagato—if he lost the Rinnegan, his combat power would inevitably be affected.
It's still a time of war.
"There's no supplies, and we're lacking money," said Kagetsu, stepping back to reveal Tsunade.
"How about this? Let Tsunade-sensei teach Konan. Perhaps the Hidden Rain Village could become the second ninja village with a complete medical system?"
"You brat!" Tsunade, who had been sold out without hesitation, glared fiercely at Kagetsu.
"Deal!" Yahiko, who was aiming to get whatever he could, was overjoyed. Having experienced life and death and seen suffering, he knew how important a proper medical system could be!
It meant reducing the death rate of the population, the death rate of ninjas, and even increasing the production of Healing Tags, as well as cooperating with other villages.
As long as their military strength was strong enough, they could protect all of it!
So even though it was a money-eating beast, with no short-term profits and the risk of failure, Yahiko was still willing to seize this opportunity.
He even feared that Tsunade might refuse, and before she could say another word, he quickly agreed.
"Don't worry. During the period I use the Rinnegan, I'll prepare another set of eyes for you. A set of three-tomoe Sharingan should ensure Nagato's strength to some extent," Kagetsu said.
"The eye transplant will be done by Tsunade-sensei for both of us."
"We'll start by transplanting one to see. Your body might not be able to handle two Rinnegan," Tsunade agreed with Kagetsu's earlier suggestion, but when it came to the surgery, she still voiced her own opinion.
***
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