It rains all year round in the Land of Rain. Although it is located in the center of the entire continent, due to the long-standing civil war within the Land of Rain, the country has been fighting for years, and public security is very poor, resulting in little outside understanding of the Land of Rain.
It is precisely because of the chaotic environment of the Land of Rain that Akatsuki was able to develop.
If it were the Land of Fire, let alone an organization composed of nearly ten S-rank missing-nin even a single S-rank missing-nin if discovered by Konoha, would face being immediately encircled by Konoha's ANBU.
It was not the first time that Chao Yanqian had come to the Land of Rain, but during his previous missions, he had ignored the environment of the Land of Rain. Even the Akatsuki trio, who had been following him, hadn't had much time to investigate.
The Land of Rain is very poor, with orphans and beggars almost everywhere. The Akatsuki trio lives in such a country, so it is understandable that they would be determined to change it.
Although Akatsuki was low-key during this period, they were committed to changing the country, so many people in the Land of Rain had heard of this organization. After paying a little money to gather information, Chao Yanqian found the base of the Akatsuki organization.
The number of members in Akatsuki was small, only about a hundred people. However, unlike others in this country, the faces of Akatsuki's members were full of smiles, which seemed incompatible with the gloomy scenery of the country.
"I don't know what the leader thinks about whether we should negotiate with Hanzo."
"Huh! What is there to negotiate about with Hanzo? Hanzo obviously wants to annex our Akatsuki organization. Everyone knows about his conspiracy."
"But if we don't agree, we'll have to fight Amegakure!"
"What are you afraid of? We know the organization is not to be trifled with."
"Exactly. If Hanzo weren't afraid of our strength, why would he propose negotiations? Besides, we have our leader Yahiko. As long as the leader is here, Hanzo has every reason to fear us."
"Well said!"
...
After lurking near Akatsuki's base for a while, the only news Chao Yanqian uncovered was that Hanzo was planning to negotiate with Akatsuki.
However, he was not sure whether Hanzo truly wanted to negotiate or if he had secretly allied with Shimura Danzo to destroy the Akatsuki organization.
The Land of Rain borders the Land of Fire. The appearance of an organization like Akatsuki in the Land of Rain was undoubtedly a threat to Konoha. Someone like Shimura Danzo would never allow such an organization to exist.
If Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Madara were still connected, then it was very likely the whole situation was part of Uchiha Madara's plan to stimulate Uzumaki Nagato into fully awakening the Rinnegan's power, and allow "Tobi" (the masked man) to successfully manipulate Nagato.
In the following days, Chao Yanqian continued to lurk around Amegakure and Akatsuki's base to investigate and indeed discovered signs of Root ninjas. However, the masked man came and went without a trace, never showing himself.
A gloomy cave in the Land of Rain.
"Yo! Tobi! How did it feel to meet an old acquaintance?" White Zetsu joked, looking at the masked man.
"I don't know him. And I am Uchiha Madara now!" the masked man said in a deep voice, filled with authority, though if one listened carefully, there was still a hint of immaturity in it.
"Then do you want to go out and say hello to him?" White Zetsu continued to tease.
"Why is he here? Did he notice something?" asked the masked man.
"He should have been following Danzo. He's been wandering around Amegakure and Akatsuki's base these past days. Danzo must have left some loose ends when making his move, and that guy picked up on it," White Zetsu said seriously.
"This person is not easy to deal with. If possible, it's best to distract him; otherwise, our entire plan could be jeopardized!" the masked man said gravely.
"What should we do then?" White Zetsu asked.
The masked man thought for a moment before saying, "Reveal his information to Akatsuki and let them deal with him."
"Got it!" White Zetsu replied, and then slowly sank into the ground.
Currently, the missions of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were to resurrect Uchiha Madara and to monitor and guide Tobi. After all, for many years to come, Tobi would be active in the shinobi world under the name of "Uchiha Madara." However, in terms of strategy and strength, Tobi was still far from the real Madara.
Thus, for many matters, White Zetsu would allow Tobi to make decisions, both to gauge his abilities and to train him.
After five days of investigation, it was finally confirmed: Danzo and Hanzo had joined forces and were preparing to deal with Akatsuki.
Looking at the smiles on the faces of Akatsuki's members, Chao Yanqian suddenly realized that those smiles were terrifying.
The environment in the Land of Rain was gloomy, bloody, and oppressive. In such an environment, even those who yearned for the sun would inevitably develop darkness in their hearts.
Just like the saying: the deeper the love, the deeper the hatred.
When one day those smiles are broken, the darkness hidden within these people will completely erupt. If someone guides and manipulates them at that moment, these people will fully plunge into the darkness, seeking light where none exists.
Uchiha Madara truly deserved the title of master manipulator of darkness; perhaps he had already planned everything from the moment he entrusted the Rinnegan to Uzumaki Nagato.
The oppressive environment, the death of his parents, and the death of his friends were enough to distort Uzumaki Nagato's character completely, dragging him into darkness.
Kakashi still had friends and elders around him, but the path awaiting Uzumaki Nagato was one deliberately leading him into the abyss guided by Tobi.
"Mm?"
While hiding from the rain in a cave, Chao Yanqian suddenly sensed someone approaching.
After mastering Snake Sage Mode, Chao Yanqian's perception had improved significantly. Even without entering Sage Mode, he could sense like a snake. Moreover, Chao Yanqian's demeanor was growing increasingly grim.
"Three people... Is it them?" Chao Yanqian thought to himself.
Walking to the entrance of the cave, he glanced around and said loudly, "Come out! I've already found you."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
After three consecutive sounds, three figures appeared in front of Chao Yanqian.
Leading was a handsome man with orange hair. Behind him were a man and a woman: the man pale with red hair covering his eyes, and the woman with blue hair and beautiful features.
It was the Akatsuki trio.
"What's the matter?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"A Konoha ninja?" Yahiko glanced at the symbol on Chao Yanqian's forehead protector, frowned slightly, and asked, "I should be asking you that what is a Konoha ninja doing in the Land of Rain?"
"Performing a mission," Chao Yanqian replied.
Chao Yanqian's youthful appearance was very deceptive. To those unaware of his abilities, he would seem like just another harmless genin.
"Performing a mission?" Yahiko glared at Chao Yanqian and said coldly, "I think you're here to spy on us! We've been watching you for a while."
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