Elsewhere, far from the battlefield filled with death, a girl sat quietly in a dimly lit room. The flickering lantern light illuminated the girl's expressionless face.
"Rin, eat... If you don't, you'll get sick."
A soft and caring woman's voice echoed in the room. However, Rin remained silent. Her eyes stared blankly at the food laid out before her, with no desire whatsoever to touch it.
Silence enveloped the room.
"If you don't eat, how can you train?" another voice sounded, this time more assertive. "Don't you want to become stronger? Don't you want to prove that their sacrifices were not in vain?"
Rin's eyes widened slightly. Something in those words pierced Rin's heart.
Rin's hand, which had been still, slowly moved. With hesitant movements, Rin picked up the chopsticks and began to feed herself.
Aoki, who was not far away, let out a sigh of relief. A faint smile appeared on Aoki's face.
The news had reached Aoki—Kakashi was found unconscious among the bodies of the Kirigakure ninjas. And Rin's body was also found there.
But it was not the real Rin.
Just a clone body.
The real Rin was still alive, here in this place—the hidden base of Kisatsutai.
Aoki watched the girl with great interest. Aoki knew this girl had great potential.
Aoki would train Rin to become stronger, until the right moment arrived—the moment when the world would finally reunite the three friends who now believed each other to be gone.
And at that moment... their world would never be the same again.
...
...
...
Akarin stepped slowly, her shadow stretching beneath the dim lantern light. Akarin's sharp eyes stared directly at Aoki, who sat at a wooden table surrounded by piles of scrolls and old documents. With careful movements, Akarin extended a scroll tied with a red seal.
"Chief, look at this... This is the information you wanted."
Aoki lifted his head, his gaze filled with interest. With a small nod, Aoki accepted the scroll and slowly opened its binding. As the paper unfolded, Aoki's eyes began to read every detail written there.
Among the neatly written letters and numbers, Aoki found a name he had long awaited.
Akatsuki.
Aoki smiled faintly. "They are starting to gain notoriety, huh..." Aoki murmured softly, his eyes still fixed on the information presented before him.
Akatsuki was once just a small group of individuals with a grand ambition to bring peace to a war-torn world. They wanted to transform Amegakure, making it a better place for those who had only known suffering.
The group was led by three people: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Oh, of course, this Konan is not Konan Edogawa from Detective Conan. Aoki shook his head slightly in his thoughts before returning to the topic.
The reason Aoki wanted information about Akatsuki was quite simple—Aoki knew what was going to happen.
Aoki knew that soon, one by one, the members of Akatsuki would be hunted down and killed. Aoki knew that eventually, Yahiko would die. Aoki knew that Yahiko's death would trigger Nagato to change—to surrender to darkness and ultimately become Pain under Obito's control.
Aoki sighed.
Aoki wanted to meet them. Just once.
Not to prevent the tragedy that would occur. Not to change history.
Just... to see them with his own eyes.
Aoki was not a fool. Aoki knew that preventing Yahiko's death was nearly impossible.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
________________________
[Note: 355+ latest chapters have been added! For Just 3$ You Get Access To Chapters Way Ahead,
Now you can access the chapters before Webnovel And Scribblehub by following,
Just become a patron on Patreon:
Patreon.com/Alex_Fabianoki]