Naruto was trapped in the Root's prison, and no matter what, Danzo refused to release him. This left Iruka and Kakashi both deeply worried. Even Kakashi found himself powerless this time.
Fortunately, fate offered a glimmer of hope—a man with half-burned white hair and a forehead protector bearing the kanji for "oil" returned to Konoha.
It was none other than Jiraiya!
After his failed ambush on Deidara and Sasori, Jiraiya thought that since he was already so close to Konoha, he might as well return for a visit.
Of course, let it be clear—this had absolutely nothing to do with Jiraiya missing Konoha's bathhouses!
But as soon as he arrived in Konoha, he was bombarded with explosive news!
What?!
The Third Hokage is dead?! And it was Orochimaru who killed him?!
What?!
The Fifth Hokage has already been chosen?! And it's Danzo?!
What?!
Naruto has been captured by Danzo and is about to undergo brainwashing training?!
The pace of events was too fast! It made Jiraiya feel as if Konoha had become a completely unfamiliar place.
Thankfully, with Jiraiya's intervention, Naruto was finally rescued. Although Danzo was clearly displeased, he had only just assumed the Hokage position and lacked the absolute authority that Sarutobi Hiruzen once wielded.
Considering the harsh environment Naruto would face going forward, Jiraiya originally planned to take Naruto out of the village, teaching him while traveling across the land.
But would Danzo ever agree to that?
Of course not.
Left with no choice, Jiraiya decided to stay in Konoha for the time being to personally look after Naruto. After all, Naruto was the child of his student, Minato Namikaze, and even his name was inspired by the protagonist of Jiraiya's novel. If anything happened to Naruto, Jiraiya would carry that guilt for the rest of his life.
...
In Amegakure, Deidara returned to the village alone.
Why alone? Because Sasori had gone to join forces with Orochimaru. He was determined not to emerge until he had successfully developed the Wood Release puppets, leaving Deidara all by himself.
Deidara and Orochimaru had always despised each other. If given the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to kill each other. And now Sasori was going to work with Orochimaru? It seemed Sasori had truly been provoked.
For Deidara, this felt strange. Ever since he transmigrated, he and Sasori had lived in their own little world. Now, they were going their separate ways.
Arriving at the central tower of Amegakure, Deidara found that it had been transformed into an office—something akin to a "Rain Kage Office." However, Amegakure wasn't officially recognized as a Kage-level village yet.
Inside, Tendo Pain (Nagato's Deva Path) sat at a desk while Konan brought in a mountain of documents. The sight made Nagato question his life choices.
"Konan, I think we should focus on collecting the Tailed Beasts and dominating the world instead of wasting time on these trivial matters."
Konan replied with exasperation, "This is dominating the world—starting with ruling Amegakure. As the leader of both Amegakure and the Akatsuki, you must personally review these documents."
Is this what ruling the world is supposed to look like?
Why does it feel so different from what I imagined?
Nagato's mind was full of questions. As the Akatsuki and Amegakure grew, his workload only seemed to increase. The days of staying at home and simply issuing commands to subordinates felt like a distant memory.
Sigh!
Nagato let out a soft sigh and opened the first document. It was a proposal from the Hōzuki Clan, supported by several former Kirigakure and Amegakure ninjas, requesting the expansion of Amegakure. With the influx of outsiders, the current village was indeed becoming overcrowded.
This seemed reasonable. Nagato glanced at the seal on his desk, extended his hand, and aligned his palm with the seal.
Universal Pull!
The seal obediently flew into his hand.
Thud!
Approved!
Almighty Push!
A repelling force sent the seal neatly back to its original spot. Nagato nodded in satisfaction, pleased with his precise control.
Sigh!
Konan sighed again from the side. "Nagato, shouldn't you at least read the document carefully?"
"Hmm?" Nagato responded with a hint of confusion. "Amegakure does need expansion. Isn't this a good thing? What's there to hesitate about?"
"But they're requesting five billion ryō in funding. That's an outrageous amount. I think fifty million ryō should suffice."
With the four billion nine hundred fifty million ryō saved, think of how many explosive tags we could buy! We can't squander resources recklessly!
Oh, so that's the issue?
It seems that human nature is inherently greedy! Despite my benevolence, they still conspire to swindle me. Thank goodness for Konan; otherwise, I would have been a complete fool.
Nagato carefully reviewed the document and found that it indeed included a funding request. He had no real sense of how much funding was needed, but since Konan suggested fifty million ryō, he decided to go with that.
Universal Pull!
A pen flew into Tendo Pain's hand. He slowly wrote on the document, revising the requested amount from five billion ryō to fifty million ryō.
Done!
Nagato placed the pen down with satisfaction. Konan sighed for the third time. "Nagato, can't you read the entire document?"
"Hmm? Is there something else I should be concerned about?"
"Turn to the second page. The proposed expansion site is one of Amegakure's few fertile farmlands. If they take over the farmland, the village might not be able to sustain its own food supply in the future."
"So you'll need to assign them a different location."
Tch! Nagato felt an urge to scratch his head. Why is managing just Amegakure so complicated?
If I were to truly rule the entire ninja world in the future, wouldn't I end up like a donkey tied to a millstone? What happened to being the mastermind behind the scenes?
"Yo, Leader! Konan! You two seem busy!" At that moment, Deidara walked in from outside.
Seeing Deidara finally arrive, Nagato felt a surprising sense of relief. This kid had clearly sensed his return through the Rain Tiger at Will Technique long ago, yet it had taken him half a day to show up. Are young people these days always this slow?
"Deidara, how did the mission go?" Nagato asked as he stood up, gesturing for Deidara to walk with him.
"Konan, I have some matters to attend to. Please handle the rest of the documents," Nagato said, turning back with a look of helplessness.
Sigh!
Konan sighed for the fourth time. She had expected this outcome.
Although he didn't fully understand the situation, Deidara's instincts as a man kicked in, and he immediately followed Nagato, recounting the details of the mission as they walked.
"So, the next step is to send emissaries to Konoha to form an alliance with Danzo?"
"Yes. Aside from Kakuzu and Hidan, who have been exposed, we should select two or three others. This will also serve as a show of force to ensure Danzo keeps his promises to us."
Although no direct deals had been made, Orochimaru had disclosed information about the Akatsuki. Thus, there was a tacit understanding between the Akatsuki and Danzo. However, such understandings are only upheld if both sides maintain equal strength. Otherwise, the stronger side will dictate terms.
"Let's discuss this in an organizational meeting later," Nagato replied. "In the meantime, we'll wait for Danzo to send word before taking action."
"Understood!"
"Well, since that's settled, I'll go explore Amegakure for a bit," Deidara said.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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