"Brat, get lost!"
"Hmph, I haven't had my fill of killing yet! Die!"
The rogue ninja paid Ōoka Shin no attention. One of them charged forward immediately. From the slashed headbands at their waists, it was clear they had once been shinobi of Sunagakure.
Over the past few months, Ōoka Shin's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
With a sudden burst of speed, his short blade flashed crimson.
One rogue ninja fell dead.
Ōoka Shin had long since investigated this group. The strongest among them was only at the level of a Chūnin; most were Genin or even weaker wandering ninja. He did not fear them.
"Damn it! He's a shinobi! Kid, what do you want?"
Seeing how cleanly Ōoka Shin had killed their companion, the rogue ninja hesitated instead of attacking immediately.
Ōoka Shin flicked the blood from his blade and said calmly, "I want information about the Akatsuki."
"Hahaha, that's all? You should've said so! The Akatsuki are in the northern town—now!"
The leader suddenly shouted, "Attack!"
At once, shuriken and kunai flew toward Ōoka Shin, riddling him like a pincushion.
"Got him!"
"It's a Clone Technique! Stay alert!"
The pierced body dissipated in a puff of smoke.
Ōoka Shin's clone vanished, and the rogue ninja scanned their surroundings warily.
Back when Kyōsuke had first studied under Minato Namikaze, the first technique he learned was the Shadow Clone Technique. After all, Shadow Clones were invaluable—not only in battle and reconnaissance, but also in accelerating training. Kyōsuke had coveted it for a long time.
Now, Ōoka Shin hid among the treetops, watching carefully. He intended to capture one of them alive to confirm whether their information was accurate.
Though these rogue ninja were cruel and deserved death, Ōoka Shin understood his own limits. His current strength ranged between Genin and Chūnin level. Taking them all head-on would be reckless. He had no intention of playing the hero.
At that moment, a red-haired shinobi approached from the distance.
Ōoka Shin's eyes widened in shock.
"Is that… Sasori? Why is he here? Is he hunting down these former Sunagakure ninja?"
Though Sasori was younger than in later years and had not yet transformed himself into a human puppet, his appearance was unmistakable.
From Chisuke's casual remarks during their dream discussions, Ōoka Shin knew that Sasori was already a renowned and powerful jōnin of Sunagakure.
Sasori unsealed a scroll and summoned five puppets.
They were humanoid in form, bristling with concealed weapons. Some could launch senbon needles; others released poisonous mist. A few were even capable of performing simple Ninjutsu.
Under Sasori's precise control, the puppets displayed terrifying combat power.
The rogue ninja were cut down like grass.
Within moments, the last of them fell.
Ōoka Shin remained perfectly still in hiding, not daring to reveal himself for fear of drawing Sasori's attention—and being killed.
After eliminating everyone, Sasori did not leave immediately. Instead, he examined the corpses carefully, selecting several satisfactory bodies and sealing them into scrolls before finally departing.
"So at this point in time, he's already researching human puppets…"
Ōoka Shin frowned. "I'll tell Chisuke tonight. This information might be useful."
Whether Sasori had come to complete a mission or simply to collect corpses was irrelevant to him.
After Sasori left, Ōoka Shin waited cautiously for quite some time before preparing to depart.
But just then, seven figures approached from afar.
"Akatsuki!"
Recognizing three of them immediately, Ōoka Shin felt his heart tighten.
At this time, the Akatsuki did not yet wear the black cloaks with red clouds. Instead, they wore gray-black coats. Aside from Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, he did not recognize the other four members.
"What happened here? Looks like someone beat us to it," Konan said calmly as she surveyed the corpses.
These rogue ninja had long been marked by the Akatsuki for their atrocities. The two sides had clashed before, and the Akatsuki had already killed many of them. They had come here to finish off the remainder.
Yahiko crouched beside a corpse and examined the wounds. Konan cautioned him softly, "Be careful."
After a moment, Yahiko smiled.
"Judging by the killing method, it was likely Sunagakure ninja."
The others pointed out additional clues from the battlefield.
"There are only rogue corpses here. Looks like Sunagakure achieved a complete victory."
"That's fine. Saves us the trouble. They were Sunagakure's rogue ninja to begin with—it's only right their own village handles them."
"If we're not needed here, let's head into town. There may be civilians who need help."
After confirming there was no immediate danger, they prepared to move out.
Suddenly, Nagato—whose sensory perception was the strongest—turned his head toward the distance and spoke for the first time.
"Be careful. Someone's coming."
They immediately turned, ready for combat.
What they saw, however, was a child of six or seven years old.
A bald, muscular man carrying a long staff stepped forward and asked sternly, "Who are you?"
In this chaotic place, a child carrying a short blade had appeared.
The child saw the corpses and the unfamiliar shinobi, yet instead of fleeing, he approached calmly.
He was definitely not ordinary—he was a shinobi.
Yahiko patted the bald man's shoulder.
"Daibutsu, don't be so tense. If he's showing himself, he's probably not an enemy."
Standing at the forefront and relaxing his stance slightly, Yahiko smiled.
"Who are you? You showed up now—are you looking for us? What do you want?"
It was their first meeting, and wariness lingered between both sides. Ōoka Shin kept his distance, stopping about ten meters away.
"I heard that the Akatsuki have eliminated many evil ninja and helped ordinary people. I want to join you."
"Hey, we're not running a playground. Go home," Daibutsu said bluntly, seeing how young he was.
Ōoka Shin replied evenly, "My family has already been killed. I have no home."
A brief silence followed.
Yahiko and the others exchanged glances. They themselves wandered constantly, fighting frequently. Bringing a child along would endanger him.
Yahiko shook his head.
"Leave. Live well. The future will get better."
"It seems I need to prove my strength to earn your recognition."
Ōoka Shin drew his short blade and charged straight at Yahiko.
Yahiko did not move. Daibutsu stepped forward, intercepting the strike with his iron staff.
Clang!
"…Hm?"
Daibutsu's eyes flickered in surprise at the force transmitted through the steel.
Strong.
Unlike Kyōsuke, who needed to conceal his strength, Ōoka Shin had no reason to hide anything. To join the Akatsuki, he displayed everything—kenjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu.
The sound of steel clashing rang repeatedly. His short blade danced up and down, each wave of attacks heavier and faster than the last, like relentless ocean swells.
Yet Daibutsu's iron staff moved effortlessly, blocking each strike with steady precision.
Seeing that his kenjutsu alone could not break through, Ōoka Shin leapt backward and formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared toward Daibutsu.
Daibutsu drove his iron staff into the ground and formed seals in response.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"