Konoha: Tsunade, I am the Hokage

A remote mountain village in the land of birds.

Today, a cluster of houses has been built along the valley, where mountain streams converge to form a river that flows from the center to the lake in the bird kingdom.

On the hillside, pieces of paper support wood and stones, reinforcing the rock face.

"That was really tough!"

Looking down at the valley below, Yahiko felt an indescribable sense of pride and excitement.

"Nagato, this is our village, built from nothing to what it is today!"

"yes."

A slight smile appeared on Nagato's lips.

Although it's not the Land of Rain, but...

that's nice!

He suddenly looked at Yahiko and laughed, "Do you still want to go back to the Land of Rain?"

"Yes, I want to!"

Yahiko nodded without hesitation.

Looking down at the mountain village, he said, "The more beautiful the scenery is, the more I want to bring this beauty to everyone in my hometown, so that everyone can live such a life."

Nagato paused, then looked down and fell silent.

Yahiko turned his head.

"Why aren't you saying anything? What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing. I just feel that your ideals are much greater than mine and Xiao Nan's. Our ideals are just to live our own lives well."

Nagato smiled and replied, "We are already very happy with our current life."

"Hahaha, what lofty ideals? They're just dreams. The distance between 'thinking' and 'doing' is as far as the distance between here and the Land of Water."

Yahiko spread his arms wide, exaggerating as he gave an example.

but.

Just now.

"That's true, but you two, given the current state of the Land of Rain, even if we manage things to this extent, what good will it do? What if war breaks out between the great ninja villages..."

"Small ninja villages like this."

"Like a fragile wooden bridge, it will be crushed by the machine of war and then—vanish into nothingness."

A strange voice sounded from behind.

Yahiko and Nagato immediately turned around, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Before me stood a strange man, half black and half white.

On its head, leaves resembling pitcher plants grew out, making it look extremely strange.

"Who are you?"

Nagato's eyes, hidden beneath his hair, had already locked onto the other person, and he slightly raised his hand.

As long as Yahiko makes any move, he will immediately activate his ninjutsu to pull the monster in front of him towards him.

"I'm impressed, an information broker."

"Selling intelligence... I have no intelligence to sell, nor do I have any to buy. You can leave now."

Yahiko's tone was full of vigilance.

Jue's lips curled slightly upward.

"Don't be so absolute. Perhaps in the future, you will need my help."

"At least not now."

Yahiko coldly refused.

The guy in front of him made him feel very dangerous!

It wasn't that the other party was very powerful, but rather that their strange form, their ability to approach them silently, and their identity as an "information broker" made him very uneasy.

Furthermore, this person also seems to have been involved in the Sasori incident.

The other party is the one stirring up trouble.

Their business is destined to plunge the ninja world into chaos.

Jue smiled slightly.

"Since that's the case..."

He was about to continue speaking when, in the next second, a figure suddenly appeared between them.

In the next instant, Jue vanished underground.

but.

In just a moment, the figure was beside him.

boom!

With a single punch, half of the body underground shattered, its flesh and blood staining the surrounding rubble, and the figure swiftly escaped using earth magic.

"Wow, that's fast!"

Jingyan sighed regretfully, but did not pursue the matter further.

Black Zetsu possesses the characteristics of Yin-Yang Release, making it difficult to detect with ordinary perception abilities, so tracking it is meaningless.

and.

Even if they catch up, with ordinary sealing abilities, they probably won't be able to seal Black Zetsu.

He collected the surrounding stones.

Yahiko and Nagato, the parties involved, were completely bewildered at that moment.

Just now……

What happened?

Why did Jingyan suddenly appear, and why did he smash that guy's body almost without hesitation the next second?

This decisiveness is as if one has determined that the other party is an enemy.

He looked at Kyohiko blankly.

"What exactly is going on? Also, why are you suddenly here?"

"Well, as you can see, I just returned from the Land of Snow."

Kyohiko was still wearing the thick coat from the Land of Snow, which was quite hot. After taking it off, the Ushioni on his shoulder appeared, and the Ushioni scanned the area...

Then, its eyes instantly fixed on Nagato.

"You brat, your eyes!"

The bull demon's tone suddenly became tense and urgent. Then, it tried to jump in front of Nagato, but hesitated because of its current size...

Bang!

In an instant, it crashed to the ground.

Kyohiko picked it up and pulled it in front of Nagato, who nervously dodged it.

"Don't get too close!"

He was very unhappy.

Jingyan laughed and said, "It's nothing, this guy is just curious."

The demon smacked him with its tail and exclaimed excitedly, "Your eyes are also Rinnegan? How do you have eyes like that?!"

"..."

Nagato gave it a strange look, but didn't bother to reply.

but.

That glance made him notice that the other party's structure was quite strange.

Tail……

Eight tails?

Its appearance is also very strange. In addition, the chakra fluctuations in its body are very strong, but it seems to be sealed.

Ah? ? ?

Nagato's eyes widened as she looked at Kyohiko in disbelief.

"No way?!"

"What's wrong, Nagato?"

Yahiko was stunned.

What's going on? Why are you having such a drastic emotional fluctuation?

Let it see what happens.

It's just a spirit beast.

Nagato swallowed hard and said, "It should be the Eight-Tails, right?"

"Yes, it's a bull demon."

Kyohiko continued, "Furthermore, as you can see, Nagato's eyes are the Rinnegan."

The demon nodded in a daze.

It recognized it.

Rinnegan!

Could it be the old man's eyes?

No, that's unlikely!

The old man's eyes must have completely decayed after his death, so it's impossible for them to have survived to this day.

"Where did you get your Rinnegan?"

"I don't know, it's been around for a long time."

Nagato answered.

After that...

A painful memory flashed through his mind, and a hint of hidden pain flickered in his eyes as he looked at Kyohiko.

Konoha's ninja!

Although his teacher Jiraiya, who taught him ninjutsu, was also a Konoha ninja, it is also a fact that his parents died as Konoha ninjas.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Yahiko.

"I'll go down and help first."

"it is good."

Yahiko nodded.

After Nagato left, he looked at Kyohiko, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

"That guy just now, was he really the one who was with Sasori before?"

"Yes, it's black and white, and it seems the black part is the real thing. But that's not the point. The point is..."

Jingyan glanced down and said, "Based on our Konoha intelligence network, we can confirm that their mastermind is Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara?"

Even though Yahiko is a relatively calm and composed person, he was still shocked when he suddenly heard the identity of the person behind him.

Madara Uchiha.

He was a figure who, along with Hashirama Senju, was renowned throughout an era.

He's still alive?

Yahiko's first reaction...

unbelievable.

Then, he met Jingyan's gaze and, seeing the other's calm and unwavering eyes, finally believed him.

This is real!

"Is Madara still alive?"

"I'm not sure if it's really Ban, but that's not important. What's important is that their goal now is to concentrate all their resources... on dealing with me."

Jingyan couldn't help but chuckle as he finished speaking.

I never imagined that one day I would become the target of Ban's attack; thinking about it now, I feel a sense of honor.

This is probably the treatment Hashirama Senju received, right?

of course.

If Madara were at his peak, he certainly wouldn't have used the same strategy against his current self.

Time waits for no one!

Even Madara Uchiha can only survive by relying on an "oxygen tube," which is quite a sad state of affairs.

Yahiko could not comprehend Kyohiko's thoughts at that moment.

He felt that this situation seemed somewhat hopeless.

Also.

"You didn't come here hoping to get my help, did you?"

If that's the case, he felt rather powerless.

Jingyan nodded, but then shook his head.

"I need your help, but in the form of ensuring your safety and preventing any danger. You should know that they have already begun attacking the Tailed Beasts."

"Takigakure has been attacked, and their Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is likely to be taken away."

"My main purpose in coming here is to use you as a stepping stone to go to Sunagakure and see if we can save Shukaku. Also..."

"You don't think Nagato is safe, do you?"

Jingyan looked down into the valley below.

This scene is indeed very happy and beautiful, but war could break out on this beautiful land at any time.

Because the Rinnegan is located here.

Yahiko clearly understood Kyohiko's meaning, and—

They've already come to us, so do we need to explain the outcome?

He paused for a few seconds, then asked, "What should we do?"

"Looking at you, perhaps..."

After thinking for a moment, Kyohiko said, "If we keep Nagato's existence hidden, you can consider cooperating with Amegakure and Hanzo. You have a natural basis for cooperation."

Yahiko is a ninja from Amegakure.

even.

Most of the people in the Land of Birds today come from Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village).

Hanzo himself greatly admired Yahiko.

The two hit it off immediately when they decided to collaborate.

Yahiko was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly.

This is a viable approach.

The question is, what about Nagato?

He looked down.

Nagato...

"Mt. Myoboku?"

That's what I think.

Jingyan nodded.

Yahiko did not have a contract with Mount Myōboku, but Nagato gained the approval of the Toad Sage.

"Going to Mount Myōboku will also allow Nagato to focus on training in Sage Mode. Once he masters this power, Nagato's strength will reach a new level."

Sage Mode plus Rinnegan.

If combined with the secret techniques of the two great sages of Mount Myōboku, allowing Nagato to maintain Sage Mode for an extended period, very few in the ninja world would be able to defeat him.

Yahiko quickly thought it over and soon realized that Kyohiko's plan was reasonable.

and.

This is arguably the most suitable solution for them at present!

"Alright, let's not delay. I'll talk to Nagato right away. Thank you, Kyohiko."

Yahiko was extremely grateful.

This wasn't the first time Jingyan had helped them, but each time his assistance was timely.

Just like this time...

If it weren't for Jingyan's arrival, he might not have realized how dangerous his situation was.

"It's nothing. I have my own selfish reasons too. After all, I would never want the enemy to have another pair of Rinnegan, or even... Nagato and Konan."

Jingyan answered seriously.

Yahiko nodded slightly, vaguely understanding the unspoken meaning of Kyohiko.

"Even if Nagato goes to Mount Myōboku, you can't let your guard down, because the enemy's biggest target is likely you or Konan."

Jingyan gave him further instructions.

Yahiko took a deep breath.

"I know they really depend on me..."

If I were to die.

Nagato and Konan will likely be kept in the dark by Madara and his group, and be used by the enemy.

He must live!

Yahiko's expression was grave: "While they haven't fully united and taken action yet, I must immediately begin my plan. Kyohiko, I won't be able to stay with you any longer."

"Yes, I'm going to Sunagakure too."

"I'll join forces with Hanzo and see what his attitude is. I'll contact you then."

"it is good."

……

Below, Yahiko appeared in an instant and then clapped his hands.

People around immediately looked over.

Seeing everyone's gazes, Yahiko's eyes revealed a hint of reluctance, but...

He gritted his teeth and finally spoke.

"We've all worked so hard to settle down in the Land of Birds and build this village, but now, I'm going to take a few people away and return to Amegakure!"

A commotion immediately erupted below.

go back?

Konan and Nagato exchanged a glance, both of them extremely surprised and incredulous.

Why?

"Nagato, that guy just now was probably Madara's henchman. They're planning to start an unprecedented shinobi world war!"

Yahiko explained, "In the Land of Birds, our strength is too weak to protect everyone. We must unite with the power of Amegakure to have any chance of survival."

"Of course, this also has to do with the three of us personally..."

"So, who's willing to come back to Amegakure with me?"

Yahiko said a lot with a smile.

The people below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, several people stood up: "Chief Yahiko, we are willing to go back with you!"

Yahiko glanced around.

After these few people, everyone else stood up, scattered here and there.

A tear rolled down Yahiko's cheek.

Then, he looked up.

"I'm sorry, I can't take too many people with me, so, Hatosuke, you've been with me for a long time and learned a lot about handling village affairs, so the rest of you will stay in the village."

"We need people here too!"

Yahiko smiled gently.

Despite his reluctance, Kyusuke could only nod in agreement.

Xiao Nan frowned and asked, "Am I leaving too?"

"certainly!"

Yahiko nodded earnestly.

Then, he looked at Nagato.

"Nagato, go there. Go there to cultivate even more powerful Sage Techniques. Right now, you and we are still too weak!"

Previously, the toads of Mount Myōboku had inquired about Nagato's intentions in this regard, but Nagato had consistently made excuses and refused to go.

Yahiko's words left Nagato with no room to refuse.

"I……"

Nagato's face was filled with resentment.

but.

Finally, he silently nodded: "I'll go to Mount Myōboku!"

Yahiko walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Feel sorry!"

"I understand, I've dragged everyone down."

Nagato covered her eyes.

He is not stupid.

Yahiko and Konan both went to Amegakure, but he alone needed to go to Mount Myōboku for training. Clearly, this wasn't simply to make him stronger; there was another layer of meaning...

He is too weak to protect these eyes.

I need to become stronger!

"When we meet again, I will show you the power of these eyes, and I will make everyone afraid to even think of harming us!"

Nagato resolutely entered the tunnel.

"I believe in you, because you are definitely the 'Child of Prophecy' who shoulders the future of the ninja world!"

Yahiko smiled brightly.

Nagato nodded emphatically.

Parting is the most painful thing, but after listening to Yahiko's words, everyone agreed with his judgment.

This is Yahiko's prestige in this area, and also the reason why he was unwilling to take too many people back with him.

Hanzo was a remarkable and heroic figure, but also a suspicious man.

He needs to be more vigilant.

After saying goodbye, Nagato summoned a toad and, using the reverse summoning technique of Mount Myōboku, went directly to Mount Myōboku.

Yahiko then led Konan and several of his men toward Amegakure.

Standing on the hilltop, Xiao Nan looked back at the surrounding area.

"Will we come back?"

"Of course, once everything is at peace, once the schemers are killed, we will return here to build our home, and... I will make the Land of Rain a better place!"

Yahiko looked in the direction of the Land of Rain.

"Our current forbearance is only for our future reunion! Therefore, we must live!"

"Um!"

Xiao Nan nodded emphatically. (End of Chapter)