"Later, I found out that behind Bulbasaur Tarou was the financial backing of Iwagakure - Hidden Stone Village. The entire Akatsuki Organization was nothing more than a pawn of Iwagakure. The revolutionary mentor you so admire is just that! How could you ever break free from such shackles? I suspect his death wasn’t the work of the Hourglass Group but rather a scheme by Iwagakure!"
"That’s impossible!" Yahiko exclaimed in shock.
"Why not? The Akatsuki rebellion brought no benefits to the Hourglass Group! So many Akatsuki members and workers of the Hourglass Group died! The only party that gained anything was Iwagakure! This failed rebellion was clearly a plot by the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, to delay Sunagakure’s punitive expedition. Akatsuki was merely being used as a tool!"
As Kijima spoke, his voice grew more agitated, almost deafening Yahiko.
Yahiko was stunned. The complete collapse of his idol’s image caused him to question his revolutionary ideals, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"Leader, the reason I joined the Akatsuki Organization in the first place was because I saw how different you and Bulbasaur Tarou were. From the beginning, you built everything from scratch, relying on your own efforts and a revolutionary spirit to establish this foundation. But now that we’ve seized power in Amegakure, the situation has changed. We must adopt strategies and methods; otherwise, we’ll end up as mere fish on someone else’s chopping block."
Kijima advised patiently.
"Strategies? Methods?" Yahiko muttered.
"I’m not good at grand theories, so let me tell you a little story. Back when I was just a street thug, I was always bullied by other thugs. So, I decided to join forces with the biggest gang leader on Naniwa Street. After that, those bullies didn’t dare touch me anymore. I think the same logic applies to villages. Let’s find a strong ally first, build our strength, and then we can truly stand firm."
Yahiko frowned, pondering for a while.
"Uncle Kijima, maybe you’re right, but I just can’t get past this. Is this shinobi world really dictated by the five great ninja villages? Aren’t the wars, disasters, and suffering in this world caused by them? To turn around and bow to them... I just can’t do it."
"I’m not asking you to bow. At least let’s play along for now..."
"No!" Yahiko interrupted, raising his hand to stop Kijima.
"I know what you’re going to say. Put Konoha’s matters aside for now. Let’s focus on securing those two trade routes first."
Seeing this, Kijima didn’t press further. He slowly dressed and said, "Alright, think it over. Next, I’ll head to the Land of Craftsmen to negotiate cooperation. Leader, send someone to Iwagakure. Once we’ve secured these two routes, we’ll have more room to maneuver. At least let’s make the Flying Rain Group self-sufficient."
Yahiko nodded and instructed Nagato and Daibutsu behind him, "I’ll personally go to Iwagakure. Nagato, you’ll handle the daily affairs of Amegakure. Daibutsu, monitor the progress of iron mining at Nozawa Kawaji. Before I return, make sure the ore from the Sada and Sugi mines is extracted. Don’t let us have pots without rice."
Nagato and Daibutsu nodded.
Sunagakure, Kazekage’s Office
"You’re saying that when you reached this coordinate, he disappeared?" Jinghang asked, looking up from the red dot on the map.
"Yes, he went straight into the ground without a trace. I didn’t linger to avoid being discovered. I marked the coordinates and left," Hidan replied, swallowing a gulp of tea.
"Hold on. Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Jinghang summoned four shadow clones, surrounding Hidan. He quietly rotated the senjutsu chakra within him, entering Sage Mode after a minute.
Placing one hand on Hidan’s shoulder, Jinghang channeled a surge of senjutsu chakra into his body. Slowly, Hidan’s face began to change, mirroring Jinghang’s, with five whisker-like marks appearing. His teeth sharpened, and his hair turned yellow. Just as he was about to fully transform into a weasel, four ghostly white entities sprouted from Hidan’s body, swelling like mushrooms after rain. They quickly took human form and darted in different directions, only to be subdued by Jinghang’s clones.
"Seal!" Jinghang formed a single-handed seal, withdrawing the senjutsu chakra from Hidan, whose face gradually returned to normal.
"It seems you’ve been exposed. This Zetsu must’ve scattered spores along the way," Jinghang said, shaking his head.
Hidan was shocked. "Master, I kept my distance, almost at the edge of visibility..."
"It’s not your fault. This is just his habit. He likes to scatter spores wherever he goes. I’ve fallen for it too. These things are almost undetectable."
Looking at the subdued White Zetsu, Hidan curiously poked it and asked, "Master, why didn’t he attack me?"
Jinghang thought for a moment and replied, "Probably because he didn’t know your abilities and wasn’t confident he could win."
Then, Jinghang picked up the phone. "Yakura, inform Minister Yamashita Toru to send some people to my office. We need to escort some spies to the interrogation room. After recording their confessions, hand them over to Minister Tsunade. Make sure Deputy Director Shirohyo doesn’t find out. Eight people will suffice. Yes, that’s it."
Hanging up, Jinghang turned to Hidan. "Go rest for now. Later, I’ll take you to Xuanyuan Tomb. It’s time for you to learn senjutsu."
"Haha, that sounds great!" Hidan said, leaving the office in high spirits.
Soon, eight masked men entered, placed hoods over the four White Zetsu spore bodies, and silently escorted them out of the Kazekage’s office.
"Where can you run?" Jinghang murmured, narrowing his eyes at the map. His finger traced from the coordinate marked by Hidan to another nearby point, stopping at a location labeled Kannabi Bridge.
Taking a pencil and ruler, Jinghang connected the two points and used a compass to draw a small circle on the map, encompassing an inconspicuous location labeled Bottomless Pit.
"Heh, an old man like you, always hiding in caves. If you keep this up, your bones will turn brittle," Jinghang said with a smile.
Picking up the phone again, Jinghang ordered, "Tell Minister Yamashita Toru to come to my office."
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