"Konan, are you serious...?"
"Leaving the Land of Rain?"
"But..."
A trace of sadness appeared on Yahiko's face. After all, this was their home. Asking him to give it up...
Konan obviously knew what he was thinking, but the thought of their comrade who had just died made her expression turn extremely serious.
"With the current state of Amegakure, how many more comrades must we lose?"
"If Hanzō keeps controlling Amegakure like this, even if we build our own organization, we'll still be targeted and suppressed."
"At this rate, when will we ever liberate Amegakure?"
"I think Chizan was right. For the sake of a better future, leaving home is worth it. Haven't we suffered enough already?"
Nearby, Akashige, who had been sitting back down, looked conflicted as he listened to Konan's words. But in the end, he still chose to stand on her side.
"Yahiko, I think Konan is right..."
"If they were still alive, I believe they would support her too."
"For a better future, temporary endurance is for the sake of something greater ahead..."
Thinking of the comrades who had just fallen, Akashige's face was full of hatred.
He hated why Amegakure had become like this.
He hated why people who longed for peace had to suffer destruction instead.
He hated why his strength wasn't enough to protect his comrades.
Gekko Chizan looked at Yahiko, then stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave, gazing at the gloomy sky and light rain outside.
"Yahiko, look at this weather, look at this rain."
"Amegakure shouldn't be living under this oppression all year round."
"And also..."
His tone suddenly changed mid-sentence as he used Body Flicker to instantly appear behind Yahiko.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the Thousand Years of Death.
"Ah!!!"
"Chizan!! Ouch!"
Yahiko jumped up on the spot, his entire face turning dark purple.
The cave wall had a close encounter with his face. His face hurt. His pride hurt too.
"Today, as your closest friend, I'm giving you a lesson."
"A man can't be hesitant!"
"Once you've set a goal, go all out for it."
"Enough. Konan, we'll return to Amegakure later. Take Yugito with us—we're heading to Takigakure."
Gekko Chizan could see it clearly—Yahiko was too indecisive.
No wonder in the original story he ended up killing himself. Chizan had to help him change this mindset—it wasted too much time.
"Hmph! Hesitating and dawdling, Yahiko, you're just asking for a beating."
"Do you know what a beating is?"
"It's when I use all sorts of strong methods to smooth you out nicely!"
"If it weren't for your image, I would have shaved your head bald."
"I'll make you stronger and bald at the same time!"
Faced with Gekko Chizan's tough-love approach, Yahiko was speechless. His face hurt, his pride hurt—how was he supposed to reply?
He could only nod slightly, expressing his agreement.
[Ding! Detected that the host used inhumane methods to educate Yahiko, causing his resolve to collapse and fear toward the Thousand Years of Death to grow, while also changing his mindset. Special reward: Taijutsu +3.]
Damn Yahiko, infuriating! And the reward had to be taijutsu—how annoying!
"Let's rest for a while. When the rain eases up, we'll head back."
Rain in Amegakure never stopped. Gekko Chizan just wanted them to rest for a bit, to process everything.
After all, they would soon be leaving this place for a long time. They needed to face reality.
...
Three days later, the weather was clear—no more dark clouds, no more rain.
"So it's true... only Amegakure rains every day..."
Konan looked at the blue sky, the white clouds, the forest before her, feeling a sense of unreality.
Yahiko walked up to her, his face no longer conflicted—in fact, there was a hint of confidence.
"So this is the Land of Waterfalls. Takigakure will be the first stop on our new journey."
"Nagato, wait for us. We'll make the Akatsuki's name known and then come find you."
Akashige stood beside them, all three faces full of determination.
But the next moment, Akashige and Yahiko were both sent flying.
Gekko Chizan had kicked them both off the cliff.
"You two! What are you standing around for?"
"Why aren't you on the move?"
"Why aren't you catching dinner for me?"
"Do you want me to die of exhaustion?!"
Gekko Chizan was furious. For three whole days, he had been the one cooking! He was exhausted—traveling and cooking nonstop.
Konan stood there awkwardly.
Three people had been standing there a moment ago, now only she remained. Something felt... off.
"Don't worry, Konan. He won't kick you."
"Even though Sensei is unreliable, he's still a gentleman."
Yugito, munching on a lollipop, walked over to Konan with a smile.
Konan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Over the past three days, they had left the Land of Rain and arrived in the Land of Waterfalls.
Feeling this different environment, everyone's mood had lightened—everyone except Gekko Chizan.
"Hmph! Those two idiots did nothing this whole trip. One claimed he was injured and couldn't move, the other said he was too hurt from my blow to move."
"And now? Both of them are suddenly full of energy, screaming and howling like nothing happened!"
"If I don't snap, they'll think I'm some kind of sick cat!"
Hearing Chizan's complaints, Yugito rolled her eyes at him.
What's wrong with cats? Cats are adorable!
...
At the same time, in the Land of Water.
Uchiha Makito and Zetsu had brought Nagato to the Land of Water.
Nagato was still unconscious.
"This brat... what a temper..."
"And those damned eyes—they can even resist my Genjutsu."
Originally, he had wanted to use his Sharingan to put Nagato under hypnosis, but it didn't work at all.
The Rinnegan hadn't even reached its peak yet, but Sharingan's Genjutsu couldn't affect him in the slightest.
"Hehehehe... I have an idea. After all, Nagato has the Rinnegan."
"Knocking him out repeatedly won't solve anything."
"Why not put on a little show..."
Black Zetsu's voice slowly rang out, finally calming the irritation in Uchiha Makito's heart.
"A show?"
"Yes. White Zetsu has touched other people before—he can transform into them perfectly. All we need is to stage a scene where Kirigakure slaughters his friends. That's all it takes..."
Black Zetsu let out a cold laugh.
"Humans... only when you shatter their faith can you truly change their minds..."
"And the Land of Water is the perfect stage for such a drama..."
Uchiha Makito smiled at once. He loved things like this. He was the vessel of pain, after all—he didn't mind crushing Nagato's dreams.
"Fine, we'll do it your way. I'll cooperate with you."
"Let him give up early. Kirigakure will be the base I choose for him."
"Gekko Chizan... just you wait..."