The Land of Rain is a nation defined by misfortune. Perhaps for this reason, the country exists in a state of perennial weeping. The tears of the heavens shroud this land indefinitely. Consequently, the Land of Rain is a vast marshland, saturated year-round, where countless rains transform into puddles and rivers that eventually converge into a massive inland lake.
This great lake lies just outside the Hidden Rain Village. At its deepest point, it connects to the the vast, boundless sea. This connection is precisely why the Land of Rain, despite the incessant downpours, has never been submerged by the immeasurable volume of water. The complex aquatic system forms a natural equilibrium, a cycle of endless vitality.
Of course, there are times when the rain stops, but even then, the Land of Rain almost never experiences a truly clear day. Even without rain, the sky remains overcast and gloomy.
Today, however, happened to be a day without rain.
The Akatsuki, an organization that became active in the Land of Rain following the end of the Second Shinobi World War. Currently, they are quite formidable, commanding significant support from the local populace and attracting many shinobi weary of conflict.
Publicly, the organization claims to be a peaceful entity. In truth, they are exactly that; they have dedicated themselves to the post-war reconstruction of the Land of Rain. However, with successive wars, destruction always outpaces restoration, making their workload immense. Yet they persist untiringly, finding a sense of accomplishment in their labor.
Beyond this, the Akatsuki harbors a noble ideal: they hope that through interpersonal communication and international dialogue, mutual understanding can be reached, ultimately realizing the grand dream of world peace.
Ideals and dreams should never be objects of ridicule, no matter how ethereal, naive, or impractical they may seem. Especially when the members of Akatsuki are sincerely implementing these ideas. What reason is there to mock a group of people who appear naive simply because they strive for a dream? None; in fact, they are quite endearing.
But in this cruel world, "naive" is ultimately not a positive descriptor. Not everyone possesses the noble and pure pursuits of the Akatsuki, people like Hanzo of the Salamander, for instance.
Hanzo has never been naive. Before his fall from grace, he was a man of great vision and ambition. How could such a person be naive? Now, he has simply become loathsome and stagnant. As it stands, an irreconcilable conflict has emerged between the Akatsuki and the Hidden Rain Village.
It is a struggle for power, power over the Land of Rain.
As Diarmuid once said, if they cannot become the true representatives of the Land of Rain, then in what capacity can the Akatsuki engage in "dialogue" with other nations? Let alone advocate for pacifism. Therefore, once the Akatsuki reached a certain level of growth, a clash over the governance of the Land of Rain became inevitable.
Currently, all power in the Land of Rain is concentrated in one man: the former guardian of the nation, revered by the shinobi world as a "Demigod," Hanzo of the Salamander. Had this been decades ago, a visionary Hanzo might have coexisted with the Akatsuki or even managed a perfect transition of power. But now, Hanzo is merely a puppet of his own authority. He guards his small territory obsessively; anyone who touches his power must be eliminated.
Inside a cavern at the Akatsuki base, three young people were gathered, discussing current events.
"The Third Shinobi World War has ended, yet they have left nothing behind but blood and destruction..." said a beautiful young woman with short indigo hair and a paper flower tucked into her temple. Her tone betrayed a deep loathing for war.
This was Konan. Standing beside her was a man with vibrant red hair. He looked young, but his demeanor suggested a somewhat timid personality. Long bangs obscured his eyes, preventing him from standing out too much, which was necessary, for this man possessed the Rinnegan.
Undoubtedly, he was the unfortunate soul chosen by Madara: Nagato. Or perhaps Uzumaki Nagato, though he did not use that surname and likely remained unaware that his lineage traced back to the Uzumaki clan.
Standing opposite Nagato was a youth with short orange hair who looked bright and radiant. From his animated expressions, one could tell his personality was far more cheerful than Nagato's. He also had the look of a hot-blooded idiot. Indeed, if one weren't sufficiently hot-blooded and naive, how could they have founded the Akatsuki?
This was Yahiko. All three were war orphans from the Land of Rain. They were fortunate enough to have met Jiraiya during the Second Shinobi World War and established a master-disciple relationship. Because of this, they received the strength to protect themselves, preventing their deaths in the war.
Naturally, out in the world, Jiraiya had received reports of their deaths. While grieving, he had accepted this outcome, believing his disciples were long gone.
"Don't be too discouraged. Our busy season has arrived. There are still many people out there whose homes and villages were destroyed; we must help them rebuild," Yahiko said with a grin.
Nagato opened his mouth as if to speak but seemed hesitant. Seeing this, Yahiko slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Nagato, what's that for? We're brothers who grew up together. If you have something to say, spit it out!"
Encouraged by Yahiko, Nagato gave a shy smile and said, "Yahiko, the Hidden Rain Village... what should we do about them?"
Konan also spoke up, "That's right, Yahiko. They think our actions are just a way to win over the people. They warned us to stop... and that's Hanzo of the Salamander. Even Jiraiya-sensei was no match for him."
Yahiko's expression turned angry. "Hanzo has betrayed the Land of Rain and its people. If he won't help with the reconstruction, fine, but telling us to stay out of it? What kind of logic is that? I won't follow his orders!"
Nagato was stunned for a moment but quickly replied, "I will always support you, Yahiko."
Konan smiled as well. "Me too."
"The three of us—no, all of Akatsuki, are of one heart and mind! We won't give up our ideals just because of a threat from Hanzo!" Yahiko declared happily.
Yet, in the end, none of the three had produced an actual plan to deal with Hanzo. It was as if being "of one heart and mind" would magically change everything. Their innocence and romanticism were on full display.
At that moment, three cold, disdainful chuckles drifted in from outside.
"Who's there!?" Yahiko demanded, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Two figures entered the cave. One wore a swirl-patterned, single-eyed mask; the other was a black-and-white "mismatch," with half his body black and half white. They were, without a doubt, Obito and Zetsu.
"A pleasure to meet you. I have yet to introduce myself... I am Uchiha Madara," Obito said in a slightly raspy voice, seemingly trying to sound more mature.
"Uchiha... Madara?" Yahiko looked at the masked man, bewildered. Having studied under Jiraiya, he knew something of Konoha; he had certainly heard of Uchiha Madara. But the problem was, hadn't Uchiha Madara been dead for decades?
"You may be confused, but those reports were false," Obito said. He pulled back his hood and tilted his head, revealing a Mangekyō Sharingan beneath the single eye of the mask. This was undeniably persuasive.
Yahiko hesitated, unsure whether to believe this man's identity. But soon, he stopped dwelling on it. "What does a legendary figure like you want here?"
"I'm looking for you all, or rather, him," Obito said, pointing at Nagato.
Nagato froze. Before he could react, Yahiko stepped in front of him like an older brother protecting a younger one. "What do you want with Nagato?"
"It seems you know as well, that he possesses an extraordinary power. The Rinnegan... the legendary Eyes of the Sage," Obito said with a smirk. He knew full well that the Rinnegan had been implanted into Nagato by Madara, but he wouldn't say that; he wanted Nagato to believe he was truly a "Man of Destiny."
"So what? If you intend to harm Nagato or steal his eyes, we won't be civil, even if you are Uchiha Madara!" Yahiko said sternly.
"No, you misunderstand. I have no intention of harming Nagato or being your enemy. I came here simply to propose a cooperation... His power shouldn't be hidden away like this," Obito said smoothly.
"What kind of cooperation?" Yahiko asked directly.
"The same as yours: the pursuit of world peace. However, if I may be blunt, you are far too naive. To think you can achieve such a thing through mere dialogue..." Obito remarked. Honestly, even before his descent into darkness, Obito hadn't been this idealistic. Now, he found their talk utterly ridiculous.
After a short pause, Obito continued, "Your methods won't work. In my view, if you want people to listen to you, you must first have the strength to make them submit. I have a plan that might help..."
"That's enough!" Yahiko interrupted firmly. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you couldn't possibly understand the thoughts of the weak, much less our pursuits. From the very beginning, we were never walking the same path."
"The thoughts of the weak?" Obito chuckled, looking at Nagato. "And you? Do you also consider yourself weak?"
Nagato still looked somewhat frail, but he nodded quickly. He felt Yahiko was right. He trusted Yahiko, so he certainly wasn't going to side with "Uchiha Madara."
Obito laughed and nodded. "Very well, you 'weaklings'... or rather, weaklings who possess the power of a god... Hehehe."
He wasn't in a hurry. He had no intention of using force to coerce Nagato. In truth, facing the Rinnegan made him slightly uneasy; since he wasn't the real Uchiha Madara, violence was never part of the plan.
"Those who possess power but act with the mindset of the weak will, sooner or later, be toyed with by this world. Perhaps in the future, you will change your minds. For today, consider this just an introduction," Obito said softly.
With a wave of his hand, he turned and left the cave with Zetsu.
After Obito had gone, Yahiko frowned. "What a bizarre individual..."
Nagato, however, was lost in thought.
Power of a god... do I possess that? Could I use that power to help Yahiko?