"Hmm? Something smells good."
"Konan, look—grilled fish! Smells amazing, doesn't it?"
A man's voice pulled Uchiha Yuan from his thoughts.
He raised his eyes and saw three figures standing not far away—two boys and a girl.
The one speaking was the orange-haired young man in the middle.
To think I'd run into them here…
Yuan recognized all three instantly: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
He smiled faintly, gesturing invitingly toward the fire.
"If you don't mind, feel free to join me. It's a big fish—I won't finish it alone."
Nagato, the red-haired boy on Yahiko's left, had his eyes half-hidden beneath his hair. His whole demeanor radiated a quiet, lonely pensiveness.
Konan, standing on Yahiko's right, examined Yuan curiously—
Until her gaze landed on the kunai in his hand.
"You're… a shinobi!"
Yuan cut off another slice of fish, ate it, and smiled.
"A Konoha shinobi. Uchiha Yuan."
Yahiko beamed, patting Konan's shoulder lightly.
"Relax, Konan. This guy doesn't look like a bad person at all."
Yuan studied Yahiko.
From his face, he could clearly see sincerity—bright, earnest, and completely free of deceit.
It made Yuan instinctively like him… but he still said,
"Trusting a stranger in wartime—especially a shinobi—might not be the best idea."
Yahiko strode over, still grinning.
"Hahaha! My gut says you're fine. I'm Yahiko."
He then turned and introduced the other two.
"This is Konan, and this is Nagato."
He plopped down across from Yuan and, without hesitation, tore off a piece of grilled fish.
One bite—and Yahiko's eyes lit up.
"Konan! Nagato! This is amazing! Come try it!"
Under Yahiko's insistence, both Konan and Nagato reluctantly took a small slice of the tender white meat.
The moment they tasted it, surprise flickered across both of their faces.
Yahiko laughed loudly while reaching for another piece.
"Konan, his cooking is way better than yours!"
Konan rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Yuan.
"You're from Konoha. What are you doing in the Land of Rain?"
Yuan took another bite of fish and replied casually,
"I came from the Land of Grass. Grass is our ally—but Rain-nin recently invaded and plundered their villages. I was sent to investigate."
Yahiko's bright, sunny smile faded instantly.
"…I see."
After a brief pause, he looked at Yuan with earnest seriousness.
"Don't worry. Rain-nin won't continue invading Grass Country for long. Change is coming."
"Oh?" Yuan raised a brow. "Are you Rain shinobi as well? Can the three of you influence Hanzo's decisions?"
Yahiko shook his head and stood up, eyes full of resolve.
"No—we're members of the Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?"
"Akatsuki is a group that seeks peace. We want to end the chaos in the Land of Rain. Everyone in Akatsuki has gathered together for that same ideal."
Yuan nodded approvingly.
"Pursuing peace… that's a noble goal. The ninja world is indeed far too chaotic."
Hearing this, Konan's expression softened noticeably.
Yahiko's smile returned, brighter than ever.
"I believe peace isn't far away. Hanzo-sama has agreed to discuss peace with us. We're on our way to meet him now.
When that happens, the Land of Rain will change—war will end."
Yuan looked at Yahiko's expression—the hope, the pure idealism—and silently sighed.
They're walking toward the meeting that will destroy everything… Hanzo's betrayal… the ambush… Yahiko's death.
After a moment of hesitation, Yuan warned softly,
"I believe in Akatsuki's ideals.
But Hanzo may not."
Konan and Nagato stiffened, anxiety appearing in both their eyes.
"Hanzo is the so-called Demi-God of the Ninja World," Yuan continued.
"Your organization threatens his authority. With his pride, I doubt he'd willingly negotiate.
I fear this meeting may be a trap."
Yahiko smiled faintly, as calm as ever.
"Our goal is to change this country through communication—through building bridges between people.
If there's even the slightest chance of peace, we have to try.
And I believe Hanzo will listen."
Yuan fell silent.
Looking at Yahiko's face, he knew there were some things that couldn't be stopped.
After a while, he said,
"Yahiko… would you allow me to accompany you?"
The three looked at him in surprise.
Yuan continued,
"First, I want to meet the man called the Demi-God.
Second… I want to personally witness your meeting. Something tells me it will influence the entire ninja world. I don't want to miss it."
"Hahaha! Yuan, of course you're welcome!" Yahiko laughed.
He added,
"And we'd like to ask you about Jiraiya-sensei! We haven't seen him in years—how is he?"
Konan's face softened into a fond smile.
"We're all Jiraiya-sensei's students," she explained.
"During the Second Ninja War, he took us in. If not for him… we probably would've died like countless other children."
Yuan nodded with a gentle smile.
"Then I'm sure Jiraiya-sensei will be glad to hear you're doing well."
Yahiko clenched his fists in excitement.
"When peace comes, we'll visit Konoha. I want to see the village Jiraiya-sensei loves so much!"
Soon, the fire by the riverside burned down to embers.
Yuan walked side by side with the three young members of Akatsuki, chatting as they traveled.
He told them about Jiraiya's recent battles.
They shared memories of their time training under him—stories filled with warmth, laughter, and longing.
The road ahead would soon lead them toward tragedy.
But for now, they simply walked together beneath the cloudy Rain Country sky.
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