"You don't plan on returning to Konoha? Where else are you going?"
At Konoha's camp in the Land of Fire, Tsunade frowned as she looked at Seiryū and questioned him.
A large-scale war had broken out between Kirigakure and Sunagakure, and even the Third Kazekage had died on the battlefield.
Both Sunagakure and Kirigakure had suffered heavy casualties.
Ordinarily, this should have been the perfect opportunity for the other Ninja villages to exploit their weakened state and deal a heavy blow to both villages in one fell swoop.
However, Kirigakure's behavior had been far too strange and baffling.
At a time like this, the other Ninja villages did not dare to act recklessly.
They intended to wait and observe for a while.
More precisely, they needed to gather additional intelligence.
The Third Shinobi World War, which had already reached a fever pitch, seemed to have been abruptly cooled down.
It had entered a strange period of calm.
Of course, everyone knew that this situation would not last long.
Nevertheless, the other Ninja villages had withdrawn their forces from the front lines for the time being.
They were waiting and watching.
Meanwhile, Tsunade and Seiryū had already spent quite some time on the battlefield.
They had barely rested and had constantly remained on high alert.
Naturally, they were both mentally and physically exhausted.
Therefore, Tsunade planned to take Seiryū back to Konoha so they could rest and recuperate, allowing them to better handle whatever happened next.
Moreover, after stopping the successive attacks from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, Seiryū had already accumulated enough merit to be promoted to Jōnin.
That was another reason for them to return.
Yet Seiryū had actually said that he did not intend to go back yet.
What exactly was this kid planning to do?
"There are some things I need to investigate."
In response to Tsunade's question, Seiryū merely smiled.
There was no real need for him to return to Konoha right now. He felt perfectly fine and did not need any rest or recovery.
As for the rank of Jōnin?
He did not care much about it!
Now that the Third Shinobi World War had temporarily paused, Seiryū finally had some free time and planned to cause a little trouble.
Where was he going?
The Land of Rain!
Since Madara had already begun collecting the Tailed Beasts, the Rinnegan was undoubtedly a crucial part of his plan.
As a transmigrator, Seiryū knew perfectly well that the Rinnegan in Nagato's eye sockets belonged to Madara.
If I can't find Madara's hideout, can't I at least find his eyes?
I'm going to make things difficult for him!
Let's see how he reacts when he can't find the Rinnegan!
"Hehehe."
At the thought, a malicious grin appeared on Seiryū's face.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Even Tsunade felt a chill when she saw that smile.
Seiryū was handsome and had already grown into an elegant young man.
So why was he smiling like such a creep?
What terrible idea was this kid coming up with?
"As the future Hokage Assistant, I must inherit the will of the previous Hokage Assistant and carry on the tradition of causing trouble!"
Seiryū suppressed his smile and spoke with complete seriousness.
If a Hokage Assistant did not cause trouble, could they truly be called a Hokage Assistant?
"That is completely unnecessary!"
Tsunade felt a headache coming on and suppressed the urge to smack Seiryū on the head.
What kind of nonsense was that?
She crossed her arms, her impressive figure speaking for itself, and reminded him, "Now that all the major Ninja villages have withdrawn their forces from the front lines, this might possibly be an opportunity for the war to end!"
"As Konoha's most famous Ninja right now, your every action represents Konoha. Don't cause the war to break out again, or Konoha could become everyone's common enemy!"
"Also, every Ninja village currently wants to eliminate you. If your whereabouts are exposed and something unexpected happens."
This temporary pause in the war could potentially become an opportunity to end it.
Although the possibility was small, even if the war reignited, Konoha absolutely could not be the one to provoke it.
That would create many unpredictable dangers.
Konoha was currently too powerful.
After achieving victories on every front, it had become the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages and was the most likely to become everyone else's common enemy.
That was not something Konoha wanted to see!
There was also another, even more important concern.
Seiryū had already become someone the other Ninja villages wanted to eliminate. If he traveled alone and his whereabouts were exposed, he could easily be ambushed.
Even though Seiryū knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, there were still risks!
Seiryū waved his hand. "Relax, relax. I'm only going to cause a little trouble, not start a fight. I just want to investigate a few things."
Causing trouble was not the same as looking for a fight.
He was simply going to meet the three founding members of the Akatsuki Organization.
It truly was not about killing anyone.
This would be a friendly meeting. At most, it might make a certain man hiding behind the scenes fly into a rage.
Tsunade fell silent.
She would be a fool to believe him.
There was something wrong with Seiryū's head. He was not a normal person.
Normal logic could not be applied to him at all!
Letting out a breath, she asked, "Tell me. Where are you going, and what are you investigating?"
Once this kid made a decision, she really could not change his mind.
That was what gave her such a headache!
"I'm investigating a pair of eyes called the Rinnegan. The Second Hokage's collection contains some records about the Tailed Beasts, and they mention that there is a connection between the Tailed Beasts and the Rinnegan."
After thinking for a moment, Seiryū placed the blame on Senju Tobirama and explained, "I suspect it might be related to Madara's goal, so I plan to investigate."
"That man has been causing trouble behind the scenes all this time. I want to find a way to force him into the open and cause some trouble for him as well!"
Seiryū's desire to force Madara into the open had not changed. He also wanted to interfere with Madara's plans!
It was the same principle as always.
If a Hokage Assistant did not cause trouble, then they were not a true Hokage Assistant.
He was inheriting Danzō's will.
Making money was essential, and so was causing trouble!
The traditional skills of a Hokage Assistant could not be lost!
"Rinnegan."
Tsunade murmured the word.
She knew a little about the Rinnegan.
After all, they were said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths in ancient legends, but did they truly exist?
After a brief pause, she ignored Seiryū referring to Tobirama as "Second Grandpa" and asked, "Do you have any clues about the Rinnegan?"
Her second grandfather had researched far too many things.
Perhaps the family's collection really did contain records about it.
What she was curious about was where Seiryū had obtained clues concerning the Rinnegan.
And how was it connected to Madara?
Tsunade knew of Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan's existence.
However, she knew nothing about the Rinnegan and could not connect the two matters.
"Oh, that. My sensory abilities are extremely powerful. When I encountered those Iwagakure Ninja earlier, I happened to overhear a few of them discussing it."
Seiryū began making up an excuse. "I'm not sure whether it's true, which is why I plan to investigate."
"Where?"
"Amegakure in the Land of Rain, probably."
"I'll go with you. Amegakure is Hanzō's territory, after all. His strength might not be any weaker than the Third Raikage's!"
"No. I want to go cause trouble. I mean, investigate on my own. Don't worry, I'm not going there to flirt with anyone. I'm a very honest person, so you can rest assured!"
Tsunade fell silent.
Was she worried about Seiryū going there to flirt with someone?
And besides, how was he honest?
He was clearly still clinging to the idea of having multiple wives.
How could that be considered honest?
"You should return to Konoha first. I'll make a trip to Amegakure. Whether I find anything or not, I'll return to Konoha soon."
Seiryū continued, "The Chunin Exams are coming up. I promised Kurenai and Rin that I would watch their exams."
"Yes, that's settled!"
Without waiting for her response, Seiryū's figure flashed as he disappeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"That brat!"
Seeing this, Tsunade could not help but curse.
She still wanted to ask for more information and learn the details.
But the kid had simply run away.
How could there be such a disobedient disciple?
"Damn it!"
After fuming for a while, Tsunade ultimately decided to return to Konoha first.
After all, she could not catch Seiryū when he had the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Otherwise, she might travel all the way to Amegakure only to discover that he had already finished his investigation.
Then he would return to Konoha using the Flying Thunder God Technique, and her entire trip would have been pointless.
"Just you wait, you brat!"
Tsunade gritted her teeth inwardly, her fists cracking as she clenched them.
She, Tsunade, would remember this!
Seiryū appeared on a ruined stretch of flat ground and looked around. "This should be the closest location to Amegakure."
Although he called it the closest location, it was actually still within the Land of Fire, not far from the Land of Grass.
This was the battlefield where he had stopped Iwagakure's attack not long ago. It remained a complete mess, with dried blood staining a large area red.
However, there were no corpses of fallen Ninja in sight. The battlefield must have already been cleared.
Seiryū looked in Amegakure's direction and rubbed his chin as he muttered, "I wonder whether Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan have already formed Akatsuki by now?"
Regarding this particular detail, Seiryū's memory was somewhat unclear.
However, he remembered that in the original story, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had already established the Akatsuki Organization during the Third Shinobi World War.
Yahiko was its leader!
"Forget it. I'll know once I search for them in Amegakure. They're definitely somewhere in the Land of Rain."
"Now that Danzō is gone, the events from the original story shouldn't happen."
Seiryū planned to visit Amegakure and investigate.
His nominal sensei, Jiraiya, had previously mentioned those three fellow disciples to him.
However, according to Jiraiya, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan were most likely dead.
In Jiraiya's words, after the Second Shinobi World War ended, he had returned to the place where he had once lived with his three disciples, but there were no longer any signs of life.
He had searched for a long time.
Yet Jiraiya had not found any clues concerning Nagato, Yahiko, or Konan.
The Ninja World had still been extremely chaotic at the time.
As a result, Jiraiya had reluctantly assumed that the three of them were already dead.
However, as a transmigrator, Seiryū knew that they were still alive. In the original story, they would later cause events that shook the entire world.
Now that Danzō was gone, that tragedy should never occur!
"Amegakure's Hanzō is known as the Demi-God of the Shinobi World, so he must possess considerable strength. Still, I'm only going there to find someone peacefully, not to fight. It shouldn't be a problem!"
Seiryū recalled the intelligence concerning Hanzō, the Demi-God of the Shinobi World.
During the Second Shinobi World War, he had been able to overpower the Sannin.
Having earned the title of Demi-God, his strength truly might not be inferior to the Third Raikage's.
But Seiryū was not afraid.
Poison?
Sorry!
His Medical Ninjutsu had already surpassed Tsunade's.
By combining Kaidō with Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique, he could even regenerate lost limbs.
A little poison was nothing. He could practically eat it as a snack!
Besides, he had no grudge against Hanzō, so Seiryū had no intention of causing trouble for him.
Because of Hanzō's influence in Amegakure, the other Ninja villages had not yet brought the flames of war into the Land of Rain.
For now, Amegakure remained neutral.
It was not an enemy of Konoha or Seiryū.
Naturally, Seiryū had no interest in causing trouble for them.
Rattle!
Golden Chains shot into the sky, their tips converging to form a Chakra bow. A Heilig Pfeil flew into the distance, and a second later, Seiryū's figure flashed and disappeared.
Using this unique method of travel, Seiryū quickly arrived at a location not far outside Amegakure.
Standing on a rise and looking down at Amegakure, Seiryū could not help but complain, "As expected of Amegakure, this rain is intense. Did the Rain God come here to hold a concert?"
Even though it was only around ten miles away, there was a clear difference between the two areas.
Although the sky above Seiryū was also overcast, it was not raining, and the ground remained fairly dry.
Over Amegakure, however, the rain fell continuously, forming a silver curtain that stretched from the sky to the ground.
It made the village below appear hazy and indistinct!
If this much rain fell in the Land of Wind, the desert would turn into an oasis and become another fertile region.
Honestly, no one enjoyed the rainy season.
Let alone living somewhere where it rained throughout the entire year.
At least, Seiryū knew he was not suited to live here. He would go mad if he stayed too long.
"Is the village under lockdown?"
Vollständig: Heavenly Eye possessed an extremely wide sensory range. After extending his perception from his current location and scanning most of Amegakure, Seiryū reached a conclusion.
Amegakure was under lockdown.
That was normal.
It was currently wartime, and Amegakure's overall strength was inferior to that of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Its greatest deterrent was Hanzō, the Demi-God of the Shinobi World.
His reputation still carried considerable weight.
In the short term, the flames of war would not reach Amegakure.
However, it was difficult to say how long that situation could last.
After all, Amegakure's location placed it between Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
It held immense strategic value.
Its position was even more important than that of the Land of Rivers or the Land of Grass.
It was no exaggeration to say that Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure would all fight to control it.
If the war reached another fever pitch and continued spreading, Amegakure would eventually be drawn into it.
"Asking Amegakure's residents whether there is an organization called Akatsuki should be the fastest approach. If that doesn't work, I'll have to search for them myself."
With that thought, Seiryū's figure flashed as he headed toward Amegakure.
He would ask around first. If he could not obtain any answers, he would search slowly.
In any case, Seiryū's sensory range was enormous. As long as the trio were somewhere near Amegakure, he would eventually find them.
Vollständig: Heavenly Eye was extremely useful for locating people.
Ordinary sealing barriers might not even be capable of blocking Seiryū's perception.
Using Bakudō #66: Sōjin Kyokkō, Seiryū easily entered Amegakure.
He found a random Ninja wearing an Amegakure forehead protector whose strength was around the level of a Chunin. Seiryū placed him under Genjutsu and asked, "Do you know about the Akatsuki Organization?"
The Amegakure Ninja nodded blankly. "I do."
"So the Akatsuki Organization has already been formed?"
The corner of Seiryū's mouth lifted when he heard this, and he asked another question. "Where is the Akatsuki Organization?"
The Amegakure Ninja recounted everything he knew. "I'm not sure. Akatsuki is an evil organization that could threaten Amegakure's safety. Lord Hanzō once ordered their arrest, but they escaped repeatedly."
After listening to all the information the man knew about the Akatsuki Organization, Seiryū smiled. "So they really are near Amegakure, in a neighboring village?"
Amegakure was not the only settlement in the Land of Rain. There were other towns and villages as well.
The last time Akatsuki had appeared, it had been in a small town called Yunyu near Amegakure.
(To be continued.)