Shinobi value efficiency, so the heavy negotiations between the Akatsuki Organization and Amegakure took only half a day.
At Yahiko's stubborn insistence, Hanzo took a half-step back, officially allowing the Akatsuki Organization to obtain semi-independent status.
However, Hanzo had strict requirements of his own.
"As long as the Land of Rain is invaded, the Akatsuki Organization must go to war unconditionally and meet the enemy together with Amegakure. You cannot hide in the rear and not contribute; this is the absolute basis of our cooperation and where your value lies!"
Although Shin worried that Hanzo would deliberately use this clause to deplete the Akatsuki Organization's strength on the front lines, he couldn't find a suitable excuse to refuse. Left with no better option, Yahiko agreed.
The negotiations ended, and the Akatsuki Organization departed. Hanzo stood quietly by the palace window, watching Yahiko and the others disappear back into the thick curtain of rain.
"Lord Hanzo, they've gone too far," Shima Shigeo complained from behind him. "We shouldn't have backed down so easily."
Hearing his subordinate's frustration, Hanzo smiled helplessly.
"The strength of the Great Shinobi Villages is simply too vast. It's difficult for us to resist on our own; we need to unite more forces. This is something that must be done."
Hanzo paused, a cold light entering his eyes. "As for how to treat the Akatsuki Organization once the immediate threat has lessened... that's another matter entirely. They won't escape my grasp."
Shima Shigeo instantly understood the dark meaning behind Hanzo's words. "My Lord is wise!" he said, convinced.
Returning to Maple Leaf Canyon, all the members of the Akatsuki Organization put on their new Amegakure forehead protectors, officially becoming Amegakure shinobi.
"Masao, this is a long sword for you; it cost me a lot of money. And this is a set of building blocks made of steel for Kanae; it should last her a long time!"
Ooka Shin returned to his home and immediately took out the two gifts.
Masao was thrilled. He examined the long sword from all angles, entirely unable to put it down.
Kanae took the heavy steel building blocks and immediately hurled one at the wall, producing a crisp, metallic CLANG. She clapped her small hands in silly joy and then eagerly picked up another block to throw.
Ooka Shin looked at the small, fresh dent in the wall and took a sharp breath. He picked up Kanae and spoke with grand exaggeration.
"What great skill, young heroine! The heavy responsibility of maintaining world peace in the future will definitely be left to you!"
"Hehehe."
The young heroine Kanae laughed so hard that a snot bubble popped and dripped straight onto Ooka Shin's clothes.
While Ooka Shin's place was filled with laughter, Kyusuke secretly called Daibutsu over to interrogate him about the details of the meeting with Amegakure.
Daibutsu explained everything in detail, finally adding, "Kyusuke, Shin offered many useful suggestions today. You really don't need to be so suspicious of him."
But Kyusuke remained utterly firm in his bias. "The leader is too kind; we must watch out for bad people on his behalf! Shin didn't cause any problems this time, but he'll reveal his true, sinister purpose sooner or later! We must never let our guard down!"
To this, Daibutsu could only sigh. "If you suspect Shin, I can't stop you. However, you must not do anything that harms the organization just to deal with him, or I will never forgive you!"
Kyusuke laughed defensively. "I'm also doing this for the good of the organization. Why are you treating me like a bad person? Don't worry, I'm just keeping an eye on him. As long as he doesn't betray us, I won't make a move."
Daibutsu nodded slowly. "That's for the best."
Amegakure settled into a temporary, fragile peace. Ooka Shin continued his routine: cultivating, taking on bounties, training Masao, and keeping a very close eye on Nagato's development of the Rinnegan.
Kyosuke and Chisuke are resting from their injuries, Mishu is traveling everywhere, and Ooka Shin only knows how to suck up to Nagato. Only I, this main account, am the most exhausted.
Waking up in the morning, Kiichiro thought about the latest news shared by his alternate selves in his dreams. He felt that his busy, merchant lifestyle was entirely out of place with their thrilling ninja adventures.
"Young Master, this is the orphan Adoption Center."
After eating breakfast, Kiichiro was led by Mikuri Tomokazu to a nearby town. They navigated into an underground market and met the shady person in charge of the Adoption Center.
"Young Master, which children do you need? We have everything here!"
The person in charge was a small, slick old man with a mustache. He led Kiichiro into a VIP room, aggressively boasting about his inventory.
After Kiichiro sat down, he spoke directly. "I'm a kind-hearted person, so I want to adopt a few orphans. About six or seven years old, and in good health."
"No problem at all. During this time, war has broken out in the Land of the Moon, and many towns have been destroyed. We've brought in a massive number of orphans; you can take your time choosing."
Hearing the man's oily words, Kiichiro mocked him internally. "Brought in"? If Ooka Shin had been captured by Rogue Ninjas back then, he probably would have been "found" by these exact same human traffickers.
Kiichiro didn't bother exposing the man's lies. He followed him deeper underground and saw a large group of children huddled in rags.
From their dangerously thin bodies, it was painfully clear the children were living in terrible conditions. However, being able to stay alive during a brutal war was already an achievement. It was hard to say if they were lucky or unlucky to be here.
Ooka Shin always praised Masao and Kanae as unparalleled geniuses and was often smug about it in their shared dreams. Kiichiro also wanted to find a few hidden geniuses to train.
However, looking at the dozens of dirty faces filled with fearful expressions, Kiichiro couldn't tell who had a single drop of talent.
Maybe I should have Ooka Shin lend me the Rinnegan again to observe their talent with its power, he pondered. But I've never heard of the Rinnegan being able to scan for potential.
Standing indecisively at the door, Kiichiro suddenly heard a timid voice.
"Um... are you the person here to adopt? Could you please adopt Itakura Kou... he's sick and desperately needs treatment..."
A little boy with a prominent black birthmark on his face took a brave step forward, looking up at Kiichiro with eyes full of desperate hope.
Seeing the boy speak out of turn, an employee of the Adoption Center raised a hand to teach him a brutal lesson, but was quickly stopped by the person in charge. The surroundings fell deathly silent.
Hmm, I've encountered something interesting.
Kiichiro looked the boy over carefully, his gaze immediately drawn to the bizarre birthmark on his face.
The black mark was on his right cheek, extending wildly from his forehead down to his chin. It looked like a demon's hideous smiling face, or like dark, spreading vines.
Combined with the child's unusually wide forehead, thick lips, high cheekbones, and drooping eyes—tsk, tsk, he was exceptionally ugly.
Remembering his role, Kiichiro put on the air of an arrogant, wealthy young master. He tilted his head back and spoke harshly.
"You ugly fellow, you nearly scared me to death. That Itakura Kou you mentioned must be hideous too. I only want good-looking people."
Being called ugly so bluntly, the little boy lowered his head sadly. But hearing the end of the sentence, he felt a spark of hope and immediately looked back up to argue.
"No, no! Itakura Kou isn't ugly; he's very good-looking!"
Seeing that the wealthy young master was actually interested, the person in charge took the perfect opportunity to interject.
"This child here is called Kito. Although he's ugly as sin, his constitution is quite sturdy. As long as he's fed, he'll definitely be a hard worker for you. As for Itakura Kou... though he's often sick, his appearance is indeed outstanding."
The person in charge waved a hand impatiently. His subordinates carried out the unconscious child named Itakura Kou, placing him directly in front of Kiichiro.
Still playing his persona perfectly, Kiichiro took two exaggerated steps back, covering his mouth with a look of deep disgust. "It's not some horrific contagious disease, is it?"
The person in charge explained with a greasy smile, "Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have kept him around! He's usually perfectly normal, but every month or two, he suddenly howls in pain, his body gets burning hot, and then he faints dead away. He wakes up after two or three days and returns to normal with absolutely no lasting effects."
In truth, if no one bought Itakura Kou in the next few days, the person in charge was planning to dispose of him to stop wasting valuable food.
Kiichiro crouched down and observed the handsome youth. His eyes were tightly shut in discomfort, but Kiichiro couldn't help but look a few more times.
Holy crap, he's this handsome at such a young age? When he grows up, he'll be a total heartbreaker—a real calamity-level threat to women!