After chatting for a while on the boat, Yahiko and Konan finally explained their true reason for traveling to the Hidden Mist Village. As it turned out, their trip was connected to Obito.
After Nagato's eyes were taken, Yahiko and the others naturally could not swallow such humiliation. Nagato was their closest companion, practically family, and seeing him robbed of his Rinnegan filled them with anger. They wanted justice.
However, there were two major problems.
First, they had no idea where Obito was hiding. Finding him was not a simple task.
Second, even if they managed to locate him, they were very cautious about confronting him directly. Obito's strength was something they had personally witnessed, and none of them felt confident facing him without preparation.
That was when they remembered someone else who had also been manipulated by Obito.
Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage.
During their previous encounter in the Hidden Rain Village, Ryūjin had taken Minato Namikaze back to Konoha. Meanwhile, Yahiko and the others escorted Yagura back to the Hidden Mist Village.
Once there, they revealed the truth about Yagura's condition to the Hidden Mist ninja. They explained that the Mizukage had been under the control of a powerful genjutsu.
Naturally, the Hidden Mist leadership did not accept such a claim easily.
Fortunately, Ao was present.
Ao possessed a Byakugan that allowed him to see through chakra disturbances and detect genjutsu. After carefully examining Yagura, Ao confirmed that Yahiko and the others were telling the truth.
With that confirmation, the Hidden Mist ninja immediately worked together to break the genjutsu controlling their Mizukage.
When the illusion was finally dispelled, Yagura regained his memories.
The realization of what had happened enraged him.
Almost immediately, he ordered an investigation into the mysterious figure known as "Uchiha Madara" and issued commands to track down the man responsible for manipulating him.
Because of this, Yahiko and the Hidden Mist Village now shared a common goal.
They both wanted to find Obito.
That was the reason Yahiko and Konan were traveling to the Hidden Mist again. They hoped the village might have discovered some clues about Obito's whereabouts.
If possible, Yahiko also wanted to discuss cooperation between the Akatsuki and the Hidden Mist. Working together would greatly increase their chances of dealing with Obito.
After listening to their explanation, Ryūjin could not help but feel a bit sympathetic toward Obito.
First, the situation with Nagato had completely ruined Obito's plan to manipulate him in the future. In desperation, Obito had been forced to steal Nagato's Rinnegan.
Then there was Yagura.
The Fourth Mizukage had originally been nothing more than a puppet in Obito's hands. Now he had completely escaped that control.
Thinking about it, Ryūjin realized he had unintentionally caused quite a lot of trouble for Obito.
Still, that was hardly his problem.
If anyone was to blame, it was Obito's terrible luck. Out of all the people he could have schemed against, he just had to cross paths with Ryūjin.
Served him right.
Ryūjin leaned back slightly as the boat continued cutting through the waves, thinking quietly to himself.
The more he considered things, the clearer it became that the ninja world had already begun to change because of him.
Just a few small actions had created ripple effects that were slowly pushing events away from their original course.
The future was no longer predictable.
Honestly, that only made things more interesting.
"So how is Nagato doing now?" Ryūjin suddenly asked while the conversation continued. "I'll go visit him sometime."
Of course, Ryūjin had more than one reason for saying that.
On the surface, he simply wanted to check on Nagato. That was partly true.
But his real intention was also to learn the location of the Akatsuki base. Knowing its location would make it much easier for him to sneak in later and sign in with the Sign in System.
Aside from that, Ryūjin was actually quite interested in Konan's Paper Release ability.
"Really?" Yahiko's eyes lit up with genuine surprise.
"If you're willing to visit, that would be great."
Konan also looked relieved.
"Ever since Nagato lost his eyes, he has been very withdrawn," she said quietly. "There are many things he refuses to talk about, even with us."
"If you go see him, it might help him feel a little better."
When Nagato's condition came up, both Yahiko and Konan looked noticeably more troubled.
Nagato had not only lost his eyes, he had effectively become crippled. For people as close to him as Yahiko and Konan, the pain was almost unbearable.
They continued talking during the long voyage.
Before they realized it, the boat had reached the border of the Land of Water.
Across the vast sea ahead, thick white mist began spreading across the surface of the water.
The moment they passed through that dense fog, they would officially enter the Land of Water.
Since Yahiko and the others had already visited the Hidden Mist Village once before, they were familiar with the route. After entering the fog, they navigated carefully instead of wandering aimlessly.
Eventually, they guided the boat toward the proper pier.
Because Yahiko and his companions had previously helped the Hidden Mist by exposing the Mizukage's situation, the guards at the checkpoint treated them politely.
After briefly reporting the situation to their superiors, the group was quickly allowed to pass.
A Hidden Mist ninja was even assigned to guide them safely through the mist filled waters and escort them toward the Hidden Mist Village.
When they finally reached the entrance of the village, Ryūjin stopped walking.
"Alright, Yahiko, Konan. I have some things to take care of, so I'll leave you two here."
He spoke casually as if the decision meant nothing.
"Oh, and once you're done with your business, you can leave the Hidden Mist on your own. No need to wait for me."
Yahiko and Konan did not question his choice.
Everyone had their own matters to handle, and Ryūjin had already helped them before. They trusted him enough not to pry into his personal affairs.
After exchanging brief farewells, Ryūjin turned and walked away.
Yahiko and Konan continued toward the center of the Hidden Mist Village.
The moment Ryūjin was out of sight, he formed a hand seal.
In an instant, his appearance changed.
Using the Transformation Jutsu, he turned himself into an ordinary Hidden Mist ninja.
After all, he had arrived on the same boat as Yahiko and the others. If he caused trouble while using his real appearance, it would only drag them into unnecessary problems.
Ryūjin might not be the most honorable person in the world, but he was not the type to stab his allies in the back like that.
Now disguised as a Hidden Mist ninja, he began strolling through the village as if he were simply taking a casual walk.
At the same time, he carefully observed everything around him.
The streets, the buildings, the patrol routes, the overall structure of the village.
Since he planned to return here frequently to sign in with the Sign in System, understanding the layout was extremely important.
This place might as well become his personal playground in the future.
Thanks to his disguise, nobody paid him any attention. To everyone else, he simply looked like another ordinary ninja going about his day.
Just like that, Ryūjin wandered through more than half of the Hidden Mist Village.
"The place isn't bad," he muttered to himself. "Pretty unique atmosphere compared to other villages."
He glanced at the fog drifting between the buildings and clicked his tongue.
"But damn, the humidity here is ridiculous. I'll have to get used to that."
Just as he turned a corner, something unexpected happened.
Before Ryūjin could even take a few more steps, a figure suddenly rushed toward him from ahead.
"People of the Hidden Mist, all of you can go to hell! I'll kill every one of you!"
The man's voice was filled with pure hatred.
The moment he spotted Ryūjin, he accelerated.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he closed the distance in an instant and appeared directly in front of Ryūjin.
At the same time, he threw a vicious punch.
Only then did Ryūjin notice something unusual.
Two sharp bone spurs protruded from the man's wrist, extending outward like natural blades.
Ryūjin did not move.
He simply stood there and allowed the attack to pass straight through his body.
The man's eyes widened.
"Nani?"
He had clearly struck Ryūjin, yet the punch had hit nothing but empty space.
Before the attacker could recover from the shock, Ryūjin casually flipped his wrist and threw a shuriken.
The blade sliced cleanly across the man's throat.
With a dull thud, the attacker collapsed to the ground.
Dead.
Ryūjin looked down at the body with mild annoyance.
"That assassination attempt came out of nowhere."
He glanced at the clothing and equipment the man was wearing.
Then he remembered the bone spurs.
Realization immediately dawned on him.
"The Kaguya Clan."
Ryūjin knew a little about them.
Aside from Kimimaro, he did not remember many details about that clan. What he did know was that the Kaguya were infamous for their violent nature.
They were practically born warriors, obsessed with battle.
Eventually, the entire clan launched a rebellion against the Hidden Mist Village and was completely wiped out, leaving only Kimimaro as the sole survivor.
Ryūjin's eyes suddenly widened slightly.
"Wait a second."
He looked down at the corpse again.
"Don't tell me the Kaguya Clan rebellion is happening right now."
For a moment, he felt speechless.
Then a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
If that really was the case, then this situation might actually work in his favor.
Because that meant one thing.
Kimimaro should still be alive somewhere.
Kimimaro was fiercely loyal to Orochimaru in the future, even willing to sacrifice his life for him. His Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit was incredibly rare, and his combat abilities were exceptional.
In other words, he was the definition of a perfect subordinate.
Ryūjin's eyes gleamed with interest.