To plot against Karin's mother, one must first step into the Land of Grass.
Fortunately, the excuse was already prepared.
After Ando's death, his secret hoard naturally fell into Akatsuki's hands.
Yahiko's first thought, as always, was to use the supplies for charity and recruit new members. His heart brimmed with kindness, but reality was harsh there was simply too much. Even with the best intentions, he couldn't distribute everything at once.
That was when Shinra suggested, almost casually, that some supplies be sold to nearby nations to recover funds.
"The Land of Grass is a good choice," he added with a smile.
Most members nodded. A few even chuckled, "It's rare for Shinra to suggest something that isn't so sinister."
Shinra only smiled in return, his eyes betraying nothing.
It may be too early for you to say that…
Still, he layered caution over cunning. To travel with valuables in wartime was dangerous thus he proposed that Nagato accompany him.
Yahiko hesitated. Something about the request tugged at him, but no concrete objection came to mind. Finally, he sighed.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you, Shinra-kun."
But then something unexpected happened.
Konan stepped forward.
"I'll go too. I've just finished a new batch of explosive tags we can sell some to Grass for silver."
Yahiko blinked in surprise.
"Konan, if you leave, what about logistics at the base?"
"I'll arrange everything beforehand," she replied firmly, her paper wings flickering faintly as if to emphasize her resolve.
Yahiko was stunned into silence.
Something was happening, quietly but powerfully. In just three days, Konan's attitude had shifted. She spoke of Shinra not as a comrade, but almost as a partner. Trust clung to her words like dew.
What happened? Yahiko thought bitterly. Just three days ago she promised to persuade him toward our ideals… so why now does she sound like she's persuading me instead?
But there was no answer. Not from Konan, and certainly not from Shinra, who stood silently at her side with his unreadable smile.
After a short rest, Shinra prepared for departure. He sealed about one-fifth of Ando's high-value goods into a scroll, shouldered the load, and set out with Konan and Nagato.
The Land of Grass…
Like the Rain Country, it was a pitiful little nation surviving between titans. Its geography wasn't as crucial as Amegakure's, but its suffering was no less bitter.
Without a figure like Hanzo to command respect, Kusagakure had no choice but to hide. Their village lay in a remote corner, deliberately far from the main trade routes, like a rat scurrying from a hawk's shadow.
The irony cut deep: the most prosperous town in the Grass Country wasn't Kusagakure itself, but a busy trade hub along the main road. Yet the Grass shinobi dared not build their village near it. To do so would be suicide.
Any day, Konoha or Iwagakure might march through for supplies, and in doing so crush whatever dared to stand nearby.
This was the naked humility of the small nations forced to abase themselves so utterly that even prosperity became a threat.
After half a day's travel, Shinra, Konan, Nagato, and their group arrived at the prosperous border town of the Land of Grass before dusk.
While the others worked on selling the sealed supplies, Shinra quietly gathered the Akatsuki ninjas who had accompanied them on this trip.
Most of these were his former subordinates, including Kenjiro the same Kenjiro he had tricked not long ago.
By now, Kenjiro had already developed a fatalistic attitude. He approached Shinra with a hollow laugh, his tone carrying the resignation of a man who had given up.
"Captain, what are you planning this time? Where are we going? Who's the target?"
He had realized in the past few days that Yahiko's words carried little weight when Shinra made up his mind. Resistance only ended one way degeneration. So, he thought, why resist at all?
Shinra waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't be so eager for blood. The goal of our Akatsuki… is mutual understanding."
Kenjiro's blank stare made his thoughts clear: I don't believe you.
Sure enough, Shinra's lips curved faintly, and he changed the subject.
"But… since some refuse to be understood, we must at least show them a little respect."
He spread a rough map across the table, the candlelight flickering over the inked lines of Kusagakure's terrain.
"I want you to scout the village. Focus on whether they've recently taken in an outsider."
He tapped a finger against the parchment.
"The target is a woman. Around twenty years old, not necessarily a shinobi. Distinctive red hair, possibly thin. If you find her, don't act. Just observe how she's treated, then report back to me."
Kenjiro blinked, caught off guard.
"…So we're not eliminating anyone?"
Shinra smiled, the expression calm but heavy with implication.
"No. She's done nothing wrong. On the contrary… she's someone who desperately wants to be understood."
His tone grew sharper.
"Unfortunately, Yahiko's ideals are too fragile, too romantic. You'll see for yourself soon enough: what happens to those who need understanding the most."
Kenjiro frowned. "Then… who is she?"
Shinra leaned back slightly, patient as ever.
"The most obvious feature is her hair. Bright red. Tell me, Kenjiro, have you ever seen anyone else with such hair?"
Realization struck him like a kunai to the chest. His expression shifted instantly.
But just as Kenjiro opened his mouth, Shinra cut him off smoothly.
"Don't tell him. Not yet. She might be… an important relative of his. Let's confirm first."
The phrasing was deliberate he blurred the word "clan" into "relative." Enough to ignite suspicion, but vague enough to leave Kenjiro restless.
Shinra knew him too well.
Kenjiro wasn't fully loyal. Deep down, his heart still leaned toward Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. The last time Shinra had manipulated him into killing rogue shinobi, it had been through his sister's weakness and Kenjiro had never truly forgiven him for it.
Now, presented with sensitive information and told not to share it, Shinra knew exactly what would happen.
The more he forbade it, the more Kenjiro would feel compelled to bring it to Nagato.
And when he did, it would look perfectly natural loyalty to the leaders, concern for Nagato's potential kin.
On the surface, Shinra had only given cautious orders. In reality, he was planting the seed himself.
When the truth reached Nagato's ears, no one would suspect Shinra of scheming.
It would all seem like coincidence.
And that, Shinra thought with quiet satisfaction, was the finest kind of calculation.
Everything was already in motion.
Now, all that remained was to wait and see whether Kusagakure would play its part.
On this point, Shinra felt no concern.
For he knew all too well the filth buried within that village's history.
In the original timeline, Kusagakure had committed sins so vile against Karin and her mother that they were hard to list sins that went beyond simple cruelty, crossing into the grotesque.
Exploitation. Abuse. Treating human beings as disposable tools.
For such a place, he hardly needed to intervene.
The village would condemn itself with its own actions.
And once Nagato saw it with his own eyes once he felt the injustice carved into the flesh of a woman who shared his bloodline the so-called "peaceful ideals" of Yahiko would inevitably begin to tremble.
Shinra's eyes gleamed with a quiet, predatory certainty.
This time, he didn't need to force anything.
There was no need to craft a deception or push the pieces violently across the board.
The trap had already been set by Kusagakure's nature.
All he had to do… was guide Nagato to look at the truth.
Then everything else rage, despair, awakening would come naturally.