After completing his research, Asuka stepped out of the laboratory for the first time in several days. The sunlight outside felt almost blinding.
Using the Transformation Jutsu, Asuka changed his appearance and leisurely returned to Kirigakure to enjoy a proper meal.
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, he connected with his clone to review the major events that had occurred in the ninja world recently.
As the information flowed into his mind, Asuka quickly understood the current situation.
Without realizing it, he had spent two full months inside the laboratory. By now, the Third Great Ninja War had already entered its second year.
Not long ago, Sunagakure had officially declared war on Konoha. Launching a surprise attack, their forces pushed deep into the Land of Fire and captured a large amount of territory. They were already advancing toward Mount Kikyo.
"It looks like the Battle of Mount Kikyo is about to begin," Asuka thought to himself.
The Battle of Mount Kikyo was one of the most famous conflicts in the Naruto world. Although the original story did not describe it in detail, it was clear that Konoha paid a tremendous price to repel Sunagakure's assault. After all, Mount Kikyo was very close to Konoha Village, making it a true defensive battle for Konoha.
At this point in the war, Konoha was surrounded by enemies from all sides and was already stretched thin across multiple battlefields.
When Sunagakure launched its surprise offensive, Konoha initially struggled to mobilize enough forces to respond.
Under immense pressure, Konoha urgently recalled Jiraiya to the Sunagakure front. At the same time, Tsunade—another member of the Sannin—was also deployed there.
Although Tsunade suffered from hemophobia and could not fight directly on the front lines, her extraordinary medical ninjutsu would play a decisive role against Sunagakure, whose forces relied heavily on poison techniques.
Meanwhile, on the Iwagakure battlefield, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, personally took command after Jiraiya's departure.
According to the intelligence gathered by Asuka's clone, Akimichi Torifu—a disciple of the Second Hokage—had also led reinforcements to the Kumogakure battlefield.
On the Kirigakure front, the clone had recently discovered Danzo and members of Root through the perspective of the Byakugan.
Konoha had truly played all of its cards this time.
Nearly all of its high-level combat power had been deployed, leaving only the two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, to guard the village.
As disciples of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, their strength should not be underestimated. In particular, the official Hokage databooks stated that Homura's power was not inferior to Hiruzen's. Even if there was some exaggeration, he was still undoubtedly a Kage-level ninja.
Even while being besieged by the other great nations, Konoha was still capable of producing numerous Kage-level fighters—proof of its reputation as the strongest village in the ninja world.
Although veterans like Hiruzen and Akimichi Torifu were no longer in their physical prime, their experience and battlefield awareness still made them extremely dangerous opponents.
By the second year of the war, the military strength of every major village had reached its peak.
After reviewing all this information, Asuka concluded that the Third Great Ninja War would probably end sooner than it had in the original timeline.
Since his clone was steadily accumulating achievements on the battlefield, Asuka had no intention of personally returning to daily combat.
After spending a few relaxed days wandering around Kirigakure, he set off once again.
This time, his destination was the Hidden Rain Village.
More precisely, he was going to meet Uzumaki Nagato.
At this stage, Nagato should have already founded the original Akatsuki organization alongside Yahiko. Under Yahiko's leadership, the early Akatsuki advocated for achieving peace through dialogue.
Nagato himself was still deeply influenced by Yahiko and continued to hold hope for the future of the ninja world.
In truth, the young Nagato had a rather timid personality, and Yahiko had always been the one he relied on most.
It was only after Yahiko's death—engineered by Hanzo—that Nagato's illusions completely shattered.
While inheriting Yahiko's dream of bringing peace to the ninja world, Nagato eventually chose far more extreme methods, attempting to force peace upon the world through overwhelming military power.
Nagato's mastery of the Rinnegan's abilities had reached an incredible level. Because the eyes were not originally his, he lacked certain unique powers, but his control over the Rinnegan's fundamental abilities far surpassed that of any other wielder.
Relying on the Rinnegan alone, Nagato had risen to the threshold of the Super Kage level.
Asuka's purpose for this trip was simple.
He wanted to witness the Akatsuki organization in its early stage.
If possible, he might even become an "angel investor" for them.
…
Since Asuka had never visited the Land of Rain before, he first teleported to a nearby location and then flew toward his destination using his wings.
The Land of Rain lived up to its name—it rained almost constantly.
After approaching the country, Asuka chose to land. The thick rain clouds made high-altitude flight impractical, while flying too low would leave him drenched.
Among the smaller nations, the Land of Rain was considered relatively strong. Much of that reputation came from Hanzo the Salamander, who rose to fame during the Second Great Ninja War and earned the title of "Demigod" due to his overwhelming power.
While traveling through the villages of the Land of Rain, Asuka quickly gathered information about the Akatsuki organization.
At this time, Akatsuki had only recently begun to gain recognition. They helped villagers solve local problems and distributed food to those in need, gradually building an excellent reputation among the population.
After several days of searching, Asuka finally found traces of them.
In one village, he discovered several Akatsuki members helping villagers drive away a group of bandits. After confirming their identities, he quietly followed them from a distance.
Soon enough, he encountered the person he had come to see.
Nagato.
The Akatsuki base was located in a spacious cave.
Through the Byakugan, Asuka clearly saw Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan inside. They were sitting around a fire, roasting food and distributing it to their companions.
When the returning members entered the cave, Yahiko stood up with a bright smile to greet them.
His smile was incredibly infectious—somewhat similar to Minato Namikaze's warmth, like sunlight shining on everyone around him.
While Yahiko chatted happily with the returning members, Nagato sat quietly beside the fire, heating food.
He was the strongest member of the Akatsuki, yet because of his personality, he had never revealed his full power to the others.
Nagato was content to remain in Yahiko's radiant shadow.
Even after Yahiko's death, he would later choose to appear before Akatsuki members using Yahiko's body.
After confirming that everyone he wanted to meet was present, Asuka stopped hiding his presence and walked directly toward the cave.
The moment he revealed himself, Nagato—who had been sitting calmly—suddenly stood up.
His eyes fixed sharply on the cave entrance.
A terrifying chakra presence had suddenly appeared outside the base.
The pressure of this chakra far surpassed anything Nagato had ever felt before.
Even Hanzo the Salamander, known as the "Demigod," seemed insignificant in comparison—like a firefly before the moon.
Seeing Nagato suddenly rise, Yahiko turned toward him in confusion.
But when he noticed Nagato's tense expression, he instinctively looked toward the cave entrance as well.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Heavy footsteps slowly echoed through the cave.
The members of the Akatsuki immediately drew their weapons, their faces filled with vigilance as they prepared to confront the approaching stranger…
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