With the arrival of the shinobi from the great villages, the situation in the Land of Rain was becoming increasingly chaotic. Takuya needed to deal with the troublesome Danzo before things spiraled out of control.
Danzo could never have imagined that Takuya had already sent people to keep an eye on the Rain Village, waiting for him to reveal himself.
After forming an alliance with Hanzo, Danzo led the Rain Village forces to capture key members of the Akatsuki, intending to use them to threaten Nagato. This kind of scheme was something Danzo excelled at.
Other than Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, the strength of most Akatsuki members was mediocre. Capturing them didn't even require Hanzo's involvement—Danzo took this task upon himself.
The mission went smoothly. Several members of the Akatsuki were quickly captured. Under brutal torture, some of them broke and revealed Nagato's hiding place.
Having obtained the intelligence that Nagato was hiding in a secret base, Danzo was quite satisfied with his plan. His next move was to capture as many key Akatsuki members as possible to coerce Nagato into submission.
Under Danzo's leadership, they soon located Nagato's hideout. The Rain Village shinobi began to regard Danzo with a mix of respect and fear.
Meanwhile, Takuya and Minato, along with another squad of Anbu, regrouped with the team that had been tracking Danzo.
"Lord Takuya, the rogue ninja Danzo has captured several members of the Akatsuki with the Rain Village's help. They are currently preparing to return to the Rain Village."
Coercing Nagato was too dangerous a task for Danzo to handle personally. He needed Hanzo to take the lead. No one could be sure of Nagato's true strength before he went all out. If Nagato turned out to be a paper tiger, it would be manageable. But if he went berserk, Danzo would be in deep trouble.
Even with his ambition and desire to claim the Rinnegan, Danzo wasn't foolish enough to risk his life recklessly. He needed Hanzo to act as a shield, just like in the original timeline when he coerced the Akatsuki. If the plan succeeded, great. If not, Hanzo would take the fall, and Danzo could retreat safely.
"Understood. Await further orders," Takuya instructed. "Snowy, it's your turn."
Tasks like surveillance were best left to experts. Snowy's capabilities in this regard were unparalleled—his exceptional disguise skills and unmatched sensory abilities made him the perfect choice.
Upon receiving his master's order, Snowy vanished in a flash, disappearing without a trace. The Anbu exchanged glances, stunned. They were well aware of Snowy's strength, but his speed and stealth were beyond what they had imagined.
Finding shelter in a nearby cave to escape the rain, Takuya waited patiently. Once Snowy determined Danzo's route back to the Rain Village, Takuya and his team could ambush him without wasting time running in circles.
"Oh, by the way," Takuya suddenly remembered something, turning to Minato. "How's your progress with learning Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku?"
Minato, despite his sunny demeanor, was quite cunning. Though he often claimed to lack talent, the truth was quite the opposite. A warm smile could easily conceal a sly heart.
Minato mastered everything quickly. In the original timeline, he mastered Sage Mode and the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode with ease—abilities others couldn't even dream of. Yet before revealing his skills, he always played dumb, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.
"Ah, I haven't started yet," Minato replied with a squinting smile. "Fukasaku said my abilities are still improving rapidly, so I shouldn't rush into Sage Mode training until I hit a plateau."
"And learning Sage Mode is tough and dangerous," Minato added, feigning hesitation. "I'm worried I might not get it."
Tch! Like I'd believe that!
Takuya rolled his eyes. He wasn't buying a word of it.
"Show-off," Takuya muttered. "Learning Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku might be dangerous, but at least you have the opportunity. Look at Nawaki—he doesn't even dare step into Ryuchi Cave, let alone consider Sage Mode."
At least Minato had the chance. Nawaki was in a far worse position. He couldn't enter Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest… well, the giant slug had shown no intention of teaching him Sage Mode, even if he was Tsunade's younger brother.
As for the reason? Simply that Nawaki wasn't suited for it. What a high and mighty excuse.
"Ha… ha…" Minato laughed awkwardly, scratching his head. His chuckle soon turned mischievous. "Speaking of Nawaki, he's been really down lately. His little crush hasn't gone anywhere, and your words last time hit him hard."
Takuya coughed and turned his gaze to the gloomy sky, trying to sound righteous. "That was for his own good."
Really? Minato blinked innocently.
Takuya sighed. "Fine. The kid's a bit mouthy, but it's better to cut things off early. If the other party isn't willing to marry outside their clan, what can you do?"
"Even if Tsunade stepped in, it wouldn't make much of a difference. It's not something you can force. He'll just have to accept his fate of being set up for an arranged marriage."
"Enough about him. What about you? Still hiding things? When are you going to come clean and introduce her to us?"
Caught off guard, Minato blushed. When it came to romance, he was surprisingly shy.
"It's still too early for that. Maybe in a few years."
"…"
By then, you'll probably show up with kids in tow, Takuya thought, shaking his head.
"Where's Pakura?" Takuya asked, changing the subject.
"I sent her to buy supplies. We'll be staying in the Land of Rain for quite a while, so I asked her to stock up. I'm not eating ration bars and dry food every day."
"Master, I've confirmed the old man's route back."
At that moment, Snowy's voice echoed in Takuya's mind. The time had come.
"Move out!" Takuya ordered.
Without further explanation, he stepped into the rain, umbrella in hand. Minato hesitated before quickly following, the Anbu trailing behind. Takuya was the only one with an umbrella; everyone else was drenched.
Watching Takuya's back, Minato realized his mistake. Forget an umbrella—he should've at least brought a raincoat. What a miscalculation.
Marching through the rain to complete a mission was no easy task. Danzo, having captured his targets without leaking information, was extremely pleased. Noticing the respectful and wary glances from the Rain Village shinobi, he felt even more satisfied.
This proved his capabilities had earned their recognition and fear. Danzo didn't believe in being approachable or kind—he wanted distance and respect between ranks to better control his subordinates. Of course, he also used less-than-honorable methods of control. Danzo trusted no one.
The Akatsuki members had mostly been captured. Leading the group and their prisoners, Danzo took a secret route back to the Rain Village.
"Huh?"
As they crested a small hill, they saw someone standing with an umbrella at the base, blocking their path. Danzo immediately stopped.
The Rain Village shinobi accompanying him hadn't expected to encounter anyone along the way. What was even stranger was that this person seemed to be deliberately blocking their path, standing there with an umbrella as if waiting for them.
"Danzo, long time no see."
When the figure slightly lifted the umbrella to reveal his face, Danzo's single eye widened in shock. "Takuya Yagami? How is this possible?!"
His whereabouts had been exposed.
This was bad—dangerous.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING