At dawn, everything was silent. The bright sunlight rose from the eastern horizon, soaking the sky and spilling over the high walls of Konoha.
At this moment, the ninja village was still immersed in tranquility. At the village gate, a team of about thirty had already assembled.
They were all dressed in black robes, their faces hidden behind masks, fully equipped and waiting for orders.
Standing at the front of the team, Masashi had just marked everyone here with the Flying Thunder God mark.
An Inuzuka ninja ran over from the gate's registration office.
"Masashi-sama, registration is complete," the Inuzuka clan ninja respectfully reported to Masashi. "You and your team are clear to proceed."
"Thank you," Masashi replied, then turned to face the squad before him. "For this mission, I will serve as the overall commander, Torune as the deputy. Fū, Terai…"
He listed the names of six others.
"You six will be squad leaders. Pick your team members and reorganize the formation."
Upon receiving the order, the six former Root members stepped forward and began selecting their teams. The process was swift. The remaining members reacted quickly, and within moments, the new formation was complete.
Torune stepped forward, standing beside Masashi.
Masashi did not interfere at all in their selection process.
The results were clear, these people had not lost their discipline.
The ANBU had the highest attrition rate. Being under strength was the norm, and the ability to quickly reorganize and adapt to new teams was a fundamental skill for an ANBU ninja.
Efficiency was always the top priority.
Villages might sign ceasefires and alliances, but none of that mattered to the ANBU. They were a force in a constant state of combat readiness. When the village needed them, they acted.
When war broke out, they were on the front lines.
When peace was declared, they remained on the front lines.
In the world of the ANBU, there was only their own village, no allies.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew: if you encountered ANBU from one of the Five Great Villages, don't talk nonsense. They would kill without hesitation. Being an "ally" wouldn't save you.
But in the past ten years, something seemed off with Konoha's ANBU. Their killing intent had drastically diminished, and they could now be approached like regular shinobi.
"The Yamanaka squad will accompany Torune and me. The other squads, follow in tactical formation," Masashi ordered.
With a swift motion, five squads dispersed. The wind stirred by their movements even lifted the hair of the Inuzuka ninja standing nearby.
He instinctively took a few steps back.
For a moment, he thought they were about to attack him.
Before he could even process it, Masashi and his squad had already vanished into the distance.
The Inuzuka ninja raised an eyebrow. It had been years since he had seen ANBU like this!
---
Meanwhile, Masashi was already dashing through the forest, followed closely by Torune, Fū, and three other former Root members.
Fū and Torune watched the figure leading them, and it felt like they had returned to the days when they followed Danzō.
Masashi's personality was entirely different from Danzō's, almost the complete opposite. But his methods were strikingly similar. The moment they left the village, they acted as if they were already at war. And they didn't mind that. In fact, they preferred it.
After all, the reason they had joined Root in the first place was because they believed in strength above all else.
Torune thought back to another elder from his clan, Tatsuma.
Both he and Fū were part of Root's new generation. They had never had the chance to become Danzō's direct guards before he was taken down.
Danzō's closest subordinates had been Orochimaru and Tatsuma.
Orochimaru had only been there due to orders from the Third Hokage and Danzō's offers. But Tatsuma was truly loyal to him, or rather, to Root itself.
He was also Danzō's chosen successor. When Danzō fell, so did he.
As a fellow clansman, Tatsuma had taken good care of Torune. His demise left Torune filled with regret and resentment.
Tatsuma had given everything for the village, yet he died at the village's hands. They say true loyalty was tested in times of crisis, yet the ones who struck Root the hardest were the Hokage's faction.
Ironically, the Uchiha clan, the clan most frequently targeted by Root, had barely retaliated. At most, they made a token effort because their real target was Danzō, not Root itself. And now, it was an Uchiha who was bringing the former Root members back together.
Leaving the village and returning to the forests, every former Root ninjas felt a suppressed excitement within them. They held it in, letting their growing anticipation show only through their speed. With that excitement driving them forward, the former Root members swiftly crossed the forests of Konoha and began traversing the Land of Fire.
A few hours later, they reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.
Suddenly, Masashi came to a stop.
"Masashi-sama?"
"Send the signal to regroup and do a final equipment check," Masashi commanded. "Anyone who needs extra rations or water, handle it in the nearest town in the Land of Fire."
"Yes," Torune responded, immediately using a jutsu to issue the recall signal.
Before long, the five dispersed squads had regrouped.
Masashi wasn't just making them scatter and regroup for no reason. He wanted to see if these former Root members could still maintain their combat readiness after a long-distance sprint.
Many of them hadn't undergone such a mission in years.
But the results were reassuring. Their conditioning was still top-notch.
He was pleased.
"You've all worked hard. Next, we're entering the Land of Rain. This time, we won't be dispersing. We'll advance in our current formation. But before that, I need to explain our rules of engagement once we're inside."
He raised a finger.
"The Land of Rain isn't just home to Ame; there are other ninja organizations present as well. Any ninja who crosses the security perimeter will be given a single warning. If they do not retreat, eliminate them immediately. There is no need to consider Ame's stance, that's my responsibility."
After finishing, he added, "Check your equipment, food, and water one last time. Make sure there are no issues. The people of the Land of Rain are hostile toward foreign ninjas, we will have no supplies available there."
The group immediately lowered their heads and began their inspections.
After a thorough check, no one reported a shortage of supplies. Without further ado, Masashi led the team, making a straightforward and open entry into the Land of Rain.
Though they were crossing a national border, ninja nations didn't have formal border defenses.
There were watchtowers, but their only function was observation and intelligence reporting.
Thus, the moment he entered the Land of Rain, news of it was relayed back to Ame.
---
Upon hearing the report, Nagato, who was overseeing Ame, immediately assumed that Masashi was here to stir up trouble.
"He's really arrogant. Does he not realize Konoha has already become everyone's target?"
Sitting in his office, Nagato examined the intelligence report on his desk, trying to deduce Masashi's intentions.
"Maybe he's trying to intimidate the others," Konan suggested. "You are recognized as a top-tier ninja by all the villages. If he can suppress you, others might reconsider their actions."
"I don't like Konoha's ANBU." Nagato glanced toward the door. "Let's test them… Come in."
"Pain-sama," a Ame ninja appeared at the doorway, his gaze both respectful and fervent.
To the people of the Land of Rain, this god had brought them peace, he was their savior.
"Deliver a message to Masashi: Konoha's ANBU are not permitted in the Land of Rain. He may come alone."
"Understood."
"Will that work?" Konan asked, watching the now-empty doorway. "What if they choose to fight?"
"Then I'll fight as well," Nagato replied. "Ame can maintain peace with Konoha. This country is under my rule, not Konoha's."
They waited.
A short while later, another Ame ninja arrived.
"Pain-sama, our messenger is dead."
"Who attacked first?"
"Konoha's ANBU. This squad is strong, different from Konoha's usual ANBU."
"How different?"
"They're experienced. Their style resembles that of Konoha's ANBU from the past."
"The past…" Nagato pondered for a moment, recalling a certain day.
Was it those people? If so, Masashi had truly brought him quite the 'gift.'
"Withdraw all personnel."
"Understood."
"Konan, I'm heading out."
Nagato stood up.
"What are you planning to do?" Konan grabbed his arm. She knew Masashi was the only person who had ever fought Nagato without being at a disadvantage.
This meant that unless it was a fight to the death, a battle between them would amount to nothing more than a drawn-out exchange.
"We compromised with Konoha before because we needed their strength to stabilize this country. Besides, their ANBU had become incompetent and could no longer gather intelligence on us. But if those people are back, it's a different story," Nagato explained as he walked toward the balcony. "If we compromise now, it will only harm us."
"Then be careful."
"I will."
With that, Nagato vanished into the rain.
Moments later, the steady drizzle that had been falling over Ame stopped, and the sun's warmth began to shine down upon the village.
He deactivated the Rainmaker Jutsu… Nagato, are you actually taking this seriously?
Konan suddenly felt uneasy.
The jutsu was something Nagato had developed to monitor Ame even when he wasn't physically present. Now that he had stopped using it, it meant he believed he needed to fight Masashi with his full strength.
And when she thought about Nagato going all out, she felt a headache coming on.
Back then, when Nagato was far weaker, his power had already been terrifying. If he fought seriously now, who knew what kind of destruction would unfold?
She could only hope that the fight wouldn't get too out of hand. At this moment, there was no reason for them to become Masashi's primary target.
Negotiating for a higher price was the smartest move.
If luck was on their side, they might even walk away with a tailed beast.
---
The changes in the Land of Rain were visible to the naked eye.
The country had once been in ruins, its common people had lost the ability to engage in productive work. Only the estates and workshops controlled by the nobility remained operational, providing the bare necessities for the territory.
Now, thanks to the efforts of Nagato, who referred to himself as "God," and with the help of Konoha and the Land of Fire, the country had returned to normalcy. Roads between towns were rebuilt, abandoned farmlands were revived, and the people once again had smiles on their faces.
Having experienced loss, they now knew how to cherish what they had. And so, the de facto ruler of this country became Nagato.
Masashi, along with squad, was walking down a main road.
The newly reconstructed road network in the Land of Rain led straight to Ame.
However, the country's heavy rainfall remained unchanged. Fortunately, with the improved infrastructure, people no longer had to worry about suddenly disappearing into the water while walking along the roads.
The roads had been designed with proper drainage suited to the country's conditions. While flooding couldn't be entirely eliminated, at least the roads were visible.
During their brief journey, the former Root ninjas had already witnessed the drastic changes in this country, it was no longer the ruined nation they once knew.
This was a country full of vitality.
Trade was flourishing, and the newly built roads were wide and smooth. Rest stops were constructed at regular intervals, and new villages had sprung up around them to meet the needs of travelers and merchants.
Surrounding these villages, newly cultivated farmland stretched endlessly. The landscape was vast and expansive, mainly growing rice. When the wind blew, the rice stalks swayed like rolling waves.
A land that had once been ravaged by war, where the drums of battle never ceased, had now emerged from the storm, clear and bright.
This scene piqued their curiosity about the man who had once annihilated their predecessors.
As a combat unit, the ANBU was not the strongest force in a ninja village. After all, the nature of their work determined that the squad mainly consisted of chunin-level ninjas.
The rank of jonin was essentially created specifically for the ANBU.
However, ANBU ninjas had the widest exposure to the ninja world. They had encountered all kinds of people.
Especially powerful ninjas, those were the ones that left lasting impressions. Strong ninjas all had their own obsessions. While their goals varied, there was always a general direction they followed.
Back then, Konoha had judged Akatsuki's goal as merely a ploy to increase their own bargaining power while using this excuse to rally the Land of Rain's war-weary shinobi and seize control of Ame.
A powerful ninja acting not for themselves or their organization, but for the peace of a country and its people? Impossible.
A person with such ideals could never be a ninja. The two just didn't match.
Subsequent events seemed to confirm Konoha's judgment.
When Nagato's strength was exposed, Akatsuki, despite suffering heavy losses, quickly recovered.
A ninja of Kage-level, unaffiliated with any village, had no trouble recruiting followers. Nagato demonstrated this to the entire ninja world.
Later, he simply stormed Ame, killed Hanzō, and ended his rule.
Hanzō's death signified the failure of the strategy where small nations could accumulate strength through aggressive expansion, then annex other small nations to rise into great power status.
Nagato's rule over the Land of Rain tore away the facade and made it clear, so-called ninja states were nothing more than nations ruled by ninjas.
This was precisely the outcome Konoha had sought to avoid.
The only silver lining was that Nagato had not outright overthrown the country's feudal lord. The pretense was dropped, but hostilities had not yet broken out.
It remained within the tolerance of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Otherwise, the lords of those nations might lose their peace of mind, which could seriously impact their ability to rule.
By this time, Masashi had already ventured deep into the Land of Rain, practically making all threats retreat before him.
His journey had been anything but diplomatic, he had eliminated several groups of ninjas that had approached them since entering the Land of Rain.
Though Akatsuki was the dominant force, the Land of Rain still harbored various other ninja organizations.
Whether these groups were connected was of no concern to this ANBU squad. Following Masashi's orders, Fū and the others would issue a single warning before striking.
Their sheer aggression, where they wouldn't feel satisfied without taking down at least a couple of enemies, frightened those who had previously thought Konoha's ANBU were approachable.
"Wait, just looking at them means I have to hand over my head?"
So, when the Ame ninjas finally appeared, onlookers watched with anticipation.
Everyone knew that the God of Ame was truly powerful.
Although Ame was nominally Konoha's ally, in reality, it was a neutral village. Only Akatsuki, founded by their God, took on military contracts from other nations.
This blatantly obvious arrangement didn't even prompt Konoha, Suna, or Iwa to demand accountability from Ame, which said a lot.
Then, they watched as Konoha's ANBU slaughtered every Ame ninjas who entered their alert range.
Not sparing a single one, not even those who tried to flee. The ANBU chased them down and cut them all down.
Only after wiping out every last Ame ninjas did they finally withdraw.
That was terrifying. So this was Konoha's White Ghost? Even the ANBU he led had such fiery tempers?
From that point on, no one dared to get close.
Even the smallest gains were still gains. While Nagato's dominance was the key to establishing authority, small ninja groups were the ones ANBU dealt with most frequently during operations.
"Torune, where was the last mission location in the Land of Rain?"
"Masashi-sama, it was in a canyon."
"Inform the team, we're changing course. Lead the way."
"Yes."
Under Torune's guidance, the squad adjusted their route, leaving the tree-lined road and entering the forest on the side.
With the speed of trained ninjas, the dense forest quickly gave way to open plains, which in turn became increasingly barren.
Masashi soon spotted the towering cliffs.
"Is that the place?" he asked.
"Yes, Masashi-sama."
"Then later, keep your distance."
It had been a long time since Masashi had gone all out in a fight, Nagato would be a perfect opponent.
To borrow a cliché: I have no idea how strong I've become.
Of course, that was just a joke. He probably still wasn't a match for that big idiot and raging Madara who went on a rampage near the village later on. After all, when those two fought, their power was outright ridiculous.
As he stepped into the canyon, he gestured with his hand, and the former Root ninjas spread out, rushing into the valley.
His gaze fell on the cliff to the left.
The rock formations were layered, and this was the only spot around that matched the scene he had in mind. This was likely the very place where Hanzō had kidnapped Konan and forced Yahiko to take his own life.
Masashi lightly tapped the ground and leaped into the air, landing gently.
From up here, the view wasn't bad. Without a sound, Torune appeared behind him.
"Masashi-sama, we've checked, there's no one nearby."
"Good. When they arrive, I'll teleport you all outside the valley. Just make sure no outsiders get in."
"Understood," Torune responded.
Masashi settled in to wait.
Inside his body, chakra began to flow.
"Torune," he suddenly asked, "how many missions has Akatsuki taken in the past three years that involved clashing with Konoha ninjas?"
"Before we departed, the count had already reached two hundred."
"That's pretty diligent. There was another one just yesterday, right?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, tell the others to be ready. They're coming."
A powerful chakra signature was approaching at an unusually fast pace.
Torune hesitated for a moment, about to speak, when static suddenly crackled through his earpiece. A moment later, the device went completely silent.
He removed the earpiece and tossed it to the ground.
In this world, strong chakra could interfere with electronic devices. If the chakra was powerful enough, it could outright destroy them.
But achieving that level wasn't easy.
Masashi suddenly looked up at the sky.
A low rumble of thunder echoed as dark clouds approached, yet the incoming presence remained unaffected. Lightning flashed, cutting across the sky, and raindrops began to fall. Within that brief flash of light, a figure had already appeared above the canyon, sliding through the air, descending toward Masashi.
Boom!
Nagato landed steadily on the cliff, his black cloak with red clouds billowing in the wind.
His gaze first fell on Torune.
At a single glance, he recognized them, these were the same ninjas who had once collaborated with Hanzō.
"I heard that 'the darkness of the shinobi world' is dead," Nagato said coldly. "So there were still remnants left?"
Then his eyes shifted to Masashi.
"What is the meaning of this today? Why did you kill Ame's ninja?"
"Oh, you mean those 'Ame ninjas'?" Masashi smirked. "Come on, don't tell me you actually believe they were real Ame ninjas."
"And if they were?"
"Then they deserved to die. Even if you want to bite the hand that feeds you, there's a proper way to do it."
"The Land of Rain was rebuilt by its people," Nagato replied coldly. "And as per the agreement, seventy percent of our supplies are purchased from the Land of Fire. Konoha is profiting from this, it's not charity."
"Without Konoha's backing, neither the daimyō nor Ame would have secured export credit from the Land of Fire. Do you think just anyone can get that kind of funding? Even if it were just a foreign loan, do you really believe the Land of Fire wouldn't have found another way to earn that seventy percent in trade?" Masashi waved dismissively. "You enjoy Konoha's support, yet Akatsuki has taken two hundred missions against Konoha in less than three years. How do you plan to explain that?"
Behind Masashi, Torune observed the exchange, feeling the urge to take notes.
He realized that back in Root, they had been far too crude in their approach.
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