Hanzō of the Salamander—the Demi-God of the Ninja World. His strength was undeniable. But as he aged, his sense of caution only grew sharper, eventually leading him to team up with Danzō in a bid to secure his position by targeting Yahiko's Akatsuki.
Kazuyama Gekkō gazed at the distant fortress, his eyes gleaming with shifting thoughts.
To ensure his own safety, he was planning to win over Yahiko and Konan. The Akatsuki Organization had already taken shape, thanks in part to his influence. Now, their first major obstacle was none other than Hanzō.
With Hanzō's grip over Amegakure, there was no way he'd allow the Akatsuki to exist. A clash was inevitable.
Thinking this through, Kazuyama felt the urge to investigate personally—but the drizzle soaking him was too much. First, he needed to get changed.
...
Kazuyama returned to the bathhouse, only to bump into Yahiko.
"Kazuyama, where were you?"
"Konan and Yugito just ran into a peeping tom!"
"Hurry, come help us look for him! When I find that guy, I'm gonna beat him to a pulp!"
"That's Konan we're talking about! I wouldn't even dare sneak a glance!"
Hearing Yahiko's outrage, Kazuyama skillfully feigned innocence and redirected the conversation.
"Really?"
"I went out to buy some sake but didn't know where to find it."
"Ended up soaked in the rain—I'm freezing. I need to hit the hot spring to warm up."
He spoke as he headed toward the spring. Yahiko, having found nothing despite searching, had no choice but to give up. The group returned to the bath to relax and unwind.
...
After everyone emerged from the bathhouse, Yugito and Konan both shot Kazuyama a sharp glare.
The stares made his skin crawl, but with his ironclad mental fortitude, Kazuyama just smiled casually, pretending not to notice their anger.
"Hey, Yugito, Konan. How was it?"
"Amegakure's hot spring's not bad, right?"
Yugito knew just how shameless her sensei could be. He'd never admit to peeping. All she could do was glare at him, though she'd sharpened more than just her strength lately—her wit had also grown.
"Yeah, the hot spring was great. But I wonder who it was that had the guts to sneak into the women's bathhouse in broad daylight to peep."
"Hmph! People like that are just waiting to step on an explosive tag and blow themselves sky-high."
Kazuyama's eyebrow twitched. He thought, When did this little brat get so sharp-tongued?
And cursing me, too?
Wait—cursing! That reminded him of his own curse technique: the good old circle-drawing curse.
Yeah, why not? He had time to kill. Once things settled, he'd find a quiet spot to continue cursing that old relic Madara—maybe speed up his journey to the afterlife.
As for Konan, her expression wasn't just angry—there was also a hint of embarrassment. To Kazuyama, that was totally normal. She was still a young girl, after all. Luckily, she'd had a decent impression of him before; otherwise, that blush would've turned into bloodlust.
"Oh? Hope your curse works."
"Keep your eyes open. When something explodes, you'll know it did."
Kazuyama replied with a crooked smile, then stopped responding to Yugito.
"Yahiko, are you guys heading out for another mission?"
"Yeah. Gotta earn some money."
Yahiko's eyes were full of optimism. After soaking in the hot spring, he felt refreshed and ready.
It wasn't just him—Nagato and the others were just as energized. The spring had washed away their fatigue and rekindled their motivation.
"In that case, I won't tag along. I've got my own mission to deal with."
"But I'll be staying in Amegakure for now. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to find me."
"Oh, right—here."
Kazuyama pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. On it was a vivid, fiery red cloud—striking and full of life.
Konan took it curiously and studied it. The cloud looked like it was burning right off the page.
"What is this..." she asked, puzzled.
Kazuyama smiled mysteriously.
"This is a special design I made. It'll be the symbol of the Akatsuki. I believe it'll bring the organization good luck. And come on, a real organization needs a proper emblem, right?"
As he spoke, he pointed at their forehead protectors. As shinobi of Amegakure, they all wore their village's symbol proudly.
Yahiko leaned in. The moment he saw the fire cloud, he was instantly taken with it.
"This pattern is amazing! A burning cloud—it marks the birth of Akatsuki!"
"It's perfect!"
"Kazuyama, I don't even know how to thank you!"
Kazuyama chuckled lightly at Yahiko's excitement.
"It's nothing. I already helped you come up with a name—of course I had to give you a symbol too."
"I've thought about this fire cloud for a while. To me, clouds are the freest things—they drift wherever they want, which fits the original idea behind Akatsuki."
"And red stands for passion, drive—it reminds us that freedom requires sacrifice. Put those together, and there you go: the emblem."
Everyone was stunned. Kazuyama's easy explanation made their heads spin.
Clouds? Fire? How the hell did he even come up with this?
"Thank you, Kazuyama," Yahiko said sincerely.
Kazuyama waved it off, then spoke more seriously.
"Yahiko, if you run into trouble, leave this symbol wherever you can. If I see it, I'll come help—no matter what."
"Because we're friends."
Yeah, friends. Without them, Kazuyama would feel a lot less secure.
But to Yahiko and the others, those words struck deep. They were truly moved.
Despite being a shinobi from Konoha, Kazuyama had become one of them through shared time and trust—well, everyone except Nagato.
"Kazuyama, I feel the same way. If you ever need help, just say the word."
"I'm sure not just me—all of us will do everything we can for you."
Kazuyama grinned, gave Yahiko's shoulder a firm pat, then turned and left with Yugito.
"Yugito, keep getting stronger!"
"Oh, and don't forget—give him a good beating for me. You know what I mean."
Before leaving, Konan gave Yugito a hug and whispered in her ear.
Yugito nodded firmly.
"Leave it to me!" she said with conviction.