In the original Naruto storyline, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were rescued by Jiraiya of the Three Legendary Sannin, who then taught them ninjutsu.
From that point on, the three learned to wield ninjutsu, grew into capable shinobi, and eventually founded Akatsuki—an organization dedicated to ending wars through force.
In other words, their destinies were all changed by meeting Nagato.
But now, before Nagato had even appeared, Yahiko was asking Leo to teach them ninjutsu!
Though such a thing wasn't difficult for Leo, he couldn't help but wonder—
If he taught them now, would it change Yahiko's fate and trigger a butterfly effect that altered the world's destiny entirely?
Soon, he stopped worrying about it. His very existence here was already the greatest anomaly. Since he had crossed into this world, why worry about "fate"? As long as he lived well, that was enough.
Leo looked at Yahiko, then shifted his gaze to Konan beside him. Her eyes, too, held faint hope.
He had already made up his mind. To hell with the plot.
He looked calmly at the two and said,
"To become a ninja—to stand on your own and change your fate—is no easy thing. The path is full of hardship, and power never comes without a price. Everything in this world has its cost."
"No matter how hard it is, we've been through worse," Yahiko replied, his tone firm though his eyes flickered with melancholy. Konan's gaze beside him was equally resolute.
Indeed—what could be harder than growing up as an orphan, struggling to survive in a world of war?
Leo silently nodded. Even in Konoha, he knew how cruel and exclusive this world could be.
If he hadn't been a genius, the people of Konoha would likely have treated him very differently.
He was always aware of his place—always rational.
At last, he nodded again, signaling his agreement to Yahiko's request.
Yahiko let out a long sigh of relief, his lips curling into a smile. Beside him, Konan's beautiful eyes shimmered with gratitude as she looked at Leo.
"Alright," Leo said, "then we'll start with the basics."
He took a sip of water, set the cup down, and began to eEXPlain.
"First, what is chakra? Do you know?"
Yahiko and Konan both shook their heads, faces blank. They'd heard the word, but knew nothing of its meaning.
"Chakra," Leo eEXPlained, "is the energy produced by the perfect fusion of spiritual and physical energies. Through training and eEXPerience, one can refine and strengthen it.
The first step to becoming a ninja is learning to extract chakra. If you can extract it, you can become a ninja. If not, then you simply lack the talent."
Yahiko's heart tightened. He hadn't eEXPected the requirements to be so strict. What if I can't do it?
Unaware of his anxiety, Leo continued, "Now, I'll teach you the method to extract chakra."
He began eEXPlaining the same foundational principles taught in Konoha's Academy, repeating them several times to ensure they understood.
"Meditation is the best way to extract chakra. You must clear your mind completely and feel every part of your body—every breath."
Once the eEXPlanations were done, there was nothing to do but wait for them to succeed.
Leo, knowing the original story, had no doubt they would.
They were the future leaders of Akatsuki, after all—hardly talentless.
The time it took varied—some succeeded within half a day, others in ten days or even a month. Beyond that, one was likely hopeless.
As Yahiko and Konan trained, Leo continued his own cultivation.
He had only reached the first stage of cellular activation—far from White Fang's mastery—so he wasn't about to waste such rare quiet days.
Still, he didn't isolate himself completely. He regularly visited nearby towns, hunted enemy ninjas for intelligence, and bought food to nourish Yahiko and Konan, whose bodies were frail and malnourished.
Days passed—more than half a month—and the Second Great Ninja War had grown fiercer by the day.
Leo could clearly feel it. He encountered more and more ninjas now.
All across the Land of Rain, chaos reigned. Death filled the air.
Under Hanzō the Salamander's command, the Rain Village began to resist and retaliate.
The giant salamander's shadow loomed across countless battlefields, leaving behind piles of corpses—victims of its deadly poison.
Even touching one of those bodies meant death.
Though Hanzō had secret dealings with the three great villages, he still needed to maintain appearances as the ruler of the Land of Rain—displaying power to earn respect and bargaining leverage.
While the war blazed across the land, Leo's days remained deceptively ordinary:
Training, guiding Yahiko and Konan, and hunting for intel.
In less than three days, both had successfully extracted chakra.
Konan did it even faster—two and a half days.
Yahiko's chakra matched the original story—dual water and fire affinities.
Konan's chakra, however, did not align with any of the five basic natures. Leo guessed it leaned toward the Yin attribute—though that didn't mean she could use Yin Release.
Like the Nara Clan's shadow techniques or the Aburame Clan's insect control, her chakra seemed naturally suited for paper manipulation—perhaps tied to her love of origami cranes.
Everything was, more or less, following the original path.
Leo didn't know many jutsu himself, but he had seen plenty—and killed many ninjas in his time. He'd looted a fair number of Fire and Water Release scrolls from them, which Yahiko eagerly learned.
Konan, too, could use basic elemental techniques, though she preferred developing her own paper-style ninjutsu. Leo offered advice where he could, teaching her control and efficiency.
Even in the Land of Rain, where dark clouds often hid the sky, there were rare moments without rain.
On one such day, Konan stood in an open clearing, surrounded by countless floating sheets of paper. They hovered lightly, though they held no offensive power yet.
"Your chakra control is excellent—better than Yahiko's," Leo remarked, impressed.
It was true—female ninjas tended to have better chakra control than males.
"Teacher Leo," Konan turned around, a shy smile blooming on her face. She seemed embarrassed for losing focus in her practice. The papers around her slowly fluttered down to the ground.
Leo nodded slightly. Ever since he'd started teaching them, Konan had begun calling him teacher—a title he wasn't particularly fond of.
In truth, they were about the same age; he merely had more eEXPerience—and a mature soul within.
"Teacher Leo, look!"
Konan suddenly brightened, like a girl eager to show off a new treasure.
A few sheets of paper rose before her, folding and twisting under her control—
until they formed a delicate origami crane.
Leo's eyes lit up in admiration. Her control rivaled that of a Chūnin.
"Teacher, this is for you!"
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she used chakra to make the paper crane float toward him.
But she had only just begun learning such techniques, and halfway there, the crane faltered and started to fall.
Leo reached out and caught it gently. When he looked back at Konan, her face was red as a rose—embarrassed at her failed little performance.
She had wanted to surprise her teacher—but it hadn't quite worked out.
"Keep it up. I appreciate the thought," Leo said with a small smile, turning the paper crane in his hand.
Konan bowed her head, murmured a soft "Mm," and went back to practicing.
When Leo turned to check on Yahiko, he found the boy gleefully spouting fire again—ever since learning Fire Release, he'd developed an alarming enthusiasm for destruction.
Leo couldn't help but sigh. This kid's water release talent is probably better, but maybe living in constant rain made him hate water subconsciously.
After giving him a few more pointers, Leo resumed his own training.
But peace never lasts long.
A week later, one evening, after finishing their outdoor training, Leo returned to the cabin—only to notice a scroll lying on the small wooden table.
It was a Konoha ANBU scroll—requiring special hand seals to open. Though he had been keeping a low profile, Leo had maintained contact with ANBU scouts, so he wasn't surprised they'd found him.
Unfurling it, he glanced through the message—and his eyes instantly hardened, killing intent bursting from his body.
It was a message from the Third Hokage himself:
"To provide cover for Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Tsunade's unit has been ambushed by Iwagakure forces and driven deep into the Land of Rain.
The situation is critical. Leo is to proceed immediately to provide assistance. Urgent."
Leo's grip on the scroll tightened until it almost tore apart.
In his mind, Tsunade's image flashed vividly.
Even someone like her—a top-tier Jōnin—could still fall prey to the chaos of the Second Great Ninja War.
"Teacher Leo… what's wrong?"
A timid voice came from the doorway. Yahiko and Konan stood there, pale and trembling.
They had been struck by the sheer pressure Leo unconsciously released—his killing aura, honed from the deaths of a hundred men. To ordinary people, it was suffocating.
He had lost control for a moment, consumed by worry for Tsunade.
Leo exhaled slowly, suppressing his aura. "Konan, Yahiko… I have to go."
His voice was calm, but there was a hint of reluctant sorrow in it.
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