Chapter 122 (Patreon)

At the ANBU training grounds in the mountains behind Konoha, Yujiro rested the black blade over his shoulder and leisurely walked toward Kurama.

He tapped one of the Nine-Tails’ claws with the hilt of his blade.

“Scared?”

“Ahem...” Kurama finally snapped out of his daze and lowered his massive head, the shock still evident in his eyes. “Yujiro... just what kind of monster are you?!”

Yujiro raised an eyebrow but ignored him, turning toward Minato instead.

Today’s test had come to an end.

“Yujiro, you... really are incredible.” Minato’s voice came out dry.

The pressure Yujiro had unleashed was overwhelming. Without an unshakable will to fight, no one would have been able to resist it.

“That was nothing special. It didn’t achieve the effect I wanted,” Yujiro replied casually.

“I want to reach the point where I can kill someone with my aura alone. Then I won’t even need to make a move.”

Everyone fell silent.

Only after a long pause did they finally manage to speak.

“...You’re a monster.”

“I think I’ll go deal with my paperwork.” Minato felt as though his confidence had taken a devastating blow. Without wasting another second, he disappeared from the training ground.

“I’ll go gather material...” Jiraiya stood frozen for a moment before walking away with his shoulders slumped. “Gathering material and writing my book sounds much better than this. Why did I come here just to have my confidence crushed...?”

Tsunade walked over as well. As she looked at Yujiro, the only emotion she felt was disbelief.

“Yujiro, how did you become this powerful?” Tsunade asked.

“Because there’s something I need to protect,” Yujiro replied with a casual smile.

Tsunade stared at him, momentarily caught off guard. So the brat was capable of saying something heartfelt after all.

“Sis, let’s go.” Yujiro tilted his head toward Kurenai.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Kurenai finally recovered from her daze and followed him out of the training ground.

Tsunade watched them leave, stamped her foot in frustration, and then left as well.

In the distance, Kakashi and Shisui exchanged bitter smiles.

“This entire training ground will need to be rebuilt,” Kakashi said. “The plaza as well.”

He looked at the destruction Yujiro had caused, still finding it difficult to believe.

“Did either of you notice something?” Itachi suddenly asked, his expression filled with horror.

“What did you notice?” Kakashi and Shisui immediately asked.

Itachi took a deep breath before answering heavily, “Yujiro-san... hasn’t moved a single step since the battle began.”

Kakashi and Shisui exchanged stunned looks.

Now that they thought about it, he was right.

Throughout the entire battle, Yujiro had never moved from where he stood.

Night soon fell over Konoha.

After finishing dinner, Yujiro asked Kurenai to remain in the living room.

“What is it?” Kurenai asked curiously.

“Sis, I have a good gift for you.” Yujiro smiled.

“What kind of... gift?” Kurenai suddenly became a little nervous.

“This.”

Yujiro raised one finger and gently tapped Kurenai’s forehead.

“Gene Enhancement!”

A numbing sensation immediately spread throughout Kurenai’s body.

The chakra inside her began churning violently, while her mental strength increased at an astonishing rate.

“Sis, take a proper bath and then get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, there’ll be a surprise waiting for you.”

Yujiro smiled before turning and leaving the living room.

Kurenai remained where she was, staring in amazement as she felt the changes taking place inside her body.

Before long, her cheeks grew hot, and steam began rising from her skin.

Unable to wait any longer, Kurenai hurried into the bathroom.

Yujiro returned to his bedroom. When he found Yūgao already inside, a trace of surprise crossed his face. He then grinned, wished her good night, and went to sleep.

Dark clouds covered the Land of Rain throughout most of the year.

Clear skies were rarely seen.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the great shinobi villages had turned this small nation into their battlefield. Ever since then, it was as though the country itself had never stopped weeping.

The original Akatsuki had once brought a glimmer of hope to the people of the Land of Rain.

Unfortunately, that Akatsuki—the organization that had fought for peace—had been destroyed through the schemes of Shimura Danzō, Obito Uchiha, and Hanzō of the Salamander.

The Akatsuki that remained was nothing more than a machine moving relentlessly toward its ultimate objective.

Atop one of Amegakure’s strange towers, a man stood motionless beneath the pouring rain. Concentric purple rings filled both of his eyes—the Rinnegan.

Behind him, a blue-haired woman slowly emerged from the shadows.

“Pain, Deidara and Sasori have returned,” Konan reported, her voice cold and emotionless.

The Deva Path of Pain slowly turned and walked inside.

Deidara and Sasori arrived shortly afterward.

“Well, Leader...” Deidara cleared his throat before continuing, “we successfully sealed the One-Tail, but Gaara—the jinchūriki who died after the extraction—was brought back to life by Sunagakure.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Pain replied with a slight nod. “The One-Tail is already in our hands.”

“Then there’s no problem.” Deidara released a relieved breath.

“Leader, the mission to capture the One-Tail is complete,” Sasori of the Red Sand said slowly. “I need some time to rest.”

“No.”

The sudden response did not come from Pain.

A man wearing an orange spiral mask stepped out from behind them.

Obito Uchiha took two slow steps forward.

“Akatsuki no longer has that kind of time.”

He looked at the others before continuing coldly, “Summon every member. From this moment onward, Akatsuki will begin its operation to capture the remaining tailed beasts.”

Deidara scratched his head and gave a helpless shrug.

“Isn’t this too soon?” Pain asked.

“No.” Obito took a deep breath. “Time matters more than ever. Akatsuki has grown considerably over the past few years. Now is the time for us to act.”

“Very well.” Pain nodded.

An hour later, every current member of the Akatsuki had assembled.

Pain, Konan, Black Zetsu, Obito Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Deidara, Sasori of the Red Sand, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru.

All ten members were present.

Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki several years earlier, although his position within the organization was closer to that of a collaborator than a true subordinate.

Obito valued Orochimaru’s expertise in cellular research, and since each possessed something the other wanted, the two had quickly reached an agreement.

Akatsuki possessed ten rings, one for each member. In order, their inscriptions were Zero, Blue-Green, White, Vermilion, Black, Void, South, North, Three, and Jewel.

Pain wore the Zero ring, while Sasori wore Jewel.

Black Zetsu wore the ring marked Black, Obito wore Vermilion, and Orochimaru still possessed his original Void ring.

“Next, I’ll lay out our operation for capturing the tailed beasts.”

The eye visible through Obito’s mask gleamed with fierce ambition.

At last, the summit of the shinobi world seemed within his reach.