Konan acted alone.
After Nagato had explained Yuji's analysis and conjectures to her, she immediately went to speak with Yoru herself. Like Nagato, she placed complete trust in his words. Every previous conversation had proven accurate. His insight and predictions regarding the war situation had never been wrong.
Consistent with what he had told Nagato, he told Konan the same thing: the only way to save both Yahiko and Akatsuki at this moment was the Sand Village. If the two of them wanted to pursue that cooperation, they needed to move quickly. Nobody knew when Hanzo would extend his next olive branch, or whether Yahiko would walk into the trap before they could act.
Furthermore, negotiating with the Sand Village would not produce results immediately. Time was required, and the sooner they began, the better.
After some discussion between the two of them, they decided that Konan, whose role on the active battlefield was slightly less critical than Nagato's, would go to the Land of Wind herself to meet the legendary Kazekage.
The Fourth Kazekage, Blood Doctor Yuji. Although young, his status in the ninja world had reached something close to legendary.
Setting aside his reputation within the Sand Village and the Land of Wind itself, the fact that he had killed the Third Raikage, developed medicinal resources that had benefited countless lives across the ninja world, and forced the other great ninja villages to bow and sue for peace one after another was enough.
Add to that the fact that even Namikaze Minato, who had shone brilliantly throughout the Great Ninja War, had openly spoken of the Kazekage with unmistakable wariness. All of these things filled Konan, an outsider who had never had any interaction with the Sand Village, with a deep sense of awe and respect even before she had met him.
And his reputation extended even further back than the Great Ninja War. He had killed over a hundred Hidden Stone Village ninja in a single night during an earlier period, and had personally driven back Yagura Karatachi, who had been one of the Hidden Mist Village's top fighters at the time.
These battle reports, large and small, had circulated throughout the ninja world for years. At the time those early achievements had occurred, the three of them had still been in training together, or had only just finished their three years under Jiraiya's guidance.
Akatsuki had not yet taken any meaningful shape. It could be said that the Kazekage had been recognized as extraordinarily powerful by countless strong ninja long before he had become the most prominent figure of the current era.
Since Konan was a woman, her request for a meeting carried at least a slightly better chance of being received than if Nagato had gone.
To avoid arousing Yahiko's suspicion, Konan cooperated with Nagato and used the pretext of delivering intelligence to other regional branches of the organization as cover for departing the base. Partway through the journey, she separated from her companions and continued to the Sand Village alone.
Yuji had already departed from Akatsuki before Konan had even set out. His speed in returning to the Sand Village was certainly greater than hers.
A few days later, within the borders of the Land of Wind, just outside the Sand Village.
A figure with dark hair and a black robe had just appeared at the village's outer perimeter when she was immediately stopped by two patrol guards. One of the Sand Village guards fixed her with a wide, vigilant stare.
"Who are you?"
"I am a representative of Akatsuki from the Land of Rain. I wish to see the Kazekage," Konan said, her expression calm and her voice even.
Along the journey, she had already noticed that the Land of Wind was unusual. The Sand Village's border defenses were extremely well developed, with meticulous tactical arrangements throughout, particularly regarding patrol routes. This had made it genuinely difficult for her to move through the Land of Wind undetected.
Furthermore, upon entering the Land of Wind, she had encountered numerous merchant caravans and civilian travelers along every road she traveled, something that was entirely different from what she had seen in other countries.
The Land of Wind itself appeared to be living in a period of peace. There was no trace of the smoke and shadow that war brought with it.
Konan had considerable confidence in her abilities, particularly in covert movement and reconnaissance. Being seen through was not something that happened to her easily.
But here, the moment she had emerged from concealment, the Sand Village had detected her immediately. This told her that the current level of the Sand Village's military readiness and the individual strength of its ninja were quite extraordinary.
The closer she had gotten to the village, the greater the pressure she had felt bearing down on her. Although the Sand Village had not participated in the later stages of the Great Ninja War, even in a state of standard readiness its daily military defenses were formidable.
The fact that the Third Raikage had once led the Hidden Cloud Village's elite forces in a direct attack on the Sand Village had likely been one of the reasons the village's defenses had surged to this level.
"Akatsuki?"
Upon hearing the girl's stated identity, one Sand Village ninja showed an expression of uncertainty. The other frowned slightly. The latter had clearly heard of Akatsuki before. Then one of them slipped away across a sand dune, leaving only his companion standing watch over Konan.
Konan's eyes shifted slightly. She had noticed it immediately. Several other Sand Village ninja were concealed in the surrounding sand dunes. The situation appeared to involve only one guard, but any sudden movement from her would have triggered an immediate encirclement.
"Those hiding in the shadows are positioned to the rear. These two detected me the moment I appeared and immediately signaled and marked my position. Their alertness is remarkable. Furthermore, this guard squad's combat coordination and cooperation are extremely efficient. This is what made even Konoha struggle against the Sand Village."
Konan remained completely still, analyzing the situation in her mind. She and Yahiko had fought in the Land of Rain for several years and had accumulated considerable battlefield experience. She could read the Sand Village's strengths at a glance, and what she saw reflected an extraordinarily high level of military training and discipline.
She had taken an enormous risk by coming here alone.
She waited quietly. Before long, the guard who had departed returned, bringing another person with him. A man with a serious expression.
Konan did not recognize him. But the moment she sensed his presence, a feeling of danger rose in her immediately. He was a Sand Village Jonin.
"Compared to the soldiers of the Hidden Rain Village, they are on a completely different level."
Her heart sank. A surge of worry washed over her. She had not even met the Kazekage yet, and the Sand Village's evident strength was already pressing down on her.
If this was what cooperating with such a powerful war machine looked like, did the comparatively weaker Akatsuki truly have the standing to negotiate as an equal? And would the Sand Village even agree to cooperate at all?
She also knew that the Sand Village and Konoha had signed a ceasefire agreement. From the Sand Village's perspective, reopening hostilities with Konoha might not be advantageous at this stage.
The Sand Village Jonin scrutinized Konan several times in silence, then raised his hand. The two members of the defense team and the ninja who had been lurking in the shadows vanished from their positions, resuming their patrol duties.
"Follow me," the man said coldly.
He turned and led the way without looking back. Konan followed silently.
The two walked without exchanging words. As they drew closer to the Sand Village, Konan's usually composed and indifferent expression gradually shifted to surprise, then to something approaching genuine shock as her emotions stirred against her will.
She did not know a great deal about the Sand Village, but she knew its reputation. It was considered the weakest among the Five Great Ninja Villages, constrained by difficult circumstances and scarce resources. Its economy had historically been frail, and the Land of Wind's sparse population, low-income communities, and nomadic character had defined it for generations.
The scene before her eyes was nothing like the Sand Village she had imagined. The two images were simply not reconcilable.
Towering guardian stones had been assembled into a massive outer wall that shielded the village from sandstorms and radiated an imposing presence even at a distance. Even at that height, the wall could not conceal the extraordinarily tall buildings rising within the village beyond it.
The architecture was varied in color and substantial in density, giving the entire settlement a grandeur that was genuinely difficult to associate with what she had known of the Hidden Sand Village.
Judging purely from its scale, it resembled a large prosperous city rather than a ninja village. And the closer they drew, the more people appeared along the roads leading to the gates. Every face Konan looked at wore a quietly content and happy expression.
She thought of life in the Land of Rain. Suffering and hardship everywhere, on every face, in every village.
Konan had known intellectually that the Sand Village had been involved in the Great Ninja War, a war of enormous scale and consequence. But she had never witnessed what it had done for itself during that time. Now, she began to understand. She was beginning to grasp how wealthy the Sand Village had truly become.
After passing through the gates and into the village itself, the scenes she moved through left her even more unsettled. A prosperous and powerful nation. Its people living in peace and stability. This was exactly the kind of image Yahiko had always held in his heart as the destination they were fighting toward.
Gradually, Konan brought her emotions back under control. The fact that others were doing well was not her concern. She had come here to seek cooperation, and that was what she needed to focus on.
After half an hour of being escorted through the village, she was finally brought to the Kazekage building and led to the door of the Kazekage's office by another Sand Village Jonin.
"Please come in. Lord Kazekage is waiting for you."
The Jonin knocked once. Upon hearing a reply from within, he proactively opened the door for Konan and offered a polite smile.
Konan's heart tightened involuntarily.
She stepped inside.