"You… you… you…"
Yahiko was so shocked that he could barely speak. Instinctively, he tried to stand up, only to discover that an invisible force was binding his body, preventing him from moving at all.
Nagato and Konan were in a much better state. Though surprised, they remained relatively calm.
Konan was naturally composed, while Nagato seemed to have already sensed something unusual.
"No need to be nervous. I have no ill intentions toward you."
Uchiha Ren revealed a gentle smile, then looked toward Nagato.
"You must have noticed something strange long ago, haven't you?"
"Nagato?"
Yahiko and Konan were both startled and turned to look at him.
Nagato hesitated for a moment before raising his head, revealing the Rinnegan in his eyes—those distinctive concentric ripples.
"I noticed an abnormal chakra inside Lord Hanzo's brain," Nagato said slowly. "But I couldn't determine what it was, so I didn't act rashly."
His words sounded cautious, but the real reason was that he feared Uchiha Ren's strength. He was worried that exposing him might trigger an unpredictable and dangerous situation, so he chose to remain silent.
The reason Nagato revealed his Rinnegan now was simple: he knew Uchiha Ren had already noticed his eyes. Showing them openly was a gesture of sincerity.
Most importantly, he had not sensed any hostility from Uchiha Ren.
"Remarkable eyes," Ren commented, withdrawing his gaze.
"But you'd better not rely too heavily on their power."
There was a deeper meaning hidden in his reminder.
"Who exactly are you?"
Yahiko had already calmed down. He stared solemnly at Uchiha Ren before glancing at the motionless Hanzo of the Salamander.
"What did you do to Lord Hanzo?"
"I simply placed him under a genjutsu," Uchiha Ren explained casually.
"And if we're being precise, you could say I just saved your lives."
"Saved us?" Yahiko frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You've probably noticed the recent abnormalities on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, haven't you?"
Ren pointed at the bandages wrapped around Yahiko and Konan.
"And judging from those injuries, you've already experienced some of it firsthand."
Yahiko's expression changed slightly.
"You mean the increasingly intense fighting between Konohagakure and Iwagakure?"
Ren nodded.
"A new force has intervened in this war. That person is Shimura Danzō."
"He wants to escalate the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure in order to gain greater benefits and prolong the war."
"And I came to the Land of Rain to stop him."
"Before this, I spoke with Hanzo. Unfortunately, he has already decided to cooperate with Shimura Danzō."
"So I had no choice but to take this approach."
Yahiko looked confused.
"Why would Lord Hanzo do that? How could he cooperate with someone like Danzō?"
"Wouldn't stopping the war allow the Land of Rain to develop more peacefully?"
"You're still too naive," Uchiha Ren replied, shaking his head.
"Between the end of the Second Great Ninja War and the start of this Third Great Ninja War, there was a period of peace."
"Did the Land of Rain develop during that time?"
Yahiko froze.
Thinking carefully, he realized that during those years nothing had changed.
The Land of Rain was still just as poor and devastated as before.
Ren continued explaining.
"In times of peace, the three neighboring great nations—Fire, Earth, and Wind—would never allow the Land of Rain to grow stronger."
"They would quietly suppress its development to ensure it never escapes their control."
"But during wartime, those three nations are busy restraining each other."
"And only during those moments can the Land of Rain seize opportunities to obtain greater benefits."
"Of course, the people of the Land of Rain suffer even more during war."
"But in the eyes of someone in power like Hanzo, sacrificing some civilians in exchange for the emergence of stronger elites is entirely worthwhile."
"It's like wild animals abandoning weak offspring so that the stronger ones can grow and survive."
"It's a cruel but necessary choice made for the sake of the entire group."
Uchiha Ren's words left Yahiko standing there in stunned silence.
He had never imagined reality could be so cruel.
"Then what did you mean when you said you saved us?"
Compared to Yahiko and Nagato, Konan's obsession with peace was less intense. Instead, she chose to focus on the more immediate issue affecting their lives.
Ren pointed toward Nagato.
"That starts with him."
"Me?"
Nagato pointed at himself, utterly confused.
"Your eyes have already been exposed," Ren said.
"Shimura Danzō has set his sights on them. He intends to use them as a bargaining chip in his alliance with Hanzo."
"If nothing unexpected happens, your Akatsuki organization will become the sacrifice for this alliance."
The moment those words were spoken, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan immediately thought of the Iwagakure ninja who had attacked them the day before.
A chill ran down their spines.
It felt as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.
"How could this be…"
Yahiko clenched his teeth, unwilling to accept such a reality.
Ren paused for a moment before speaking again.
"If you don't believe me, that's fine."
"Shimura Danzō will arrive here soon to discuss the details with Hanzo."
"You can stay here and witness everything for yourselves."
"Then you'll know whether my words are true."
The three exchanged glances before nodding.
Some things had to be confirmed with their own eyes before they could accept them.
At that moment, Konan spoke again.
"Lord… Uchiha Ren… may I ask something?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you helping us?"
She struggled to find the right words, but Ren immediately understood her meaning.
"Why would I help you?"
Konan nodded.
"Yes."
Ren smiled.
"There are many reasons."
"Besides the fact that someone asked me to look after you, I personally admire you as well."
"As I said earlier, you don't just have ideals—you actually act on them."
"That's rare."
"Someone asked you to take care of us…" Yahiko's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Was it Jiraiya-sensei?"
Since Uchiha Ren was a ninja of Konoha, the three naturally thought of Jiraiya, who was also from the village.
After all, their only connection to Konoha was Jiraiya.
Ren shook his head.
"Not Jiraiya."
"It was Jiraiya's other disciple—Minato Namikaze."
"You could consider him your senior disciple."
"He heard about you from Jiraiya. When he learned I was coming to the Land of Rain, he asked me to look after you."
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were momentarily at a loss for words.
They all knew of Minato Namikaze, yet they never expected this senior they had never met would care about them so much.
The warmth of this shared bond between disciples filled their hearts.
As expected of Jiraiya's student.
His character was beyond doubt.
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