Beads of rain fell in a relentless torrent.
The eerie, dense forest grew savagely toward the sky, its twisted branches like grasping claws. Raindrops pierced through the drifting, foul miasma, splashing against the earth and mercilessly battering the leaves and grass.
At the edge of sight, the depths of the woods were a blur. Heavy mist tinted the darkness, as if unknown horrors lay hidden within. The atmosphere was silent and solemn.
Ren Uchiha looked up at the three figures before him, all clad in the iconic black cloaks. Their hoods were pulled low, obscuring their faces, but their hair color gave them away.
Orange. Blue. Red.
These were the founders of the Akatsuki: Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.
Ren's brow furrowed deeply. Why is the Akatsuki—still in its infancy—looking for me?
"Shisui?" He turned to his cousin, his voice sharp with inquiry.
Before Shisui could explain, Yahiko took a step forward. He stood before Ren and spoke with formal gravity.
"Ren Uchiha... please do not blame Shisui. It was I who wished to see you."
Confronted with Yahiko's earnestness, Ren only frowned harder, his tone turning cold and distant. "Apologies, but I am merely a mediocre Chunin. There is no reason for us to meet."
Yahiko shook his head, undeterred. He took another step forward.
"No."
"Ren Uchiha, I have wanted to meet you for a long time since hearing of your deeds. You are a true pioneer on the path to peace—the bridge between your clan and your village. You are a noble soul who did not hesitate to fight the Mist and a dark cult to protect foreign civilians."
"I was inspired by your actions. That is why I had to see you."
Yahiko pressed a hand to his chest, his voice resonant. "I want to know your thoughts, clarify your philosophy, and I want you to hear our convictions."
Beside them, Shisui nudged Ren's shoulder, adding his voice to the persuasion. "Ren, please. They are like us—comrades fighting to end conflict and achieve peace."
Ren glanced at Shisui. Seeing the idealistic shimmer in his cousin's eyes, Ren mentally sighed.
This kid was already naive. Now that he's met the 'proto-Akatsuki' in the Land of Rain—people even more naive than he is—he's clearly been brainwashed.
Ren looked up at Yahiko. He truly didn't want anything to do with these three. He pitied their eventual tragic fate, but the man orchestrating everything behind them was the true Shinobi Shura: Madara Uchiha.
And the eyes in the unsuspecting Nagato's head were the product of a thousand-year plot by Black Zetsu. These were titans Ren couldn't afford to provoke yet. If he changed the tragedy of the Akatsuki, the plot would plummet into an irrecoverable abyss.
"I don't know where you heard your rumors, but I'm not as great as you think," Ren stated coldly. " I am a person of average talent, and my path thus far has been paved with failure."
Ren glanced toward the nearby Konoha camp, then at their surroundings. The foul miasma masked the Inuzuka clan's tracking dogs, and Shisui had deliberately brought them to this Root blind spot to avoid the Byakugan. If they were caught, even Shisui would face severe consequences.
"Just say what you have to say. This isn't a place for you to be. If Konoha finds you, you won't be able to leave."
"Fine!"
Yahiko knew time was short. He took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn. "Then I shall be direct!"
"Ren Uchiha, just as you risked your life for mutual understanding between your clan and village, and drew your sword against the suffering of foreigners—" Yahiko's eyes shone with resolve. "The 'Akatsuki' I founded acts upon those very same principles!"
He turned and pointed toward the corpse-strewn battlefield outside the camp, toward this weeping nation.
"To stop the Third Great Ninja War, to reach a future where people can truly understand one another, and to save this nation that never stops crying... we will create a conviction of peace that does not rely on extreme force or power."
"Therefore, I want to invite you—you, who are younger than us yet have fearlessly walked ahead of us. For this goal, we need your strength!"
Yahiko looked at Ren with burning intensity. He pulled a brand-new black cloak with red cloud patterns from beneath his robes and held it out with both hands.
He bowed ninety degrees and shouted with his eyes closed:
"Please, recognize me as your leader and join our organization—Akatsuki!"
The air went still. Everyone present was stunned. Ren's lip twitched. What is going on? First comes Orochimaru wanting to be my father, and now Yahiko wants to be my boss? I haven't even done anything!
No one expected Yahiko to invite a Konoha ninja—someone he was meeting for the first time—to join his fledgling group. This was treatment even Shisui, a friend of the trio, hadn't received.
"Yahiko?!" Konan and Nagato were startled. But seeing their leader's resolve, they gritted their teeth and stepped beside him, bowing in unison. Just as they had when they sought Jiraiya as their master, Yahiko was their everything.
Yet, Ren remained unmoved. He spoke decisively.
"I refuse."
"You—!" Behind Yahiko, Nagato looked up, glaring at Ren with indignation.
Ren wasn't intimidated. In fact, he looked at Nagato's eyes with interest, almost wishing the boy would summon the Gedo Statue right then and there to end him.
Ren took a breath and looked at Yahiko, exposing him without mercy. "You said all that, but the only thing you truly want to achieve is that last point. Simply saving this country."
He questioned coldly, "How do you plan to do it? 'Not relying on extreme force'—how do you implement that?"
Yahiko straightened up. Despite the rejection, his gaze remained firm. He smiled with confidence. "I have thought about that question. I once believed that if you let the enemy taste the same bitterness, they would understand. Feel the pain, experience the pain, accept the pain, know the pain... then they would fear it. I thought by conquering the world and making it 'feel pain,' the future I desired would arrive."
Shisui's expression changed slightly at those heavy words.
"But then," Yahiko continued, his voice shifting to one of absolute conviction, "I realized there is a better way! Only by baring one's heart to an opponent, hiding nothing, and showing true sincerity—and then sitting down to share a cup of brotherhood—will people truly understand each other! It is the path this world needs most, craves most, and is the hardest to walk!"
"This... is what I wanted you to hear. This is the conviction of our Akatsuki!"
But Ren was not moved. He shook his head, looking at Yahiko with a blank expression. He sighed.
"Well said. It's very inspiring. But I must tell you—that one point is simply impossible in this world. It won't work."
Yahiko wasn't discouraged. His eyes brightened as he countered, "Why?"
"Heh... Why?" Ren let out a hollow chuckle. "Because this is a world where strength is supreme!"
He stared coldly at Yahiko. "I don't know if people can ever truly understand each other; that kind of 'Great Justice' is too ethereal for me. But the prerequisite for making people listen to you is ensuring they are willing to listen. Truth is carved out by fists. Do you understand?"
Ren gave Yahiko a final look, not caring if the boy understood. This piece of advice was his greatest act of mercy. Yahiko had chosen the hardest path—one that even the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju, couldn't finish. Sincerity might be met with sincerity, but it was far more likely to be met with a cold hammer.
Ren turned on his heel and grabbed Shisui by the back of his collar, walking away without looking back.
"Shisui," he said in a low, stern voice. "Don't associate with these people anymore. That man's path is too dangerous. One wrong step and he'll drag you into the abyss with him."
Soon, his voice faded into the wind. The Land of Rain remained unchanged, the torrential downpour masking their departing figures.
In the eerie woods, Yahiko looked at the Akatsuki cloak he hadn't managed to give away. He sighed and tucked it back into his sleeve.
"Yahiko, are you okay?" Konan asked with concern. "He seemed to reject you completely."
Nagato watched Ren's receding back and shook his head, comforting Yahiko. "It's okay. We believe in you."
"Hahahaha!"
Contrary to their expectations, Yahiko wasn't discouraged at all. He burst into laughter.
"Who said he rejected us?" Yahiko raised an eyebrow, slapping a hand on both Nagato and Konan's shoulders. "Listen, Nagato, Konan. The key to the mutual understanding I spoke of lies in baring one's heart and hiding nothing. He has completely understood our conviction, and he has shown us his own thoughts. That is baring one's heart."
Yahiko smiled with renewed confidence, clenching his fist.
"Since he already understands us, the next step is to make him acknowledge our path. To make him our comrade!"
The other two were speechless, exchanging helpless glances before asking, "Yahiko, what are you going to do?"
Yahiko narrowed his eyes, peering through the curtain of rain at the spot where Ren had vanished.
"That guy... despite saying it's 'impossible,' everything he does is a step toward peace. For now, we continue our operations. Konan, keep an eye on him. Let's see what his next big move is. And when the time comes—"
Yahiko slapped his thigh, finalizing the plan.
"We will lend him a helping hand!"