Nagato's voice slowly echoed, clearly reaching Minato Namikaze's ears.
"Jiraiya-sensei's disciples…"
Minato took a deep breath, his brows slightly furrowed. He had already suspected that these three might be Jiraiya-sensei's disciples, but he couldn't easily trust them. Two conflicting thoughts arose in his mind.
The first was that these three could indeed be Jiraiya-sensei's disciples, but he had no idea why they had co to find him.
The second was that these three might not be Jiraiya-sensei's disciples but were rely impersonating them. Minato's status as Jiraiya's disciple was well-known in Konoha and beyond, and since he was now a Hokage candidate, this information had likely spread to other villages. So, they might have prepared in advance for such deception.
Faced with these two possibilities, Minato couldn't be sure whether these three were genuine disciples of Jiraiya-sensei or impostors.
"What is your purpose for coming to see ?"
Minato asked in a calm voice, maintaining his composure.
Having just left Aoba, where they had discussed nurous strategies, Minato still felt calm after their conversation. He could keep himself in peace, free from unnecessary pressure, as long as he remained quiet. With his mind clear, he could make accurate judgnts when dealing with these three individuals.
Thanks to Aoba's influence, Minato understood that when facing unknown situations, he should not first assu goodwill but approach things cautiously. Though not everyone might harbour ill intentions, Minato was now in a critical position as a Hokage candidate, and carelessness was unacceptable.
Any slight misstep could jeopardise his chances of becoming Hokage, and that risk was too significant to ignore.
Minato's gaze swept over the three individuals in front of him before landing again on the red-haired boy, Nagato, who stood at the forefront.
Minato knew this boy was their leader, but he still couldn't confirm whether they were indeed Jiraiya-sensei's disciples.
Even if they were, he didn't know their motives.
After all, Jiraiya had never told him the details or appearances of these disciples—only ntioning once that he had trained three others. But after two years, their master-student relationship had ended.
Minato had no evidence to prove that these three were the disciples Jiraiya had spoken of, so he cautiously approached the situation.
The three could sense Minato's wariness. After all, neither Nagato, Yahiko, nor Konan were fools.
Before eting Minato, they had already discussed how to approach him. They were here to find Aoba, and with Aoba's suggestion, they had co to Minato, hoping to rely on their shared connection to Jiraiya-sensei to gain entry into Konoha. However, Aoba didn't explicitly introduce the topic, so the final step depended on the connection between Minato and Jiraiya's disciples.
This connection was the only link they could use to establish a relationship and gain Minato's acceptance into Konoha.
While it sounded simple, the actual process took a lot of work.
Konoha was one of the largest villages in the ninja world and one of the five great villages. Its inhabitants were mainly born there, and a few orphans from outside were adopted into the village.
For them, as people from Agakure (the Village Hidden in the Rain), even with their scratched headbands marking them as missing-nin, entering a different village was nearly impossible.
If Konoha were to take in defectors from another village, it could bring significant criticism.
More importantly, Minato was currently in the running for Hokage, a position he was already highly favoured for. They knew their arrival could potentially impact Minato's standing.
The trio had considered this before coming. They knew that any small influence could negatively affect Minato during Konoha's leadership transition. They sought to rely on Minato's connection to Jiraiya, but they didn't want to beco a burden to him. So, from the outset, they needed to establish a positive relationship with Minato.
"Minato-senpai!"
"We an no harm."
"We ca here out of gratitude for Jiraiya-sensei's care. After he left, we founded an organization called Akatsuki, gathering like-minded individuals to change the world through our own ans."
"We wanted to bring peace to the ninja world, but we realized our strength alone was not enough. So, we thought of you, Minato-senpai, and we hope to join Konoha."
Nagato spoke first, explaining their intentions. He was now Ōtsutsuki Nagato, seeing himself as a mber of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, which gave him newfound confidence and authority. He had taken the lead in the group, assuming the role of the spokesperson.
In the past, Yahiko would have been the leader of Akatsuki, and it would have been him or Konan speaking. But with Nagato's change in identity, he had taken the reins.
The words he spoke had been discussed by the trio beforehand. They hadn't wasted ti since eting Aoba. After learning they needed to find Minato, they didn't rush straight to Konoha but instead camped out, discussing their approach.
They understood that approaching Minato was different from eting Aoba. To avoid making any missteps, they needed to gather information about Minato's preferences.
Their goal wasn't to grow the Akatsuki organisation by joining Konoha. The group had beco less important to them over ti. What mattered now was staying in Konoha so they could be near Aoba.
"We only wish to live in Konoha, so we sought you out."
"We hope you can offer us a place."
"Of course, we're not asking to stay here for free. In return, we are willing to help you with anything you need. Should you face any problems, you can count on us to assist without hesitation."
"All we ask is to reside in Konoha, where we can live peacefully."
Nagato added, clarifying their request. His desire to stay in Konoha was primarily to remain close to Aoba. Having resolved his feelings of revenge after his parent's deaths, Nagato now viewed the village differently, with no lingering emotions of anger.
While he didn't voice these thoughts, his heart had beco more focused on maintaining his connection to Aoba.
He wanted to stay in Konoha not for revenge but because the environnt was pleasant. After comparing it to Agakure's constant rain, Konoha seed a far more tranquil and enjoyable place to live.
Yahiko and Konan nodded in agreent. During their journey through the Land of Fire's forests, they experienced Konoha's peaceful beauty, finding it far more refreshing than the endless rain of Agakure.
At the sa ti, they began to understand why wars were often fought in the ninja world—it was usually due to geographical differences.
People wanted to move their villages to more suitable locations for living, not just for themselves but for future generations. This realisation gave them a deeper understanding of the root causes of conflict…
4o
Reviews
All reviews (0)