Chapter 31: Two Choices

The days in Amegakure passed one after another.

Yuto was having a good time. Now, at the beginning of the 56th year of Konoha, the three members of Amegakure were still undeniably good people, and the Akatsuki organization aimed for world peace. Living here, aside from the inconvenience of drying clothes after washing, was surprisingly comfortable.

Having stayed in Amegakure for nearly a month, Yuto had become accustomed to the continuous rain and even found rainy days tolerable, as they at least kept things cool.

One day, after finishing his strenuous training, he returned to his room.

The small room was filled with a quiet floral fragrance. The seeds given by Kaoru were excellent, and whatever method was used to create them, the fragrance was long-lasting. Lying in bed, he felt a refreshing sense of being in the wilderness.

Yuto's appearance had changed somewhat since he arrived. His hands and arms were wrapped in layers of bandages. If the bandages were removed, one could see dense, unhealed scars on his skin.

—The Lion's Fang Bite technique was almost complete.

Based on Yuto's understanding of chakra and Kenjutsu, with guidance from Minato and further research by Nagato, this technique had incorporated various ninjutsu concepts, increasing its power tremendously, though it also inflicted damage on the user's body.

Now, Tsunade had to finalize the improvements to reduce or eliminate the backlash on the user for the technique to be considered complete.

Undoubtedly, this technique was truly an S-rank in terms of both "power" and "training difficulty"!

This trip to the Land of Rain had yielded greater results than expected. Yuto originally planned to continue building his base by collecting heads but unexpectedly got the opportunity to complete the Lion's Fang Bite.

Just as he lay down on his bed, a strange feeling suddenly came over him.

Yuto squinted, sat up straight, and looked at his bandaged hands with a frown, smiling wryly. He had no choice but to bite his tongue and use the tongue blood to perform the summoning technique luxuriously.

With a puff of smoke, Katsuyu appeared.

"Yuto-kun... Oh! What happened to your hands?"

"Nothing, just some aftereffects of training. I'll be fine with some rest," Yuto said respectfully.

"Lady Katsuyu, do you have any news from Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yes, he asked Tsunade-sama to send back a message... [Hahaha! Those three kids have grown up. You can leave their letter with me!], that's what Jiraiya-sama said."

"Thank you, and sorry for the trouble, Lady Katsuyu."

"Wait a moment." Katsuyu's gentle voice had a hint of schadenfreude.

"Lady Tsunade said you've been out for a month and a half, and she almost forgot she has a male student."

"Uh..." Yuto scratched his head apologetically.

"I'm really sorry to my sensei... I got so absorbed in developing ninjutsu that I lost track of time. I'll return soon with Jiraiya-sama's letter." As he spoke, he took out a small box from under the bed.

"This is a collection of small trinkets I gathered in Amegakure. I hope my sensei likes them; they are handy items... because they can fetch a good price if needed." He emphasized the last few words.

"Yuto, you are indeed a very filial child," Katsuyu sincerely praised, swallowing the valuable box and disappearing with a puff.

In the room, Yuto rubbed his shoulders, got up, took off his high-collar cloak, changed into Konoha-style shinobi attire, and walked out the door.

He was already quite familiar with the base and soon arrived outside Yahiko's room.

After knocking and receiving a response, Yuto pushed the door open and entered.

The moment he stepped in, his heart skipped a beat.

As a double agent for Konoha, Yuto always required himself to stay sharp. Upon entering, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the room was off.

Yahiko and Konan's faces were dark as if dripping water, and Nagato was no longer as calm as usual. He seemed like a tsunami about to erupt.

"Ah, Yuto-kun." Yahiko forced a smile.

"Is there something you need?"

"Jiraiya-sama replied to me. He indeed has a deep connection with you three, so I can take your letter."

"This is one of the few good things today," Yahiko sighed.

"Nagato, please hand the letter to Yuto-kun later."

Yuto blinked.

"By the way, there's one more thing. I've been here for almost a month, and since Jiraiya-sama has agreed, I should be taking my leave..."

"No need to rush," Nagato suddenly said. Over the past few weeks, he had grown closer to Yuto and used more intimate terms.

"Yuto, your technique still lacks something. I was thinking of perfecting it. Give me one or two days, and once it's done, you can leave."

Yuto thought for a moment and agreed. He knew the three of them had something to discuss, so he tactfully yawned and left the room.

The atmosphere inside the room grew tense again.

After a long silence, Yahiko said softly, "Konan, bring Takeda here."

A paper crane flew out, and shortly after, the door opened again.

"Leader," Takeda Takeshi stood respectfully.

Yahiko's expression was somewhat dazed. This subordinate had always been the most reliable, always at the front line in battles, sincere, and responsible... From the establishment of Akatsuki until now, how many troubles had he solved for himself? During thunderstorms, Takeda would suffer unbearable headaches, a hidden injury from taking a blade for him back then...

The handsome and bold young man felt reluctant and closed his eyes, unsure how to speak.

Konan, being more decisive, saw Yahiko's hesitation and decided to be direct, "Takeda, a month ago, we identified the spy who leaked your route... It was Kaoru Asano; she's from Konoha."

Takeda's breath hitched, struck by lightning.

Konan sighed.

"This past month, I investigated many places in secret, working with Yahiko for covert operations. After multiple tests, we confirmed it was Kaoru Asano. Takeda, I know you..." Konan paused, then revealed everything:

"Kaoru Asano is now the person you trust the most, and you have a close relationship... Your subordinates are practically her subordinates."

"And more importantly, I intercepted a message by chance. Takeda, an assassination plot against you is about to commence. If you die in the assassination, Kaoru Asano will take your place. This is too dangerous."

"We must act first, Takeda..."

"Impossible." Takeda, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. He only said a few words and then stood in a daze again.

'What was impossible? Kaoru couldn't be a spy? Or Kaoru... couldn't really kill you?'

Konan pondered this and looked at Yahiko.

The final decision still lay with Yahiko.

"...Handle it yourself. As long as it doesn't harm the organization, I'll approve of your actions," Yahiko said softly, making the biggest concession possible after some deliberation.

"Either banish Kaoru Asano from the Land of Rain, or we kill her ourselves. There's no third choice."

"I'm sorry, Takeda. Say your goodbyes to Kaoru Asano..."

"But remember, don't hesitate. After all, she's the woman who wants to kill you."

(End of Chapter)