Chapter 228: Time Flies
After leaving the management of the base to Nanako, Ye Zi departed and headed to the Land of Fire to meet up with Sasori, who had not had much success during his trip to the Land of Water.
"Did you run into trouble?" Ye Zi asked.
"It was a hassle," Sasori responded curtly, clearly not wanting to talk about it.
Since Sasori didn't want to dwell on the topic, Ye Zi didn't press him. After spending some time in the Land of Fire, they returned to the Land of Rain. However, instead of Nagato, they were greeted by Konan.
In the vast, open hall, the sound of water running through drainage pipes echoed against the walls, making the space feel noisy.
Ye Zi looked at Konan and asked, "Where's Nagato?"
"He's dealing with something and can't step away right now," Konan replied.
Nagato was nearing the completion of his final path, the sixth body for his Pain technique. Once he had control over all six bodies, combined with his own power, he would become an unstoppable force.
Konan wasn't going to share these details with Ye Zi, so she offered a vague explanation of Nagato's absence.
Madara had told Ye Zi about some of the Six Paths techniques and the powers of the Rinnegan, but he hadn't mentioned the specifics of the Pain technique. Ye Zi accepted Konan's explanation without overthinking it.
This time, his return was mainly to address two things: securing the final member for the Phantom Nine Dragons Seal and checking on Sasori's progress with his new weapons.
Sasori suddenly asked, "How's the situation in the Land of Earth?"
"In three days, the materials you need will be ready," Konan replied calmly. Much effort had been diverted to gather these materials, though she wasn't sure if it would be worth it.
Sasori nodded slightly. If he had those materials earlier, he wouldn't have come back empty-handed from the Land of Water.
"Have you recruited any new members?" Sasori was interested in his weapons, while Ye Zi was more concerned about finding the core members needed for the Phantom Nine Dragons Seal.
"Yes, 'andai recommended a fellow rogue ninja from the Mist, Jūzō Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Nagato has already met with him, and he meets the requirements so now we only need one more."
In theory, the Phantom Nine Dragons Seal required a minimum of nine people to perform. While it was possible to perform the seal with fewer, doing so would double the difficulty and strain on the participants' chakra. The safest number was ten people.
However, the ritual could work with nine, as long as they were strong enough. Even someone like Funaki Shūroku, who wasn't as strong as Kakuzu, could still fill the role.
"Only one more person to go," Ye Zi's eyes flashed with anticipation. Once they had all the members, they could focus on capturing the tailed beasts. Of course, they would have to overcome resistance from the various ninja villages along the way.
"Let me know as soon as you find a suitable candidate," Ye Zi said, holding back his excitement as he turned to leave. Sasori followed him, and the two left the hall side by side.
Konan silently watched Ye Zi's retreating figure, her expression unreadable, deep in thought.
Sasori stayed in Amegakure for three days, waiting for his new weapons. When they were ready, Ye Zi accompanied him to collect the large stockpile of weapons made from black iron ore.
Feeling a bit excited, Sasori suggested that Ye Zi join him for some sparring in a secluded area to test the new weapons.
Ye Zi, curious about how much these weapons would improve Sasori's fighting ability, agreed.
They engaged in a light battle. At first, Ye Zi easily dodged all of Sasori's non-poisoned weapons, which scattered across the area.
Ye Zi caught one of the weapons and thought it wasn't particularly impressive.
However, when Sasori brought out the Third Kazekage puppet, the situation changed. Sasori used Magnet Release to draw Ye Zi's attention, then, all of a sudden, the previously discarded weapons rose from the ground, surrounding Ye Zi. The sheer number of needle-shaped weapons was overwhelming.
At that moment, Ye Zi barely dodged the Magnet Release attack. He almost used Wood Release to defend himself but stopped at the last second because the weapons halted in midair under Sasori's control.
Sasori, confident that he had won, floated more of the weapons into the air with the Third Kazekage puppet, as if to show Ye Zi the impact of his new arsenal.
"Well? What do you think?" Sasori asked coldly.
"It's a bit more impressive than I expected," Ye Zi replied, looking at the mass of floating weapons. He knew he could have defended himself with Wood Release, but Sasori's strategy had caught him off guard.
"Is this your trump card? And you're showing it to me so easily?" Ye Zi asked, sensing Sasori's pride.
"It doesn't matter," Sasori replied indifferently. "I may not see you as an ally, but at least we're on the same side."
Sasori's real target was Konoha's White Fang, but with his current strength, he wasn't confident he could defeat him. That's why he had agreed to join the Akatsuki—to use its power for his revenge.
Unlike Sasori, Ye Zi was more guarded with his secrets. Pointing to the floating weapons, he said calmly, "Put those away. They're in the way."
Sasori retracted the weapons and remarked, "I still need to coat them with poison."
Ye Zi fell silent for a moment. With poison added, these weapons would be even deadlier—a terrifying combination.
Ye Zi's estimation of Sasori's strength rose a notch.
Afterward, the two left the Land of Rain.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by since the end of the Third Great Ninja War. Peace had finally arrived, and life had started to settle back into normalcy.
With the situation stabilizing and peace taking root, ninja villages became a financial burden for their respective nations. After six months of hesitation, the major nations decided to reduce their funding for the ninja villages. During this peaceful period, the need for a large military force wasn't as pressing, and there was no longer a need for such significant financial support. Though peace treaties had been signed, risks remained, but the great nations still insisted on cutting funding for the ninja villages.
Despite efforts from the villages to explain the potential dangers, the Daimyo and ministers were more focused on cost-effectiveness.
Raising skilled ninjas required significant investment in time and resources. A ninja's life was dedicated to fighting for their village, family, and country. But in times of peace, ninjas were no longer needed on the battlefield.
With reduced national support, the villages were forced to find their own ways to fill the financial gaps and ensure that the next generation of ninjas wouldn't be lost.
On the east side of Konoha Village, there was a famous dango shop. Inside, Kakashi and his peers were gathered, each holding a plate of three-colored dango.
"Congratulations on becoming Chūnin!" the group cheered.
In the small shop, the young ninjas beamed with smiles, each holding up a dango stick to toast in the center—except for one silver-haired boy, who sat lazily to the side.
"Hey, Kakashi! Why don't you join us in the celebration?" Obito, wearing his goggles, shouted at him.
At Obito's call, everyone turned to look at Kakashi, including Rin, Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, Genma, Hayate, Kotoe, and Shizune.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Kakashi lazily raised his tired eyes and replied, "You're celebrating becoming Chūnin, right?"
"Yeah!" Obito said excitedly. Thanks to his Sharingan, he had managed to pass the Chūnin Exams, and he was still overjoyed about it.
"But I've already been a Jōnin for a while now," Kakashi said.
Obito's forehead furrowed in frustration, and he shouted, "But Sister Kotoe is also a Jōnin!"
Kakashi glanced at Kotoe, who smiled without saying a word. He sighed, rubbed his head, and raised his dango stick lazily. "Fine. Congratulations, everyone."
"That's more like it," Obito said, raising his dango stick in excitement. "Cheers!"
"Oh!" Guy immediately echoed.
Rin smiled at the group, sneaking a glance at Kakashi. Kurenai rolled her eyes at Guy.
Shizune covered her mouth, giggling, while Kotoe quietly began eating her dango.
Asuma, Genma, and Hayate exchanged glances and shrugged before raising their sticks. In their still somewhat immature voices, they joined in.
"Cheers!"
Kakashi lowered his head slightly, a faint smile appearing under his mask.
After their simple celebration, the group happily dug into their dango.
"From a distance, I thought you were selling sake now, with all that 'cheers' going on," a slightly disappointed voice came from the open shop door.
Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man with long white hair, wearing a red-and-green robe.
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