38 - Pawns, Knights, and Kings

Shin had actually anticipated this: the negotiation would not be achieved so easily. Just like a game of chess, every player must think they're making the winning move.

He sat quietly in his room as he considered the pieces in play.

Iwa always saw themselves as the stronger side, so how could they possibly sit down at the negotiating table, being forced and uninformed, without resisting?

If he were in the Tsuchikage's position, he too would make every effort to regain some advantage before the negotiations began.

What Shin hadn't expected, though, was that Ōnoki would be so ruthless—not even in a rush to save his own son, postponing all discussions for five days. The Tsuchikage plays cautiously, sacrificing tempo for position. Interesting choice, old man.

Upon hearing this news, Nagato asked anxiously, "What should we do next? Iwa likely won't sit idle during these five days."

"They definitely won't," Shin corrected him. Just like in chess, every piece must move with purpose.

Nagato instinctively wanted to sigh, only to notice how calm Shin appeared. "You have a plan?"

Shin shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Not this time."

Nagato's enthusiasm faded again, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Behind him, Kaori observed Shin's steady demeanor before asking, "Are you saying that, while there may be trouble, there won't be any real danger?" 

Shin nodded with satisfaction, flicking Nagato's forehead.

"Learn from your aunt and use your own brain; don't rely solely on your eyes for everything."

A few months ago, he wouldn't have dared to discipline Nagato like this. Now, however, he was being scolded without complaint, looking as pitiful as a child who had done something wrong.

At that moment, Konan also caught on, her paper butterfly landing softly on the table between them.

"I understand. You believe that Iwa hasn't outright refused the deal, and with the Tsuchikage's son still in our hands, they'll cause trouble but won't go as far as killing anyone?"

Shin nodded, watching the paper butterfly's wings flutter gently.

He was actually bluffing; he couldn't guarantee that Iwa would fully restrain themselves from bloodshed. Yet he chose to proceed, because he needed this opportunity—a chance to temper Akatsuki. A king needs more than just pawns. We need knights, bishops, even queens.

"Nagato, over the next five days, it's time for your intelligence department to take action."

"There will be no better chance than this. Akatsuki can't forever depend on just a few of us; we need more companions who can match our pace and share our ideals."

Akatsuki was ready to grow.

Although Akatsuki in the original story of Naruto Shippuden was stylish and formidable, Shin hoped his own organization would not turn out so small and sparsely populated. He wanted something greater, more comprehensive—an organization that could truly change the world, not just threaten it.

"I've given you all the resources; now it's your time to develop." Shin declared.

There would never be a better time than the coming days—Iwa would hesitate to go all out, but they would still apply enough pressure on Akatsuki.

Only then did Nagato fully understand, though he still felt a bit timid, afraid of failing. Until Kaori stepped forward and gently patted his head. "You've grown stronger than you realize," she said softly. "Trust in that strength."

In hindsight, finding him a blood relative was indeed the right move. Compared to the original, this Nagato was far more cheerful and resilient.

In the days that followed, the territory controlled by Akatsuki seemed peaceful on the surface, yet beneath the calm, currents surged.

Both Akatsuki and Iwa refrained from openly escalating, so outwardly, things appeared harmonious. Like a chess board before the storm, the surface remained calm.

Villagers believed that the war had passed, smiling freely as they walked the streets. But in the depths of the forest, under cover of night, brutal clashes continued.

"Remember what Captain Shin taught us," a team leader whispered to his squad as they moved through the trees. "Watch the shadows, think three moves ahead."

Throughout these encounters, both sides demonstrated the ninja's art of shadow warfare. Each moment was a lethal game of stealth, sensing, reconnaissance, and counter-reconnaissance.

Initially, Akatsuki's team suffered heavy losses. Despite Nagato's support, Iwa's ambushes claimed over a dozen captives on the first day.

Thankfully, by the second day, these people returned bruised and limping. "They interrogated us," one reported, "but we remembered your teachings, Shin-sama. We gave them nothing of value."

Shin wasn't angry; whenever he had time, he shared the covert combat insights he had gained from the system with the team.

By the second day, the number of captured members dropped to single digits.

On the third day, some members even managed to anticipate an attack, countering and defeating an Iwa team! "Just like you said," a young ninja reported proudly to Shin, "we spotted their pattern and turned their own strategy against them."

Under intense pressure, this ragtag team was evolving rapidly, transforming into covert operatives comparable to elite squads from the great ninja villages.

Every day brought significant gains for Akatsuki.

In contrast, Iwa's efforts yielded meager rewards. Their frustration grew with each passing day. A former ANBU ninja was pacing anxiously in their hidden outpost.

"Did the Ame ninja we caught today talk?"

One of his men responded, head bowed, "Yes… but the information's the same as before—all about their admiration for Akatsuki, saying their leader Shin is omnipotent."

"Damn it!"

The Iwa jonin punched a nearby tree in frustration, bark splintering under his fist. Another dead end. These pawns know nothing of value.

In these secret skirmishes, Iwa was clearly dominant, but they had obtained almost no valuable intelligence. Each captured Akatsuki member was like a blank scroll—plenty of words, but no real substance.

"Shin! Shin! It's always that boy! Is there no other key figure in this organization?"

The reporting ninja hesitated before responding, shifting uncomfortably, "There was an original founder named Yahiko, according to our interrogations."

The jonin perked up. "Is he worth investigating?"

The ninja regretfully replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "Apparently not. According to our understanding, he's been dethroned."

"...Useless!"

The Iwa jonin muttered, unclear about whom he was cursing. His fingers traced the handle of his kunai absently, a nervous habit born from years of covert operations.

As the negotiation date drew closer, Iwa still hadn't acquired any valuable information, leaving their agents frustrated. Hours of interrogation yielded nothing but praise for Shin and vague declarations of loyalty to Akatsuki.

Then, at this critical moment, a ninja arrived urgently to report.

"Captain, there's been a breakthrough!"

"What breakthrough? Do we know what intel they're hiding?" the Iwa jonin asked eagerly.

"We just captured a high-ranking Akatsuki member. He was highly alert, and we paid a high price in the struggle, and he was rescued soon after."

"But during the short capture, we used genjutsu to hypnotize him and got one key piece of information! The intel they intercepted from Root was from the Land of Earth and hadn't yet reached Konoha. It contains only one keyword."

"What is it?" the Iwa jonin asked urgently, leaning forward, his scarred hands clenching into fists.

The ninja lowered his head and replied, "Raikage."

The simple mention shocked the intelligence-capturing jonin to his core. He stumbled back a step, face paling.

Meanwhile, within the Akatsuki base, Shin showed no displeasure toward the member responsible for the 'leak'. Instead, with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he murmured quietly.

"What's your next move, Ōnoki?"

---

Iwa had long harbored thoughts about the Third Raikage. However, this plan was still in the covert stage, known only to the higher-ranking jonin and the ANBU. Every document related to it was sealed with special jutsu, every meeting conducted in absolute secrecy.

Thus, the chunin who collected intelligence reported it easily, but the jonin hearing it was shaken to the core.

"Are you absolutely certain about this information?" the jonin demanded, gripping the chunin's shoulders.

The chunin nodded eagerly, "Yes! They knew every detail about the plan. Even the timing we considered for—"

"Enough!" The jonin cut him off.

At this point, he no longer doubted the authenticity of Ame intercepting information from Root. He hurried back, desperate to get the Tsuchikage to immediately push for negotiations and a deal.

The night before the Demolitions Unit attacked, he had shown an important scroll to key members of Akatsuki, containing information about Iwa's plans to ambush the Third Raikage.

He was sure that before Ōnoki actually moved against the Third Raikage, Iwa wouldn't dare let outsiders know they harbored such thoughts.

At that time, Iwa and Kumo were still tacit allies, cooperating to encircle Konoha in the north. Their forces moved in careful coordination, each village watching the other's back while simultaneously watching each other.

It was like Britain and Russia during their alliance against Napoleon, fighting together yet watching each other warily. The tension beneath their cooperation was unmistakable, like a wire stretched too tight.

Iwa's next planned move mirrored Britain's swift diplomatic turn against Russia after Napoleon's defeat—while they had fought together against France, Britain quickly moved to contain their former Russian allies, fearing they would become too powerful in the post-war European order.

Whether the number one ninja village was Konoha or Kumo didn't matter to Iwa; what mattered was that there shouldn't be one. Ōnoki understood better than anyone that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But this could not be exposed. Just like how before Guan Yu's death, Lu Meng dared not let the world know he planned to cross the river. One whisper in the wrong ear would bring everything crashing down.

So, Shin was confident Iwa would not remain calm. But there was a flaw in the plan. Iwa had come unexpectedly, so he hadn't started setting up right when Torune was killed.

There was a long gap in between, leaving some weak spots. Any skilled investigator might notice the inconsistencies in their timeline.

But the rapid growth and progress of Akatsuki in recent days covered this flaw. They acted their parts convincingly. Each member had learned their role perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

At this moment, the returning team member was excitedly talking to others.

"I pretended to be under a genjutsu, even stabbed my thigh with a kunai to make it look real." He pulled up his pant leg to show the fresh wound. "The look on their faces when they thought they had me—priceless!"

"Before leaving, I punched those two Iwa jonin holding me down, haha! As if I'd fall for such a weak genjutsu, not when compared to Captain Shin's skills." He threw a mock punch into the air, grinning widely.

A teammate beside him analyzed further, leaning forward with professional interest. "The self-inflicted wound was a nice touch, but next time, try to make it messier. Clean cuts look too deliberate."

"You should've prepared some explosive tags to make it look like you'd go down with them. Also, you should've shown more remorse and regret just before escaping. The emotions needed to be more intense."

The person was taken aback. "The standard's that high?"

"Of course. Has Captain Shin ever failed at deceiving people?" The teammate raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

The person's face instantly turned serious, catching on to the lesson within the lesson. "What nonsense! Captain Shin never lies."

His teammate slapped his thigh, barely containing his laughter. "Exactly! This time, the emotions were spot on!"

The room instantly filled with laughter and cheer.

Nagato looked on from the side, a faint smile appearing on his face. The changes in his companions were both impressive and slightly disturbing. They're learning fast. Not just the techniques, but the mindset behind them...

Though the organization's atmosphere seemed to have unknowingly shifted, making what should have been a benevolent group feel like a villain's lair... The laughter had a sharper edge now, the jokes darker undertones.

But everyone's growth was undeniable. From being helplessly overpowered by Iwa in covert operations, they could now deceive the them in turn. Although this was still thanks to Shin's planning, his Reconnaissance Unit finally had the ability to be useful tools, no longer just dead weight and protected assets.

Akatsuki's ragtag team was now undergoing a metamorphosis, on its way to becoming a truly respectable ninja organization.

---

Even though the five-day period hadn't yet passed, Ōnoki was already restless. The moment he received his subordinate's report, cold sweat broke out. 

"The Third Raikage? How did they know?" Ōnoki's fist clenched, crushing the report in his hand.

Root! It must be Root! Damn Konoha! Did they plant spies within our village?

If Shin had directly tried to frame the Root in front of him, Ōnoki might not have believed him. But now, since the information came from his own people, he had no reason to doubt it.

And so, Shin had successfully pinned yet another crime on Root, just as he'd done before.

As he had expected, Ōnoki was no longer calm. He might ignore his son, but he couldn't ignore his village. The consequences of this information leaking to Kumo would be catastrophic.

That very day, Akatsuki received an invitation for an early negotiation. The messenger arrived breathless, as if the Tsuchikage himself had been pushing for haste.

Everyone was delighted.

"It actually worked?"a young member asked.

"The Five Great Ninja Villages aren't that scary after all!"

If only they knew the real game hasn't even begun.

Shin let out a breath, realizing that the most difficult moment had seemingly passed. From now on, the tables had turned—it was time for them to control Iwa's moves.

Ōnoki, you wouldn't want others to know you were plotting against the Raikage, right?

The negotiations were set to take place in Ame, the headquarters of Hanzō.

In the original storyline, this village would later be transformed into a networked Akatsuki base and become Jiraiya's final resting place. But for now, it was just a peaceful, ordinary village. Or at least, it appeared that way on the surface.

The village was divided into a core zone and an outer zone. The contrast between the two areas was like night and day.

The core zone belonged Hanzō, his subordinates, and the Ame ninjas, while the outer zone was the residential area for regular citizens of the Land of Rain.

The separation was maintained by both physical barriers and the invisible walls of fear.

Upon arrival, Nagato and Konan's first impression was unambiguous:

"This place is chaotic," Nagato murmured, watching a group of drunk shinobi harassing merchants in broad daylight. No one dared intervene. Is this what peace looks like to Hanzō?

Disorderly, violent, yet prosperous—such was everyone's initial impression of Ame. The streets were filled with both commerce and crime, neither seeming to mind the other's presence.

Street vendors competed with organized crime for territory, while Hanzō's men collected protection money from both sides.

He was not exactly a stellar leader, especially now, as he had long since lost any ambition to make the Land of Rain great again. His presence could be felt everywhere, from the patrol patterns of his guards to the fearful glances of civilians, yet he seemed absent from actually governing.

Yet, this place was still among the safest in the Land of Rain. Compared to the ninja wars outside, the sporadic street violence was something people could endure. At least here, you knew who would kill you.

And so, despite the chaos, the village still had a certain vibrancy. But most residents didn't necessarily like it here—they simply had no choice. The alternatives were worse: refugee camps, war zones, or the harsh life of wandering survivors.

Konan watched a vendor in a nearby alley being openly bullied by several Ame ninja. They were taking samples of his wares while making thinly veiled threats.

"Pay up, old man," one ninja sneered, biting into stolen fruit. "The roads are dangerous these days. Wouldn't want anything to happen to your cart."

She couldn't help but show a look of sympathy. "I don't like it here," she murmured softly.

If it were Yahiko, he would probably say, "We should try to understand each other. Hanzō is doing his best for the Land of Rain." He'd want to believe in the good intentions behind the corruption.

But this time, he had been deliberately excluded from the negotiation team. His idealism would only get in the way.

The leader this time was Shin.

He glanced over, then, without hesitation, tossed a shuriken. The weapon sliced through the rain with deadly precision.

The shuriken curved in the air, taking a wide arc before striking one of the Ame ninja in the back. The sound of metal meeting flesh was masked by the constant patter of rain.

"Ah!!" The Ame ninja screamed in pain, dropping the stolen fruit as he stumbled forward. Blood mixed with rainwater, creating pink puddles at his feet.

But since the shuriken had curved mid-air, the Ame ninja turned around, unable to spot Shin, and instead started yelling in the opposite direction. His companions drew weapons, scanning the wrong area for threats.

"Who's there?" He clutched at the wound, trying and failing to reach the embedded shuriken.

"Show yourself!" His threats echoed off empty walls as the vendor quietly gathered his remaining goods.

By the time he realized, the vendor had escaped, and Shin and his team had already moved on. The rain washed away their footprints, leaving no trace of their intervention.

On the road, Shin turned to Konan with a smile and said, "It's okay not to like it. Don't hold back—I don't like it either."

"But someday, we will turn this hateful, imperfect world into the one we hope for." Not through understanding or patience, but through action. And no bananas if possible...

This statement meant far more than mutual understanding. It was a promise of change, backed by the will to act.

Konan quietly murmured, "Yes," and in that moment, her gaze towards Shin held the reflection of a starlit sky.

She understood now—sometimes justice needed a sharp edge to cut through corruption.

---

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