Chapter 27

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**In the dead of night, Naruto lay on the bed, hands resting behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.**

The experience of being reborn as a teenager from near death still felt somewhat unreal, even though it had indeed happened. He needed this quiet night to settle down, allowing his body and mind to align with his new reality.

The faint sound of water running in the next room caught his attention.

Naruto's heart stirred. He slowly moved his left hand from under the pillow, letting it rest on his lower abdomen.

With a soft, sizzling sound, the seal of the Eight Trigrams appeared.

Naruto whispered, "Yo, Kurama. Finished going through the memories I brought with me?"

Nearly a hundred years' worth of memories—it was a staggering amount of information, and it would take Kurama some time to process it all.

Kurama's cold and arrogant voice echoed in his mind, "Hmph, so what?"

Naruto remained calm. "Since you've gone through it, you should understand why I did this, right?"

Kurama's tone remained harsh. "So?"

Naruto sighed. "So, can we go back to how we used to talk?"

Kurama's growl echoed through his mind, "Confidence? I don't remember ever having that kind of relationship with you! The one you remember isn't me…"

Naruto sat up, his voice firm. "That has to be you!"

Kurama roared, "Shut up!!! I'm the embodiment of hatred! There's no way I'd bow down to a brat like you! And those words…that wasn't me!!!"

Naruto said helplessly, "Kurama, I know you like to cause trouble, but you're just deceiving yourself…!"

"Shut up! Don't act like you know me…!!!"

In the depths of Naruto's mind, Kurama thrashed violently, his anger leaking through the seal...!

Boom!

Naruto winced as the pain shot through his head from where it hit the bed.

"Even if it was me! I don't like you now! I hate you, I despise you, I loathe you!!!"

"Kurama, I…" Naruto tried to explain, but Kurama didn't give him a chance, his voice ringing with finality.

"No matter what your reasons are, you are not Uzumaki Naruto!! Get out of this body! I will never acknowledge someone like you as Naruto, never!!!"

The seal's technique faded, and Kurama fell silent again, closing off the chakra channel.

Naruto shook his head, understanding Kurama's current attitude. Tailed beasts had emotions, and like all beings, they needed time and experiences to grow.

In his previous life, Kurama had gradually opened up to him, even sacrificing himself willingly later on. But the Kurama of this timeline hadn't undergone that growth. Even after seeing those memories and feeling the pain deep in Naruto's heart, the bijuu couldn't reconcile it logically.

Cognitive biases weren't something that could be reversed in a moment.

Naruto muttered to himself, "But I firmly believe that one day we'll open our hearts to each other again…"

The noise from earlier had disturbed Konan next door. "Naruto, is everything alright? Were you arguing with someone?"

Naruto replied, "I'm fine, Konan. Just talking to an old friend."

"I see…" Konan's voice was understanding.

Naruto, still thinking about Kurama's attitude, asked hesitantly, "Konan, are you helping me just because I showed you those memories?"

There was a long silence before Konan spoke again. "We're both disciples of Jiraiya, but you're the only one who has truly followed the path of the ninja he taught. Even before you died, I could see the shadow of Yahiko in you… Those memories play a part, but they're not everything."

Naruto felt a sense of relief. "I understand. That puts my mind at ease."

"Get some rest. We have a long journey ahead, and we need to take it slowly."

Naruto closed his eyes. "Good night, Konan."

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, fully recharged, Naruto and the others gathered on the ninth floor of the tower to discuss their future plans.

Naruto sat facing north, with a round table in front of him. A wooden box lay on the table, and from his position, he had a clear view of the cloudy sky and the rain outside the tower.

Konan stood behind him.

Orochimaru sat to the east, arms folded with a knowing smile on his lips.

Kisame sat to the west, his posture composed, with Samehada standing beside him.

Naruto leaned forward, clasping his hands together, his chin resting on the back of his hands, his expression thoughtful.

"Let's begin."

With a slight movement of Konan's palm, a ninja world map made of parchment unrolled on the back wall.

Lightning and thunder lit up her cold expression, the paper flower in her hair accentuating her mature demeanor.

Naruto spoke methodically, "The Five Great Shinobi Villages—Konoha, Suna, Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa—rely on the economic support of their respective nations and the ninjutsu passed down through generations to maintain their dominance over the shinobi world…"

"Our first goal is to collect the secret jutsu and kekkei genkai of these villages…"

"Kekkei genkai are bound by bloodlines, so we'll start with the secret techniques first."

"Kumo's Lightning Release ninjutsu, Iwa's Light and Heavy Boulder Technique, Kiri's assassination techniques, Suna's puppet techniques, and Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho techniques are all powers I want to obtain."

In his previous life, the Five Great Shinobi Villages had shared knowledge, and as the backbone of the Five Kage, Naruto could have easily acquired these techniques. But at the time, he had been content with his own skills, believing them to be enough.

It wasn't until he faced overwhelming enemies that Naruto realized the truth—having a variety of skills could often yield unexpected and even world-altering results.

In this life, Naruto was determined to acquire these secret techniques.

Orochimaru ran a hand through his hair, resting it on his cheek as he glanced at the map. His voice was low and hoarse, "The Hidden Rain Village we're in is close to Suna, Iwa, and Konoha. We should prioritize these three villages. Given our current situation, Konoha—with your Flying Thunder God mark—and Suna, which is relatively weak, should be our first targets."

Naruto shook his head. "I want to leave Konoha for last. Suna's winds make it difficult to move, and Iwa's Tsuchikage Onoki is a veteran with formidable experience. We might not come away unscathed."

"Besides, Rain village is too close to these villages. If we clash with them, they could easily send ninjas to retaliate. We're still weak and can't afford a direct confrontation…"

Naruto stood and walked to the map, drawing a circle around Kumo and drawing an arrow from Rain village.

"Kumo has already shown hostility toward us. It's only a matter of time before we clash, so we should strike first…"

Naruto thought to himself, I can also redirect Raikage's grudge against Sasuke onto me…

Orochimaru smiled slyly. "It seems you've made up your mind. You really want that Lightning Chakra Mode, don't you, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto's gaze was steady. "Yes… The Lightning Chakra Mode will enhance my reflexes, taijutsu, and defense to another level. If combined with Sage Mode, or even the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in the future, I might become unstoppable…"

Kisame spoke up, "Speaking of which, our group doesn't have a name yet. Operating under the name of Hidden Rain seems… lacking in intimidation."

Naruto glanced at Konan, who was still wearing the Akatsuki cloak.

He then looked back at Kisame and said, "Our organization will still be named 'Akatsuki.' We operate in the shadows, but our hearts are set on the light. To distinguish ourselves from the other Akatsuki, we'll be call Yōgure.'"

"Yōgure…" A rare smile appeared on Konan's cold lips.

From that moment on, Akatsuki was divided into light and dark.

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