Starting with the usurpation of Akatsuki, the ninja world was overthrown.

Chapter 37 Changes Beyond the Timeline

Chapter 37 Changes Beyond the Timeline

A day later, Ryoma Aburame arrived in the Land of Rain, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

However, as a relatively pure Konoha intelligence expert, Ryoma Aburame was still worried about the situation on the front lines even after arriving in the Land of Rain.

After establishing the new base, he instructed his subordinates, "The Land of Rain borders the Land of Wind. Even after arriving here, do not let your guard down in monitoring the movements of Sunagakure. Immediately notify me of any important intelligence!"

As for the Rain Ninja, just do a quick investigation; aside from Hanzo the Salamander, there's nothing worth keeping an eye on here.

This is arrogance, but it's also experience.

Ryoma Aburame has been in charge of Konoha's external intelligence work for many years, and his understanding of the major ninja villages in the ninja world is sometimes even deeper than that of the ninja villages' own ANBU.

But this time, a variable from outside of fate is destined to bring him a surprise that transcends time!

In the original timeline, until Nagato turned to the dark side, the entire Land of Rain was in a state of wide openness and defenselessness.

However, the Akatsuki's intelligence division, proposed by Shiba Kiyokawa and overseen by Nagato, has been established a year ahead of schedule, building an intelligence defense line for the Land of Rain.

On the third day after Aburame Ryoma entered the Land of Rain, Shiba Kiyokawa received the news.

"Captain Qinghe, a group of Konoha ninja arrived near Anru Village a few days ago without any prior notice and even set up camp in the forest outside the village."

Upon hearing the words "Konoha," Shiba Kiyokawa immediately became alert, while at the same time, a faint excitement rose within him.

Has it finally arrived?

I've been waiting for you for so long!

He immediately notified key members of the Akatsuki organization to come and discuss the matter, and gave them instructions.

"Write a letter to Hanzo of the Salamander to inform him of this news and ask him if he has received any notification from Konoha."

Then he quickly selected a few loyal subordinates, "Masuda Kazuki, Karasu, and Ayaka, get ready. You'll come with me to scout ahead and try to bring back one or two Konoha ninjas, dead or alive."

Yahiko arrived at that moment and, upon hearing this, exclaimed in surprise, "Since you intend to write to Hanzo for advice, shouldn't you wait for Hanzo's reply before taking any action?"

Shiba Kiyokazu smiled.

Yahiko is as naive as ever.

"I wrote the letter to show my respect for him, but the actual decision is still ours to make. Do you really think of our Akatsuki organization as Hanzo's vassals?"

Respecting you doesn't mean I actually intend to listen to you; the inequality immediately solves that.

Yahiko's mouth was half open, clearly indicating that he had not followed Shiba Kiyokawa's train of thought.

But seeing the approving expressions on everyone's faces, he belatedly realized that he had been outdone by Shiba Kiyokawa once again.

Every comparison like this subtly erodes the leadership prestige that Yahiko has painstakingly built up over the years.

Yahiko could see and feel it, but he was always powerless and didn't know how to make amends.

Character determines fate.

Yahiko's kindness and persistence enabled the Akatsuki organization to rise rapidly in the early stages, but his naive fantasies also destined him to be no match for the current Shiba Kiyokawa.

The next moment, an even more tangible change came into view.

Kenjiro stepped forward and said, "Captain Kiyokawa, please take me with you on this mission as well."

This time, without Yahiko's instruction or anyone else's arrangement, Kenshiro, who was once a staunch member of Yahiko's faction, actually took the initiative to propose following Shiba Kiyokawa.

Shiba Kiyokawa smiled slightly and said something meaningful to Kenshiro, "Kenshiro, do you remember what I taught you?"

To outsiders, Kenshiro was always a member of Shiba Kiyokawa's team. The "words he taught" probably refer to his operational experience or tactical guidance.

Only Kenshiro's fingers trembled slightly; he clearly understood which words Shiba Kiyokawa was referring to.

Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty!

That was the lesson that Shiba Kiyokawa taught him the night before he returned from the Land of Grass.

Now Kenshiro raised his head firmly, finally making his choice.

"Yes, I remember, Captain Qinghe!"

"Alright, then count you in for this mission too."

Yahiko watched from the sidelines with a sense of melancholy.

Although he didn't know the inside story, he instinctively felt as if he had lost something important to rely on again.

Konan and Nagato then asked with concern, "Kiyokawa, do you need our help?"

Shiba Kiyokawa shook his head. "Not this time. I'll lead a team to scout ahead and find out the situation before deciding on the next move."

Although he had already made up his mind to ruthlessly eliminate the root group and leave no one alive, Shiba Kiyokawa still maintained his cautious style in practice.

After gathering all the personnel, the five-person team, led by Shiba Kiyokawa, set off that same day to conduct on-site reconnaissance near Anru Village.

Hydrangea used her psychic powers to summon many birds to fly into the forest to investigate, and Shiba Kiyokawa also summoned Tama to search for her.

The others, however, were gathering information in the village.

Thanks to the Akatsuki's good reputation and word-of-mouth in the area, the villagers were happy to share news with them.

"A few strangers dressed as ninjas did come three days ago. They paid to stay in the village and only left two days ago."

"They asked us about Hanzo the Salamander, about the recent ninja battles, and about that damn Sand Village."

Oh, right, they also inquired about you! If you ask me, those ninjas are probably no good. They only left the village in a hurry after hearing that Akatsuki was also nearby!

The village elders chattered amongst themselves, quickly revealing most of the information about the Konoha ninja who had visited a few days earlier.

After hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat solemn.

"These Konoha ninjas might actually be after us!" Ziyanghua said worriedly.

Ninjas are not masochists. Unless they are on a covert mission, they will not camp in the wild all the time. They will stay in villages and towns when they come across them.

However, after learning that the Akatsuki organization was nearby, this group of Konoha ninjas immediately and decisively withdrew from the village. Instead of going far away, they chose to set up camp in the nearby woods, which seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it!

However, the root did not expect that the common people of the Land of Rain would treat the Akatsuki so kindly. Even though they withdrew so decisively, they still completely exposed themselves.

Only Shiba Kiyokawa in the squad was not surprised by the result.

Perhaps this is destiny.

"Don't alert them yet. These people from Konoha might not realize they've been exposed. Ikki, go and tell those villagers not to say anything if they encounter any more Konoha ninjas. Hydrangea, do you have your Asuka—"

Just then, before Shiba Kiyokawa could finish speaking, the white cat Tama suddenly jumped out of the ground, interrupting his question.

"Found it, meow~ What a great find, meow~"

Both Hydrangea and Shiba Kiyokawa were stunned.

Just as Hydrangea was about to reply that her bird hadn't found anything yet, Captain Kiyokawa's ninja cat reported that they had found someone!

Are there really such big differences between the same summoned beasts?

Does this mean that one cannot succeed without wisdom?

The hydrangea was so jealous it couldn't resist wanting to eat the hand again!

(End of this chapter)