UGB Chapter 457 The Sky Cleared
Chapter 457 The Sky Cleared
The three found a relatively intact teahouse in the ruins.
The roof had several large holes, and rainwater dripped down from the holes, creating small puddles on the dusty ground.
Xiao Nan took out a clean cloth from her backpack and carefully wiped a relatively intact wooden table. She then took out a water bottle and some ration pills.
Yahiko sat at the table, silently watching the gray, rainy scene outside the window.
"Yahiko."
Xiao Nan pushed a glass of warm water in front of him.
"……Thanks."
Yahiko took the water glass, but didn't drink it; he simply felt the warmth emanating from the glass with his hand.
"What are you thinking about?" Nagato asked quietly, sitting opposite him.
Yahiko remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"I've been thinking, what if... what if we hadn't met Jiraiya-sensei, what if we hadn't gone to Konoha? Would we be like the people in this village now?"
His voice was soft, tinged with lingering fear.
Xiao Nan's heart tightened as well.
Yes, if it weren't for that fateful encounter, their best outcome would have been to become stray dogs struggling to survive in the ruins, dying silently one day.
No, it won't.
Nagato's voice interrupted this heavy assumption.
He looked at Yahiko and said earnestly, "Because you are Yahiko. Even if you hadn't met the teacher, you would have found a way to survive, you would have protected Minami, and you would have... found a way to change all of this."
Nagato's words were simple and direct, yet they carried a convincing power.
Yahiko was stunned.
He looked at Nagato, then at Konan. The girl was also looking at him, her beautiful eyes filled with trust.
A warm current slowly rose from the bottom of my heart, dispelling the chill caused by the memories.
Yes, they are no longer the three helpless orphans they once were.
They are ninjas from Konoha, members of Akatsuki.
They have families, companions, teachers, enough power, and... a clear enough goal.
Yahiko straightened his back and drank the warm water in his hand in one gulp.
"Nagato, you're right."
He stood up, walked to the broken window of the teahouse, and gazed into the distance, in the direction of Amegakure (Rain Village) in the depths of the rain.
"I used to think that as long as I worked hard to become stronger in Konoha, one day the light of peace would shine here. But now I understand that peace won't come to us on its own. We must actively seek it out, seize it, and even... create it!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated powerfully in the dilapidated teahouse.
"Hanzo... Hanzo the Salamander."
As Yahiko uttered the name, a fierce flame ignited in his orange eyes.
"He is the sky of the land of rain. If even he does not believe in peace, then that land will never see sunshine again."
"Therefore, I must see him. I want him to hear our voices, to see the new Will of Fire from Konoha! I want to show him that in this world, there is another path to take besides war and plunder!"
"One day, I will make that land where I was born, like Konoha, a place where children can run happily!"
This was his vow, and also his call to his homeland.
Konan and Nagato listened quietly, their hearts burning with emotion at Yahiko's words.
They knew that this was the Yahiko they were following.
The leader of Akatsuki, who was always full of hope and would never be defeated by darkness.
……
After a day and a night of stealth, thanks to Nagato's perfect evasion and the three's tacit cooperation, they finally arrived at their destination safely.
A massive stone tower, standing atop a rocky mountain, resembles a silent giant, overlooking the earth through the rain.
This is the front-line garrison headquarters of the Rain Ninja, and also the command post where Hanzo of the Salamander often resides.
The stone tower was surrounded by numerous sentries, both visible and hidden, and was under heavy guard.
The three hid in a dense forest in the distance. Xiao Nan closed her eyes and released another paper butterfly.
This time, the butterfly's target was the very top of that stone tower.
A moment later, Xiao Nan opened her eyes.
Her expression held a strange, incredulous quality.
"What's wrong, Xiao Nan?"
Yahiko immediately asked.
"It's strange..." Xiao Nan organized her thoughts, "The guards around the stone tower are all normal, but... all the sentries on the road from the mountainside to the core area at the top of the tower... have been removed."
Nagato and Yahiko were both taken aback.
"What do you mean?"
"It means..."
Konan's voice carried a hint of uncertainty, "Now, there is an empty passage leading straight to the top floor of the tower where Hanzo is located."
What does this mean?
Given Hanzo the Salamander's suspicious nature, would he really make such a frank move?
Yahiko's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
He remembered what Minato Namikaze had told him before the mission.
"Your very existence is the biggest shock to his worldview. So only you can knock on the door of his long-closed heart, even if it's just a tiny crack."
Perhaps this is Hanzo's response.
A response filled with probing and arrogance.
He was telling them in this way: I am here, and the road has been cleared for you.
Yahiko took a deep breath, the cold, fishy smell of rainwater filling his lungs.
He looked at Nagato, then at Konan, and saw the same determination in his companion's eyes.
He smiled.
It was a fearless, radiant smile belonging to a young person.
Without further hesitation, he stepped out of the dense forest where he was hiding and onto the unknown, cleared road.
Nagato and Konan followed closely behind, one on the left and one on the right, protecting their shared center.
The raindrops miraculously became finer the moment they stepped onto the stone steps, no longer the chilling lash that had pelted them, but rather a gentle baptism.
Yahiko's steps were steady.
Each step they took was firm and solid, as if they were not heading towards a trap that might bury all their ideals, but stepping onto a stage that had already been set.
He could sense two equally determined auras behind him.
They are a whole.
"dawn."
The light of dawn will surely pierce through the deepest night.
As they continued to climb, the dark clouds in the sky began to slowly shift, and a faint ray of light struggled to pierce through the thick, leaden-gray clouds, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere that had shrouded the land for so long.
This strange celestial phenomenon brought a sense of peace to Nagato's constantly anxious heart.
The top floor of the stone tower is right in front of us.
It was a heavy stone door without any decoration, and the door was open, like a silent, gaping maw.
Yahiko stopped and took a deep breath. The cool, moist air filled his lungs, strangely bringing a chill of clarity.
He didn't turn around, but spoke in a calm voice.
"They're inside."
"Yes, let's do it together."
Xiao Nan's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
Nagato didn't speak, but silently took half a step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yahiko.
Yahiko smiled.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The room at the top of the tower was unexpectedly spacious and simple.
There were no luxurious decorations or elite guards as I had imagined; only cold walls and a few simple tables and chairs used for military meetings.