The Grell mining incident was just a small interlude, with Lin Yu only getting involved at the last moment to secure the ancient telepathic formation with research value and the Grell mining crystals.
Although the gains were substantial, if the mine hadn't been exposed, the Sage of Six Paths might have been calling him "Dad" after tonight.
What a shame!
Life in Konoha returned to peace, but only within its borders. Elsewhere in the ninja world, smoke and fire continued to rage. As long as greed existed in people's hearts, conflict would never cease.
But conversely, for every person who incited war, there were those who sought to mediate it and persuade people to resolve their hatred. We collectively called them "naïve."
...
In a small country somewhere in the ninja world, conflict was incessant, with fleeing civilians everywhere. The cause of the war was the desire for power, a civil war sparked by two factions vying for control of the nation.
Clearly, the consequences of the greed of those in power were often borne by the common people. If nothing unexpected happened, this country would soon be swallowed by other covetous nations.
They were only holding back now to minimize losses during the annexation. How many ordinary citizens would die in the war was not within their consideration.
"Mr. Kisame, have the northern civilians been settled?"
"They've all been arranged. Leader... calling you that feels a bit strange. Just call me Kisame."
Yahiko panted slightly, but despite his exhaustion, he offered Kisame a bright smile. "Respect is mutual. Since you're following me, I will give you the treatment you deserve."
Yahiko was originally the leader of the Akatsuki. Now that he had been resurrected, Nagato had voluntarily stepped back, as he wasn't good at being in the spotlight.
"Wuwuwu, thank you for your kindness, Leader!"
Although it wasn't the first time, Kisame's heart was still filled with tears. Ever since joining the Akatsuki, no one had ever treated him with such politeness and gentleness as Yahiko.
He recalled when he first joined the organization, he was the sole provider for everyone. The naïve him thought he was very capable, taking on over twenty bounty missions a day. He thought he would get as much as he gave, but unexpectedly, all the money went into Sister Nan's pockets, and that chuunibyou leader didn't even praise him.
He, Hoshigaki Kisame, had unspoken grievances!
"Leader, I have good news and bad news." Another figure descended from the sky, with a porcelain-like delicate face and red short hair. It was Sasori of the Red Sand.
Yahiko's expression straightened. "Tell me the good news first."
"The two minds of this country have agreed to stop the war and decide who will lead the national sovereignty through a more peaceful means."
Hearing this, Yahiko couldn't help but sigh in relief. His primary objective wasn't just to resettle civilians displaced by war, although that was also very important. His main goal was to persuade the upper echelons to resolve their conflicts and cease hostilities.
As long as the war didn't end, there would be no end to the suffering of displaced civilians.
"Then what's the bad news?"
"The army of the neighboring country has finished its preparations and has arrived at the border, ready to invade at any moment. Deidara has already gone to persuade them."
"Deidara went to persuade them?"
"...Yes!"
Rumble!
A violent explosion echoed from afar, and a giant mushroom cloud rose on the horizon. The ground tremors were felt by them tens of kilometers away, and Deidara's voice even echoed in their ears.
"Art is an explosion! Take this!"
A vein of black ink appeared on everyone's foreheads. Yahiko's mouth twitched, and he sighed, unsure of what to say.
Now they understood why the two minds had agreed to abandon their struggle. The enemy was about to invade, the country was about to be lost, so what was the point of fighting?
"Sigh, let me see if I can try to persuade them... hopefully, we can salvage something..."
Boom!
"Hahaha, do you think you guys can comprehend my artistic mastery? You dare shoot arrows at me? Take this, C3: Number 18! Hmph!"
A clay bird flew from afar, with several arrows stuck in it. Deidara excitedly raised a finger and shouted, "Hmph!"
Another mushroom cloud rose in the distance. Yahiko opened his mouth, the words "Wait a moment" stuck in his throat. Although he felt resentment in his heart, he had instructed them not to initiate any action.
Despite Deidara's wilfulness and madness, he was quite respectful towards their own people.
"Yahiko, what are you planning to do?"
Nagato walked over from the side. Although his face was still half-hidden by his red hair, his demeanor was much brighter than before.
"Sigh, given the situation, a simple persuasion probably won't be heard."
"Then let me do it."
"Alright."
Having experienced life and death and reunited, both of them had changed slightly. Yahiko was no longer fixated on persuasion as the only method; he had taken some of Nagato's advice.
"Don't harm too many lives, just like what you always say... how many floors do you carry a bag of rice up?"
"How many floors do you carry a bag of rice? Two floors. You give too much rice... Shinra Tensei!"
Yahiko looked at Nagato's black pupils and pouted. "Can you still do 'Shinra Tensei'? Let Kisame and the others handle it. You just watch from the back."
"..."
Nagato's chest tightened. Had he been disliked by Yahiko? It seemed he needed to consider Orochimaru's opinion.
...
The Akatsuki still had things to do, and Lin Yu would even play with Shiro every day to scare the brats. However, one person had become despondent since that day. Perhaps it wasn't even a person, but a clump of black goo.
"Mother... why did you abandon me..."
"Little Blackie, don't be sad. Come, let's do a poop dance to lighten the mood."
Tobi, with two lumps of what seemed to be unknown creature's excrement stuck to him, hopped around in front of Black Zetsu. But the latter remained in a state of despair. Although his dark face showed no expression, his pair of yellow eyes were dim, at least in Tobi's eyes.
"Two great sirs, lunch is ready. When would you like to dine?"
A ninja wearing a chicken crest respectfully asked Tobi.
"Hmm, in a moment. Also, prepare a poop bath for me. I want my companion to enjoy it thoroughly."
"Yes, sir!"
The ninja, Chicken Ninja, retreated. In his heart, he felt a sense of reverence for these two "great individuals" who had suddenly visited their village. They had solved their entire village's environmental problems, and the village chief was even preparing to erect a statue in their honor as a token of gratitude.
"Little Blackie, stop sighing. Brother Tobi will take you for a sauna, a feast, and we can even tease the chicken girls. Isn't this life just wonderful!"
Hearing this, Black Zetsu felt even more despair. If there was an afterlife, he would never want to be Little Blackie again!
Mother, please dye me another color!
...
Mount Myōboku.
A middle-aged man with white hair left the secret realm, muttering, "I wonder why the Great Toad Sage wants to see that kid Uzumaki Lin Yu. He's so secretive."
"Never mind, it's been a while since I've returned to Konoha. I wonder how Orochimaru is doing. The heroine in my newly published book is called 'Snake Princess,' I wonder what Orochimaru will think when he sees it!"
Jiraiya, with a lewd smile, hurried towards Konoha after leaving the secret realm.
Perhaps he could ask the Lin Yu kid to call Orochimaru out, and then he could personally present the book to Orochimaru. That scene would surely be hilarious!