Chapter 301: Dominance

When it comes to Senju Tsunade, people's first impression is the princess of Konoha. Her grandfather was the first Hokage, her second grandfather was the second Hokage, and she herself is a popular candidate for Hokage. If it weren't for the strong rise of Yeshan, Tsunade would have become the first female Hokage decades later and completed the last dance of the Senju clan.

The relationship between the two began and ended in indifference, without a proper ceremony from beginning to end. Ye Shan had also imagined some sacred scenes, but due to various reasons, they could not be realized.

So, if you miss it, you miss it. There is no regret medicine in the world. So, when Tsunade rushed in aggressively, the fate of the two was already doomed.

That morning, Ye Shan stood on the street, squinting his eyes and looking at the gray sky, and couldn't help feeling a sense of unreality. But this sense of illusion did not last long before it was interrupted by Nara Shikaku. As the Hokage, he didn't have much time to feel sorry for himself.

"Hokage-sama, there will be a special report from the Rain Country ninja on the Akatsuki organization this morning at a quarter past seven."

Ye Shan nodded, took a deep breath, and walked towards the office: "What do you want to eat this morning?"

Nara Shikaku quickly glanced at his notebook, followed the Hokage in small steps, and said in a flat voice: "According to the menu, we will have sesame cakes and soy milk this morning."

"Yes, the sesame cakes baked by the chef are crispy and refreshing, with just the right amount of saltiness. Paired with a bowl of slightly sweet soy milk, it's simply perfect. The ninjas from the Rain Country probably haven't eaten yet, so remember to send some over."

"Yes!"

The time soon came to a quarter past seven, and the office door was pushed open on time. Two ninjas wearing the uniforms of the Rain Village were brought in by Nara Shikaku. They knelt down in unison as soon as they entered the room.

Ye Shan put his hands on his chin and looked at him for a while. After a while, he said: "Stand up, you are Hanzo's old subordinates, you have no obligation to kneel to me, the Hokage of Konoha."

"Shikaku, go ask Uchiha Keiji to come sit in."

A few minutes later, everything was ready. Under the anxious gazes of the two Rain Ninjas, Ye Shan smiled and asked, "What positions do you hold in the Akatsuki organization?"

The older ninja on the left had a twinkling look in his eyes. Hearing this, he stood up and knelt down and replied, "In reply to Hokage-sama, we do not hold any position in the Akatsuki organization."

As if he was afraid of being ruthlessly abandoned, he quickly added: "Let Hokage know that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan are nepotism, and all positions in the organization, big and small, are held by old acquaintances. People like us who are remnants of the Rain Country can only help out and do odd jobs, and we have no access to any confidential matters."

Ye Shan frowned and looked at Nara Shikaku with displeasure. The implication was obvious: I have so many things to do every day, how come you got two know-nothing trash to mess around?

Nara Shikaku coughed and said, "Didn't you say a few days ago that you understood the detailed structure of the Akatsuki organization?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Rain Ninja wiped the sweat from his face and said hurriedly: "The Akatsuki organization has two supreme rulers, namely the God Yahiko and the Angel Konan. There are ten God messengers under them who are responsible for specific affairs. They usually meet with their subordinates and never show up. They are very mysterious."

Uchiha Keiji looked at Ye Shan's face and asked, "What kind of odd jobs do you two do in the organization?"

"Mainly responsible for carrying corpses!"

"Corpses? Are there a lot of bodies in Akatsuki?"

"After Hanzo-sama's death, there was an endless stream of ninjas trying to assassinate them. Ten or so ninjas died almost every day."

Ye Shan's expression eased slightly, and then he asked, "What kind of wounds did the corpse have?"

A trace of fear flashed across the face of the Rain Ninja, and he replied: "The bodies have no wounds. Most of them died of suffocation. A few died in extremely tragic ways, with their tongues sticking out, their faces blue and purple, and drooling, as if they had lost their souls."

"You are not young anymore. Do you know the assassin?"

"know!"

"Then tell me the difference in the way they died."

"Most of those who died from suffocation were mid-level and low-level ninjas, and those who died from the other methods were all at the jonin level!"

Uchiha Keiji's eyes flashed, and he turned his head and said, "Hokage-sama, it seems that they were killed by two people. As far as I know, the ninja named Konan is good at paper escape and can easily suffocate people to death; as for Yahiko, the file records that his strength is mediocre, and he is an intelligent and commanding ninja. So Nagato killed the other group of people."

Ye Shan nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Go and have someone look up the detailed files of Konoha's soul secret technique users, mainly to find out how the enemy died."

"No need to check," Uchiha Keiji said, "I only know one person, he is Tsunade's ex-lover, and he is good at soul secrets."

"The enemy he killed died exactly as the Rain Ninja just described."

"So you mean that the Rinnegan can use human souls to kill people?"

"That's right. Strictly speaking, the Soul Secret Technique is a very niche ninjutsu. The ninjas who practice it are one in a million. After his death, the village will no longer be able to find a suitable candidate to inherit it. You can imagine how difficult it is!"

Uchiha Keiji turned his head and looked at the Rain Ninja, then asked, "Anything else you don't want to say?"

The Rain Ninja swallowed and replied, "Not long ago, the Angel summoned me personally and ordered me to lead a team to the Iron Country to kill a wandering ninja. The strange thing is that he is not a real ninja. He just relies on puppetry to defraud money. What's even stranger is that the Angel's order is to bring back his body intact."

"Are there any more such things?"

Another Rain Ninja replied quickly, "Yes! The Angel once ordered me to search for ninjas in the village who are proficient in psychic summoning techniques, or ordinary people who have a talent for space-related ninjutsu, but I just haven't found any yet."

"Has the body been taken out after being sent in?" Ye Shan asked with a frown.

"No, we are the only two people responsible for carrying the bodies in the entire building. Moreover, we have quietly checked every body, and that person's body is definitely not there!"

Ye Shan's brows relaxed and he said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work. Someone will give you what you want in a few days."

The two Rain Ninjas looked delighted and knelt down to express their gratitude. After Nara Shikaku took them away, Uchiha Keiji lit a cigarette and said slowly, "It seems that the successor to the Rinnegan is not as mysterious as we imagined."

"The Rinnegan, known as the best eye technique, should not be underestimated, but based on the description of the Rain Ninja, I am sure that Yahiko is dead!"

"Yahiko is the soul of Akatsuki and has always been the leader and decision-maker of the organization. But why hasn't he shown up for a long time? Instead, he has handed over all matters, big and small, to Konan to handle? There are only two possible outcomes. One is that he is dead; the other is that he cannot see outsiders. I personally tend to believe the former possibility. The so-called Yahiko is simply a cover to confuse the outside world!"

Ye Shan concluded: "Since Akatsuki took control of the Rain Country, they have not come up with any decent policies. Instead, they have been relying on killing and force to maintain their rule, which is contrary to their previous purpose. Yahiko must be dead, otherwise Akatsuki would not be as disorganized as it is now."

It is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to find a good general. The importance of a leading ninja to an organization or a country is self-evident. Sometimes he can even play a role that force cannot achieve. That's why Yeshan was sure that Yahiko was dead.

"The intelligence from the Hidden Mist Village is shocking. A ninja village that is one of the five great nations is actually being controlled by someone in secret. As the Mizukage, Terumi Shiko is even more of a traitor. Apart from the threat to her life, I can't think of any other reason that prompted her to do this."

Ye Shan took a puff of cigarette and continued, "Same question, does Konohagakure have it? Are our families and ninjas really in solidarity with the top leaders? I think there's a big question mark here!"

"You are the Vice Hokage in charge of personnel and organizational work. You must pay attention to the implementation of related work."

Uchiha Keiji stood up, paced in the office, and said slowly: "The village is fine at the moment. Even if there is a problem, it is not worth mentioning. But according to the feedback from the Anbu and the Root over the years, I have reason to accuse the Akatsuki organization of the Rain Country of endangering the peace of the ninja world!"

"Well, keep talking."

"For many years, since Sarutobi Hiruzen came to power, Konohagakure has invested a lot of manpower and resources in espionage infiltration. To be frank, I even know what the other four Kage eat, drink, and wear! But even so, our intelligence organization still failed to infiltrate the Akatsuki organization in the Rain Country."

Uchiha Keiji walked faster and faster, and finally stopped suddenly, his eyes burning as he said, "Various abnormal signs show that Akatsuki has grown into an opponent that cannot be underestimated, and has even become a local force that is not controlled by the Konohagakure!"

What is a hegemon? Uchiha Keiji can tell you clearly that those who don't obey are enemies, and those who don't obey must accept the sanctions of Konoha Ninja Village! Do you really think that other villages don't know who the spies are? It's just that they don't dare to eradicate them to anger Konoha!

So the question is, who gave the Akatsuki the confidence to reject the surveillance of Konoha Village? Or are they doing something shady?

Ye Shan picked up the cup and took a sip of tea, then said, "I formally agree to your plan to infiltrate the Akatsuki organization. You will be fully responsible for the relevant matters. You must infiltrate the Akatsuki organization within half a year!"

"What about Orochimaru?" asked Uchiha Keiji.

Ye Shan waved his hand and said proudly: "He cannot refuse. Konohagakure does not keep idle people. He can either become a spy or I will kill him myself!"

What's the point of convincing people with virtue and influencing people with culture? Yeshan is a hawk at heart. Konoha needs a domineering leader and the Fire Nation needs a hegemony. Disobedience means death, that's all.