Violet-Eyed Serpent: Ch.25

I have to admit that Yahiko had grown quite a bit since I last saw him, being a bit taller than I was and having his broadsword strapped to his left side on top of having an Akatsuki robe over his form.

His hair was also a lot more messy and spiky than it was before with the Wolf Fang headband tied around his head and a slight scar peeking out from under his collar near his left shoulder.

'Huh, wonder when that happened,'

“So, where is everyone?”, I asked as I looked around, noting the group of people in Akatsuki cloaks that now looked wary after the shock had faded away before I blinked at the sword held to my face.

“How do I know it's you?”

“Who else would you know that's me?”

“Someone trying to hide as you,” One of the guys in the group spoke up and I raised an eyebrow as I saw them all having kunais in hand.

“Uh, okay. Well, how would I prove I'm me?”

“Tell me something only Nagato would know,” He said and I raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging.

“Sure, then. Remember that time I caught you in the rain behind the shack using Sensei's rain-proof novel as-!”

“Okay! Nope, it's you!”, Yahiko cut me off as quickly as he sheathed his broadsword, the others in the group blinking while I smirked at his bright red face.

“Uh-huh. I could also have done this,” I said as two more hands grew from my left wrist before I pulled them back. “But since you wanted me to say something, I suppose that worked just as good.”

“…Yep, that's Naga-Nagato!”, He exclaimed as he wrapped me in a tight hug, a chuckle escaping my lips as I hugged him back while patting his back.

“How have you been?! Holy shit, it's been almost four years since we last saw you!”

“Yeah, and I see you all have been doing well without me.”

“Oh, the group? Yeah, we just came back from an S-Rank mission,” He said, looking a bit smug as I raised an eyebrow with an impressed look.

“S-Rank, eh? Not bad there for the guy that struggled to make a water whip.”

“Says the guy that…that…”

“Uh-huh?”

“…I hate your perfectness,” He said as he crossed his arms with a huff, making me laugh before he turned as Sessho spoke up.

“I see you haven't changed, orange-haired one.”

“Sessho can speak now?”

“Yep, turns out having an Inuzuka dog near nature energy can do that,” I answered with a shrug, shaking my head at his confused look before he reeled back as Akahime slithered up to me.

“Nagato, I am cold.”

“Then, use your chakra to warm yourself up. You can do that.”

“Yes, but I do not wish to,” She said before slithering into my coat, my chakra evaporating the droplets clinging to her body and drying the both of us up.

“…What the hell have you been up?”, Yahiko asked and I just smiled before shrugging.

“A lot. Now, are you going to introduce me or not?”, I asked while gesturing towards the group of people and Yahiko's eyes widened before he nodded and turned to the others with a grin.

“Right. Nagato, this is Kyusuke, Kie and Daibutsu,” He said while gesturing towards a guy with purple-like markings on his face that had also spoken earlier, a guy with black eyes and long brown hair in a bun and a bald man with large ears and a wart centered just above his eyes respectively.

“Nice to meet you all.”

“Guys, this is Nagato Uzumaki, one of the founders of the Akatsuki and the real leader.”

“Uh, no, I'm not,” I quickly cut him off and he raised an eyebrow at me while the trio looked surprised.

“Uh, yes, you are.”

“Last I checked, I was missing for three years while you, Konan and Pakura built up the Akatsuki.”

“Yeah, and we three agreed that we're only the co-vice leaders until you get back to take over, which was supposed to be three years ago if I'm not mistaken, right?”, He asked with a knowing look, to which I sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, I don't have an excuse for that one. It's just that once I got to Uzushiogakure, I found myself being attacked by thousands of Kiri and Kumo shinobi on top of four Bijuu as well.”

“Yeah, and last we heard of you, you took out Kiri's Bijuu, repelled Kumo's Bijuu and took out thousands of shinobi. When the hell did you get that strong?”, He asked and I gave a sheepish smile at that.

“Uh, I've always been that strong. I just hold back because it's a lot of collateral damage. Also, I didn't exactly take out the Bijuu to be more specific.”

“And what did you do, then?”

“I'll tell you once I tell Pakura and Konan. Speaking of them, how have they been?”, I asked as we began walking, to which he shrugged as Sessho followed after us while Akahime poked her head out from the left side of my Akatsuki cloak.

Well, they've been…good, I guess? I don't know,” He mumbled, but I raised an eyebrow at his shifty eyes that were looking anywhere but me.

“What happened this time?”

“You'll find out when you get back to home-base,” He said and I rolled my eyes before I looked to Kie as he spoke up.

“So, you're actually Nagato Uzumaki? The Nagato Uzumaki? The Maelstrom Demon?”

“Since when do I have an epithet?”, I asked as I looked to Yahiko, who snorted as he shook his head.

“When was the last time you saw your bounty?”

“When I blew up half of Ame,” I answered with a shrug and was surprised as he just laughed while reaching into his coat, taking out a Bingo Book and throwing it to me.

“Page four,” I nodded as I took the book and opened to the page he said before I frowned as I read the entry.

Name: Unknown Uzumaki

Age: 12 years old

Rank: N/A (Affiliated with Uzushiogakure)

Threat Level: S-Rank (Run on Sight)

Wanted For:
-Murder of 200 Genin, 75 Chunin, 3 Jounin; Murder of Kitsuchi, son of the Tsuchikage (Iwa)
-Murder of 58 Jounin, 120 Chunin; Kidnapping of a High-Value Individual; Destruction of Village Artifacts (Suna)
-Murder of 48 Genin, 68 Chunin, 7 Jounin, 21 ANBU; Attempted Murder of Two Clan Heirs (Konoha)
-Murder of 3 058 Genin, 1 220 Chunin, 289 Jounin; Murder of the Mizukage and his right-hand man (Kiri)
-Murder of 833 Chunin, 188 Jounin; Attempted Murder of the Raikage; Attempted Theft of the Nibi and Hachibi (Kumo)

Reward: Name Your Price (Alive), 100,000,000 ryo(Dead)

CAUTION: Do not near him unless you are ready to throw an army at him and even that would not be enough as he had slaughtered hundreds of shinobi in the blink of an eye. He is capable of summoning three snakes and can go toe to toe with four Bijuu. He is also capable of absorbing chakra, taking out the souls of others, modifying his body and can use all five Chakra Natures.

If you see him, run and do not look back. If you can't, try to plead for mercy.

“…That's a lot more than I remember killing,” I answered with a grimace as I closed the book, to which Yahiko nodded as he took the book back.

“Yeah, that's what Konan, Pakura and I thought when we first saw it. You're not the bloodthirsty type.”

“Then again, I was a bit pissed when I saw Uzumaki members being killed so I might have been a bit bloodthirsty,” I murmured, shaking my head as Yahiko just looked at me with a deadpan stare.

“You are one scary guy when you're not trying to be funny, you know?”

“Trying? I am funny. You just have no sense of humour,” I answered with a huff, smirking as he just rolled his eyes before we began walking.

'Yep, one thing that's constant about Ame is its long rain,' I thought with a nostalgic smile as I walked beside Yahiko, the hood of our cloaks pulled up to keep the rain from pelting our faces.

Every now and again, I catch him or one of the others glancing at me as if to make sure I was here and I couldn't blame them considering it has been three years since us two last saw each other.

Sessho was as ever-vigilant as always as he trotted in front of us, his chakra keeping his body dry while he kept low and alert. All of a sudden, we stopped as he did, a slight frown on my fear as I heard give a low growl.

“Two scents hiding and another watching from the trees ahead. I smell fear and caution.”

“Ambush?”, Kyusuke asked before he stopped as I raised a hand and shook my head.

“No, they're desperate. Aka, time to work,” I spoke softly as I held an arm to the side and Akahime shot from my sleeve, vanishing into the underbrush like a shadow as she moved to flank them.

“Damn, right when we're at the safehouse,” Yahiko murmured and I hummed as we continued walking.

“How have things being after the explosion?”

“The usual. Lots of attention focused on us, most of the group hiding away to make sure no one can be taken hostage and Hanzo tightening things up to keep anyone from talking.”

“Another war?”, I know that the Second Great Ninja War had ended after the attack against Uzushio if Menma was telling the truth and that meant that this was most likely the start of the next war right here.

“Borders are flaring, Konoha and Iwa are at each other's throats like always, but this time, Suna's on edge because of Iwa attacking some of their smaller towns near the border and Kiri and Kumo are starting to stir as well. Hanzo's playing neutral for now, but we both know he's selling fighters to anyone who pays.”

“And taking out anyone who speaks against it,” I said, not needing Yahiko's confirmation as I sighed and looked up.

'Well, I'm strong enough now so perhaps it's time,' This has been the entire reason that I gathered all the strength that I could so if I can find Hanzo, I'd have no issue taking him on and making sure he'd stop with this culling.

“You've changed,” Yahiko spoke up and I looked at him to see him smirking amusedly before shaking my head.

“You have as well.”

“That's an understatement. I'm not that loudmouth kid anymore who thought speeches would save the world.”

“Eh, I would beg to differ on that part. I'm sure you still love your speeches, but you understand now that not everyone can be saved,” I said with a faint smile, laughing as he grinned and nodded before we looked up as three short whistles echoed in the air.

“That's the signal,” Kyusuke spoke up as they began walking faster and I raised an eyebrow as Yahiko grinned.

“Come on, it's time to meet the real Akatsuki.”

“What do you mean by the real Akatsuki?”, I asked as Akahime slithered out of the bushes and back into my coat.

“You'll see.”

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“Well…damn,” I muttered in shock as we entered the cave, Sessho and Akahime looking just as impressed as we stared at the large work system in front of us.

Dozens of shinobi moved in and out of narrow tunnels, some carrying scrolls while others dragged unconscious bodies or crates of supplies. Torches flickered along the walls as the centre was lit by hanging lamps, lighting up the large Elemental Nations map on a large table that was covered in pins and tags.

“Told you. We've all grown up and out while you were out and about.”

“This…this is far beyond what I had imagined,” I was expecting it to be a bit bigger since we had started it a few years earlier than before in the original story.

'This is insane,' I thought before looking over to see a kunoichi with sharp green eyes and a katana at her side walking towards us and giving Yahiko a nod.

“Commander, we've taken down the convoy near the Kusa border. Two survivors are in holding and the rest are all dead and accounted for.

“Good. Daibutsu, Kie, start on our mission report. Kyusuke, question them when you're done with the report,” Yahiko ordered, all traces of the goofy guy in his voice gone as Kyusuke saluted before the woman looked at me.

“This?”

“Nagato Uzumaki,” Yahiko answered with a smirk and she blinked before I raised an eyebrow as she gave a deep bow and walked off without another word.

“How many do you have now?”, I asked, ignoring what just happened while following Yahiko deeper into the base along with Sessho.

“Approximate two hundred shinobi. Not everyone is a fighter, but all have a reason to be here. War orphans, survivors, deserters or just being someone that the other villages left behind.”

“And they all follow you, huh?”, I asked, smirking as he rolled his eyes before shaking his head.

“Like I said before, you're the leader. Besides, they follow the idea that there can be a greater world where people like us don't have to grovel under the feet of the Five Great Nations. We just gave them a banner and a name to rally under.”

“My name,” He smirked and nodded at that, making me sigh as I shook my head.

“Okay, then. What about Pakura and Konan? Are they heading up their own bases.”

“Oh no, they're waiting in the council chamber for me or us, I guess. They've missed you even after the monthly messages you send to us, though they might not say it to your face,” He spoke with a smile and I nodded as I was expecting that.

As we walked down a corridor flanked with heavy stone doors, I just smiled as Akahime slithered out of my robe before looking up as we entered a new area.

The corridor opened into a wide circular chamber carved from the mountain itself, a long stone table standing in the middle and two figures sitting around it.

Konan, looking as poised as ever, was seated in one of the chairs closest to us in her Akatsuki cloak with origami butterflies fluttering around her and as she looked at me, her eyes were cool and calm, but I smiled softly as my enhanced sight caught the slight trembling of her lip.

Pakura however was doing far better as she sat on the table in her own Akatsuki cloak, her arms crossed and her bright green eyes narrowing the second we walked in before she smirked as she saw my smile.

“Well, well~ Look who finally returned.”

“Hey,” I greeted lamely, not sure what to do as Sessho and Akahime followed Yahiko off to the side.

“Three years, Nagato,” I was not surprised as Konan rose slowly, looking at me with a stoic gaze while walking closer.

“I know.”

“Three years and we only got messages from snakes. They could have been fakes and we wouldn't have known.”

“I know and I'm truly sorry for that,” I said softly as she stood right in front of me, the two of us holding each other's gaze before I relaxed as she hugged me.

It was a quick one too, as if to make sure I was here before I blinked as I got a harsh slap to the face.

“That's for making me worry.”

“You hug me and then you hit me. Pick one,” I said with a smirk even as I placed a glowing green hand to heal it, snickering as she narrowed her eyes before I looked up to see Pakura walking closer.

“You're not going to smack me too, right?”, I said with a wary look, not relaxing even after she giggled and shook her head.

“Don't worry. If I wanted to smack you, I would smack you.”

“Sure. So, a hug, then?”, I asked, smiling as she just responded by walking closer and hugging me. However, this one was a fair bit longer than the one Konan gave me and I had to wonder why before I froze as she kissed my cheek.

“It's good to have you back, you idiot,” She whispered while softly punching my shoulder, but I was more focused on the cheek kiss as I slowly looked at her before nodding.

“With that greeting, it's great to be back,” I spoke with a grin, laughing as she rolled her eyes before I turned to Yahiko as he spoke up.

“Great, the reunion. Now, what's the plan?”

“Well, we said we're going to wait for Nagato, but we've never established what we're going to do when he gets here,” Konan said and I raised an eyebrow as they all nodded in agreement before looking at me.

“You guys want me to decide what to do with an organization that you all built up?”

“Yeah, you're kind of the figurehead/ leader, so you might as well work for that,” Konan answered and I frowned as I walked closer to the table that had a copy of the same map from the entrance chamber.

“We're primarily focused on liberating the people right now, right?”

“That's what we've been doing for the past year while building up the fighting force of the Akatsuki,” Pakura said and I nodded before cracking my neck with a smirk.

“Good. Then, we'll proceed to the final thorn in our side.”

“You mean…”, Yahiko trailed off, wanting to make sure he heard right as I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, it's time to take over Ame once and for all.”

A/N: And like that, we're back at war~!! Except, Ame isn't going to be taken for a fool this time!

Also, we are still going to gather Tailed Beasts and we're doing this while making Ame a Great Nation.

How? I have no clue, but we'll get there.

Anyway, next chapter: Rain vs Rain.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!