After defeating the Mist ninja, Akatsuki's ninja forces quickly entered the Land of Hot Water.
They hadn't gone far when the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water, accompanied by a few visibly shaking ministers and soldiers, blocked their path.
"I am the Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water. I request an audience with Lord Akatsuki Shadow."
The Hot Water Daimyō lowered his stance significantly, showing no arrogance even before regular Akatsuki ninja.
"A daimyō?"
"Just wait here. I'll go inform them."
The Akatsuki ninja who spoke to the Hot Water Daimyō frowned and turned around, leaving those words behind as he walked off.
He found Yahiko and the others chatting idly at the back of the formation and truthfully reported the daimyō's request for an audience.
"He caught wind of things quickly."
Yahiko roughly guessed what that guy wanted.
"Not bad. Saves us the trouble of going to him ourselves."
Although Nagato had no interest in handling such matters himself, it didn't mean he didn't understand them.
"Go ahead, go ahead. Just find us a good place to settle down."
Konan gave Yahiko a light push from behind, urging him to handle the situation immediately.
"What's the rush? Letting him wait a bit won't make him angry, right?"
Yahiko felt confident—right now, replacing the Hot Water Daimyō was as simple as saying a single word.
"The sooner we finish this, the sooner it ends. We still have other things to do later."
Nonou, though she hadn't taken part in the battle itself, looked completely drained, speaking slightly out of breath.
But thanks to her efforts, Akatsuki losses were drastically reduced.
She pulled many gravely wounded ninja back from the brink of death.
"Go on then, don't let people misunderstand."
Nagato chimed in supportively, while Kakuzu stayed quiet throughout.
Since there was no payment involved, Kakuzu honestly couldn't care less who came looking for Yahiko.
"Relax, I'm just messing around. I'll head out now."
Yahiko never truly intended to keep the Hot Water Daimyō waiting—since they showed him proper respect, he saw no reason to be difficult.
Earlier, it was just his usual teasing with Konan.
With that, he followed the same Akatsuki ninja toward the front of the formation.
When he arrived, the Hot Water Daimyō was already moving forward with the forces.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"I'm Yahiko of Akatsuki Village."
Yahiko stepped forward enthusiastically and shook the Hot Water Daimyō's hand.
"Greetings, Lord Yahiko."
"My arrival is rather sudden; I hope I haven't disturbed you."
The Hot Water Daimyō gave a slight bow, clearly showing deep respect to Yahiko.
"No disturbance at all. I was actually planning to pay you a visit anyway."
Yahiko was telling the truth, though the manner of this "visit" probably needed clarification.
"I've come without any particularly important matter."
"You brought your great forces and defeated the Mist ninja, thus becoming our savior."
"I won't say much more in thanks."
"I do have one small favor to ask—would you consider granting it?"
The Hot Water Daimyō chose his words carefully, painting Yahiko as their savior from the start.
"I dare not accept such a title."
"Just speak directly."
Seeing how cooperative the other party was being, Yahiko saw no need to beat around the bush anymore.
"Well, the Mist ninja destroyed our Tōtem Village."
"Originally, under their threats, I had no choice but to agree to cooperate with them."
"Now that you're here, I feel much safer placing the security of our Land of Hot Water in your hands."
"As the Daimyo of this land, I will fully support you."
The Daimyo spoke earnestly, almost said outright, "I'd willingly serve Yahiko like an ox or a horse."
"Since you've spoken so earnestly, how could I—Yahiko—refuse? That would be ungrateful indeed."
"Don't worry. The safety of the Land of Hot Water is on me."
"I won't make promises about everything, but any enemies like Kirigakure? Let one come—I'll take them down."
Yahiko took full responsibility, and everything went just as he had planned.
"Thank you so much! On behalf of all the people of the Land of Hot Water, I express my deepest gratitude to you."
At this, the Daimyo deeply bowed his head.
Needless to say, he was truly a man who knew how to bend without breaking.
"There's no need for such formalities—we're family now."
Yahiko helped the Daimyo rise back up, slightly uncomfortable—the man's level of courtesy bordered on excessive.
"I'm just too excited."
"Under your leadership, I firmly believe the Land of Hot Water will grow and prosper more than ever."
"You turned the Land of Rain into such a flourishing place—I've always deeply admired that."
"Now that you're here in my country, it's a true blessing for the entire nation and its people."
This statement from the Daimyo might have sounded like flattery, but there was real admiration beneath those words.
The transformation of Amegakure from a poverty-stricken land to a flourishing one was something the entire ninja world had seen with their own eyes.
No matter what kind of business someone ran, if they managed to make substantial profits—that couldn't be denied.
And compared to Ame, the Land of Hot Water possessed far richer resources, meaning its future potential naturally exceeded that of the Land of Rain.
If before there had been fears that becoming too wealthy might attract envy from others, those worries are gone now.
With Akatsuki's military strength as deterrence, paired with a thriving commercial sector, the future of the Land of Hot Water looked incredibly promising.
"That's all true—the Land of Hot Water definitely has a promising future."
"Of course, having a Daimyo like you is itself a great fortune for the nation."
Looking at the Daimyo, Yahiko wore a genuinely warm smile.
This was the first time he'd met such a wise ruler—one who willingly lowered his own status. Truly rare.
His actions weren't just paving a bright path forward for himself, but also sparing the people from the pain of war.
"You flatter me too much."
At this moment, the Daimyo felt completely reassured—he was certain he wouldn't be pushed aside from the center of power in the Land of Hot Water.
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He wasn't a saint either—who could possibly have no personal ambitions?
"I really do enjoy working with… intelligent people."
"You're definitely an intelligent man."
Yahiko patted the Daimyo's shoulder, smiling even wider.
But his hand landed quite heavily—enough that the Daimyo actually felt pain.
"No, no—I don't deserve such praise."
"How can I even speak of wisdom in front of you?"
The Daimyo endured the pain without changing expression; he fully understood what Yahiko meant.
And his reply was clear too—he absolutely didn't dare try to play clever around Yahiko.
"Ah, by the way—I've arranged accommodations for you and your honored guests."
"The location for the army to rest has already been arranged."
"We didn't have much time, so if anything is unsatisfactory, please let us know."
Yahiko didn't even need to say anything. The Daimyō had already taken care of everything before arriving.
"Thanks for taking care of her."
With no need for further words, Yahiko was happy to just relax.
He didn't buy the excuse about not having enough time. He could be certain that their group would be staying in the best spot in the Land of Hot Water.
"That's only fair."
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Once business was finished, the Daimyō had no intention of lingering.
Being inside this massive army made him feel deeply uneasy.
The lingering battlefield killing intent kept making him uneasy.
"All right then, I won't see you off."
"See you later."
Yahiko waved his arm to bid farewell to the Daimyō. Watching the man walk away, a smirk crept onto his lips.
"This person is somewhat interesting."
Grumbling under his breath, Yahiko turned and strode toward the back of the formation.
Returning to where Nagato and the others were, Yahiko briefly explained what had happened.
They all agreed that with someone like the Daimyō, as long as you kept the upper hand, things would go smoothly.
He wasn't especially loyal, but he was good enough for their needs.
After all, who will control the Land of Hot Water in the future remains uncertain—it's unnecessary to overthink such matters.
That night, Yahiko and the others stayed at the most luxurious hot spring pool shop in the Land of Hot Water.
Every service was performed to perfection, bordering on overwhelming hospitality.
After washing off the grime of travel, they gathered to contact Kawaki.
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