Hidden Rain Village.
Deva Path Pain stood atop a tall tower, gazing at the pouring rain outside. He wasn't idle; he was using the Rain Tiger at Will Technique(Rainmaker Jutsu) to monitor the entirety of Hidden Rain Village.
The Rain Tiger at Will Technique, simply put, infused Chakra into rainwater and used the ever-present rainfall of Hidden Rain Village as a sensory network.
In the original story, Jiraiya was discovered by this very technique the moment he infiltrated Hidden Rain Village.
Suddenly, Pain's eyes flickered. He sensed a familiar Chakra fluctuation — Konan.
Had she finally returned?
Konan had departed for the Land of Earth in late December and had been gone for two months. Her mission was to sell silver jewelry.
To be honest, Deva Path Pain — or rather, Nagato — didn't expect silver jewelry to sell for much.
In his opinion, the Akatsuki Organization's fastest method of making money was still taking assassination requests and bounty-hunting missions in the underground black market.
After all, every member who joined Akatsuki was a powerful Jonin.
After waiting for a moment, Konan descended from the sky. She folded her paper wings and walked toward him.
"Nagato." Konan took out a document. "This is the sales report for the silver jewelry over the past two months."
Pain glanced at it — and his pupils involuntarily contracted. Had two zeros been added by mistake?
He subconsciously took the document and began reading it carefully.
"Are you sure the data is correct?" Pain asked after a two-second silence.
"There's no mistake." Kitazawa's figure flashed through Konan's mind, and she spoke with a hint of emotion. "I didn't expect it to earn so much either."
Pain hesitated, wanting to speak yet unsure how. The profit Konan earned in two months was equivalent to Akatsuki's entire annual income.
Even he — who regarded himself as a god — was surprised.
"But there's a problem." Konan frowned. "The silver mine in the Land of Rain won't last much longer."
"Send all Akatsuki members to search for new mines." Pain closed the report without hesitation.
"Then… no more requests or bounty hunting?" Konan was shocked.
"The purpose of bounties and requests is to make money." Pain said decisively. "Since silver jewelry is more profitable, Akatsuki will change its strategy."
Konan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Although Pain hadn't said it directly, it was clear he looked down on the idea of selling silver jewelry. Fortunately, the profits were high enough to change his mind.
"If the Land of Rain runs out of mines, then search the neighboring small countries." Deva Path Pain added.
"Mm." Konan nodded, then asked softly, "Nagato, do you still have your medicine?"
"Kitazawa can treat my legs in a month." Pain replied, a rare hint of emotion slipping into his voice. "I'll be able to stand and walk again."
"Okay, I'll inform him on time." Konan's voice warmed.
Nagato was her only close friend, and his injuries were because of her.
If she hadn't been captured by Hanzo… Yahiko wouldn't have died, and Nagato wouldn't have become crippled.
Thinking of this, Konan's eyes dimmed slightly.
"Use part of the silver jewelry profits to develop the Land of Rain." Pain said, remembering Yahiko. "After all, that was Yahiko's dream."
Konan fell silent.
The Land of Rain had ceaseless rainfall with no real means of development. Currently, the most profitable work for its citizens is processing silver ore and crafting silver jewelry.
Konan's heart moved — perhaps she should return to Konoha and ask Kitazawa.
He always gave her the impression he understood everything. At least when it came to making money, she had never met a Ninja more capable than him.
"You'll handle everything related to the silver jewelry." Pain paused, then added, "If any Akatsuki member refuses to follow orders, come to me."
The Akatsuki members all had traditional Ninja thinking. Pain worried they wouldn't accept the sudden shift in organizational strategy.
But it didn't matter. He was a god, and strength made the rules.
"Mm." Konan responded, then asked, "Has Uchiha Madara done anything unusual recently?"
"No." Pain shook his head. "He's just doing bounties and requests like the others."
"In that case, let him continue," Konan said after pondering. "Don't let him participate in the silver jewelry matters."
She simply didn't trust Uchiha Madara — or rather, Uchiha Obito.
"Alright." Pain replied without objection.
"I'll return to Konoha tomorrow." Konan continued.
Pain silently observed her. She truly had changed. But he believed that no matter how she changed, she would always stand with Akatsuki.
---
Two days passed in a flash.
As the sun set, Ninja Academy dismissed its students.
Kitazawa stepped out of the school gate when his senses stirred — he spotted Konan standing quietly in a distant corner.
Wearing an ANBU mask and with an elegant posture, she would have been overlooked if one didn't look carefully.
"Welcome back to Konoha." Kitazawa approached her with a smile.
Konan was taken aback for a moment. His words sounded as if Konoha were her home.
"Thank you." Her tone remained cool.
She handed him a document.
"It seems my publicity worked." Kitazawa glanced over it and nodded in satisfaction.
Although it didn't match the profits of the Ocean Heart Jewelry Store, it was still impressive.
"Very effective," Konan said, looking at him with genuine admiration.
The more time she spent with him, the more she sensed Kitazawa's uniqueness. She truly wanted to know how he came up with such marketing ideas.
"Who's currently in charge of the silver jewelry?" Kitazawa put the report away and asked.
"One of our Akatsuki members," Konan replied. "Don't worry, he has plenty of experience handling money."
Kitazawa instantly understood. She was most likely referring to Kakuzu.
In the original story, Kakuzu loved money to an extreme. He relied on bounties, even selling teammates for cash.
Within Akatsuki, internal killing wasn't forbidden. It wasn't until he partnered with the immortal Hidan that he stopped killing his teammates.
"Kitazawa, there's something I want to ask." Konan hesitated, then continued, "If one wanted to develop the Land of Rain, where should they start?"
"I'm an Advisor to Akatsuki — not an Advisor to the Land of Rain." Kitazawa looked at her with a smile. "So what reward will you offer?"
"What reward do you want?" Konan was caught off guard and asked in return.
Kitazawa reached out and took off her Anbu mask. He looked at her beautiful face for a while, then put the Anbu mask back on her.
"I haven't thought of it yet, you can owe me for now." Kitazawa withdrew his hand and said with a faint smile, "As for where to start development, it's actually very simple."
"Simple?" Konan couldn't help but feel astonished.
Developing the Land of Rain was something she, Nagato, and Yahiko had contemplated, and even the nobles and officials of the Land of Rain had thought about it, yet none had found a solution.
How could it suddenly become so easy just because Kitazawa said it?
"What is the most abundant resource in the Land of Rain?" Kitazawa asked in return.
"The Land of Rain has no resources." Konan pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said.
"It's rainwater." Kitazawa chuckled lightly and said.
"How can rainwater be a resource?" Konan was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion.
"To the residents of the Land of Rain, rainwater indeed has little value because it's everywhere." Kitazawa reminded her, "But what about the Land of Wind? It's full of deserts and severely lacks water."
"You mean...?" Konan vaguely grasped the key point, and her eyes widened involuntarily.
"Collect the rainwater from your Land of Rain, filter it, and then transport it to the Land of Wind for sale," Kitazawa said directly.
Konan stood frozen in place.
This development method was undoubtedly highly feasible. But why had no one thought of it before?
"As for transportation methods, there are two: one is to use the Summoning Beasts that transport silver ore and silver jewelry."
Kitazawa continued, "The other is pipeline transportation; Earth Release Ninja dig the pipelines, and Water Release Ninja guide the water."
If Kisame Hoshigaki were still alive, the Akatsuki Organization would have an even easier time.
But he had already died at Kitazawa's hands, although there were still many Akatsuki Organization members who could use Water Release. For example, Kakuzu and Biwa Jūzō.
Konan came back to her senses, wanting to speak but holding back. She didn't know what to say for a moment.
A thought emerged in Konan's mind: if Kitazawa were a member of the Akatsuki Organization, perhaps the Land of Rain would have developed long ago.
But unfortunately, he was a Ninja from Konoha Village.
"I need to return to the Land of Rain," Konan said, somewhat impatiently.
"We'll see each other in a couple of days," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Thank you," Konan said with great sincerity.
After she finished speaking, she walked out.
Kitazawa watched her, shaking his head.
How to put it? In his opinion, developing the Land of Rain was actually unnecessary for the Akatsuki Organization.
After all, once the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan unfolded, even the best development would be meaningless.
True development required a peaceful environment. Especially in the Ninja World, where strength reigned supreme.
If it were Kitazawa, he would only rebuild the Ninja World on a large scale after defeating Uchiha Madara and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. By then, no one would dare to oppose him.
However, helping Konan wouldn't cost him anything, and it could also increase her favorability.
Kitazawa was a pragmatic person, and with a cheat like the System, he didn't need to hide his intentions too much.
Konan returned to the Akatsuki Organization.
"Why are you back so soon?" Pain looked at her, feeling confused.
"Nagato," Konan took a deep breath and began explaining about selling the rainwater from the Land of Rain to the Land of Wind.
"Can it really be done like that?" Pain couldn't help but ask after listening.
This method sounded simple, but the simpler an idea was, the easier it was to overlook.
"It seems the Advisor you found is indeed quite good," Pain nodded and said.
Whether it was silver jewelry or selling rainwater, Konan never mentioned Kitazawa's name, only referring to a newly hired Advisor.
And she had given this Advisor the identity of an experienced merchant.
With Pain's personality, he wouldn't concern himself with an ordinary person.
"Our Akatsuki Organization has business dealings with some nobles in the Land of Wind; if we contact them, they certainly won't refuse," Konan said thoughtfully.
The Land of Wind was already short on water, so if the Land of Rain could deliver water to them, they would naturally be extremely willing.
And in the desert, water was more valuable than gold; perhaps the Akatsuki could seize this opportunity to make a fortune.
"You will be in charge of this matter," Pain agreed.
"I want to entrust this matter to Biwa Jūzō; he specializes in Water Release," Konan shook her head and said.
Kakuzu would be responsible for the silver jewelry, Biwa Jūzō for transferring water, and she would continue to serve as an Anbu in Konoha Village.
Kitazawa had helped her too much; she had to repay him.
"That's fine," Pain didn't think much of it.
---
Three more days passed, and it was Saturday.
Kitazawa arrived at the ANBU Base and met Kabuto.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto took out a scroll and said, "After a long period of surveillance, we discovered the problem with Takumi Village."
Kitazawa secretly thought, Just as expected.
He opened the scroll and began to read. It was pretty much as he had guessed: Takumi Village's method was to cut corners.
They had embezzled half of the materials for the box of bliss, and the remaining half was mixed with other materials to forge four bows for him.
"It seems our Konoha Village's prestige is still not enough," Kitazawa chuckled softly and said.
"Kitazawa-sensei, do we need to retrieve the materials?" Kabuto asked calmly.
In his opinion, a small Ninja village like Takumi Village daring to deceive Konoha Village was purely courting death.
Without Kitazawa's intervention, the Anbu could wipe out such a small Ninja village overnight.
"No rush," Kitazawa pondered for a moment and said, "Wait another half a month."
Half a month later would be the Genius Class's second Monthly Exam, and he planned to take Hinata and Neji to Takumi Village.
Although the Four Celestial Symbols Men were said to be Jonin, their strength largely came from their Ninja tools.
Their Ninja tools were not ordinary; they could channel Chakra to unleash corresponding Ninjutsu.
Moreover, Jonin from small Ninja villages were often inflated in rank; in reality, they were only at the elite Chunin level.
Kitazawa remembered that their Ninja tools were three swords and one armor. Among them, these three swords could definitely be taken back for his students to use.
The Weaknessless Soaring Shortswords could reduce Wind Release Chakra consumption and enhance the power of Wind Release Ninjutsu.
The Garian sword, in addition to its retractable blade, could also transform into a dragon to attack enemies.
The last sword was a light sword; its effect was to emit light attacks, similar to the sword of the thunder god.
Of course, the more specific effects would only be known once he got his hands on them.
As for the armor, it was too ugly; he didn't want it.
And he didn't need it; such heavy armor worn on his body would only hinder his speed.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
These three swords, along with the Sword of the Thunder God, Samehada, and two yin release bows, could already form Konoha Village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
However, the distribution of the three swords was a problem. Yakumo could have one, as she had learned Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
But among his other students, only Naruto and Sasuke had learned Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Kitazawa then thought of the effect of the Weaknessless Soaring Shortswords; it was only suitable for Wind Release Ninja. Among his students, only Kabuto was a Wind Release Ninja.
In other words, he only needed to distribute the Garian sword and the light sword.
"Since you're back, you don't need to go to Takumi Village anymore; send someone else," Kitazawa snapped back to reality, looking at Kabuto, and said, "You can go rest."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto nodded and turned to leave.
Kitazawa leaned back, pondering who to bring besides Hinata and Hyuga Neji.
There were four Celestial Symbols Men, and he thought he could bring two more people to give them some training.
Considering the strength of the Four Celestial Symbols Men, there were quite a few suitable students.
Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Shino Aburame, Kurama Yakumo, Torune Aburame, and Kimimaro, among others.
Kitazawa thought for a moment and decided to bring Yakumo and Tenten. Because he planned to give them the Garian sword and the light sword.
Just then, he raised an eyebrow. Footsteps sounded.
He felt a pair of warm hands on his forehead.
"I'll give you a massage," Konan said in a cool tone.
"Wait a minute," Kitazawa suddenly thought of something, grabbed her wrist, and led her to the front of the sofa.
Konan was startled for a moment but quickly reacted. She sat on the sofa, her legs together, looking at him.
Kitazawa directly rested his head on her lap and closed his eyes. He inhaled the faint fragrance and quickly drifted off to sleep.
After a half-hour nap, he sat up.
"Regarding the rainwater trade, the Akatsuki Organization has already gone to negotiate with the Land of Wind." Konan looked at him and said, "If it succeeds, I can give you half of the profits, just like the previous silver jewelry split."
In this matter, both the Land of Rain and the Akatsuki Organization were engaged in a 'no-cost' business. After all, rainwater fell from the sky.
"Thank you," Kitazawa stretched and said, "You don't need to follow me this afternoon; you can go back to the Anbu dormitory to rest."
After bidding farewell to Konan, he went to a nearby training ground.
After learning Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, his second chosen Wood Release Ninjutsu was Wood Release: Four Pillar House.
That's right, it was Yamato's signature Wood Release Ninjutsu. Its effect was simple: to instantly create a complex wooden residence.
Kitazawa's purpose in learning it was also simple: in the future, when going out on missions, he wouldn't need to pitch tents; he could directly create houses to live in, which was very convenient.
After all, he often had to take his students on missions.
In addition to Wood Release: Four Pillar House, there was also Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison Technique. Its effect was to instantly create multiple wooden prisons.
Theoretically, as long as there was enough Chakra, it was possible to create hundreds or even thousands of wooden residences or prisons.
If a Pain invasion were to occur in the future, and a Shinra Tensei was unleashed, this Wood Release: Four Pillar House Technique could be of great use.
Of course, given the current situation, a Pain invasion would definitely not happen again. Because by then, Kitazawa, relying on the System, should already be able to stop Nagato.
Kitazawa smiled, cast aside his random thoughts, and began practicing Wood Release: Four Pillar House.
---
---
Show your support with Power Stones, guys!
If we make it into the top 20 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@atreon/Arvinstorm (40+ Advanced Chapters)