Chapter 1264: Infiltration_3

“Unlike that narrow-minded Merchant Alliance, as the Daimyo, his vision is certainly more far-reaching and he is more likely to notice the threat posed by the Industrial and Civil Cooperative.”

Currently, the cooperative has already recruited over three thousand members, a number that exceeds Ichihime’s initial expectations.

As time goes on, the cooperative will unleash a terrifying ability to absorb, sweeping the lower tiers of the Land of Waves; it’s only a matter of time.

For the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire to win, they must act quickly; if too slow, their ability to infiltrate the civilian populace will diminish. Without civilian control, the Daimyo’s Mansion of the Land of Waves will lose its governmental functions and become merely a symbolic presence. At that point, the Land of Demons will call the shots, which is the most feared scenario for the Land of Fire.

“So, how is the contact with Kaiza? Does this person match the young lady’s ideal candidate?”

Kado asked with a smile.

“Far more excellent than the information you gathered on paper, it’s hard to imagine someone like that emerging in such a country. He’s entrusted to you. Assassination is a despicable act, and if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is smart, he should know such tactics are unwise, yet also shouldn’t fully trust the other party.”

“Understood, I will secretly deploy ninjas to protect him.”

Kado nodded solemnly.

“Then I’ll leave these matters to you. Next, I must return to the Land of Demons to report; I will return around February next year. During this time, I intend to eliminate the remnants of the Merchant Alliance, as they are useless now, turning the Isolated Island into a bygone history.”

“Have you already found the whereabouts of those Merchant Alliance remnants?”

Kado was quite surprised for a moment.

“It’s news sent from Oyashiro En to the headquarters. Those remnants of the merchants are hiding in a secret base in the Land of Rainbow. According to Oyashiro En’s intelligence, those merchants have over a hundred ninja warriors under their command, and I must go personally to clean them up.”

When mentioning Oyashiro En, Ichihime’s face showed some displeasure.

That man wearing sunglasses, always with a frivolous, smiling demeanor, made her want to punch him.

But she could only think about it; according to intelligence, he unearthed far more secret bases than his subordinates did.

Fear-driven caution to this extent is unique to the Ninja Realm.

Finding this person is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention, he possesses a mysterious Kekkeigenkai, with prowess probably on par with the Sannin.

“Oyashiro En… that guy is as cunning as ever. Maybe it’s President Miyako’s influence; he doesn’t seem like someone who enjoys getting involved in troublesome matters.”

After a moment of surprise, Kado nodded calmly.

He knew about Oyashiro En’s close exchanges with the Shion Flower Merchants Association.

He himself has business dealings with Oyashiro En, so he understands this person’s nature.

Fearful of death, timid, cautious, yet paradoxically very powerful.

As a merchant, he does not prioritize wealth.

A man full of contradictions.

It is said his daughter serves in a secret force of the military in the Land of Demons, and with this relationship and the decline of the Isolated Island Merchant Alliance, it’s not surprising Oyashiro En sold out the remnants of the Merchant Alliance.

Ichihime offered no comment on this; she simply disliked Oyashiro En’s nonchalant, annoyingly cheerful demeanor.

◎

The rain sounded softly.

Nagato, who was in the camp, suddenly opened his eyes, looking towards the direction of the Hidden Rain Village.

“Nagato, what’s wrong?”

Noticing Nagato’s unusual expression, Konan asked, puzzled.

“There’s unfamiliar chakra appearing near the Hidden Rain Village; this chakra is very strong, not like ordinary ninjas. And the chakra gives me a cold feeling, as if it’s an emotionless machine.”

Nagato said.

“According to the information provided by the Wandering Witch from the Land of Demons, Danzo’s assistant, Aburame Ryuma, is investigating the identity of ‘Pain.’ Seizing the opportunity while we can’t attend to the Hidden Rain Village, he’s planning to infiltrate and investigate ‘Pain’ at this time, isn’t he?”

Konan thought of something and said.

Nagato nodded, agreeing with Konan’s remark.

Strong chakra, an aura as cold as a machine without emotions; the person fitting these qualities is none other than Aburame Ryuma, the Deputy Commander of Root, currently investigating ‘Pain’ information.

The opponent is Danzo’s assistant, an elite Jonin of Konoha Village, who once worked alongside Orochimaru, whom Orochimaru described as a troublesome Insect Master, implying considerable prowess, acknowledged by one of the Sannin, Orochimaru.

But having joined Root, he needed to hide his presence, so many are unaware there exists such a skilled ninja hidden within Konoha.

Currently, members of Akatsuki are occupied with their own matters, with no others stationed at the tower in the Hidden Rain Village on standby.

At this moment, apart from the six ‘Pain’ controlled by Nagato in the Hidden Rain Village, there is no one among the Hidden Rain Ninjas who could match Aburame Ryuma.

“Do we need to go back?”

Konan asked.

Even if utilizing the Pain Six Paths, manipulating them from this distance wouldn’t allow the Six Paths of Pain to exhibit even one-tenth of their peak strength.

The distance is too far, and the chakra receivers manufactured with Yin Yang Attribute jutsu cannot maintain excellent signal reception capabilities over such a range.