Kapitel 518: Three Years

Nagato and Obito never expected Akatsuki to gain fame in the ninja world in such a way!

Although Yasuo's actions did not disgrace the organization but proved the mighty aspect of Akatsuki, the timing of becoming famous was not quite right!

Nagato and Obito would have preferred that the entire ninja world overlook them until Akatsuki was ready to reveal its fangs. They planned to stab the five great ninja villages in the back with the speed of lightning and complete their plan.

Everything had been going smoothly. Even if they were stirring up trouble secretly, nobody knew it was their doing.

But now, with Yasuo suddenly gaining fame from one battle, the organization was exposed to the public eye, preventing people from ignoring the existence of Akatsuki. This was genuinely irritating for Nagato and Obito.

They had intended to enter the village quietly without causing a stir.

But before they could even enter, someone started throwing fireworks and bombs into the fray.

What should they do now?

Even after holding an emergency meeting and hearing Yasuo's explanation, knowing the situation was not his fault but rather unfortunate circumstances that forced him to retaliate, the complaints did not subside.

Couldn't you have made less noise?

Now that things have blown up, couldn't you have been harsher and gotten rid of all 'eyewitnesses'?

Ending in such an awkward situation, they neither dealt a heavy blow to Konoha nor became utterly passive.

Now, the major ninja villages have started to pay attention to them.

Sunagakure and Kirigakure, primarily, act like mad dogs, even suspecting that Akatsuki killed the Fourth Kazekage and the Fourth Mizukage.

It's awkward because it turns out they did kill the Fourth Mizukage.

Now they're in an awkward situation, caught with mud on their pants - it's a mess they can't just go out and explain, so they have to bear the blame silently.

What's more awkward is that the one who put them in this situation is not an outsider but one of their own!

They can't even take revenge properly; they can't let outsiders enjoy the spectacle while they fight among themselves!

In this situation, there are only two paths left.

The first is to go all out against the five great ninja villages, at any cost, to start capturing all the Tailed Beasts. But obviously, this path has suddenly become much more complicated to traverse.

Their resistance is predictable once their goal of capturing the Tailed Beasts is exposed.

The second path is to lay low for a while, using time to dilute everything.

The downside is that it takes longer, and the outcome is unknown.

However, the advantage is clear: Akatsuki can use this time to continue developing quietly.

If they could portray Akatsuki as a mercenary organization only interested in money, then indeed, after some time, the five great ninja villages would no longer focus so intently on them and would lower their guard.

They could strike thunderously at that time, capturing as many Tailed Beasts as possible before anyone realized what was happening.

Even if the remaining villages react, with Nagato present, destroying one or two villages on the scale of the five great ninja villages is not a dream.

After debating these two paths, Akatsuki temporarily entered a period of laying low.

Entering this period didn't mean everyone went into hiding; instead, they developed as low-key as possible, trying not to attract the attention of the five great ninja villages.

As for Yasuo, who caused all this, Nagato and Obito seemed reluctant to lose such a powerful asset, so they showed leniency.

They just hoped Yasuo would stay out of sight and quietly go into seclusion.

However, Yasuo, who had always been unenthusiastic about completing the missions assigned by the organization, refused to go into seclusion this time. He sincerely expressed his desire to compensate for some of the organization's losses.

Ultimately, Nagato had no choice but to agree to allow him to participate in some 'hunting' activities, such as taking high-reward bounty missions in the underground black market.

If he couldn't stay idle, he might as well spend his time killing rogue ninjas and fugitives.

To avoid the previous incident, he must form a team for missions and is prohibited from acting alone.

Aoba knew this was almost Nagato's bottom line, so he readily agreed.

The reason he was eager to join the mission was also to ensure a particular frequency of presence. Now, his alternate account has also 'grown' and relies on more than just the useless Zanpakuto; of course, he wanted to use it well.

Deidara, Hidan, Kisame, and Sasori were all his planned helpers, appearing occasionally; he also felt uneasy.

It was like replenishing troops for the "Frozen Throne."

Moreover, he also needed to know when Akatsuki was planning to move against the Tailed Beasts so he could prepare early on his side.

Aoba didn't expect that Akatsuki had quietly kept such a low profile for over three years.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the 60th year of the Konoha.

During these three years, the Shinobi world became very peaceful.

The Fifth Hokage, who became a rogue ninja, had no news as if he had evaporated from the world, and gradually people stopped talking about it.

But the cloth Yagura kept covered for the Konoha was a scar in everyone's heart.

It was as if that name had become a taboo. No one would mention it, and everyone treated him as if he was already dead.

Yet, this name was still remembered by some unforgettable.

Among them, Itachi Uchiha only returned once during these three years, spending the rest of his time traveling outside.

But a few knew that he was trying to find that person who had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

However, with the vast Shinobi world and without any clues, searching for him was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Sasuke tried to persuade Itachi to give up during that one time he returned, but Itachi smiled and said, "We made a promise. I must bring him back."

This also made Sasuke's resentment towards someone grow even stronger...

The once sensational Yasuo and the Akatsuki organization also became terrifyingly low-key, gradually forgotten by people, focusing more on the things around them.

During these three years, Aoba was exceptionally busy. While in the Land of Waves, he took every opportunity to train, occasionally tormenting Karin and Ranmaru, who were overgrowing. When he felt like it, he would torment Zabuza and Haku.

He would form a team with Sasori when there were missions, making their presence felt, earning some money, and replenishing the "Frozen Throne."

His days were very fulfilling, and almost all information about the Tailed Beasts had been collected.

After over three years of lying low, the Akatsuki organization was always ready to show their sharp fangs and bite down!

But, a seemingly insignificant 'small matter' happened during this time.

In the 60th year of the Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha graduated!