Chương 63: 63 - When Walls Come Down
On the return journey that day, while Konan still didn't completely understand the meaning behind Shin's words, she had grasped a part of his intentions—he wouldn't stop after seizing the Land of Rain.
Half a year ago, if she had heard such thoughts, she would have only felt resistance. The three of them had originally formed Akatsuki because of their hatred for war, and peace was their greatest pursuit.
But now, understanding Shin's vision didn't disgust her.
It wasn't until she returned home, lying quietly on her bed, that Konan reflected on her change in mindset.
She raised her hand unconsciously, pressing the back of it against her forehead. "Am I sick?" she asked herself doubtfully.
But her temperature seemed normal.
So, it wasn't an illness.
She had simply… been changed by someone. His words, his vision... they've gotten inside my head. Realizing this made her face inexplicably flush.
Surprisingly, despite this realization, she didn't panic, nor did she feel any aversion. Maybe this change isn't such a bad thing. After all, the peace we dreamed of as children... was it ever enough?
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Konan wasn't the only one who realized a shift in her perspective that day.
Nonō, newly arrived in the Land of Rain, was also struggling to adjust her own mindset.
In truth, she had regained consciousness toward the end of the battle. However, her years of experience in espionage and disguises instinctively led her to feign unconsciousness, donning a protective facade.
Her acting skills were undoubtedly top-notch, as even those powerful individuals in close proximity failed to detect her ruse.
Thus, she overheard everything Konan heard.
But unlike Konan, who had completely changed her trajectory, Nonō's first reaction to Shin's words was one of fear.
Is he such an extreme war fanatic?
The last person she knew with such ideas was none other than Danzō. He, too, had been a lunatic who viewed all surrounding villages as equal enemies.
Recalling her traumatic experiences of being coerced by Root, Nonō couldn't shake off her restless unease.
Even after returning to Ame, and despite Rai repeatedly assuring her that Akatsuki was different, her anxiety remained. "
"You'll see. This isn't like Root. They're building something new here, something better." But how many times have I heard such promises before?
The following morning, Rai himself left to formally join Akatsuki, leaving only Nonō and Kabuto behind.
According to Rai, his freedom was still somewhat limited since he had only recently defected.
Just like Root—always keeping tabs, always watching.
This only amplified Nonō's inner fears and suspicions.
So much so that when someone knocked on her door that morning, she instinctively grabbed her kunai, almost striking the person as she opened the door.
The sudden move startled the visitor, who jumped back in fright, nearly dropping the papers she was holding.
Upon seeing who it was, Nonō hurriedly withdrew her weapon and apologized repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean to do it..." Her heart raced as she realized how suspicious her behavior must seem. They'll mark me as dangerous now...
The visitor was an ordinary, slightly plump middle-aged woman. Still shaken, she patted her chest and said, "Goodness! Why would you answer the door holding a weapon? You scared me half to death!"
Despite her fright, the woman bore no ill will. Instead, after a moment, she even apologized, "But I suppose I was too rash, mistaking you for a local. May I come in now?"
Nonō's heart skipped a beat. This isn't how it usually goes. Where's the suspicion?
As a seasoned spy, she had traveled to many places in the shinobi world and knew all too well about the deep-seated xenophobia that plagued many shinobi villages.
Foreign shinobi, non-locals, jinchūriki, even weaker clans with bloodline limits—any identity deemed different could become a target for discrimination and exclusion.
It was for this reason that despite wandering so much, she ultimately had no choice but to return to Konoha and endure the exploitation of Root.
The shinobi world was just that rotten.
Her guarded reaction had exposed her as an outsider. Would this become a harbinger of misfortune? Here it comes. The moment when kindness turns to suspicion.
"Please... please come in."
"Don't be so tense, child. Oh, though you might be too old to be called a child, that's just my way of speaking—don't take it to heart," the woman said with a warm smile, her chatter putting Nonō on edge.
She settled herself comfortably at the small table, acting as if the earlier kunai incident had never happened.
"I'm from the Management Association. We handle registration and management of the village's residents." She pulled out some forms, arranging them neatly. "You seem to have just arrived yesterday, so I've come to conduct a routine registration."
"May I know your name? What brings you to Ame? Are you a shinobi?"
Overwhelmed, Nonō didn't dare lie and answered honestly. Each question felt like a test, yet the woman's friendly demeanor never wavered. This can't be real. No village treats outsiders this... normally.
The woman reassured her multiple times not to be nervous, then asked, "Since you're a shinobi, could you share what you specialize in? Don't worry, we understand how sensitive shinobi are about their information. We're just gathering basic details to better assign roles later."
At the mention of assigning roles, Nonō's eyes widened in shock.
"Assigning roles? You even provide jobs for outsiders?"
In her many years of wandering, she had never encountered anything like this. The major shinobi villages often boasted about camaraderie and protection.
Yet under their loose systems of governance, most shinobi were left to fend for themselves. Empty words about unity while outsiders starved.
Outsiders, in particular, always faced discrimination and exclusion the moment they tried to take on missions. How many times did she watch talented shinobi waste away, simply because they weren't born in the right village?
This experience was deeply ingrained in Nonō after her travels across the shinobi world.
She had never imagined there would be a place that actively helped foreign shinobi find work. Wouldn't the local clans object to such favoritism?
There must be a catch. There's always a catch.
The woman chuckled and said jokingly, "That's not the kind of question you should ask." She waved her hand dismissively, as if Nonō's concerns were as insubstantial as morning mist.
"Honestly, even Akatsuki came from the south; they're outsiders too. Now, we're all part of Ame. Speaking divisive words like that won't do you any good, understand?"
Though the woman's tone was lighthearted, almost like banter, Nonō was utterly stunned. The form in front of her blurred as tears threatened to well up in her eyes.
This was the first time she had encountered a place where allegiance to the country was placed entirely above loyalty to any single village. No clan politics, no village superiority—just people working together.
Could this be what he meant? Not just changing leaders, but changing how people think?
The Land of Rain—it truly seemed like a completely new world. As she watched the woman continue filling out the forms, chattering about available positions and housing arrangements, Nonō felt something she hadn't experienced in years: hope.
Maybe Rai was right. Maybe this really is different.
The constant rain outside the window no longer seemed gloomy. Instead, it felt like it was washing away the old world, making space for something new to grow.
Through the window, she could see people—locals and outsiders alike—going about their business together, unbothered by the rain or each other's origins.
A world without the prejudices I've known... Is this what revolution looks like? For the first time since arriving, Nonō allowed herself to relax, just a little, and imagine a future where Kabuto could grow up without facing the discrimination that had shaped her own life.
Although there were countless questions in her heart, she didn't dare ask too much at this moment.
She simply and honestly answered the middle-aged woman's inquiries. "I am a ninja skilled in stealth, disguise techniques, and a little bit of Earth Release."
Having been undercover in Iwa for years, she naturally picked up some earth jutsu, though she wasn't proficient in them.
The middle-aged woman's brush moved steadily across the paper as she noted everything down. Her face lit up with genuine enthusiasm. "You know Earth Release? That's great! The village is expanding recently, and shinobi with Earth Release are in high demand. If you're not picky, you'll find work very soon."
Village expansion... what does that have to do with ninjas? Nonō was utterly baffled.
She didn't understand, but she didn't dare to ask further. Politely, she saw the enthusiastic middle-aged woman out.
In her mind, she pondered whether she should use a disguise to blend in and gather intelligence. After all, this was her specialty.
However, she hesitated, worried that it might backfire, leading to suspicion that she harbored ulterior motives against Ame. Her years of experience as a spy had taught her that sometimes the most peaceful facades hid the deadliest traps.
For a moment, she found herself caught in a dilemma.
Before arriving, she had already mentally labeled Shin as a war-crazed tyrant and a source of chaos in the shinobi world—almost synonymous with Danzō. This made her tread extremely cautiously with every step she took.
But today, the surprises brought by Ame were only just beginning.
Not long after, someone actually came to introduce her to work—far sooner than she expected, catching her completely off guard.
The knock on her door was casual, almost friendly.
"Excuse me, is Nonō home?"
"Yes, that's me. And you are?" She kept her stance relaxed but ready, old habits dying hard.
"Oh, I'm here to ask if you're interested in a job. The construction sites in the village are short on workers, and Earth Release shinobi are given priority." The recruiter's casual demeanor seemed genuine, making Nonō even more confused.
"By the way, since you're new, you probably haven't gotten your ID yet, right? No problem—we can pay you daily wages for now, and you'll still earn points."
"Interested?"
Points? Daily wages?
Several unfamiliar terms cropped up, but Nonō nodded with a mind to gather intelligence, agreeing to go with the person to the construction site.
When they arrived, she was dumbfounded. The bustling construction site spread out before her, filled with the sounds of work and casual conversation—nothing like the military operation she'd expected.
She had expected to see a group of ninjas renovating a noble's residence. Instead, there were no nobles, nor any visible employer. Only a group of ordinary people with blueprints were directing ninjas to use Earth Release to dig pits and lay foundations.
The scene before her defied everything she knew about how ninja villages operated.
Following her usual instincts, Nonō immediately asked, "Who commissioned this job?"
One person smiled and explained, rolling out a blueprint as he spoke, "This place is contracted by a merchant guild from the Land of Rain. They've already paid taxes to Akatsuki, so you don't need to worry."
"I'm the site supervisor here. If you want to work, just come to me in the future."
Nonō was astonished. She watched as a ninja casually used Earth Release to dig a perfectly rectangular foundation pit, chatting with a civilian worker as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"A merchant guild composed of ordinary people can afford to hire so many ninjas?"
The ninja who brought her there seemed to be a veteran of Akatsuki and had witnessed many changes firsthand. Hearing this, he chuckled. She's like all the newcomers—can't believe what they're seeing.
"That wouldn't have been possible last year. But ever since Akatsuki took over, everything has changed." He gestured at the busy construction site, where ninjas and civilians worked side by side.
"Trade routes have opened, merchant guilds have become wealthy, and the hiring price of shinobi has dropped significantly. Part of the payment is covered with points, which is a form of support from Akatsuki."
"What can you do with points?"
"You can exchange them for ninjutsu."
Such a simple answer left Nonō utterly stunned.
"To think that ninjutsu can be obtained so easily? These tasks seem so straightforward—doesn't that mean anyone can earn points to exchange for ninjutsu in the future?" She watched as a young ninja, barely more than a genin, carefully shaped stone steps under a civilian foreman's guidance.
In the places Nonō had been to, ninjutsu was always a tool held tightly by the ninja villages to control their ninjas. Each technique was guarded like a precious jewel, passed down through strict hierarchies and sealed with oaths of loyalty.
Of course, they justified this with lofty reasons: to prevent enemy spies from easily obtaining their village's techniques.
In practice, however, the ninjas suffocated by such restrictions vastly outnumbered foreign spies. She'd seen talented shinobi held back for years, denied techniques that could have saved their lives, all in the name of security.
Faced with her question, the ninja escorting her chuckled and replied, "Our leader has addressed this concern before. He said, if someone is willing to work diligently in the Land of Rain for a year or two just to exchange for an ordinary ninjutsu that doesn't even reach forbidden technique levels, then regardless of their original intentions, they deserve it."
Nonō was shocked by such magnanimity. She also keenly recognized another benefit of this approach— A society like this would be resistant to fostering the kind of clannish, monopolistic, and selfish local ninja clans that plagued other regions for years.
Problems that had troubled the major villages for decades seemed to have been casually resolved by Akatsuki.
But what struck Nonō even more deeply was what the ninja said next.
"I am a shinobi but first I am human. Even if many of us aren't fond of fighting, the desire to grow stronger and acquire more skills is natural for those in the same profession."
"Instead of suppressing these ambitions, why not guide them? The purpose of our battles should be to pursue a better life, not to sacrifice ourselves for so-called ideals or a vague sense of duty that turns us into mere tools of war."
At that moment, Nonō's heart was struck deeply. The simple truth of those words cut through years of conditioning like a blade through paper.
She immediately thought of her life in Konoha, remembering the endless years of someone constantly repeating in her ears.
"For the Will of Fire, you must sacrifice!"
"For the sake of Konoha's ideals, you must continue your infiltration!"
"To prove your loyalty, you can't retire, you can't leave, and you must dedicate everything to the village until your death!"
Such brainwashing had once filled every corner of her mind, leaving no room to question the validity of those words. Each command had been another brick in the wall that separated her from her own humanity.
Until this moment, when another ninja stood before her, casually telling her, "Shinobi are human too." and "The purpose of battles is to create a better life, not to endure endless suffering."
The words fell like rain on parched earth, and somewhere deep inside, something long dormant began to grow.
Nonō felt her nose sting, and she almost burst into tears. She fought to keep her voice steady as she asked, "Do you provide job placements for every new shinobi here? Is it also… for a better life?"
The escorting ninja scratched his head awkwardly, replying somewhat guiltily, "Yes, that's right—for a better life."
He looked around at the busy construction site, watching ninjas and civilians working together under the cloudy sky. Better not mention Shin-sama's exact words about keeping ninjas busy and controlled. Some truths are better left unsaid.
In truth, the real reason was because Shin had once stated: any unemployed yet capable ninja is a major threat to social stability.
Shin's stance was clear—dangle a carrot in front of them and find them a job, or their excess energy would have nowhere to go.
Fortunately, this Akatsuki veteran had the wisdom to hide the organization's true motives when speaking to outsiders, opting for a more agreeable explanation.
He watched as Nonō observed a young ninja carefully reshaping the ground with Earth Release. He didn't know that these words, which were routine to seasoned Akatsuki members, felt like divine revelation to Nonō.
She watched a group of civilian children pass by the construction site, pointing excitedly at the ninja workers without a trace of fear.
Having roamed the ninja world for so many years, this was the first time she felt an overwhelming desire to stay in one place. The constant rain that had seemed gloomy when she first arrived felt like a cleansing shower, washing away years of accumulated doubts and fears.
She even began to think—if such a leader could unify the ninja world, even as a so-called warlord, perhaps… that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
For the first time in longer than she could remember, Nonō felt something that had become foreign to her: hope.
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