Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 335: Pain and Akatsuki's Factions

"Eight years ago, Haneda, you, me, and Yahiko went to Kawaraseki Village to aid the war orphans. You still remember that, don't you?"

"During the founding ceremony, the leader and I visited Konoha's orphanage. The facilities there were nearly perfect."

"Dining halls, libraries, bathrooms, bathing areas..."

"They had fresh milk and bread daily, and Konoha ensured they attended school for free, teaching them everything they needed."

"The leader has always aspired to replicate that, but unfortunately, we've yet to reach Konoha's level."

"There are just too many war orphans in the Land of Rain."

Konan sighed deeply as she finished her thought.

Due to its location bordering the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain had been a perpetual battleground during both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars.

During the Second War, Hanzo the Salamander had instigated the conflict, which was at least understandable.

But in the Third War, the Land of Rain had suffered senseless devastation, becoming collateral damage for conflicts between the Great Nations.

The Great Nations were reluctant to fight within their own borders, and so, small nations like the Land of Rain bore the brunt of the violence.

At the time, Hanzo had chosen to stand by idly, neither protecting the Land of Rain nor opposing the actions of Konoha, Iwagakure, or Sunagakure.

By the time Pain took over Amegakure, the village itself was largely intact, but the Land of Rain was left in ruins.

And not every war orphan was another Yahiko, Nagato, or Konan.

They lacked the clandestine protection of Madara, and there was no Sannin like Jiraiya to guide and train them.

Thus, Pain and Konan had taken on the roles of protector, benefactor, and teacher for all these children.

Pain spoke solemnly, "Small nations have suffered too much."

"The pain of war, the pain of hunger, the pain of survival, the pain of losing loved ones..."

"These pains have now become my responsibility and my driving force. I will never forget them."

Haneda replied calmly, "We of the Great Nations have also endured similar pain."

Had anyone else said this, Pain would have dismissed it with disdain, followed by a demonstration of his Shinra Tensei, forcing them to truly "consider pain."

But this was Haneda, the man Pain had long respected and studied, someone whose struggles he deeply understood.

Haneda's suffering was no less than Pain's own.

In his writings, Haneda had recorded not only his personal pain but also Konoha's struggles and the suffering of the Fire Nation's people.

The notion that wars fought beyond the borders of the Great Nations left their interiors untouched was a misconception.

The preparation of war supplies and the imposition of taxes fell squarely on the laboring classes. Daimyo, as feudal lords, had no regard for the plight of the people.

Even during wartime, they demanded taxes without leniency, reminiscent of how the Qing dynasty continued to collect war taxes during the Manchu conquest.

The Fire Nation had indeed endured pain akin to the Land of Rain, though less overtly catastrophic.

Pain nodded slightly.

"That is why we must understand pain—why we must grasp the value of peace."

Pain extended his hand, and Haneda accepted it in a diplomatic handshake.

Although this wasn't an official occasion, the gesture carried sincerity and mutual respect.

After some pleasantries, Haneda finally broached the topic that had brought him here.

"I've heard that Akatsuki recently recruited a new member named Hiruko, with the codename 'Ao.' Is that correct?"

Pain and Konan exchanged a glance.

They were well aware of Hiruko's identity as a Konoha rogue ninja. Given Haneda's position as the Hokage, this was a delicate matter. Mishandling it could jeopardize the relationship between Konoha and Amegakure.

Konan subtly signaled Pain with her eyes. As the visible leader of both Akatsuki and Amegakure, it was Pain's responsibility to provide an explanation.

Pain, understanding this, carefully organized his thoughts before speaking.

"Hiruko is indeed a member of Akatsuki, but he is not one of mine."

"Strictly speaking, Akatsuki is divided into two factions—those aligned with me and those aligned with the organization's true leader, Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara?!" Haneda feigned shock, masking his true familiarity with the name and his deeper connection to the so-called Madara.

Pain nodded. "Yes. Madara approached Konan and me, proposing the creation of the current iteration of Akatsuki."

"You should be aware that Akatsuki was not always like this."

"That's true," Haneda replied. "It began as a group of like-minded individuals united by Yahiko's charisma."

Hearing Yahiko's name, Pain's expression darkened with sorrow, but he quickly composed himself.

Pain continued, "Kakuzu, Sasori, and Hidan can be considered my people. Zabuza Momochi, Kisame Hoshigaki, Zetsu, and Hiruko are aligned with Madara."

"Orochimaru is an outlier, not affiliated with either faction, but he takes orders from me."

After a brief pause, Pain added, "Madara doesn't seem to care much about Hiruko, but he has a close relationship with Zetsu."

Haneda's eyes narrowed as he pieced together the implications.

Black Zetsu.

Hiruko had remained hidden for years, nearly impossible for ordinary people to locate.

But with ten thousand White Zetsu scattered across the world, it wouldn't be surprising if one of them stumbled upon him.

What did Black Zetsu want with Hiruko?

And was this truly in line with Obito's intentions?

Could there be a rift between Obito and Black Zetsu?

Haneda's mind raced with possibilities. He began to see greater potential in Hiruko, beyond just the Gigerou no Jutsu.

"Where is he now?" Haneda asked.

Pain and Konan exchanged another uneasy glance.

They were well aware of Hiruko's location. In fact, they had intentionally assigned Sasori to monitor him.

But they also knew of Haneda's deep animosity toward Sasori, stemming from the death of Haneda's mentor.

If they revealed Hiruko's whereabouts, Sasori would almost certainly be collateral damage.

They hesitated for a moment before Pain finally disclosed Hiruko's location.

…

Elsewhere, a White Zetsu emerged from the shadows, reporting to Obito.

"Madara-sama, Uchiha Haneda is planning to target Hiruko! Hiruko, like you, is also a rogue ninja from Konoha!"

Obito cast a sidelong glance at White Zetsu. "He and I are not the same. Besides, I'm busy right now."

White Zetsu's lips curled into an exaggerated grin. "Madara-sama, are you worried about Haneda? Is that why you're not taking action against him?"

Obito adjusted his mask but chose not to respond.

The truth was, he had no intention of confronting Haneda. The revival of the Three-Tails was still some time away.

Moreover, Hiruko wasn't even his subordinate; Black Zetsu had recruited him.

Obito knew that Black Zetsu was wary of Haneda's growing influence. Allowing Haneda to act against Hiruko might provide an opportunity to probe Black Zetsu's motives.

But overt involvement could be risky; Haneda's power was formidable, and a direct confrontation might not end well.

Obito decided to play it safe. If the opportunity arose, he could intervene at the last moment, bringing a severely weakened Hiruko into the Kamui dimension.

Once there, he could use his Sharingan's genjutsu to extract valuable information about Black Zetsu's plans.

***

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