Naruto: The Teaching System - 229

Chapter 229: Akatsuki Organization Convenes a Meeting

Night had fallen over Konoha, bringing with it the cool touch of autumn air.

"Cheers!"

At Sawada's house, the gathering had outgrown the indoor space, forcing the celebration into the small courtyard. Naruto and the others raised their cups and clinked glasses happily, their laughter echoing off the walls.

Sawada set down his cup, surveying his seven disciples with a faint smile. This was actually quite nice, he thought.

"That's mine, Sasuke! I saw it first!" Naruto protested.

"Too slow, dead-last," Sasuke said with a smirk. "If your hands can't keep up, don't complain."

He popped the dumpling into his mouth, savoring his victory. Stolen food always tasted better.

At the dining table, everyone ignored the two arguing. Before, they would've definitely tried to mediate, but after almost two years of this, everyone had given up. Besides, strangely enough, the more they argued, the closer they seemed to grow.

"Sensei, please eat." Neji carefully picked up food and placed it in Sawada's bowl, his movements precise and respectful.

Sawada waved his hand, signaling Neji not to fuss. "You two keep arguing, and there won't be anything left," he said, pointing at the food on the table rapidly disappearing into Choji's seemingly bottomless stomach.

"Hey! Choji!" Naruto shouted in disbelief, abandoning his argument to speed up his eating.

The distraction pulled Sasuke in too, and he joined the food battle with renewed determination.

Sawada shook his head with an amused sigh. These kids were incorrigible.

"Sensei, Iwagakure won't just stand by now, will they?" Shikamaru asked while helping Choji with his bowl. After listening to his teacher's briefing that afternoon, Shikamaru had concluded that Iwagakure wouldn't ignore the Konoha-Kumogakure alliance. The ninja world's balance of power was already precarious—if any side suddenly grew stronger, the others wouldn't stand by.

"Hard to say." Sawada shook his head, indicating no one could predict with certainty. Though Hiruzen and Shikaku had spent hours strategizing before his return, everything still depended on how events unfolded. Kumogakure probably wouldn't make major moves in the short term either—if Iwagakure could gauge Konoha's true strength for them, so much the better. Perhaps they wouldn't even need to pay a price.

The table suddenly fell silent. After all, war—this word had always been out of reach for them. When they were born, the Third Ninja War had already ended, leaving only stories and scars.

"Sensei, if war comes... may I apply for early graduation?" Neji, who had been silent, finally spoke. What he wanted to accomplish wouldn't be easy. In the village, status was earned through deeds. Simply achieving jōnin rank wasn't enough anymore.

Frankly, over the past decade, many jōnin had been promoted based on mission count rather than quality. They lacked the battle-hardened edge of those forged in the Second and Third Ninja Wars, though the title remained the same.

Whether it was Konoha's White Fang, the Sannin, or Minato Namikaze—all had earned their positions through blood and sacrifice on the battlefield.

"We'll talk about it when the time comes. It's too early now," Sawada said firmly. He had no objection to Neji's ambition—Neji was far more mature than Naruto and the others. But early graduation meant losing his current life. Growing up too fast on the battlefield could warp a child's worldview.

The examples were right before them: Kakashi, Itachi, Shisui. Which of them hadn't developed extreme philosophies? Most stemmed from what they'd endured too young. Leaving the village before establishing a stable mentality was dangerous.

Neji nodded, understanding. He was simply considering the possibility—whether it would happen was another matter entirely.

***

In the Land of Rain, the downpour seemed endless, as if the heavens themselves wept for this forsaken place. The rainwater flowed into the inland lake surrounding the entire village, making it seem abandoned by the world itself.

From the outside, it appeared only this place on Earth was constantly suffering from the rain's relentless assault.

Inside the village, most buildings were steel structures, cold and industrial. Pedestrians wore soaked bamboo hats draped in straw cloaks, walking through the rain with hurried steps, their faces hidden in shadow. On nearby windows, one or two children's blurred figures appeared, curiosity drawing them to the glass.

But the next moment, they were pulled away by worried adults in the room, and curtains were hastily drawn. The only faint warm light also disappeared at that moment, swallowed by the perpetual gloom.

On the village's tallest building, a platform extended outward with a figure standing there, overlooking everything below like a god surveying his domain.

An orange-haired man wearing a black coat embroidered with red clouds, with rippling eyes that seemed to contain infinite depth, coldly watched everything beneath his feet.

Light footsteps approached through the rain. The man glanced sideways.

A woman wearing similar clothing appeared behind him. She had short blue-purple hair styled in a bun, with a light blue paper flower on the right side—Konan, known as God's Angel within Akatsuki.

"Pain, news just came," Konan said, her voice calm despite the gravity of her words. "Konoha is about to ally with Kumogakure. Iwagakure just sent word proposing cooperation."

Hearing this news, Pain turned his head toward the gloomy sky, rain streaming down his face like tears. After a long silence, a low, penetrating voice emerged from the storm: "The so-called Kage are nothing but slaves to their own history, more disgusting than maggots."

Konan listened quietly, her gaze fixed on the figure standing in the rain, unwavering in her loyalty.

"Notify all members. Begin the Akatsuki meeting."

"Yes." Konan nodded, turned, and walked into the building, her paper wings already forming.

"Five Great Nations... your roots have grown rotten," Pain murmured to the storm.

***

In the desolate desert, waves of heat shimmered off the sand as a short figure slowly approached, accompanied by a young man with a ponytail.

"Sasori-danna, don't you think these recent missions are boring?" The young man's voice carried a note of complaint.

The short figure stopped, glancing back. "Deidara, for now we must accept whatever missions come our way." His voice was hoarse, mechanical.

"But they're all just mercenary work—war profiteering with no artistic value at all," Deidara said helplessly, gesturing with his hands. He hadn't joined Akatsuki to do such mundane things.

"I agree, but it still needs to be done," Sasori replied curtly, turning to continue forward.

Just then, the rings on both their hands pulsed with chakra simultaneously, a warm glow against the desert heat.

"Eh? Sasori-danna, what happened?" Deidara asked in surprise. This was the first time he'd seen the ring react like this.

"The leader is summoning us for a meeting." As Sasori finished speaking, his steel tail immediately swept out, raising waves of yellow sand. In an instant, both figures vanished from the spot, leaving only disturbed sand in their wake.

When Deidara opened his eyes again, he found himself in the familiar ethereal space. Various figures stood in different poses, ghostly and indistinct, their forms projected through the power of the rings.

"Yo, leader! What do you need us for?" Deidara looked at the figure standing in the center and asked with barely contained excitement, ready for whatever mission awaited.