"The difference between the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain is truly striking," Amemiya Kenichi murmured, gazing at the boundary line before him.
The Land of Fire's ninja were remarkably laid-back, some chatting and smoking as if they weren't even on the border.
In stark contrast, the Land of Rain's ninja appeared tense and wary, barely daring to glance toward the Land of Fire.
Kenichi suspected the reason: the Land of Rain's pillar, the Demigod Hanzo, had died, severing their communication lines. This likely left the Land of Rain's ninja on edge.
But that wasn't his concern. He presented his travel permit, passed through border inspection smoothly, and entered the small nation bordering the Land of Fire.
Soon after crossing the border, Kenichi noticed the Land of Rain's environment was indeed different from the Land of Fire. The towns here were much smaller.
Another striking feature was the high city walls, significantly taller than those in the Land of Fire.
"This is like expecting a thin piece of cloth to protect your virtue," Amemiya Kenichi muttered, shaking his head. Facing the three major powers nearby, what good would these walls do?
Even if they were as tall as the walls in Attack on Titan, they'd be completely useless against the ninja of the Ninja World.
This was probably just a way for people in small countries to give themselves a little peace of mind.
But he wasn't about to waste time feeling sorry for anyone. He entered the small town, quickly sold his goods for cash, and left.
He'd only pretended to be a merchant in the Land of Fire to avoid trouble on the road, but now that he was in the Land of Rain, it didn't matter anymore.
Amemiya Kenichi put on a fox mask he'd bought from a street stall and dashed toward the Rain Ninja Village.
As he ran, he checked his new research target:
Current Research Object: Chakra Parasite
Research Progress: 0.05%
Having decided on his research subject, Amemiya Kenichi approached it with the excitement of opening a blind box. To avoid the ridiculous scenario of researching amber itself, he even melted the amber beforehand.
Once he knew the parasite's name—Chakra Parasite—Amemiya Kenichi immediately thought of the Aburame Clan. However, the Aburame's parasites looked nothing like this, which only piqued his interest further.
After all, the name implied a connection to chakra, suggesting it couldn't be limited to parasitizing ordinary people.
It seemed this research would take some time, but hopefully not too long.
The Land of Rain wasn't particularly large, especially compared to the vast Land of Fire. Amemiya Kenichi soon arrived near the Rain Ninja Village and stopped.
He noticed it was raining in the village.
Rain in the Rain Ninja Village might seem unremarkable, but Amemiya Kenichi could sense an extremely faint trace of chakra in the air. Activating his Sharingan, he saw it even more clearly.
Otherwise, ordinary ninja wouldn't have noticed anything amiss, simply dismissing it as a normal rainy day.
This had to be Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique, a highly secretive surveillance ninjutsu.
If he charged in now, Nagato and Konan would probably be inviting him for tea shortly.
"Konoha ninja, what's your purpose in the Rain Ninja Village?" Just then, Amemiya Kenichi realized he was surrounded.
Tendō Pain, Konan, Hell Path, and Preta Path stood in four positions, encircling Amemiya Kenichi in the center.
Amemiya Kenichi's lips twitched. This was quite the welcome. But he hadn't even touched the rain, so how had Nagato and Konan discovered him?
"First, I'm not a Konoha ninja," Amemiya Kenichi said, removing his mask. They must have recognized his Sharingan.
Remembering he was still wearing the merchant's face, Amemiya Kenichi tore it off, revealing his true appearance.
He was certain Akatsuki knew his face. After all, information about missing-nin wasn't exactly a secret in the Ninja World.
Konan frowned slightly at the mention of "this face," then quickly identified the person in her mind.
"Konoha's A-Rank Missing-nin, Amemiya Kenichi," Konan stated. Amemiya Kenichi nodded immediately, lifting his chin proudly.
Yes, he was Konoha's A-Rank Missing-nin!
Too bad he wasn't S-rank yet.
Tch, as long as he hadn't started at C-rank. But even that bald demon king had worked his way up from C-rank, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
Wait a minute... do missing-nin even have a C-rank?
"Konoha's missing-nin, state your purpose for coming to the Rain Ninja Village," Tendō Pain, the leader, repeated his question, already familiar with Amemiya Kenichi.
However, he was far more interested in the S-rank missing-nin, Orochimaru. He believed Orochimaru could contribute significantly to his plans.
"Does Akatsuki accept new members?" Amemiya Kenichi asked with a hopeful smile. "My teacher—Konoha's S-rank missing-nin, Orochimaru—and I have heard of Akatsuki's reputation."
Konan and Nagato visibly paused, clearly surprised that this A-Rank Missing-nin from Konoha would immediately ask to join Akatsuki.
After Nagato had dealt with that trash Hanzō, he had indeed planned to recruit some elites to prepare for their future plans. But how was it that someone was already volunteering before they had even started recruiting?
"Accept him. Your teacher's strength is sufficient for Akatsuki," Nagato said after a moment of silence, his confidence unwavering.
Under the gaze of his divine eyes, he had no concerns about Amemiya Kenichi or Orochimaru plotting against them.
"Can I join then?" Amemiya Kenichi asked eagerly. He knew Akatsuki seemed to have rings, but he also knew there were only a limited number of them.
"Fight me. If you win, you can join," the Preta Path stepped forward.
Amemiya Kenichi glanced at the Preta Path. Well, well, I know this guy.
The scene of Tendō Pain destroying Konoha in Hokage was a popular meme, with phrases like "carrying a bag of rice up several floors" and "QQ biting mud" being common jokes.
So Amemiya Kenichi actually knew what the Preta Path's ability was. He remembered it being pretty easy to deal with.
Huh?
Kenichi paused, startled. Wait a minute... this guy can absorb Chakra. Doesn't that mean I can finally go all-out with my Sage Art training?