Chapter 52: Luckily No One Heard
When this female worker first encountered Kisame, her impression on him was that her combat strength was not strong.
If she was a worker, and she had unlocked a personal favorability level with Kisame, then her reason for joining the Akatsuki was simple: to latch onto a strong figure and gain Kisame's protection through her support abilities.
This kind of thing is common. Compared to contractors, powerful plot characters are the most favored choice for workers. First, they can understand the plot character's personality, good and evil, and extremely detailed personal information through the original work. Seeking protection from a contractor is different; it's quite a gamble.
"Let's not discuss this for now. Over there, they might not hold out much longer."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. The 'over there' he referred to meant Deidara. The reason he said this was because the female worker was present.
Obito immediately understood Su Xiao's meaning.
"Yeah, let's handle that matter first."
"What are you all..."
Kisame didn't yet know that Deidara had been captured, but he understood Su Xiao's meaning within a few seconds. Only he knew whether the person he brought was trustworthy; Su Xiao, Obito, and the others didn't know.
"I chased this 'octopus' across the Land of Iron and need to rest. As for her joining, we'll discuss it later."
Kisame didn't ask what Su Xiao and the others were going to do, because he knew this wasn't the time to ask.
Su Xiao and the others walked out of the base. The female worker looked at Su Xiao in disbelief. She hadn't expected Su Xiao's status in the Akatsuki to be so high, which was evident from the reactions of Obito and Kisame.
"Esteemed seniors, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rose."
Rose smiled brightly and even waved at Su Xiao and the others.
Rose was the woman who had been hunting contractors in the Land of Iron, with eyes like black gems, wearing a backless leather jacket, and a spider lily tattooed on her back. At that time, Rose's aura was completely different from now. If she had been like an angel of slaughter cleansing heretics back then, now she was like a pure white rose.
Rose's strongest ability wasn't her combat power, but her skill at changing her own aura. Even if her hands were stained with blood, when she smiled, those black gem-like eyes were always so clear.
"Worker... joining the Akatsuki."
Su Xiao muttered to himself. He wasn't sure how high this woman's personal favorability with Kisame was, but he could confirm it shouldn't be low, otherwise Kisame wouldn't have recommended her.
"What's wrong?"
Obito noticed Su Xiao's footsteps stop and looked puzzled.
"Nothing."
Su Xiao stepped out of the base. He wasn't planning to deal with this woman named Rose for now. No matter what her purpose was, if she truly harbored ill intentions, as long as she was within the Akatsuki, Su Xiao had many ways to deal with her, no matter how high her personal favorability with Kisame was.
Su Xiao was a veteran member of the Akatsuki. If a disagreement arose between him and Kisame, Obito would most likely mediate, remaining neutral. The person who would truly support Su Xiao was currently imprisoned in the Land of Earth.
As long as Deidara was rescued, this woman named Rose wanting to join the Akatsuki would be a complete pipe dream, no matter her purpose.
Although she wasn't too suspicious, Su Xiao had many enemies, so he was habitually vigilant. Who knew, this time he might have accidentally guessed correctly.
After Su Xiao and the others left the base, Kisame and Rose entered. The exhausted Kisame went to the depths of the base to rest, while Rose sat by a stone table, resting her chin on her hands.
"I feel like something's off. Why do I have a feeling of walking right into a trap?"
Rose narrowed her bright black eyes. She had originally thought Su Xiao was just an ordinary member of the Akatsuki, but now it seemed otherwise.
"Let's observe for a while and find a suitable opportunity. As Xiao Hei said, I'm completely at an elementary level when it comes to scheming. I feel like I'm getting dumber and dumber, no, dumb enough to burn my eyes, like I've taken an idiot pill."
Rose abandoned all the 'grand' plans in her mind. She decided to be simple and direct, which was her style. This was also her strength: she could quickly realize if her actions were correct and would find ways to correct them as soon as possible.
"Before the end of the Naruto world, it's either you die or I die. Yeah, that's the wisest choice. Going around in circles might just get me killed."
Rose muttered to herself, suddenly feeling much more at ease. At that moment, she somewhat admired a former teammate of hers, who was incredibly smooth with schemes and plots. As for her, from start to finish, she was only good at killing.
"Indeed, sacrificing my looks or something is just stupid beyond belief. What was I thinking back then? Luckily no one heard. Too embarrassing."
Rose chuckled lightly. The base was dead silent, with only occasional screams coming from the direction of Sasuke, who had just undergone surgery.
...
Two days later, within the Land of Rain.
Dark clouds covered the sun, the sky was pitch black, and occasional thunder rumbled.
Mud splashed as a group of people rushed by. It rained 70% of the time in the Land of Rain, making the ground muddy and difficult to traverse.
Su Xiao and the others crossed the Land of Fire and arrived at the Land of Rain, which bordered the Land of Fire. The Land of Rain's east side was the Land of Fire, and its west side bordered the Land of Earth. The purpose of Su Xiao and the others' journey was a village within the Land of Earth, and the route was almost a straight line.
At this time, the Land of Rain was heavily garrisoned by Konoha ninjas, but that didn't concern Su Xiao and the others. As long as they didn't approach the Hidden Rain Village, the chance of encountering Konoha ninjas was low.
The journey was inevitably monotonous. Along the way, White Zetsu would occasionally appear to report to Obito on Deidara's situation or the current state of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Among these, three matters were relatively important.
One: The Hidden Cloud Village had already elected a new Raikage, reportedly very young.
Two: The civil war in the Hidden Mist Village had erupted again, but under the mediation of the Hidden Sand Village and Konoha, the civil war stopped, and a new acting Mizukage was elected. He was an elder of the Hidden Mist Village, an old schemer with political intelligence no less than Danzo's.
Three: Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, had recovered from her injuries and resumed the position of Hokage. Tsunade possessed the Sage Body, so recovery was normal. In fact, she had recovered long ago but had been stripped of power by Danzo during her convalescence. With Danzo dead, she rightfully resumed the position of Hokage.
It had to be said, the Five Great Ninja Villages had deep foundations. Just a few days after three Kage were killed, they had already stabilized their positions. This was also the situation Su Xiao hoped to see. Without a Kage, a ninja village couldn't wage external wars; at most, they would engage in internal strife.
The new Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village was nothing to worry about; he was a Kage pushed into power by the situation. The Hidden Mist Village, on the other hand, couldn't be underestimated. After all, they had been in civil war for many years, and the name 'Blood Mist' wasn't for nothing. If war really broke out, they would be very active.
As for Konoha, there was no need to deal with them for now. The village's internal repairs weren't complete, and there were still the hidden dangers left by Danzo, enough to give Tsunade a headache.
Looking at the current situation, the Great Ninja War might not be far off.
This was good news for Su Xiao, but bad news for Obito. The power he had accumulated so far wasn't enough to go to war with the Five Great Ninja Villages.
After three days of travel, the group arrived within the Land of Earth.