Naruto: Orochimaru's Disciple

Chapter 149 - 150

Chapter 149: Rain Tiger Technique

"Another rainy season, Konan." Inside the Akatsuki base in Amegakure, Nagato stared at the weather outside and let out a quiet sigh.

Another rainy season.

And once again, his mind drifted back to the day he met Konan and Yahiko, and the day Yahiko collapsed in front of him.

"Mm. It's the rainy season again." Konan stepped out from the shadows and stopped beside him, keeping him company as the steady rain tapped against the world outside.

She stared at Nagato's back, expression distant. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

Yahiko's death was a scar that would never fade, no matter how many years had passed.

Even though they had avenged him by killing Hanzo the Salamander, Konan understood one thing clearly. The fire in Nagato's heart had never gone out. It still burned, stubborn and furious.

Konan did not know whether that fire would eventually burn down Konoha and this sick world, or whether it would burn down Nagato himself.

"Nagato," she said after a pause, forcing a lighter tone, "speaking of which... what about that guy, Jade?"

It was not easy to distract Nagato once he fell into that silence. But Konan quickly thought of someone Nagato rarely brought up.

Jade.

Or, more precisely, Kenichi Amamiya, the S rank rogue shinobi from Konoha, also known in the shinobi world as the Heavenly Demon.

Konoha had already updated his bounty information. Kenichi had officially been classified as an S rank rogue shinobi. When Konan first heard, she was genuinely curious what he had done this time.

Only that man could ease the pressure in Nagato's chest, the kind built from years of revenge. Kenichi's personality had something of Yahiko in it, and he was just as troublesome in a completely different way.

Nagato did not like talking about him.

"I assigned him a mission," Nagato said, unable to hold it in once he heard the name, "and then his trail showed up on the battlefield in the Land of Frost. But for some reason, he never came back."

Kenichi Amamiya was a challenger and a walking violation of Akatsuki's rules.

He had clearly been told that after completing a mission, he needed to return as soon as possible, hand in the organization's share, and report completion.

And yet Kenichi ignored all of it.

Every time Kenichi attended a meeting, Nagato felt like the meeting might turn into some strange comedy show.

Just thinking about him made Nagato's head throb.

Nagato's expression darkened. When Kenichi returned, he was going to have a serious talk with him about Akatsuki discipline.

"Hm?" Nagato's eyes narrowed slightly.

He felt it.

The presence of an Akatsuki ring.

The rings were communication tools. They could not be used to locate members across long distances, that would consume far too much chakra.

However, chakra could be used to perform an Illusion Body Technique, as long as the member's thought waves helped form the link.

And if the ring was close enough, it could still be sensed directly.

Now, Nagato felt two rings approaching.