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When Hayato turned into the Hulk, Konan didn't say a word, didn't ask a thing, acting like it never even happened. Yahiko and Nagato were the same way, though whenever they were around Hayato, their easygoing smiles disappeared. It was like mice spotting a cat—they kept their distance, stumbling over their words, too nervous to even talk to him properly.
Hayato, for his part, didn't care. To him, nothing felt any different.
But for the Land of Rain, the whole country had been shaken to its core.
Its leader, Hanzo of the Salamander—the so-called "demigod of the ninja world"—had been the sole reason even the great powers like Konoha, Iwa, and Suna never dared to strike at the Rain. But now? Hanzo was dead. Killed in battle. With the pillar of their nation gone, chaos was inevitable.
Ninja factions sprang up overnight, each scrambling for power, pulling together gangs and recruits, all of them desperate to claim the title of leader of the Rain. The big villages were too caught up in their own wars to meddle here, but that didn't stop the Land of Rain from tearing itself apart.
Still, the well-informed knew the truth—Hanzo hadn't been killed by some army. He'd fallen to a single teenage boy, a boy who traveled with one girl and two other boys. A group of four. Because of that, no matter how bad the fighting got across the country, nobody dared come near Hayato's territory. His corner of the Rain stayed quiet and untouched.
Hayato kept training like nothing had changed. After what had happened, Konan threw herself into her own training too, realizing just how important strength was. She poured everything into perfecting her Paper Jutsu, pushing its limits further every day.
Yahiko and Nagato, though, were different. When they saw poor civilians moving closer, along with wandering ninja who wanted no part of the fighting, their thoughts began to stir. They realized something—the people who lived under Hayato's protection were far happier than those anywhere else. There were no fights here, no constant fear. Hayato ignored that kind of trouble, and without even meaning to, he created a place where people could breathe easy.
Almost without thinking, Yahiko and Nagato started organizing those residents on Hayato's behalf. Because everyone knew they were connected to him, people began to gather under their banner.
Before long, the two of them had formed an organization. They called it Akatsuki—"Dawn." A name meant to symbolize hope and sunlight. Their dream was to bring that hope not just to the Rain, but to the entire ninja world, to spread peace everywhere.
They were just kids, really, but their hearts carried a vision so big it almost felt unreal. No wonder they became the founders of Akatsuki. Konan, however, stayed apart. Because of Hayato, she didn't mix in with their plans and never officially joined the group.
At first, Yahiko and Nagato ran Akatsuki well, taking care of the people under them, building a little haven of stability. But soon their ambitions grew—they began expanding outward. And with Hayato's name hanging over them like a shield, nobody dared oppose them. They borrowed his reputation, knowingly or not, and pushed their influence further.
Hayato himself had no idea. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have minded. He knew Yahiko and Nagato were naive, sure, but their intentions were good.
So Hayato and Konan kept grinding away at their training, sharpening their strength day by day, while Yahiko and Nagato drew in more and more people who shared their dream. And in just a short time, their Akatsuki had already taken control of nearly half the Land of Rain.
Even though Nagato and Yahiko's ideals had inspired many, not everyone agreed with their way of doing things. After all, becoming the leader of a nation—even a small one—was something most people saw as a huge deal. Now that there was a chance to claim that seat of power, there was no way others would just step aside and let it fall into Nagato and Yahiko's hands.So schemes and plots against them kept piling up.
While Konan and Hayato trained relentlessly, pushing themselves to get stronger, one person was already undergoing a drastic change.
Nagato clutched Yahiko's lifeless body, tilting his head back and screaming into the sky like a man gone mad. Behind him loomed the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, towering like some god from beyond the world. Around Nagato, there wasn't a single survivor—just a field of corpses scattered across the ground.
Hayato's arrival had already twisted the story from the path it should have taken. But some things… some tragedies… were destined to happen no matter what. Yahiko's death was one of them.
In the original tale, Yahiko had killed himself under Hanzo's threat. But here, Yahiko had still died—only this time, it was at someone else's hands. The murderer was a skilled jōnin, but his victory was short-lived. Nagato, consumed by rage, struck him down in an instant. As the man collapsed, a wisp of pale white slipped out of his body, sank into the ground, and vanished without a trace. Nagato never noticed.
"Eh? Nagato, you're back? Where's Yahiko? Seriously, what have you two even been up to lately? You've been nowhere to be found," Konan asked with a smile when she saw him return.
But the moment Nagato lifted his head, her smile froze. His Rinnegan, once brimming with life and determination, now looked like dead, colorless ash. The sight made Konan's heart skip—she instinctively took a step back.
Nagato ignored her reaction and instead walked straight toward Hayato.
"Something wrong?" Hayato frowned. Something about Nagato felt… off.
"Why…?" Nagato's voice came out rough and hollow, like sandpaper scraping across stone.
"What?" Hayato asked, confusion deepening his frown.
"You've got so much power! Then why? Why don't you take control of the Hidden Rain? Why don't you unite this entire country?" Nagato's head snapped up, his Rinnegan locking onto Hayato with a gaze that was both cold and tinged with madness.
"Not interested." Hayato's reply came without hesitation. Nagato's sudden, cryptic outburst had rubbed him the wrong way, and he didn't bother hiding his displeasure.
"....."