Negotiation (Second Update)

Xu Yue wanted to make a move, taking advantage of their inattention and relying on his speed to gamble on whether he could succeed.

But in the end, he gave up.

Nagato could not make good use of the Rinnegan, but precisely because of that, he often unleashed its power instinctively.

It had been the same with the Konoha ninja who had broken into his home, and with the rogue ninja who had bullied Konan and Yahiko.

He had instinctively knocked them flat.

Xu Yue was confident in his own strength, but he still felt quite helpless before the possible appearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, as well as Shinra Tensei used for self-protection.

Especially Shinra Tensei triggered by instinct—it was a natural counter to his surprise attack.

Since that was the case, he might as well go with the backup plan. Otherwise, even if he really succeeded, he would have no way to upgrade…

"So, you say you’re a bounty hunter, and a highly skilled one at that? Is that true?"

A man named Kyusuke, whose face bore strange markings, questioned Xu Yue.

He and a bald monk beside him named Daibutsu were the strongest aside from Nagato’s group of three, possessing the strength of elite Chunin.

In the Land of Rain, that absolutely qualified them as powerhouses. Well, they all considered themselves jonin of the Land of Rain…

"A bounty hunter would never claim to be highly skilled. Being able to keep a low profile and collect the money is best."

Xu Yue did not answer directly, instead looking toward Yahiko, who was scrutinizing him.

Yahiko seemed to accept Xu Yue’s identity as well, then began preparing to use his own theories to win Xu Yue over.

Fully aware of this group’s personalities, Xu Yue maintained his money-grubbing facade while subtly playing along, displaying a trace of interest.

Yahiko was straightforward, but he was also sharp. The first time Obito’s group had tried to recruit Akatsuki, Yahiko had been the one to stop them.

Xu Yue did not overdo it.

Thus, any parts of Xu Yue that Yahiko found somewhat "strange" were instinctively attributed to a bounty hunter’s greed for money.

Beyond that, he was also a good comrade with ideals and ambition!

The other man had thoughts similar to his own, and what he said struck right at his itch, easily stirring resonance and even provoking deep thought, making Yahiko consider even more.

It was only that the numbing grind of life had changed him, turning him into the money-grubbing bounty hunter he was now.

As long as Yahiko worked hard, he would definitely be able to pull him back. By then, he would become another top powerhouse of Akatsuki, aside from the three of them and Daibutsu’s pair…

And at that moment, the Root members who had entered the Land of Rain under the name of Konoha Anbu had completed the slaughter of several members of Hanzo’s clan, pinning the blame on Akatsuki.

At the same time, a secret letter was delivered to Hanzo!

Since Danzo had prepared to act, he naturally could not place all his hopes on Uchiha Yue, whom he did not trust.

Sending Uchiha Yue there was more about valuing his high-end combat strength to hold the situation down.

But when it came to carrying out the plan, Danzo still trusted his own arrangements…

"Uncle Yue, time to eat~"

Konan waved at Xu Yue, calling him over, which made his eye twitch slightly.

The face he had changed into did indeed look somewhat like an uncle’s, and as for his name, Xu Yue had used the single character "Yue" as his codename.

But going from a fresh-faced thirteen-year-old boy to an uncle now was truly something he was not used to. They were calling him older than his actual age.

He entered the small house with a dark expression and emphasized once again,

"I’m only twenty-four. Call me big brother, not uncle."

"I don’t believe you. Your face clearly looks so old. Bleh~"

Konan clearly was not buying it.

With the trio still together, and having received Jiraiya’s guidance when they were young, even though their journey had been difficult, Konan still retained a trace of childish innocence. Before people she trusted, she would reveal another side of herself.

"Konan, mind your manners."

Yahiko put on the authority of the eldest among the three and lightly reprimanded Konan, making her pull a face.

Then Yahiko started another discussion with Xu Yue about love and peace.

Well, after roughly five days of contact with Nagato’s trio, Xu Yue had already relied on his complete grasp of their personalities, along with his mask ability,

to perfectly present himself as a dispirited uncle who had lost hope in reality and abandoned his dreams, while also expressing some of the views and opinions he had held in his "younger days."

Every time, he scratched exactly where Yahiko itched, leaving him completely unable to stop.

In just five days, Xu Yue had formed bonds with these three highly guarded orphans!

They had directly reached the point where they could eat together.

Yahiko 10, Konan 15, Nagato 20!

Although Yahiko had the best attitude, he was also the most rational and guarded of the three. So even though Xu Yue had focused on winning him over every time, he had only formed an initial bond.

But clearly, Xu Yue’s choice had been correct.

If he had kept focusing on Nagato, it would likely have aroused Yahiko’s suspicion and caused problems instead.

By focusing on Yahiko, he could also win over the introverted Nagato along the way.

Xu Yue had no intention of winning over Nagato to the point where he could push him down. He only hoped to leave as deep an impression as possible first!

Judging by the timeline, the Hanzo-Danzo duo should give him some godlike assistance…

"Isn’t your person in charge that rising young talent everyone has been talking about? Why has he not appeared yet?"

Hanzo asked a man wearing a strange mask in a deep voice.

"He set out alone. Given his speed, he should have arrived first."

The masked Root man responsible for leading the team, codenamed "Wu," answered just as coldly.

Most Root members lacked emotions, even reverence. They obeyed only Danzo.

"Hmph. In that case, don’t wait for him. According to—"

"My, my, sorry I’m late."

Yet at that moment, a somewhat lazy voice rang out within the meeting hall.

Scarlet, sinister eyes stared at Hanzo in the seat of honor as the Three Tomoe slowly spun.

Even though it was merely a Wood Clone, no one had noticed how Xu Yue had appeared!

"Hmph. Your reputation is well deserved."

Who was Hanzo? A super powerhouse who had bestowed the title of Sannin.

Although Xu Yue’s manner of appearing was strange, Hanzo did not show much emotional fluctuation. Or rather, it was precisely because of Xu Yue’s entrance that Hanzo largely abandoned the idea of first giving him a show of strength.

The newcomer was very strong! He was qualified to negotiate with him.

As for "Wu," the Root team leader whom Xu Yue had used as a marker, even though he had always suppressed his emotions, there was now a visible fluctuation.

When had it happened?

The other party had placed a marker on him, yet he had not noticed in the slightest!

That meant that if the other party wanted to harm him, then no matter where he was, he likely would not be able to escape!

On the other side, Hanzo not taking offense did not mean his subordinates would do the same. Xu Yue’s utterly impolite entrance left many people nearby visibly agitated and dissatisfied.

"How dare you!"

"Insolence!"

"Is this how you Konoha people behave as guests?"

Today’s second update. One more is coming shortly, back-to-back~