Chapter 151: Uchiha Taiga's Wrath
Along the way, Uchiha Taiga was quite looking forward to it.
He thought Nagato wouldn't be able to hold back and would make a move in the Land of Rain. The Land of Rain was Amegakure's territory, Hanzo of the Salamander's domain, and the initial base of operations for the Akatsuki.
Striking in such a place meant holding every advantage—timing, terrain, and support. If he were in Nagato's shoes, he wouldn't have let such an opportunity slip by.
But to his surprise, while the hidden surveillance remained constant, there was absolutely no sign of an impending attack.
The watchers never showed themselves from beginning to end, not even revealing their faces. They simply trailed far behind the group, neither approaching nor falling behind, maintaining a perfectly measured distance.
No one noticed them.
Rasa didn't notice, Maki didn't notice, and neither did Chiyo or Ebizo. The "escort" ninja from Amegakure were even more oblivious.
Just like that, the group traveled through the Land of Rain and crossed into the borders of the Land of Grass.
From here, they only needed to pass through the Land of Waterfalls before entering the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron was a neutral country that did not ally with any hidden village or participate in the ninja world's conflicts. The Five Kage Summit was chosen to be held there precisely because of this neutral status.
Yet, the hidden watchers seemed to have no intention of stopping.
They followed the group across the Land of Rain's border and into the Land of Grass, still maintaining that moderate distance, still remaining hidden, and still avoiding anyone's attention.
Uchiha Taiga was somewhat surprised.
He originally thought Nagato would do something in the Land of Rain, even if it was just intercepting him to ask a few questions. But nothing happened. The puppets of the Six Paths of Pain acted like genuine passersby, merely watching from afar and continuing to follow.
Pondering it over, he figured he could roughly guess Nagato's mindset.
Nagato likely wasn't fully prepared yet. The Akatsuki hadn't grown into a formidable force at this point in time. What they needed right now was time, not a conflict with an unpredictable outcome.
So, he chose to observe.
Taiga couldn't exactly say he was disappointed by this outcome, but it was somewhat regrettable. He had wanted to see those true Rinnegan with his own eyes, to see how they differed from the Sharingan and Byakugan, and to witness just how far their power could reach.
Still, if they wanted to follow, let them follow.
He was actually curious to see how long Nagato would keep tailing them.
Taiga didn't show any outward signs of noticing. He didn't actively try to probe the watchers' positions, didn't use his Byakugan to confirm their identities again, and didn't even glance back. He acted as if he was completely unaware of their existence—walking, talking, and resting as usual.
The group crossed the border of the Land of Grass and traveled for another two days before arriving at Kusagakure.
Kusagakure was a truly small hidden village. Compared to the Five Great Nations, its scale was pitifully small.
The total number of ninja in the entire village was only a few hundred, not even a fraction of what the major villages boasted. The village's architecture was also simple. There were no tall buildings or decent fortifications. Looking around, it was just a scattering of low houses nestled in a valley, looking no different from an ordinary civilian village.
But no matter how small, it was still a hidden village. With the Kazekage arriving, they couldn't pretend not to see him.
Kusagakure treated the arrival of the Kazekage's group with extreme importance.
The village's higher-ups personally led a welcoming party to the village entrance. They bowed and exchanged pleasantries, their attitude almost excessively respectful.
The leader of Kusagakure was a man in his fifties with graying hair and deep wrinkles on his face. When he smiled, his face scrunched up like a dried chrysanthemum.
Rasa remained very calm, neither putting on airs nor acting overly friendly.
As the Kazekage, he had seen this kind of thing plenty of times.
As soon as they met, the Kusagakure leader eagerly invited Rasa for formal talks. Rasa glanced at Taiga, and seeing that he had no objections, nodded and followed the village leader along with Maki and a few attendants.
The group settled down in Kusagakure, planning to rest there for two days.
Rasa needed to discuss some matters with Kusagakure. Although it was a small village, its location was crucial, serving as a major transit route between several large countries. Sunagakure and Kusagakure had some business dealings, so since they were passing through, it was a good opportunity to handle some affairs.
Taiga, on the other hand, found himself completely free. He didn't follow Rasa to the meeting; he had no interest in such occasions. Rasa didn't invite him either, likely knowing he disliked that kind of atmosphere.
Yugito Nii was busy tidying up their quarters, taking out clothes dampened by the rain to dry, and organizing their rations and water skins, happily keeping herself occupied.
Taiga sat in the room for a while, feeling a bit bored, and decided to take a walk around Kusagakure.
"I'm going out for a walk," he said to Yugito.
Yugito put down what she was doing.
"Alright, I'll come too."
Truth be told, Kusagakure was very small.
It was only about the size of a small town, neither bustling nor wealthy. The entire village only had three streets, and walking through all of them wouldn't even take half an hour.
The first was the main street right in the middle, running through the entire village from east to west. Shops lined both sides, selling daily necessities and ninja tools. The shops were small, the variety of goods was limited, and business looked mediocre at best.
The second street, south of the main street, was a smaller alley lined with residential houses. There was nothing much to see.
The third street, north of the main street, was a sloping road leading to the mountain behind the village. Scattered houses lined the road, looking like the village's slum area.
Taiga walked through all three streets, taking even less time than he had anticipated.
Boring.
He was just about to head back when he witnessed an interesting scene at the end of the third street.
A Kusagakure ninja was dragging a red-haired woman by her hair.
The woman looked young, in her early twenties, but her face was haggard, her eyes red and swollen, and a trail of dried blood marked the corner of her mouth. Her red hair was a messy tangle draped over her shoulders, and she wore ragged, filthy clothes whose original color was indistinguishable.
She was holding a child in her arms.
It was a baby girl, less than a year old, also with red hair. Her tiny face was scrunched up as she cried weakly, her voice hoarse as if she had been crying for so long she could barely make a sound.
The woman was being yanked backward by her hair, her body leaning back so far she was almost dragged to the ground. Yet, she held onto the child in her arms with a death grip, one hand protecting the baby's head and the other tightly wrapping around her body, refusing to let go no matter what.
"Lord Ninja, please, I beg you, spare us," the woman's tearful voice echoed through the quiet alley.
The Kusagakure ninja was a man in his thirties, burly with a fierce, fleshy face, wearing a crumpled Kusagakure flak jacket.
He yanked her hair and laughed loudly, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"You useless trash. We took your family in, you should be grateful."
His voice was loud, dripping with a condescending arrogance, as if scolding a disobedient slave.
"Since your husband is dead, you should work for us."
He gave her hair a vicious tug, forcing her head further back and exposing purple bruises on her neck.
"I know about your abilities. The village happens to be short on medical ninja, and you need to fill that gap. Otherwise, watch out, or I'll kill your daughter."
The woman was terrified by his words. Her body trembled violently, and tears streamed down her face.
She opened her mouth to say something, but her lips just quivered, unable to form a single word.
The Kusagakure ninja slapped her again.
Smack. The sound was loud and sharp.
The woman's head snapped to the side from the blow. A trickle of fresh blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, running down her chin and dripping onto her ragged clothes, blooming into a small, dark red stain.
The woman didn't speak again.
She kept her head down, clutching her child, her body shivering like a cornered little animal, her eyes filled with nothing but fear and despair.
Her lips moved slightly, as if muttering something, but her voice was too soft to be heard.
The Kusagakure ninja yanked her hair again and roared impatiently, "Are you moving or not?!"
The woman shuddered, then slowly picked herself up from the ground.
Holding her child and keeping her head bowed, she followed the Kusagakure ninja forward.
Her steps were slow and stumbling, as if she might collapse at any moment. But she held the child in her arms tightly and steadily, the baby's head resting in the crook of her arm, the tiny body pressed against her mother's chest.
There weren't many onlookers in the distance, but everyone just watched from afar. No one stepped forward, no one spoke, and no one even showed a hint of anger.
There was only one thing in their eyes.
Apathy.
This wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.
Taiga stood at the entrance of the alley, watching the scene unfold, his brow twitching slightly.
He had already guessed the identities of the mother and daughter.
Red hair, medical ninja abilities, a mother and daughter, a dead husband.
Put all these traits together, and the answer was obvious.
Thinking of this, he tilted his head slightly and spoke to Yugito beside him.
"Go kill that guy."
His voice wasn't loud, and his tone was flat and casual.
Yugito, standing beside him, nodded slightly upon hearing this, without a moment's hesitation.
She moved her hand away from her ninja pouch, letting it hang by her side, and walked toward the Kusagakure ninja with light footsteps.
Taiga stood in place, his hands in his pockets, his expression as impassive as ever. But if one looked closely, it wasn't hard to notice the icy glint in his eyes.
A long time ago, Taiga had analyzed his own heart. He didn't care about most things and was quite self-centered, but there was one thing he absolutely would not tolerate.
That was family bonds.
Because it was something he had lacked in both of his lives.
In his past life, he was alone, and in this life, he was still alone.
He had never possessed it in his past life, and in this life, he had gained it only to lose it. Precisely because of this, he cared deeply about familial love that was truly worth cherishing.
A mother who had lost her husband, protecting her child, clinging to her baby with a death grip, refusing to let go no matter what.
This sight fell into his eyes like a thorn, piercing the softest part of his heart.
Taiga didn't look at Yugito; his gaze was fixed on the back of the Kusagakure ninja.
His lips moved slightly.
"Wait."
Yugito stopped.
"Use the most painful method."
Yugito nodded and resumed her steps. On her hands resting by her sides, her nails began to elongate, gleaming with a chilling light.