Naruto: The Tavern Speech Begins to Make the Land of Rain Great

Two days later, at Yamada Tavern.

A ninja wearing a gray cloak and a headband from Amegakure arrived as promised.

He pushed open the tavern door, the pale yellow light reflecting on his face, and the noisy shouts reached his ears.

However, his purpose in coming here was not to drink.

Ryosuke walked a few steps to the bar and asked the waiter.

"Where's Boss Yamada?"

The pretty waitress sized up Ryosuke.

"You must be Mr. Yamada's customer. Please come with me."

After saying that, the waiter led Ryosuke to the back door of the tavern and then closed the door from the outside to ensure that only the two of them could hear the conversation.

The moment he entered, Ryosuke saw Yamada sitting on the sofa drinking tea.

Upon seeing Ryosuke arrive, Yamada hurriedly stood up, his face showing a hint of flattery and respect.

"Ryosuke-sama."

Ryosuke nodded and sat down on the sofa opposite Yamada without any hesitation, his face serious.

"What are your thoughts on Lord Hanzo's matter?"

"this..."

After mentioning Hanzo, Ryosuke could clearly sense that Yamada on the other side became somewhat hesitant.

"Um?"

Ryosuke knew it was time to add fuel to the fire, and he said sternly.

"Do you remember the deadline I gave you last time?"

Ryosuke pulled a kunai from his ninja tool bag.

The sharp kunai reflected a glimmer of light under the lamp.

This is a threat.

"Yamada, you need to understand who the true ruler of the Land of Rain is. To our Amegakure, the Akatsuki is nothing more than an ant that we can crush at will."

"But, Xiaoguang will..."

A hint of hesitation crossed Yamada's face, but his tone seemed even more submissive than before.

It worked.

Ryosuke knew that his intimidation had worked, and he continued.

"Yamada, I know what you're worried about."

Ryosuke paused for a moment, then spoke.

"You're worried about the purge of Xiaoguang Society, and you're afraid that they'll retaliate against you after they find out you planted me as an undercover agent in Xiaoguang Society."

Ryosuke paused for a moment, confirming his suspicions from Yamada's somewhat ferocious expression, and then continued.

"But don't worry, Lord Hanzo will protect you. Besides, if you don't tell me, and I don't tell you, who will know about being an undercover agent?"

A big stick in one hand, a radish in the other.

Ryosuke could tell from Yamada's expression that he was somewhat tempted.

However, this alone is not enough to completely sway these profit-driven businessmen to his side.

"Lord Hanzo told me that he would reward all merchants who made contributions to Amegakure at crucial moments."

"Yamada, this is your chance."

Yamada was taken aback by what Ryosuke said.

"Can I think about it some more?"

Seeing Yamada's expression, Ryosuke knew that it was highly likely to succeed.

However, he was not in a hurry. If he threatened or bribed the other party at this point, things might go wrong.

"I'll give you one minute."

The second hand of the clock in the room ticked away, and a minute quickly passed.

With a hint of confidence on his face, Ryosuke asked.

"Yamada, it's time to make a decision."

"I am willing to serve Lord Hanzo!"

Yamada suddenly knelt on the ground, his obese body causing the ground to tremble.

"Great, this will be the best decision you've ever made."

Ryosuke nodded in satisfaction.

With Yamada's help, this undercover operation should be much more comfortable.

Ever since Hanzo assigned Ryosuke the mission of becoming an undercover agent for the Akatsuki and delivering crucial intelligence, Ryosuke has been trying to find a way to become an undercover agent.

Ryosuke originally intended to infiltrate the Akatsuki-kai through other means, but he discovered that the Akatsuki-kai was no longer recruiting.

The Xiaoguang Society now has exactly one hundred members.

This put Ryosuke, who wanted to infiltrate the group, in a difficult position.

So he had no choice but to find the tavern below Xiaoguang Club, hoping to start from there.

Everyone knows that Watanabe Tetsu, the leader of the Xiaoguang Society, made his fortune through public speaking.

So as long as you keep an eye on the tavern, you should have a way to get into the Dawnlight Society.

Moreover, such a powerful special Jonin is rare and needed by all forces.

Ryosuke's strength is beyond doubt, given that he has been able to stay under Hanzo's command for so long and be trusted by Hanzo.

Having set his goal, Ryosuke began to take action.

This led them to Yamada by chance.

So three days ago, Ryosuke coerced and bribed Yamada. Actually, it was more of a threat than a bribe.

Boss Yamada isn't some kind of ninja; he couldn't withstand an assassination attempt by a top-tier ninja.

Under Ryosuke's threat, Yamada gave his answer.

Let him think about it some more.

Ryosuke generously gave the other party a week's grace period.

This is meant to give the other party time to think about what to do.

Should they choose the unobstructed path of Amegakure, or the fledgling, inexperienced Akatsuki?

"Lord Ryosuke, is there anything I can do for you?"

Yamada adopted a very humble attitude, addressing everyone as "adult".

"Go and get me into the Xiaoguang Society."

"Sir, this might be a bit...difficult. Xiaoguang Society is not recruiting at the moment."

"I know, otherwise I wouldn't have asked you to help me get it in."

Yamada frowned, pretending to be having a hard time, but still said it.

"Sir, I'll give it a try."

Ryosuke nodded. Although he wasn't sure he could get Yamada to put him on the team, he was willing to give it a try on this route.

What if?

What if I get assigned to one of them?

It's important to know that those who provide financial support to Xiaoguang are likely to have connections or influence.

At least recommending a powerful ninja shouldn't be a problem.

"I'll be staying near your bar for the next few days, and I hope you can get it done as soon as possible."

"Yes, Ryosuke-sama."

Under Yamada's respectful gaze, Ryosuke opened the door and left.

Only Yamada's eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

After confirming that Ryosuke had left, Yamada pulled a walkie-talkie from a hidden compartment in the floor.

Above the walkie-talkie was a logo of the Xiaoguang Society.

He smoothly switched the channel to 19 and pressed the switch.

"Lord Watanabe, the fish has taken the bait."

Meanwhile, not far away, Ryosuke, who had just left the bar, skillfully bought two hot dogs sprinkled with chili peppers from a vendor.

During the week he gave Yamada time to think, he didn't do nothing.

He investigated Xiaoguang's whereabouts over the past week.

This investigation led him to discover some things.

After the entire department of the Xiaoguang Association mobilized, they brought back two faces that were extremely familiar to Ryosuke.

Previously, Ryosuke had seen information on three enemy ninjas on Hanzo's desk, and out of curiosity, he secretly memorized all their information.

Therefore, Ryosuke was naturally able to discern the other party's identity.

Those were Jiraiya and Tsunade, the two disciples of the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This made Ryosuke realize that Akira would definitely make some big move.

It could be a deal made with Konoha, or it could be a conspiracy against Amegakure.

Then, Amegakure might be in some danger.

However... Ryosuke did not tell Hanzo all of this.

He closed his eyes, recalling Watanabe Tetsu's speech from a few weeks ago.

Just as the rain was pouring down, a ray of sunlight shone on the man in the center of the stage. He raised his right hand and called for unity to the very end.

Ryosuke touched the many scars on his chest that Hanzo had punished him for failing a mission.

He felt that the matter of taking sides could wait.