In a dimly lit cave, Nagato sat, his body nearly crippled, pierced with countless black rods, a sight both shocking and grueso.
At this mont, Nagato's expression was grim-not because several of his Pain bodies had been destroyed. That wasn't important. If he wanted to, he could always create new ones to replace the lost bodies.
What troubled him most was the fact that the mission to attack the Leaf Village had failed once again.
It was hard to believe. Even after joining forces with Urashiki Otsutsuki, they still couldn't capture Naruto Uzumaki?
And to top it off, Naruto had transford into a divine dragon before everyone's eyes!
That golden dragon, capable of controlling storms and overpowering Urashiki in battle, left Nagato feeling unsettled every ti he thought about it.
The Rinnegan, said to be the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, was once thought to be unique to Nagato.
But now, Rinnegan users were popping up one after another.
Still, even with the Rinnegan being widespread, it wasn't like the Sage of Six Paths had truly returned.
But now, a real dragon had appeared. A creature from legend, a beast worthy of standing alongside gods!
"How are we supposed to continue gathering the tailed beasts for the Akatsuki? The Leaf Village has three of them already!" Nagato muttered in frustration as he thought about Akira's identity as a dragon. If they couldn't gather all the tailed beasts, the Eye of the Moon plan would remain a distant dream.
Originally, after the Akatsuki had completed its infiltration, they'd entered the second phase of their plan to gather the tailed beasts. Nagato had believed this would be the easy part.
After all, every mber of the Akatsuki was a Kage-level powerhouse. With such overwhelming strength, capturing the tailed beasts should have been a sure thing.
But after all this ti, they had only managed to capture the Two-Tails!
Nagato thought back to their attempt to capture the One-Tail in the Sand Village, only to be stopped by Akira.
Then their effort to capture the Three-Tails in the Land of Water was thwarted by Akira again! That ability of his to predict the future-it was infuriating!
Just as Nagato was deep in thought, trying to figure out the Akatsuki's next move, a flurry of white paper suddenly appeared, flying rapidly toward him.
"What's this?" Nagato's eyes narrowed as the paper approached. He knew exactly what this
ant.
Sure enough, the paper began to coalesce in mid-air, taking the form of none other than
Konan.
Seeing her return brought a glimr of hope to Nagato. He felt a sense of relief, as if a long- lost ally had co back ho.
"You're finally back," Nagato said, his voice betraying a hint of joy.
"I never really left, so I wouldn't say I'm 'back,"" Konan replied with a gentle tone.
Her words put Nagato at ease, soothing his mind.
Of course, outwardly, Nagato's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "You say you never left, but you've spent all this ti by Akira's side. What exactly is going on?"
"I was gathering information on Akira. More importantly, I was gathering information about the Akatsuki," Konan responded.
"Information about the Akatsuki?" Nagato looked at her, puzzled.
As one of the Akatsuki's founding mbers, what was there for her to still learn about the organization?
Even if there was sothing she didn't know, surely she wouldn't need to turn to Akira, an outsider, to learn it?
"Sotis, I wonder if Akira used Kotoamatsukami on you," Nagato said, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"I'm certain I haven't been affected by Kotoamatsukami," Konan responded earnestly. "Kotoamatsukami is a subtle genjutsu that twists and alters a person's will without them even realizing it. If you were under its influence, you wouldn't know," Nagato countered. Konan opened her mouth to refute him, but then stopped short, unable to find the words. It was true. Kotoamatsukami was known for its ability to bend a person's will without them ever being aware. So it wouldn't be surprising if she didn't realize it, right?
"So, why are you here? What's your real purpose?" Nagato asked, sensing the conversation about Kotoamatsukami wasn't going anywhere.
At first, he had been glad to see her return, but now, the thought that she might have ulterior motives dampened his spirits.
If Konan had been manipulated by Akira's Kotoamatsukami, then her return likely represented Akira's will, not her own.
How could that make Nagato feel anything but uneasy?
"I ca to talk to you about the Akatsuki and the Eye of the Moon plan," Konan said, letting
out a small sigh.
"I knew it," Nagato thought to himself.
What was there to discuss about the Akatsuki? What was there to discuss about the Eye of the Moon plan?
Was she really not here as the returning ally he had hoped for, but instead as a ssenger of Akira's will?
"I don't see much point in discussing this," Nagato said, shaking his head in disappointnt. "No, quite the opposite. The fact that you're so unwilling to talk makes think it's even more important that we do," Konan insisted, her tone serious.
The more Nagato believed he had everything figured out, the more it indicated he might have been deceived all along.
"So, what are you saying? Are you willi go ainst ? Are you even prepared to fight ?" Nagato asked, his voice heavy with frustration.
Clearly, he didn't want to continue the conversation, yet Konan remained adamant. This left Nagato feeling uneasy, and he stared at her intently, waiting for her response.
"I would never fight you, Nagato. But there are so many things you don't know," Konan said, her voice filled with both sincerity and concern.
Her eyes held a pleading look, and Nagato fell silent, considering her words.
After a brief pause, Nagato let out a quiet sigh.
Fine. Even if she was acting under Akira's influence, he should at least hear what she had to
say.
"Alright, if you insist, then let's talk," Nagato said, nodding in resignation.
What choice did he have? Refusing her again just didn't seem right. Nagato could only agree.
Konan's face lit up with a faint smile of relief.
She then began to explain, "Akira has the ability to foresee both the past and the future. Not only can he predict what's going to happen, but he can also calculate events that have already
occurred."
"So, recently, the Akatsuki's movents have been known to him in advance, and he's been able to take the necessary counterasures."
She paused before continuing, "That's not all. He can even see things that happened in the past."
"I've learned a lot of shocking secrets from him," Konan added, sharing what she had learned. "He can see the past as well as the future?" Nagato's expression shifted, his curiosity piqued. The fact that Akira could predict the future was sothing the Akatsuki had already beco
aware of.
But being able to see the past as well? That was news to Nagato.
"Yes, events from the past, too. So, through him, I've discovered many astonishing secrets," Konan confird with a nod.
Nagato's suspicion flared up once more. Could Konan be trying to deceive him on Akira's
orders?
Or maybe she had been fooled by Akira without even realizing it?
Pretending to have knowledge of past events to mislead him-could this be Akira's ploy?
"Well then, tell , what is it about the Akatsuki that I supposedly don't know?" Nagato asked, his skepticism clear.
"First, let's talk about the masked man. He's not Uchiha Madara. Akira knows his true identity. During the mission in the Land of Water, there was a young girl from the Leaf Village
who had been dead for eighteen years...," Konan began.
As she spoke, Nagato fell silent. After a mont, he shook his head and said, "That information is irrelevant, Konan. Because during that mission, the masked man wasn't the
only one there. Kakuzu was with him."
"But after they returned, Kakuzu didn't report anything unusual," Nagato explained.
"That's impossible!" Konan exclaid, shaking her head in disbelief.
She had witnessed the events in the Land of Water with her own eyes, and Kakuzu had been there. Why hadn't he reported it to Nagato? How could that be?
Kakuzu had always been trusted by both Nagato and Konan within the Akatsuki, so much so
that they had placed him in charge of the organization's finances. But this-this was too important to have been kept secret. Why hadn't Kakuzu reported it?
Could Kakuzu have been secretly working for the masked man all along, hiding the truth from
Nagato?
Or was sothing else going on?
Konan was taken aback. After thinking for a mont, a flash of realization struck her.
"Could it be that Kakuzu is the one who fell under Kotoamatsukami?"
"Is that why he kept this information from Nagato? Was he trying to cover up for Akira?"
The more she thought about it, the more Konan began to feel that her suspicion might be
true.
POWER STONE!!!
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