"Aoba… he really is bold…"
Nagato stared blankly at the intelligence in his hand, feeling like he could not quite understand what Aoba was thinking.
He suddenly recalled his earlier conversation with Aoba.
When it came to peace in the ninja world, the two of them were walking completely different paths.
He remembered that the other party seemed to have said he wanted to unify the entire ninja world.
But he had originally thought that Aoba only wanted to unify the Five Great Ninja Villages. After all, he had already taken down Kirigakure and Sunagakure, yet had never made a move against the Five Great Nations.
Who would have thought that once he acted, he would directly take down an entire country. What that guy wanted was actually to unify all nations.
'Truly an extremely ambitious fellow.'
'But can a ninja really govern a country well?'
The Akatsuki had occupied the Land of Rain and Amegakure for so many years, and had invested quite a lot of funds. Back then, a good portion of the money Kakuzu earned was used by Konan to invest in the construction of Amegakure.
But the current state of Amegakure still could not be considered very good.
That said, Konoha in recent years really had been operating with booming success.
'That guy might truly have talent in this area…'
"Heh!"
After a bout of inner struggle, Nagato suddenly let out a self-mocking snort.
He suddenly felt that he might have been a bit too small-minded.
Aoba had already become the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, his gaze long since set upon the entire ninja world.
And him, on the other hand, was still hiding in a tiny place like Amegakure, cowering in such a damp, dark corner, hesitating back and forth just to scheme for a single Eight-Tails.
His breadth of mind really was inferior to Aoba's.
'No wonder Konan chose to leave me and follow that bastard instead!'
After figuring some things out in his heart, Nagato felt as if his whole body had relaxed quite a bit.
There was no real conflict between him and Aoba, and the relationship with Konoha had also eased considerably because of Konan.
Since that was the case, why worry about so much anymore.
At worst, it was just… Nagato let out another soft sigh, slowly closed his eyes, and used the power of the Rinnegan to contact the members of the Akatsuki.
In no time at all, a crow passed through layers of rain curtain and arrived before him.
Seeing this scene, Nagato's originally hunched body straightened slightly, though this movement only made his already skin-and-bones body look even more frail.
The crow twisted as it hovered in midair, eventually transforming into human form.
Uchiha Itachi looked at Nagato in this state and, for once, revealed a surprised expression, completely unexpected.
Nagato was not surprised to see that expression on Uchiha Itachi's face. His sallow, emaciated face remained calm, like an ancient well without ripples.
"Is it surprising? That the true leader of the Akatsuki looks like this."
It was as if he had not spoken for a long time. His voice carried a kind of mechanical stiffness.
"It is a bit, yes."
After a brief shock, Uchiha Itachi quickly regained his composure and nodded indifferently.
"These legs were crippled back then by a trap jointly set by Konoha's Root leader, Danzo, and that so-called demigod of Amegakure."
Nagato did not go straight to the main topic. For some reason, after putting down his burdens, he suddenly had a strong desire to talk.
Perhaps it was because since Konan left, he had no longer had normal conversations with anyone else.
Although Konan would come back for a few days each year to see him, the rest of the time, he spent alone in this desolate hall.
In the past, he always claimed himself to be a god, believing that nothing could drag him down. But now that he thought about it, perhaps he was not quite a god after all.
Would a god feel lonely because of one person?
Uchiha Itachi's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing this, especially when he heard the name Danzo.
But he did not know what Nagato was trying to say, so he did not speak, patiently listening.
Nagato continued, "That trap back then not only made me lose both my legs, it also took the original members of the Akatsuki, as well as my best friend, the one you usually see as the Deva Path. We once naively wanted to rely on nothing but hot blood to change Amegakure, even to change the ninja world."
"But Danzo of Konoha, and Hanzo, gave us all a harsh lesson."
"From that point on, I have always hated Konoha…"
As he spoke, Nagato suddenly raised his eyes. Those strange purple ripple-pattern eyes stared straight at Uchiha Itachi.
"Uchiha Itachi, you are Konoha's undercover agent, aren't you?"
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Itachi immediately became alert. He thought the other party was about to purge infiltrators, and he likewise activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Amaterasu was already primed and ready.
After staying in the Akatsuki for several years, he had never once seen this leader fight at full strength.
Though he looked weak enough to be blown over by a breeze, even more frail than himself, this sickly man, he did not dare underestimate him in the slightest.
"Don't be so nervous. I didn't call you here to make a move against you. My relationship with your current Hokage… should be considered fairly good, right?", When Nagato said this, even his own tone carried uncertainty.
Uchiha Itachi indeed was not as tense as before. Aoba seemed to have mentioned this to him as well.
("The leader of the Akatsuki might join Konoha someday…")
'Could it be today?', Uchiha Itachi's mood turned strange.
The Rinnegan did not have the ability to read minds from a distance. Nagato could not see through Uchiha Itachi's thoughts, so he simply spoke plainly.
"Because of Konan, the former vice leader, I once made an agreement with Konoha's current Hokage."
"After we each collect all the tailed beasts, we will have a fair battle. If I win, all the tailed beasts belong to me. If I lose, the tailed beasts go to him, and I will also join Konoha."
Understanding suddenly dawned on Uchiha Itachi. No wonder Aoba had spoken like that back then.
Did that also mean that even back then, Aoba already had the confidence and strength to defeat this leader of the Akatsuki?
Uchiha Itachi considered himself to have some talent, but in front of Aoba, he was probably no more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
He remembered that Sasuke had wanted to defeat Aoba even once since childhood. He wondered if, after awakening the Mangekyo, he could achieve that goal.
"So the leader is planning to go fight the Hokage now?"
Despite the countless thoughts in his mind, his expression remained calm, without sorrow or joy.
Nagato shook his head, "The Eight-Tails does not belong to either of us yet. It's not the right time…"
As he spoke, a sharp light burst forth in his eyes, his voice rising several notches, "But after my battle with Aoba, no matter the result, the Akatsuki will no longer stand opposed to Konoha. However, Uchiha Itachi, can I trust you?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a moment. He did not answer directly, but instead asked, "What does the leader want me to do?"
"Tomorrow I will personally go to Kumogakure, but I need one person to accompany me to ensure the safety of my true body," Nagato did not hide anything.
This was also the reason he had delayed going to Kumogakure to capture the Eight-Tails for so long.
Although his true body was not weak, his legs were ultimately inconvenient. He was, in fact, a genuine wheelchair-bound character.
And the Fourth Raikage was known for his speed, so there was inevitably risk.
"Understood. I will go to Kumogakure with you, leader."
Uchiha Itachi did not hesitate for long before agreeing.
He had originally planned to quietly follow along when the other party went to capture the Eight-Tails anyway. This was also what he had agreed upon with Aoba.
He was also a little eager to see his younger brother…
With the serious matters settled, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly quieted again, and Uchiha Itachi was about to leave.
But Nagato inexplicably spoke up again.
"By the way, Aoba is now the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Did you know that?"
"Mm… hm?"
After a brief moment of daze, Uchiha Itachi's expression collapsed once more.
———
As for Kumogakure at this moment, ever since the Land of Grass incident, it had already begun mobilizing its forces.
Now, basically all ninja who had originally been out on missions had been recalled to the village.
They were just waiting for the Daimyo's order.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.