Nagato walked toward his orphanage, expecting his usual peaceful surroundings, but instead, he found an unexpectedly sparse population.
"Who... Dares to spy on me?" he muttered under his breath.
Almighty Push! The shockwave of Nagato's technique sent dust and debris flying in all directions, but... there was no one in sight.
Nagato stood there for a moment, his posture rigid, as though waiting for something to happen.
"Did... did Nagato find me?" a hidden figure thought, their heart racing.
"No, impossible. He's attacking the wrong direction. But... he definitely knows someone is spying on him. Is this... Uzumaki perception?"
The figure paused, then decided, "Better report this to Madara."
And so, Black Zetsu hurried off to Madara, while Nagato, ever the strategist, purposely attacked the wrong direction—just to keep Madara and Black Zetsu guessing. He wanted them to think he could perceive them, but not with perfect accuracy. That way, they wouldn't get too close, but they'd also be too nervous to make any rash moves. Perfect.
A few days passed, and Nagato still hadn't found any White Zetsu in Amegakure. A new plan started to take shape.
"It's time to infiltrate Konoha and steal the first and second generation corpses."
Nagato turned to Konan.
"Konan, is everything ready?"
"Of course, Nagato. But why do you need this?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
Nagato sighed, rubbing his temples.
"The red hair is a symbol of the Uzumaki clan. If I just waltz into Konoha without painting my hair, they'll recruit me. And trust me, that would be a real hassle."
Konan blinked. "But... why not just use Transformation Jutsu?"
"Transformation Jutsu? Impossible! Konoha has Byakugan, they can see my chakra. I even sealed all of it just to make sure they can't detect me. I have to be extra careful."
Konan raised an eyebrow. "But... isn't that dangerous?"
Nagato waved her off nonchalantly.
"Nah, it's fine. I can always teleport if things go south. By the way, Yakihiko, is the animal path ready?"
Yakihiko, ever the obedient follower, nodded.
"It's done. Your Deva path has already absorbed them."
Nagato smirked.
"Good. I told you, if you're loyal to your friends, you get the cool perks."
With the plan in place, Nagato teleported to the outskirts of Konoha, surveying the village from a distance. He was about to make his move when he noticed something... familiar.
"Nawaki's team? So Nawaki's still alive... that's good. But wait... that necklace? It has Hashirama's cells! And not the same ones Orochimaru has—these are the real deal, pure cells made by Hashirama himself. Interesting."
He ordered his Deva path to summon an animal to follow Nawaki's team at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Nagato made his way toward Konoha's gate.
As he approached, he noticed the usual scrutiny. There were tons of inspections going on. The Uchiha, the Hyuga—everyone was getting in on the action.
"Hmm... Someone's spying on me," Nagato thought, narrowing his eyes.
"Is that White Zetsu again? Nah... Wait a second—I feel it without even using ninjutsu. It's... Hiruzen. That old dog... The legendary peeping tom."