In the end, Nagato still abandoned the idea of continuing the battle.
He clearly knew that the Uchiha kid hadn't shown everything he had.
But even the power already displayed had already surpassed most members of the Akatsuki.
Although, on their side too,
They hadn't revealed everything either—especially the Deva Path, who had barely taken any action at all.
But Nagato understood even better now.
This Uchiha kid
Was no longer someone he could crush effortlessly.
Plus, they were deep inside the Rain Hidden Village.
If the fight continued,
The entire Rain Hidden Village would inevitably be devastated.
It might even face total annihilation.
At that point, even if he gathered all the Tailed Beasts and made the world feel pain, there wouldn't be enough people left to unify it under his rule!
Not worth it… Not at all…
Of course,
As God, one could never be a coward!
His only concern was for those fragile mortals.
Deciding instead to delay things a while, move to another location,
And then let this kid truly feel the depth of suffering...
Soon after, following a tense standoff,
Both sides withdrew their killing intent.
Or rather, they simply hid it away.
On Pain's side, he recalled all the summoned beasts and retracted the corpses of the three other Peins.
On his end, Shimoku dismissed all Clones and Susano'o.
Naturally, both sides then extended a hand of peace.
And moved to a different place to begin negotiations.
That was only natural. If neither side wanted an all-out war, then words were the only way forward.
After all, Nagato wasn't stupid.
He didn't believe for a second that this young Uchiha had come merely to join the Akatsuki.
With this kid's strength, plus command over the entire Uchiha Clan, he was practically on par with the Akatsuki itself!
If anyone said he had come to take over the Akatsuki, that possibility couldn't be ruled out at all.
...
Of course, Shimoku hadn't come to conquer the Akatsuki.
Though he certainly wouldn't mind doing so.
Still, considering the interference from Nagato, Obito, Black Zetsu, and others, taking over the Akatsuki right now was highly unlikely.
So, the main reasons for his personal visit to the Rain Hidden Village were clear:
First: To ally with the Akatsuki and launch a surprise attack against Konoha—use their strength to strike Konoha hard once more through a proxy!
Second: To observe the current state of the Rain Hidden Village and learn from its advanced technology; since they were even capable of building small missiles, their technological level must be extremely high.
Third: Try making contact with Kakuzu, Sasori, and others, to see if he could win them over or turn them against the Akatsuki.
Fourth: Also as a favor, he'd fulfill a promise to Lady Serpent by helping her acquire White Zetsu's physical body. It would also be useful later for performing the Impure World Reincarnation of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
In truth,
Shimoku was fully aware.
From the moment he led the Uchiha defection,
There was absolutely no chance of reconciliation between his clan and Konoha.
Even if such an opportunity arose, Shimoku would never again seek compromise or crawl back begging to Konoha like a submissive dog.
Although Konoha had taken a serious hit from its recent war with Iwagakure,
Its foundation remained intact, and many key figures were still alive.
Thus, once Konoha recovered its strength, it was inevitable that they would turn their attention to Homuragakure again, seeking an opportunity to wipe out the Uchiha Clan.
Rather than wait passively for death, it was better to strike first!
Therefore, as soon as Shimoku heard that Akatsuki planned to act against Konoha ahead of schedule and target the Hokage for assassination, he couldn't possibly miss such a great opportunity.
Naturally, he needed to stir things up, fan the flames, and push things forward.
This was also why Shimoku had held back during their previous fight—he wanted Nagato to feel that he was powerful, but not unstoppable.
That way, cooperation would still be convenient.
If he had used his full strength from the beginning and instantly killed Nagato,
who then would fight Konoha for him?
Who would withstand Sarutobi's [Dead Demon Consuming Seal]? Or face Guy's [Night Guy] technique?
Even if he didn't kill Nagato outright,
if he made Nagato believe that he was just as strong as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or the Ten-Tails,
do you think Nagato would still dare attack Konoha?
Forming an alliance with Konoha to fight *him* would already be lucky enough...
This was the ninja world, a real world.
Every person here was alive! They could think and reason!
They weren't lifeless comic characters like those in Shimoku's past life.
Therefore, before making any decision, Shimoku always thought carefully.
He would never underestimate any opponent by arrogantly believing himself invincible.
Didn't even someone as mighty as Six Paths Madara end up stabbed in the back by Black Zetsu?
Shimoku certainly had no intention of ending up like that in disgrace!
...
The enemy of my enemy is my ally—at least in this case.
Although trust wasn't possible, at least for now, both Shimoku and Nagato shared the same enemy—Konoha.
Therefore, negotiations began smoothly.
If anyone else had shown up claiming to team up with Akatsuki against Konoha, Nagato definitely wouldn't have believed them easily.
But since the other party was the Uchiha Clan, there were no issues.
The fact that the Uchiha Clan had long been at odds with Konoha and eventually rebelled to establish their own independent base was something known throughout the Ninja World.
Even if Konoha tried to play deep undercover games, there was no way they could go that far!
Moreover, right from the beginning,
Nagato had already considered using the Uchiha Clan together with Akatsuki to take on Konoha.
Now both sides shared the same goal.
So naturally, they hit it off immediately, forming a shady alliance.
Soon after confirming cooperation,
to demonstrate sincerity, Shimoku proactively shared critical intel—Konoha's battle formations and information about how to break the barrier—with Nagato. It was a major boost to his side.
Therefore, to avoid unnecessary delays
and prevent Konoha from rebuilding its barrier,
both parties quickly agreed upon an attack date—two weeks from now.
Of course, how exactly the attack would unfold, the methods involved, and specific details still required refinement.
After all, their fundamental goals were different.
Shimoku couldn't possibly tell Nagato that he merely intended to use Akatsuki to weaken Konoha and eliminate its elite fighters.
Likewise, Nagato wouldn't tell Shimoku either—that aside from wanting to bring pain to Konoha and kill the Third Hokage—he also aimed to capture the Nine-Tails.
Although Shimoku had long since uncovered Nagato's true intentions...
Thus, what was supposed to be a tense confrontation
ended up becoming a peaceful alliance.
This outcome allowed all the eavesdroppers—those listening in plain sight and those lurking in shadows—to exchange knowing glances and finally exhale in relief.
Of course, except for Orochimaru.
Among everyone present, he was likely the only one who wished most for Shimoku and Pain to fight each other to the death.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed again...
"Lord Pain, this is my first visit to the [Rain Hidden Village], and I haven't had the chance to properly tour the city yet."
"The architectural style here is quite different from other nations."
"Got some time to give me a tour of the place?"
Shimoku hopped off the chair at the negotiation table and turned to Deva Path Pain with an invitation.
Deva Path remained silent for three seconds, unable to figure out what the brat's further intentions might be.
But after a pause, he gave a slight nod of agreement.
Otherwise, how could he possibly allow this formidably powerful child to roam the city unchecked?
Who knew what kind of trouble he might cause?
It would be smarter to keep an eye on him in person.
At least with [Shinra Tensei], Deva Path didn't fear any sudden attacks from Shimoku...
Besides, aside from the destroyed [Human Path], both [Asura Path] and [Preta Path] had already been restored through the power of [Naraka Path].
He wasn't short on combat strength.
"Konan, you stay with Orochimaru."
"I'll take our guest for a tour around the city."
With those words, Deva Path exited the tower alongside Shimoku.
Before departing,
Shimoku shot Orochimaru a subtle glance—a quiet signal to take advantage of the moment and search for White Zetsu's physical body...
P.S.: Thank you, Senior Yuan Tiangang, for granting the Great Deity Certification! And big thanks to all my buddies out there for the continued support!
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