Chapter 167: Nagato Decides to Start the Plan Early
To verify Kakuzu's report, Konan even summoned Zetsu, instructing him to use his clones in the Land of Lightning to confirm the truth.
Like Nagato and Konan, Zetsu was utterly stunned by what he heard.
Kumogakure—the Village Hidden in the Clouds—was not some roadside bandit den to be wiped out casually. Its Fourth Raikage was one of the strongest Kage alive, a powerhouse among all generations of Raikage.
And yet, the Cloud Village—protected by both the Fourth Raikage and two perfect Jinchūriki capable of full Tailed Beast transformations—had been annihilated by Konoha?
Was this really the same Konoha Village they knew? The news was simply unbelievable.
But their shock did not last long. A nearby White Zetsu stationed in the Land of Lightning quickly transmitted confirmation: many ninja wearing Konoha headbands were seen hauling supplies around the ruins of Kumogakure.
There was no doubt now—Kumogakure had truly fallen to Konoha.
After receiving the report, Konan and Pain immediately went to Nagato's hidden chamber to discuss the matter further.
They analyzed Kakuzu's proposal in detail.
According to Zetsu's intelligence, Konoha's forces were still stationed in the ruined village. That meant it was already too late to mobilize Akatsuki's scattered members to attack directly. However, intercepting them on their return journey—just as Kakuzu suggested—was a viable strategy.
The organization was still in the phase of amassing funds and resources. A captured shipment of Konoha's supplies would be a quick profit. Nagato was tempted.
Konan, however, disagreed. Akatsuki could not afford to expose itself too openly at this stage. Their focus should remain on quietly gathering power and wealth. The group was not large to begin with, and Orochimaru's recent betrayal had already thinned their numbers further—many were still deployed to pursue him.
If they sent only a few people, they couldn't seize much.
If they sent too many, they'd have to recall the team chasing Orochimaru—losing both time and leverage.
And Orochimaru was not without value. He had stolen vast sums of money and killed Sasori, one of Akatsuki's original core members. Ignoring that grudge would only dampen morale.
Still, there was no changing Nagato's decision. Konan could see it in his eyes—the same cold determination she once saw when Yahiko was still alive.
If Yahiko were here… perhaps he could have talked sense into Nagato.
But Yahiko was gone.
"Enough, Konan," Nagato said, his voice hoarse yet resolute. "Don't recall the team chasing Orochimaru. You'll accompany my Six Paths of Pain instead."
His sunken eyes gleamed sharply.
"Zetsu reported that the one leading this Konoha force is Uchiha Fugaku—the newly appointed Fifth Hokage. He captured the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki and even controls the Eight-Tails. I've decided… I'll go myself. We'll destroy Fugaku, seize the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, and then march straight to Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails. That will give us three Tailed Beasts at once!"
A shiver ran down Konan's spine.
"Nagato! That's reckless! We agreed to proceed slowly—step by step!"
Nagato licked the dry skin on his cracked lips. His long crimson hair shifted as he raised his head, revealing the concentric rings of his Rinnegan glowing faintly in the dim light.
"But the situation has changed," he said fervently. "This is an opportunity—a perfect one. If we act now, we'll gain three Tailed Beasts in one stroke! Why waste time on small raids when we can strike decisively?"
His voice grew more impassioned, his eyes shining with an eerie light. He spread his frail arms as if embracing the entire world, his expression twisted with conviction.
Konan knew from experience—there was no stopping him now.
Silently, she fetched a hooded Akatsuki cloak and draped it over his thin shoulders, then pushed his wheelchair toward the exit.
Outside, the Six Paths of Pain stood waiting like silent sentinels.
Nagato coughed softly into his hand, suppressing the tremor in his chest, but his eyes were alight with dangerous excitement. With a thought, the Six Paths moved in unison behind them as they departed the Amegakure base.
From the shadows, Zetsu's yin–yang face emerged from the bark of a nearby tree, silently watching them leave.
Nagato and Konan had no idea—their entire conversation had been overheard.
Zetsu frowned. Uchiha Obito's mysterious disappearance was already giving him headaches. His investigation had traced Obito's last known location to Konoha itself.
Although Konoha had recently changed its village barrier after the new Hokage's appointment, slipping through it posed no challenge for White Zetsu.
While gathering intelligence, he had uncovered a crucial clue: on the night of Uchiha Fugaku's coup, something had happened in a small forest near the village outskirts. According to Hyuga Hiashi's Byakugan scan, Fugaku had gone there knowingly—and someone else had been waiting for him.
That person was almost certainly Uchiha Obito.
After that meeting, Obito vanished completely.
Zetsu didn't need more evidence. His instincts told him the truth—Uchiha Fugaku had killed Uchiha Obito.
When he first pieced this together, even he had been stunned.
Obito had a Mangekyō Sharingan—though only one eye—but combined with Hashirama's cells, his ocular power was monstrous. And Kamui was the ultimate survival technique. Even if he couldn't win, Obito should never have died so quietly.
This was the man who fought the Yellow Flash of Konoha and escaped unscathed. How could an unknown clan leader like Fugaku have ended him?
There was only one explanation: Uchiha Fugaku also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And not a newly awakened one either—its power had already matured enough to surpass even Obito's Kamui.
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