Uehara Naraku smiled bitterly, feeling a bit awkward in Konan's embrace, and said, "Teacher, please don't do such irrational things in the future."
Konan calmly replied, her cheek pressed against Uehara Naraku's forehead, "Don't speak, save your strength."
"...Okay."
Uehara Naraku's face turned slightly red.
Feeling a bit warm in Konan's embrace.
After a while, Nagato wheeled over, with the Deva Path of Pain by his side, extending his palm with a vial on it.
"Konan, this should be the antidote for the Salamander's poison, but there's only one vial."
This antidote was taken from Kandachi of the Salamander's body.
Even after the Deva Path of Pain searched through all the corpses of the Hidden Rain Ninjas, they couldn't find a second antidote resembling one that could cure the Salamander's poison.
"Quickly give it to Naraku!"
Konan's face lit up with joy, but she couldn't help coughing lightly, and her body suddenly weakened.
Obviously, her earlier impulsiveness had also contaminated her with the Salamander's poison.
Now two people were poisoned, but there was only one antidote.
A gleam flashed in Uehara Naraku's eyes, and he shook his head at the antidote and said, "Lord Nagato, give this antidote to Teacher Konan!"
"Naraku, listen for once!"
"Teacher!"
Uehara Naraku, looking at the displeased Konan, seriously said, "As long as I'm alive, I won't let Teacher Konan suffer... If something unfortunate happens to Teacher Konan, I also can't accept a fate of living alone!"
"I am your teacher..."
At a critical moment of life and death, Konan naturally wouldn't listen to him.
She gently lifted Uehara's face, softly persuading, "Naraku, my dream is about to come true, but you still have a long road ahead of you..."
"Teacher Konan!"
Uehara Naraku interrupted Konan, considering putting on a dramatic performance once.
He was planning to use the Salamander poisoning incident to fake his death and escape.
In this way, he could better conceal himself.
Uehara had even thought of the timing and manner of his return to the Akatsuki organization.
However, the Deva Path of Pain's words interrupted all his plans, "I suggest neither of you take it, wait for Sasori of the Red Sand to check whether this vial is a real antidote, he has with him a genuine antidote."
Uehara Naraku: "..."
Konan: "..."
The Deva Path of Pain twirled his ring once, and softly continued, "Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Sasori have successfully recruited Deidara, and they are on their way back to the Land of Rain. I have already ordered them to hurry."
"That's good."
Konan let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Sasori's name, "After Orochimaru left, Sasori is the most skilled in antidotes. He once developed an antidote for the Salamander's poison in our organization."
"..."
Uehara Naraku felt a bit downhearted.
If he were not lying on Konan's leg, he might not have been able to hide his disappointment.
Back in those days, Granny Chiyo of the Hidden Sand Village once studied and developed an antidote for the Salamander's poison after a confrontation with Hanzo of the Salamander.
As Sasori of the Red Sand was taught by his grandmother, whether in puppetry or poison, he surpassed his mentor, making antidote development seem routine.
Nagato wheeled himself closer, speaking in a deep voice, "The Deva Path will stay here to guard you two. I will leave first with my true body, and once the poison in your bodies is neutralized, we'll take Hanzo's corpse to seize control of the Hidden Rain Village."
"Alright."
Konan nodded in agreement.
After Nagato finished speaking, all the other Paths of Pain, except the Deva Path, gathered around Nagato and left the area.
Before long.
A large white bird landed on the ground.
An arrogant voice reached everyone's ears, "Ah hahaha... How come there are rookies in the Akatsuki who still get poisoned! Are they all waste?"
The expressions of Uehara Naraku and Konan darkened a bit.
Both of them had already guessed that this unfamiliar voice belonged to the newly recruited member of the Akatsuki, Deidara.
"Shut up!"
Sasori of the Red Sand controlled Hiruko to step down from the bird, reprimanding Deidara in a muffled voice as he moved over step by step.
Sasori threw an antidote, coldly saying, "This is the antidote for the Salamander's poison; I just happen to have one on hand, in case of encountering an old fellow like Hanzo of the Salamander..."
As a member of Akatsuki, frequently traveling in the Land of Rain, Sasori was also concerned about encountering someone like Hanzo of the Salamander.
The title of the Ninja Demigod still had a certain power of intimidation.
The Deva Path of Pain took the vial and handed the other one to Sasori of the Red Sand for inspection, speaking coldly, "In the future, you won't need to prepare this kind of antidote anymore."
"Oh?"
Sasori of the Red Sand glanced at the two huddled together, Konan and Uehara Naraku, then curiously eyed a corpse not far from them along with the many Rain Village Ninja corpses.
The Deva Path of Pain, expressionless, announced, "From today onward, the Hidden Rain Village and the Land of Rain will belong to us."
"Does that mean..."
The eyes of Sasori's Hiruko widened instantly, revealing a trace of greed as he looked at Hanzo's corpse, "That's the corpse of the Ninja Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander?"
"Did the leader defeat the legendary Ninja Demigod?"
A slightly surprised voice came over, and two figures landed from the white bird—that were Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, who went to assist Sasori.
Uchiha Itachi's eyes turned blood-red as he gazed at Hanzo's corpse, a flash of shock passed through his eyes, then he quietly concealed it.
The entire Ninja World knew about the Ninja Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander.
Unexpectedly, Hanzo's corpse was right here now!
"This matter must not be leaked."
The Deva Path of Pain coldly surveyed everyone present, ordering sternly, "Although Hanzo of the Salamander was a waste, his reputation can still be used to intimidate and lull the major ninja villages, gaining us enough time to accomplish our goals."
"..."
Everyone exchanged glances, nodding in agreement with each other.
Facing a leader capable of defeating a Ninja Demigod, following his orders seemed sensible—it even made Deidara temporarily tame his arrogance.
Ninjas living in the Lands of Earth, Wind, and Fire were almost universally cowed by Hanzo of the Salamander's fame!
Now Hanzo's corpse was lying not far away!
Hoshigaki Kisame's small eyes darted around, looking at Uehara Naraku with a bitter face taking the antidote, and chuckled lightly, saying, "Ha, seems like our organization's intern contributed a bit in taking down Hanzo of the Salamander too!"
This comment sounded somewhat mocking.
Uehara Naraku couldn't help but glare hatefully at his top spy underling.
Ever since Hoshigaki Kisame became his subordinate, why did he seem increasingly out of control? Didn't he know not to lightly offend his superior!
There wasn't really a need even for acting!
Yet, with a slight movement of Hoshigaki Kisame's fingers, he sent a signal to Uehara Naraku indicating he had vital information to report.
Only then did Uehara Naraku reluctantly suppress his urge to deal with Kisame.
The Deva Path of Pain glanced at Uehara Naraku, speaking deeply, "Uehara personally devised the plan to assassinate Hanzo and personally killed Hanzo of the Salamander."
"Oh hey?"
A carefully orchestrated expression of amazement crossed Hoshigaki Kisame's face, "Didn't expect that Konan's apprentice is becoming more and more powerful!"
Hoshigaki Kisame was not surprised at all.
He was just curious about how much strength Uehara revealed this time.
"Hmph, in retrospect, I should have made Konan's apprentice my partner."
Sasori of the Red Sand remarked after hearing Pain's words, casting a somewhat disdainful glance at Deidara beside him, "This brat is just too loud!"
Deidara protested discontentedly, "Hey, hey, hey, Sasori-danna, regardless, that statement was too rude! On the way here, I was very respectful towards you!"
"Stop wasting valuable time arguing here."
The Deva Path of Pain coldly stopped them, "Pack up, tomorrow we move the Akatsuki's base near the Hidden Rain Village."
After that, the Deva Path of Pain turned once more to look at Konan and Uehara Naraku, "Konan, Uehara, take Hanzo's corpse, we are going to take control of the Hidden Rain Village."
"Mm..."
"Hmm?"