I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 278 Meeting with Nagato

The Sarutobi clan.

"Father, rest assured, I will lead the Sarutobi clan out of this predicament."

Sarutobi Asuma looked at his father, whose eyes were cloudy and whose expression was blank, and then, with a weary look on his face, he recounted in detail what had happened recently and what he was planning to do.

The demented old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was completely bewildered and didn't react at all. Seeing this, Asuma Sarutobi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Father, please get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Facing his father in this situation, Sarutobi Asuma had no guard up and told almost everything.

"Take good care of my father."

"yes!"

Before leaving, Sarutobi Asuma didn't forget to instruct his servants, and the maidservants, who were ordinary people, bowed respectfully in response.

As Sarutobi Asuma walked away, a maid who had entered respectfully picked up a face towel and wiped the face of the dazed Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Strangely, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was sitting right there, but the maid seemed not to see him, sitting respectfully to the side and wiping the air with a towel.

As if an unseen and intangible person were present, in this eerie scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi's murky and dull gaze gradually disappeared, replaced by indifference.

"Come out."

Beneath the ripples in space, a mysterious figure wearing a mask and revealing only one Sharingan appeared. It was none other than Madara, the mysterious masked figure secretly investigated by the five great nations of the ninja world.

"Heh, the Third Hokage, who once held great power in Konoha, has fallen to such a state, with even his clan relegated to the margins. I wonder what the Third Hokage thinks of this?"

Faced with ridicule, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained calm and unmoved. He had been through so much over the years; how could a mere sentence possibly provoke him?

"Hehe, why aren't you saying anything? Did Asuma's words just now touch upon your feelings?"

Masked Obito, seemingly enjoying stirring up trouble, continued his mockery, saying, "Look at the current situation; it's so similar to what happened to the Uchiha clan back then."

"They were both marginalized, both families were under surveillance, and both families were embroiled in conflict. But the difference is that the Sarutobi clan doesn't seem to have produced as many geniuses as the Uchiha clan."

Obito, shaking his head in mockery, let out a sarcastic laugh.

"At least the Uchiha clan produced three Mangekyou Sharingan geniuses—Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Yoru—despite their difficult circumstances, which laid the foundation for the clan's stability. But what about the Sarutobi clan?"

"Sarutobi Asuma has a lot of passion but no talent as a clan leader, which has led to the division of the clan. The militant faction is starting to gain the upper hand. Tsk tsk, with your current strength, do you think you can win even if you launch a surprise attack?"

Obito's laughter clearly carried a perverse desire for revenge, while the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, merely sneered.

"I don't care who you are, but one thing is certain! You're nothing but a rat hiding in the shadows, only good for playing dirty tricks."

While Hiruzen Sarutobi was wary of the masked man, he was more disdainful of him. What he feared even more was Yoru Uchiha.

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was unmoved by reason, Masked Obito shrugged helplessly. "Alright, since that's what you think, then let's wait and see. Here's the information you need."

A scroll slowly appeared in front of the two of them, and Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately smiled when he saw it.

"I'm genuinely curious, where do you get the confidence to go against Uchiha Yoru?"

Masked Obito feigned a puzzled look, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered inwardly and said calmly, "The forbidden techniques mastered by Konoha's hidden strength are not something someone like you, hiding in the shadows, could possibly know."

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought the other party was ignorant and wondered how he could know these secrets.

However, Obito with the mask sneered inwardly. "Old man, I knew what you were planning to do the moment you started collecting things in secret."

"I really don't know what you're thinking, old man. The village is now at the pinnacle of the ninja world, with military power surpassing any previous era, yet you insist on killing Uchiha Yoru. Tsk tsk."

In response to Obito's mockery, Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered, "What do you Uchiha know? The stronger the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, the more obsessive they become. The Uchiha clan only brings disaster."

"I admit that Konoha is stronger than ever before, but such a strong Konoha should not fall into the hands of the Uchiha. At the same time, I must thank Uchiha Yoru."

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said in a deep voice, "I will do everything in my power to take away these unstable elements of the Uchiha clan. When Konoha is under Tsunade's rule, I can die in peace."

The Uchiha clan is known for its fanaticism, and wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi just as fanatical?

Seeing this, Obito, wearing a mask, sneered. "Old man, what a stubborn stone."

Under the Second Hokage's ideology, his disciples not only inherited it, but also surpassed their master. The Uchiha clan was an unstable factor in the village, a mark almost ingrained in their very being.

At this time, after experiencing so many setbacks, Hiruzen Sarutobi's thinking became even more insane and obsessive. He believed that before Yoru Uchiha led Konoha down the path of destruction through war, he, as the Third Hokage, had the obligation and responsibility to resolve this matter.

Eliminating the factors that cause instability in the village and then handing Konoha over to Tsunade would at least guarantee the village's peace.

No matter what the Uchiha do, it's all problematic in their eyes. Even if they've done so much for the village, that's fine, but the Uchiha can't hold power. That's the bottom line.

"If I'm not mistaken, Uchiha Yoru's guess is correct. You are not a successor of Uchiha Madara at all, but an experimental subject of Root. It seems that Wood Release and Uchiha power are very compatible within you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a wise look in his eyes, as if he had seen through everything, while Obito, wearing a mask, smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Heh, it seems nothing can be hidden from you old folks after all. Not bad."

Masked Obito is also a master of disguise. After failing to impersonate Uchiha Madara, he now disguises himself as someone who is misunderstood by everyone in the ninja world.

"Why should the Uchiha be high and mighty, while I have to live like a ghost, hiding in the ninja world? You old bastards! And Uchiha Yoru too!"

At this moment, Obito's mask revealed a look of resentment and jealousy, his hatred for Konoha and his envy of Uchiha Yoru were clearly evident.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. Although the masked mysterious man was powerful, he was no match for Yoru Uchiha. Moreover, he was a cowardly figure in the ninja world, capable of nothing more than scheming and plotting.

Uchiha Yoru is different; he has now led the Uchiha clan to overthrow Konoha, and that is the real threat.

Moreover, given Tsunade's current strength in awakening Wood Release, while the mysterious person may be troublesome, he is merely an existence hiding in the shadows of the ninja world.

Therefore, compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was more eager to eliminate Yoru Uchiha.

"Third Hokage, we now have a common enemy."

Masked Obito gazed seductively at the Third Hokage, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered, realizing he was also using him.

"Indeed, but my strength alone is far from enough, so I need you..."

No one expected that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would secretly begin contacting the mysterious masked Obito.

……

Border of the Land of Rain.

Upon entering the Land of Rain, a light drizzle immediately appeared, truly befitting its reputation as a land of weeping, as it is perpetually plagued by floods.

Looking towards the distant Rain Village, three figures slowly appeared on a sphere of earth.

Nagato, sitting in a wheelchair, is flanked by the aloof and beautiful Konan, and the other person is none other than the now-famous Shinnoyo.

At this moment, the three of them gazed at Amegakure, and Uchiha Yoru sighed, "It seems that Amegakure is about to witness the fall of a demigod."

As Uchiha Yoru spoke in a lighthearted and joking tone, Nagato beside him also revealed a determined smile.

"There's only one god in the ninja world, Mr. Yoru, don't you feel too lonely?"

Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a wry smile. "I never imagined that our encounter back then would be about the Rinnegan, and I never expected that when we meet again, we would share the same ideals."

Nagato sighed with emotion, "Yes, back then you were just an ordinary Jonin in Konoha, and you were even suppressed. But who would have thought that in just a few years you would become the God of the Shinobi World."

"Yes, no one expected that you, with your crippled legs, would possess the Rinnegan, and now you're even preparing to replace a demigod and become another god of the ninja world. But are you capable now?"

Uchiha Yoru asked with a relaxed smile, while Nagato, unusually relaxed, shrugged and slowly stood up from his wheelchair.

"So it was all a disguise all along."

Watching Nagato calmly sit back in his wheelchair, Uchiha Yoru said without any fear or greed for the Rinnegan.

"I don't think lies are necessary when dealing with someone like Mr. Ye."

Nagato also spoke very frankly, "I admit that Mr. Yoru's peace ideals are effective, but it will take far too long."

"Just like the First Hokage, how old will you be when you unify the ninja world, Mr. Yoru? Or rather, what will happen to the ninja world after you die?"

"You should know that when the First Hokage died, an unprecedented war broke out in the ninja world."

At this point, Nagato said in a firm voice, "Just as Mr. Yoru wrote in his book, as long as there are still emotions and desires in the world, war will never stop. Therefore, if a terrifying weapon that can deter the ninja world appears, even if we die, we will be able to stop it."

"As long as a ninja who can inherit his ideals can be found before he dies, the tradition can be passed down from generation to generation, and the ninja world can truly be at peace."

Looking at Nagato, who had already gone astray, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded.

"Your idea is good, but I believe I can end this chaotic world, and at the same time, I will find the true meaning of life and achieve immortality."

"It seems that Orochimaru's research has made some breakthroughs." Nagato also smiled.

It's clear that Orochimaru's research into immortality techniques didn't escape the notice of powerful spies. After all, Konoha spared no effort in spreading the news to destroy Orochimaru's reputation.

The technique of resurrection is an incomplete theoretical technique, so it's not surprising that the Akatsuki organization had heard of it.

Uchiha Yoru didn't refute this; instead, he smiled and said, "Your Akatsuki organization collects all the tailed beasts in the ninja world because you want to use them to create powerful weapons. Do you think you can subdue everything with force alone?"

Similarly, Uchiha Yoru also revealed the Akatsuki organization's plans.

The two exchanged a glance and then smiled, showing no sign of being enemies.

As an observer, Xiao Nan was calmer than ever before. The two seemed to be kindred spirits, both working for peace.

"Isn't this perfect? ​​I can create the most powerful weapon to intimidate the ninja world with force, which will allow Mr. Ye to unify the ninja world more quickly. Perhaps this weapon will need to be handed over to Mr. Ye at that time."

Nagato smiled broadly. He knew the price of using certain powerful ninjutsu; he probably wouldn't live much longer. But there was someone who could perfectly inherit his will.

It must be said that this is a distorted world.

Uchiha Yoru shook his head speechlessly. "That's why I haven't touched the tailed beasts all these years, not even the tailed beasts of Takigakure. I just wanted to see how far Nagato's Rinnegan could see."

"Then, Mr. Yoru, you'll be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

At this moment, Nagato couldn't help but show a hint of interest, and even wanted to persuade Uchiha Yoru to give up the Nine-Tails.

Uchiha Yoru shook his head and said, "I think you should know about the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the son of the Fourth Hokage, and Jiraiya, so I can't hand it over to you."

Nagato was clearly disappointed after hearing this; he still didn't want to confront Uchiha Yoru.

"However, I hope you can pass the responsibility for capturing the Nine-Tails to someone else, such as the masked man who is the mastermind behind your Akatsuki organization."

Uchiha Yoru's words immediately silenced Nagato.

"Mr. Ye, do you know this person's identity?"

"Some speculate that it couldn't be Uchiha Madara, but rather his successor."

Uchiha Yoru was completely unashamed to lie through his teeth, calmly watching the two of them.

"This is an invitation from Amegakure to participate in the Chunin Exams next year."

Uchiha Yoru calmly took out an exquisite invitation card, and Nagato smiled and nodded after reading it.

"So, Mr. Ye, is there some kind of transaction you've come for?"

The two had been corresponding over the years, and later, through some investigation, they both learned of their past acquaintance, but this did not change their minds. Today was their first time meeting in person.

Uchiha Yoru nodded at Nagato and said, "Isn't your Akatsuki organization the best in terms of hired ninjas? I once gave you a mission in my personal capacity to find powerful summoning beasts in the ninja world, and I always paid you handsomely for it."

"I heard that Hanzo's summoned creature, the giant salamander, is quite powerful."

Looking at Uchiha Yoru, Nagato couldn't help but smile. "It seems that Mr. Yoru is truly sparing no effort in developing the strength of his subordinates."

"There's no other way. We're a large family business. Just like you said, if we really go out of business, we can't afford to lose control of the people below us."

Uchiha Yoru answered with a relaxed smile, saying that if he hadn't happened to be in Otogakure and spotted Nagato of Akatsuki passing by, and only then learned that the Akatsuki's target was Amegakure, he really wouldn't have thought of coming here.

The original manga doesn't specify exactly when Hanzo of Amegakure was killed by Nagato, but there is evidence to suggest a general timeframe.

During the Chunin Exams, Amegakure ninja participated, and their headbands had four bars. However, in Amegakure under Nagato's rule, the headbands had a single scratch, serving as a mark of a rogue ninja.

This proves that Amegakure changed hands and Hanzo died between the Chunin Exams and Shippuden.

This time, Nagato was clearly brought forward.

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(End of this chapter)