Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

but,

It's okay to be a little careful.

After all, it involves Madara Uchiha, so it's only right to give it more attention.

Xiao Nan nodded silently.

Payne is right, there really isn't anything to rush this matter.

"To put it another way, Obito Uchiha really couldn't do anything about the Sixth Hokage, but as long as the Sixth Hokage doesn't come looking for trouble, we don't need to take action against Konoha right now. Dealing with the Sixth Hokage isn't difficult, but if I take action, I will inevitably expose myself, and then... I will likely face an attack from all five great ninja villages."

This is not because Payne thinks too highly of himself.

Rather, it is the Rinnegan that possesses such value and appeal.

Didn't you see that Orochimaru, that bastard, never forgets to stare at him during meetings? His burning gaze is as if he wants to gouge his eyes out right then and there. You can imagine what kind of uproar would occur if the Rinnegan were exposed.

He was not afraid of such turbulent waves.

but,

He has his own plans.

He doesn't want to disrupt the current process.

Although the plan has not officially started yet, it feels great that everything is progressing in an orderly manner.

It's just that Obito Uchiha suffered a setback, what does that have to do with him? Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Sixth Hokage, the capable Obito Uchiha, couldn't maintain the airs of Madara Uchiha and was forced to reveal his identity. When he spoke, he no longer had the imperious demeanor he used to have.

It just felt really good!

"What if the Sixth Hokage leaks the Rinnegan information to other villages, and they unite?" Konan couldn't help but ask again.

"Impossible. Konan, have you forgotten what kind of people these ninja villages are? They all want to grab all the good stuff for themselves. They would never share any benefits with others. I'm afraid that in the eyes of the Sixth Hokage, my Rinnegan is already Konoha's pre-selected prey. It just depends on how much patience the Sixth Hokage has and how long he will wait before making his move."

If you can,

He hoped this time could last as long as possible.

Again,

He didn't want the current steps to be disrupted.

Of course, if luck is against us, then... we'll have to resort to more violent and troublesome methods to make the world feel the true meaning of peace.

The conversation has temporarily come to an end.

Neither of them spoke again. Konan got up and went to the next room to continue the business she had been dealing with, while Pain closed his eyes and focused his energy on designing the tailed beast weapons.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dark clouds hung high in the sky, and after leaving Amegakure, the fine drizzle thinned out a bit.

"Is this your plan, Obito?" Zetsu, resembling a pitcher plant, appeared beside Obito Uchiha. "You don't care about exposing your entire past?"

"Nothing is too precious to be sacrificed for the sake of a new world."

mask,

His expression was obscured.

However, one could sense the chilling aura surrounding Obito Uchiha, and his mood was clearly not as indifferent as he claimed.

"So do you think Nagato believes you?"

"Who knows? I'm not a mind reader, how could I possibly know what he's thinking? But... even if Konoha does find out my name, it doesn't matter. There's no need to worry about Nagato doing anything irrational. Our relationship has never been based on something as fragile as emotions. Common goals, common interests, and common enemies are the foundation of our cooperation."

"Isn't trust important?"

Jue muttered to himself.

“That’s right. Trust…is not important at all. As long as we share the same goals and have no conflicting interests, the cooperation can continue.” Obito Uchiha turned his head and gave Zetsu a meaningful look.

Just like the superficial harmony between Nagato and Obito Uchiha.

Obito Uchiha also noticed the talisman on his heart; neither Madara Uchiha nor Zetsu were trustworthy.

really,

The ideal future cannot be achieved by relying on others.

Only the future that we create ourselves is something to trust and look forward to.

Of course, now is far from the time to tear off the mask of civility. The troublesome Uchiha Munen alone is enough to cause headaches. If we want to turn against each other, we should wait until the fruits of victory are within our grasp. The seeds we have planted now have only just sprouted, and it is still a long way from reaping the harvest.

"That's a really heartless thing to say!"

White Zetsu seemed completely oblivious to Obito Uchiha's meaningful glance, maintaining his usual demeanor.

What's next?

Hei Jue asked.

The purpose of coming to Amegakure was to give Nagato an explanation and appease him so as not to affect future plans. To be honest, if he hadn't lost his legs, the failure of this operation would not have affected their plans at all.

The fates of Hiruko and Kazuma are unimportant.

They haven't officially joined the Akatsuki organization yet!

But who told Obito Uchiha to lose both his legs!

Using ninja methods,

It's not hard to extract enough information from this flesh and blood. Madara Uchiha's mask, already riddled with holes, has completely collapsed, forcing Obito Uchiha to use this nine-truths-one-fake method to temporarily appease Nagato. Apart from the ultimate goal of deliberately agreeing with Nagato, all the other information is true.

right now,

They appeased Nagato.

Now that we've confirmed that this scheming underground organization won't fall apart anytime soon, we need to consider our next move.

"Next... I need to think about how to get rid of that guy Uchiha Munegen. I really want to do that, but unfortunately I can't think of any way to deal with him right now. Uchiha Munegen, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Fugaku, with them around, it won't be easy to cause trouble for Konoha right now."

Speaking of which,

Obito Uchiha sighed deeply.

His biggest mistake was not taking advantage of the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage to wipe out the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, at that time, he was preoccupied with how to send Minato-sensei away from this world and did not take the Uchiha clan, which had become corrupt and degenerate and was being bullied at will by the Third Hokage and Danzo, seriously. He planned to deal with them slowly later.

result,

Uchiha Munen rose to prominence with lightning speed.

Not only did he lead the Uchiha clan safely through the clan's crisis, but he has now become the first Hokage of Konoha to be from the Uchiha clan. Now, destroying the Uchiha clan again is an extremely dangerous task.

"Next... try to recruit that guy into Akatsuki. Zetsu, we shouldn't have lost track of him, right?"

"Of course, you can go see him anytime you want."

Bai Jue happily agreed.

Obito Uchiha took a deep look at Amegakure, which was shrouded in rain.

Immediately,

Turning around, he said, "Alright, Jue, let's go! Time to get to work."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The strong stench of blood permeated the forest, attracting several dominant beasts that circled around it. However, these ferocious beasts merely hovered around, hesitant to approach the delicious prey lying on the grass.

because,

Beside those delicious foods lurked an even more terrifying predator, causing the beasts to instinctively fear and dare not approach. However, the enticing aroma of the food made them reluctant to leave, resulting in the scene before them.

"...Garbage, the muscle strength is terrible!"

"Useless trash, yet another useless piece of trash..."

"Damn it, these Takigakure ninja are all trash..."

Scorpion, sifting through the pile of corpses, was seething with anger, cursing the incompetent ninjas of Takigakure. They were supposed to be two squads of ANBU, but after searching for a long time, he could only find one barely usable corpse.

The rest,

They were not qualified to be made into human puppets by him at all.

To be honest, even this barely usable corpse was a result of his lowered standards. In the past, he wouldn't have bothered to look at such trash, but he was down on his luck now! Although he seized the opportunity to escape from Konoha, he was the only one who managed to escape.

None of the lost treasures have been found.

All the human puppets he had painstakingly collected over the years had become Uchiha Sogen's collection, including his masterpiece, the Third Kazekage Puppet. After escaping Konoha, he was penniless and had to start all over again.

First, they hunted thieves and wandering ninjas.

These materials were found to be absolutely rubbish and completely unusable.

After much deliberation, he arrived in the Land of Waterfall, intending to use the Waterfall Ninja as his first source of wealth for his resurgence.

no way,

He was penniless and couldn't handle a powerful opponent, so he didn't dare to cause trouble in the territories of the Five Great Ninja Villages. He could only make his fortune in a small place like Takigakure. As for the fact that the Takigakure ninja had a Jinchūriki... he didn't take it seriously. Even if he couldn't beat them, he could just run away!

The power of the tailed beasts lies in their massive destructive power.

Instead of hunting single targets.

only.

He realized that he seemed to have overestimated Taki Shinobu.

Takigakure, which has remained neutral and not participated in the Fourth Shinobi World War, has enjoyed peace for nearly sixty years. Of course, it's not like Takigakure has been completely without any troubles during this time, but compared to the five great shinobi villages that fought tooth and nail to the point of exploding brains, Takigakure's little turmoil is nothing.

Taki Shinobu, who grew up in such peaceful times, was exceptionally weak.

"Seriously, what kind of trash are these Takigakure ninja!"

Scorpion finally couldn't stand this garbage-rummaging behavior anymore and cursed angrily.

then,

Turning to look at the dark forest behind him, he said, "Come out! Stop hiding! You don't even bother to conceal your chakra fluctuations. Who are you trying to fool by hiding there?"

"As expected of the genius puppeteer from Sunagakure, his perception is indeed exceptionally sharp." From the shadows, Obito Uchiha, wearing a mask, appeared and walked step by step to a spot not far from Sasori.

[Chapter 328. The Scorpion's Path of No Return (Happy New Year!)]