Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

“Payne, don’t forget, our plan requires the accumulation of power and… absolute secrecy and patience in its early stages.”

Payne listened to their argument in silence, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, revealing no inclination whatsoever.

Payne remained highly vigilant towards the masked man.

This guy, who calls himself "Uchiha Madara," suddenly appeared after Yahiko's death.

Although they are currently in a cooperative relationship with "Akatsuki," providing considerable intelligence support and demonstrating some formidable strength.

But Payne never truly trusted him.

In particular, this guy received the news and rushed over immediately after an important internal meeting had just ended...

This suggests that there may have been people within the organization whom he had already won over, or that he possessed some extremely efficient means of eavesdropping.

Either way, it made Payne feel displeased and wary.

His undisguised appearance and his intervention in the organization's plans only fueled Payne's growing suspicions.

What are you afraid of?

Payne's sudden question startled the masked man, who stood frozen in place. "Or rather, what are you worried about?"

"I'm not afraid. I, Uchiha Madara, would I be afraid of anyone?" The masked man's tone held a hint of exasperation at being exposed.

“Oh, is that so…” Payne said indifferently, “In that case… I’ll leave this matter to you.”

"!!" The masked man seemed stunned: "What!?"

“Uchiha Madara, you are more familiar with Konoha, after all... the village was founded by you and that god of ninja.”

Payne said, "So, you'll be in charge of the contact and assessment, is that alright?"

"I just said I was against contacting that kid. When did I agree to contact him?" The masked man's single eye was full of astonishment.

"What you need to do is to approach him discreetly, observe him, test him, and assess whether he has the potential to betray Konoha and agree with our ideals."

Payne ignored his words and continued, "And... the level of threat he might pose to us."

"Hey, Payne..."

"Remember, it is only observation and probing. Do not take any action that may expose the organization or provoke him before you receive my explicit instructions."

“Hey, Payne, we’re partners, I’m not your subordinate.”

"If you judge that he is absolutely impossible to be used by the organization, or that he is too much of a threat, you can give up contact, but you must provide a detailed assessment report."

"Pain, you..."

"What? You have objections to the organization's decision?" Payne interrupted him mercilessly.

"..."

The masked man fell silent.

The single eye behind the mask gleamed with a complex and enigmatic light, eventually transforming into a deep and sinister aura.

He understood that Payne was testing him and using him.

If he refuses, it's tantamount to admitting that he has something to hide.

If he accepts... although it goes against his original intention, perhaps... he can find an opportunity to achieve his goal in another way.

"……I see."

The masked man finally agreed in a deep voice, which regained its dull and distorted quality.

"Since it is beneficial to the organization, I will try to explore and make contact for the sake of our plan."

With that, the masked man prepared to leave.

"However, we are partners. Next time, if you dare to order me around in that tone again, I will make you pay the price!"

Payne ignored his threat and simply said indifferently, "Since we're going to make secret contact, we need intelligence support. What about Jue?"

"Hmph!" The masked man snorted coldly, without replying.

The ground beside him twisted subtly once more, and a strange figure slowly "grew" out of the ground.

The newcomer had an odd appearance, half black and half white, as if two individuals coexisted. The black half was gloomy and indifferent, while the white half wore a strange smile.

After Zetsu appeared, he tilted his head slightly towards Pain and Konan, and grinned, his white half-faced body showing a wide grin:

"Oh my, surveillance and intelligence gathering are my old profession. Senju Seigo is quite a figure lately, and many people are paying attention to him. I'm also very curious."

The black half remained silent, only casting its gloomy gaze over Payne and Konan.

Payne glanced at Jue, then at the masked man:

"Zetsu's intelligence capabilities are unmatched within the organization and even in the ninja world. With his assistance, I hope you can complete this mission."

"Don't worry, Boss Payne!" White Zetsu replied with a grin.

"I don't need you to say anything more!" the masked man said irritably. "Then, I will give you an answer about the mission as soon as possible."

Having said that, before Payne could respond, space distorted again, and he and Zetsu disappeared from the spot as if they had never existed.

Inside the cave, tranquility returned once more.

“Nagato, he…” Konan’s eyes were filled with worry.

From the very beginning, he opposed Nagato's cooperation with the so-called "Uchiha Madara," always feeling that the man was dangerous.

"rest assured."

Payne remained silent for a moment before saying, "I don't trust anyone, especially him. Letting him go is firstly to test his stance and true intentions, and secondly..."

Since he's so wary of Senju Seigo, let him face it himself. Whatever the outcome, we won't lose anything.

"If he can successfully win over Senju Seigo, the organization will gain more strength; if he fails, or even clashes with Senju Seigo..."

That might allow us to see things more clearly.

After a pause, Payne looked out of the cave. "As for Senju Seigo... regardless of how Abi's mission goes, he is someone we must keep an eye on."

"Inform Orochimaru to continue gathering intelligence. Hmph, they're all ninjas from Konoha. We... will just wait and see!"

"I understand," Xiao Nan replied, but a faint unease still lingered in her heart.

The presence of Senju Seigo and the mysterious Tobi made her feel that... the Akatsuki organization, which Yahiko had built, was likely to face unprecedented challenges.

……

……

In the Land of Grass, a hidden underground base.

Space distorted, and the figures of the masked man and Jue appeared.

The moment he landed, the masked man's deliberately maintained somber demeanor abruptly changed, exuding a chilling killing intent and restlessness.

He slammed his fist on the table, and the sturdy wooden table snapped in two, sending splinters flying.

"Damn it, that bastard Payne! How dare he talk to me like that, and even use me to test me!"

The masked man's voice was no longer distorted, but filled with the gloom and anger of his true voice.

"Calm down, Obito."

Black Zetsu's deep voice rang out: "It's normal that Pain doesn't trust you, after all, the timing and purpose of your appearance are too suspicious."

Black Zetsu actually looked down on the "successor" that Madara Uchiha had chosen.

Perhaps... strong emotions are enough to make an Uchiha powerful, but their brains... are really not enough.

If Obito had acted even better, would he have aroused such suspicion?

Of course, Black Zetsu had no better choice but to try to subtly guide Obito onto the "right path".

“Obito, his decision to send you to contact Senju Seigo may not be a bad thing for us.”

"Bad news? Isn't this bad news?" Obito suddenly turned his head, his single eye on his mask glaring intently at Black Zetsu:

"Didn't you hear me? He told me to contact that damn brat and assess whether he could join Akatsuki. What a joke!"

"How is this possible? That wretched brat, he ruined my plans in the Land of Water."

"Besides... how could he possibly betray Konoha? He's so deeply involved with that damned Kakashi, how could he possibly become a rogue ninja, huh?"

"Payne is deliberately creating difficulties for me, forcing me to reveal my weaknesses!"

"Precisely because he has deep ties to Konoha and is currently in a delicate situation, he's even more suitable for you to approach him," White Zetsu interjected with a grin.

"Obito, don't you want to see for yourself what kind of state that brat who caused you trouble in Kirigakure is in now?"

"Besides, after what happened last time, haven't you been looking for an opportunity to deal with him? This is an opportunity that Payne 'personally ordered' to give you."

Upon hearing this, Obito's anger subsided slightly.

Bai Jue's words reminded him once again that this might be... an opportunity.

An opportunity to both complete Payne's mission and take the chance to implement one's own plans.

He was a little confused before, but now he has some ideas.

“You mean…” Obito looked at Zetsu.

"The Uchiha clan is in a real mess right now," Black Zetsu said in a sinister tone.

"Danzo is dead, Uchiha Shisui was taken away by Senju Seigo, the Uchiha coup plan failed, and the radical and conservative factions within the Uchiha clan are arguing fiercely."

Now, the Uchiha clan's resentment towards Konoha has reached its peak, but they are hesitant to act due to external pressure and the Shisui incident.

White Zetsu added with a grin, "That indecisive guy, Uchiha Fugaku, is probably having a headache right now."

“Uchiha…” Obito’s eyes flashed. Sure enough, after spending so much time with Zetsu, they had developed a tacit understanding.

We're thinking the same thing!

Perhaps we can use the Uchiha clan!

Utilize the radical Uchiha faction who harbor resentment towards Konoha and are uneasy about Shisui's "detention"!

"Uchiha Shisui, although we don't know what role he played in the coup, he certainly seems to be someone on whom high hopes are placed."

"Now that he has been taken away by Senju Seigo, his fate is unknown. What will the people in the Uchiha clan think?"

Will they be willing to accept this? Especially at this sensitive time!