Just a few questions were enough to reveal Konan's importance.
Minato wanted more details, but first he had to bring her back to the village. After resting three hours, they set out again under cover of night.
What trouble Konan's cooperation would cause for Ye Zi was still unknown.
....
Amegakure.
Night had fallen deep, yet Ye Zi prepared to depart the village and return to his base.
Konoha had many means of extracting intelligence. He understood that Konan would give them plenty of information, but it could not be helped. At the most crucial moment, Minato had intervened, snatched her away, and then vanished so far that even his Sage Mode perception couldn't trace him. With no direction to pursue, the chase had ended.
Instead of wasting time, Ye Zi immediately sought out Akatsuki's remaining core members still in the village.
Kakuzu, Jūzō, Kisame, and Sasori.
He told them directly: Nagato was dead, and Akatsuki no longer had reason to exist. Then he extended an invitation.
Kakuzu, obsessed only with money, showed no interest, Ye Zi's resources were entirely tied up in preparation. If he had coin to spare, perhaps Kakuzu could have been bought as a mercenary.
Jūzō, the rogue from Kirigakure, seemed already weary of endless missions and battles. When given a choice, he refused Ye Zi's offer.
Kisame, also a rogue from the Mist, chose differently. He accepted the hand extended to him.
As for Sasori, he too chose to follow Ye Zi, whatever his motives he was willing to face the coming battles, no matter how brutal.
Though Kakuzu and Jūzō declined, Ye Zi didn't press them. They were not like Konan; they had no reason to oppose him. At worst, they would remain neutral.
He still had much to do. Taking Kisame and Sasori with him, he left in the dead of night.
Through the rain, three figures sped into the distance.
"What are your reasons?" Ye Zi asked, eyes straight ahead.
Raindrops and wind lashed past as their feet splashed through puddles, rushing forward.
His cold voice cut through the storm and reached their ears. After a pause, each gave their answer.
Sasori replied flatly: "Konoha has many strong ones. Perfect material."
Kisame, face blank, said: "Battle."
Ye Zi offered no comment. He could understand Sasori's obsession, and though Kisame's reason was thin, he didn't care.
Both were among the strongest of the strong, worthy opponents even among the great.
The three traveled on in silence.
Five days later, Ye Zi returned to his base with Sasori and Kisame. After settling them in, he headed straight for the laboratory.
Inside, Nanako and Sakana buried themselves at their workbenches, never pausing since he entered, brewing medicines without rest.
Ye Zi wisely didn't disturb them. They glanced at him briefly, gave a silent nod of acknowledgment, and returned to their work.
Orochimaru, however, stopped what he was doing and came over.
"How's the progress?" Ye Zi asked at once.
"Follow me."
Orochimaru didn't answer directly. He led Ye Zi to a specially made underground chamber, where the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was kept.
On the high platform, by the light of the lamps on wall and ceiling, Ye Zi looked down. The vast chamber was filled with rows upon rows of clones, pale figures packed densely around the Statue.
Though countless, the silence was absolute. One could hear a pin drop.
From the gnarled branches of the Statue hung half-formed clones still being shaped.
Since Ye Zi had brought the Statue here, clone production had never stopped.
"How many now?"
Without stepping down, Ye Zi asked, eyes still on the masses below.
"No exact count. Roughly forty thousand," Orochimaru replied coolly.
Ye Zi nodded slightly. "And daily output?"
"About two thousand five hundred."
Ye Zi murmured thoughtfully, then asked: "And the medicine supply,can it keep pace?"
Orochimaru gave a cold laugh. "No. Materials are scarce, manpower scarcer. At best, thirty thousand doses. No more."
"Thirty thousand… that will suffice." Ye Zi turned his gaze from the clones to Orochimaru's profile. His tone was earnest: "You've worked hard."
Orochimaru's eyes stayed fixed on the legions below, face cold and unchanged. After a pause, he said icily:
"If you're willing to wait, perhaps there's no need at all. The cost of your path is one no one can bear. If you and I keep working together, one day we'll break through the gates of truth. Then perhaps a safer way will exist."
Ye Zi gave a self-mocking smile, lowering his gaze to the smooth floor. His voice was calm:
"When I trained in Sage Mode, I chose the fastest and riskiest method. You should have known then, I won't wait. Better to seize the chance I have now, with all my strength, than gamble on an uncertain future."
Back at Ryūchi Cave, he had taken enormous risks to master Sage Mode in the shortest possible time. Orochimaru had chosen the slower, safer path. Both had succeeded, but the difference was clear.
Their choices made plain: Ye Zi would never follow Orochimaru's advice.
"…Is it worth it?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Ye Zi answered, striding up the steps he had descended, as though walking a road with no return.
Orochimaru watched him go, expressionless. Only when the footsteps faded did he let out a rare, faint sigh.
The Statue had already produced forty thousand clones, and continued steadily. With the chakra of eight Tailed Beasts, its output was relentless.
The clone army grew without pause. The enhanced medicine, however, could not keep pace. Only three in the laboratory could brew it, and even with shadow clones, production was far behind.
But Ye Zi did not press them. He only demanded they finish as quickly as possible.
After Nagato's failure, Ye Zi had no intention of repeating history. For him, there was only one path, success.
Failure was not an option.
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