Chapter 146: Negotiation Is Out of the Question
Kakuzu repeated Uchiha Dali's exact words to Deva Path Pain and the others without missing a single detail.
The entire Akatsuki organization immediately fell into silence upon hearing them.
When even their leader, Pain, said nothing, the rest naturally kept quiet as well. Sasori of the Red Sand, who had just joined the group, found the silence puzzling.
"That guy called Uchiha Dali… I've heard of him."
"Rumor has it he made quite a name for himself during the Third Shinobi World War. But he's awfully arrogant…"
Sasori said meaningfully.
Uchiha Obito remained silent.
At this point, only Pain and Konan knew that he was actually "Uchiha Madara."
So Sasori's remark was clearly directed at Pain.
"It seems we're already falling behind. Uchiha Dali is obstructing us at every turn. If we don't resolve this, our plan won't be able to proceed."
As Pain spoke, Kakuzu let out a cold snort.
"Let me remind you, Uchiha Dali is extremely powerful. I could barely put up any resistance when I faced him."
Pain and Uchiha Obito had already fought him before.
So neither of them was surprised by Kakuzu's words.
"That just means you're weak," Sasori mocked.
"You bastard… you really want me to cut you down, don't you!"
Kakuzu snapped.
He truly couldn't beat Uchiha Dali.
But this newcomer? That might be a different story.
Kakuzu had already taken out several partners who acted like this—constantly provoking him.
That idiot he used to be paired with had died the same way.
"Seems I hit a nerve. Typical impotent rage."
"If you've got the guts, let's settle this."
Sasori continued provoking him.
Naturally, Kakuzu didn't back down.
The tension escalated rapidly.
Just then, Pain once again spoke up to stop their escalating exchange.
"We need to recruit more powerful members."
"I'll handle it. Once the sealing is complete, I'll take care of it myself."
Konan volunteered.
"I'll go with you," Pain replied immediately.
"So, what are we going to do about Uchiha Dali? The operation in Iwagakure has already fallen apart. The tailed beast in the Land of Earth is likely to fall into his hands," Kakuzu said.
After a brief silence, someone finally spoke.
It was Uchiha Obito, who had remained quiet until now.
"I have a way to disrupt Uchiha Dali's rhythm," he said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Some of the new members don't know my identity. Let me introduce myself—my name is Uchiha Madara."
Obito looked at Sasori.
Sasori's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Uchiha Madara?"
He looked at Obito with a mix of suspicion and surprise.
Clearly, he wasn't entirely convinced.
Just then, Obito's eye under the mask transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
At the same time, a powerful wave of chakra pressure surged from him.
In that instant, Sasori felt an overwhelming force he couldn't resist.
His expression shifted again.
This time, he finally began to believe that the man before him was indeed the legendary figure who had once dominated the entire Shinobi World decades ago.
"Rumor had it you were dead. So you're still alive…"
"No wonder Akatsuki has managed to gather so many powerful individuals and even capture tailed beasts. So you're the one pulling the strings behind the scenes."
Sasori wasn't stupid.
If this man really was Uchiha Madara, then Pain was likely nothing more than a figurehead.
Obito didn't deny it.
Pain simply asked, "What's your plan?"
"Just leave it to me. You all carry on with your assigned tasks and capture the remaining tailed beasts," Obito replied.
"What a surprise… I never would've guessed that a figure like you was secretly leading Akatsuki."
Kakuzu also expressed his amazement.
Clearly, when he'd been invited into the organization, he hadn't known someone else was behind the scenes.
He had always thought that Pain, who had easily overpowered him, was the true leader.
"When it comes to dealing with the Hidden Leaf, I know someone who'd be a good recruit," Konan said at this point.
"We'll discuss that later. For now, we need to focus on completing the sealing of the Three-Tails," Obito reminded them.
Everyone collected themselves, preparing to conclude the meeting.
Then Kakuzu spoke again. "I've received intel that the tailed beast from the Land of Wind has already been captured by Uchiha Dali. Now that he's in the Land of Earth, it's all but certain the Iwagakure beast won't fall to us."
"That means only a few tailed beasts remain for us to capture."
His words made everyone tense up.
"We need to focus on completing the final stages of the sealing. Kakuzu, you're to monitor Uchiha Dali. He will not succeed."
"You'll be in charge of the tailed beast in the Land of Earth," Obito said.
Negotiate with Uchiha Dali? What a joke.
As long as he could create a world where Rin existed, no price was too great.
"Understood. I'll hide near the border and wait for your signal."
Kakuzu knew exactly what kind of being Uchiha Madara was. He'd lived for nearly a century and had once clashed with Hashirama Senju himself.
Back then, Hashirama had wiped him out in a single move.
So now, following this man's orders didn't make Kakuzu feel humiliated—he felt proud.
If it was this man leading them, Akatsuki's plan truly stood a chance.
…
Meanwhile, Uchiha Dali was wandering across the Land of Earth, using Observation Haki to sense his surroundings.
This country's vastness was indeed beyond his expectations.
He searched for several hours before finally sensing an exceptionally strong chakra signature.
"This chakra… far beyond anything else I've sensed. That must be my target."
Now that he had locked onto the exact location, Uchiha Dali immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and warped over.
At that moment, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, Rōshi, was walking alone down a road.
He was a short man—barely one and a half meters tall—with a large beard.
As his name suggested—Rōshi—he wore a purple shinobi vest and a bamboo hat, walking slowly under the blazing sun.
It was clear he had been walking for quite a while.
This was part of his daily training—like that of an ascetic monk.
Suddenly, Rōshi stopped and looked up.
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