Chapter 136 – Reanimation of the First Generation, Uchiha Madara, Peace Has Yet to Arrive! "Let Nagato decide. If we keep watching and he re
Chapter 136 – Reanimation of the First Generation, Uchiha Madara, Peace Has Yet to Arrive!
"Let Nagato decide. If we keep watching and he really unifies the ninja world, it'll be far more difficult to capture the Tailed Beasts later!"
There was no longer any reason to linger on that battlefield.
Since the enemy had surrendered and the situation had reached its end, Tobi took Zetsu with him back to the Akatsuki and relayed what had happened to Nagato.
Though it was framed as a discussion, Tobi was fully prepared to force the matter if Nagato refused. He could not afford to wait any longer.
"He actually intends to unify the entire ninja world…"
Nagato's gaze drifted after hearing Tobi's report, murmuring softly to himself.
Was this the peace he had always longed for?
It seemed so.
Back then, hadn't he aimed to use the Rinnegan to gather all nine Tailed Beasts, merge them into the Ten Tails, and let the world feel pain, ultimately uniting the villages into one? But now Renji had accomplished what he once sought. Suddenly, his own actions felt unnecessary.
"If Nagato doesn't act, our plan will completely fall apart. Years of planning will go to waste!"
Zetsu's eyes locked tightly on Nagato. Though he knew Nagato harbored doubts, he was at least easier to sway than Tobi.
The situation had already spiraled beyond his control. Zetsu didn't want Nagato to simply give up now.
"I understand. Start making the arrangements. You and Konan continue the original mission—sneak into Konoha and locate the jinchūriki. If they've won, all of them will likely be kept within the village. Also, gather intel on any jinchūriki Konoha hasn't captured yet."
Nagato nodded. After he agreed, Konan looked over, surprised, but quickly returned to calm.
She didn't understand why Nagato said that, but now wasn't the time to question him.
With Nagato's approval, both Tobi and Zetsu breathed easier. Zetsu didn't think twice before accepting the plan to infiltrate with Konan.
They were supposed to go before, but Konoha launched its war, derailing everything. Now that Konoha had taken down all the other villages, there was no avoiding this mission.
But before that, Zetsu had another matter to handle.
"Am I really going with him?"
Though Konan didn't want to travel with Zetsu, the circumstances left her no other choice.
Everyone else in Akatsuki was either a fool or a notorious rogue. Anyone else sneaking into Konoha would be exposed immediately. Only she and Zetsu could do it.
Zetsu could hide in the shadows, and she could move freely in Konoha. She wasn't listed as a rogue ninja, and wasn't widely known. The only concern was avoiding Jiraiya.
"Yeah. Just the two of you is fine. Get all the intel over there."
"I can, but I have something to handle first—it might delay me."
Zetsu had something that had to be taken care of before departing.
"Alright."
Nagato nodded without pressing. The two then left together.
After they were gone, Konan could no longer hold back her thoughts.
"Nagato… isn't this the peace we've always dreamed of?"
Wasn't that the reason they did everything back then?
Now that Konoha seemed capable of leading the ninja world into peace, why continue the Tailed Beast capture plan?
Wouldn't that only drag the ninja world back into chaos?
"Yes. That's why I want you to observe Konoha first—not just the jinchūriki, but how the village functions as a whole. See whether Konoha truly has the ability to lead the world to peace."
Nagato still held a grudge against Konoha. His family had died at the hands of Konoha ninjas. Yahiko's death had also been caused by Danzō.
But he wasn't so blinded by hatred that he would destroy hard-won peace.
If this was truly peace, then he was willing to abandon his plans.
But first, he needed to verify whether Konoha could really bring peace to the ninja world.
Perhaps… he wasn't a god after all?
For the first time, Nagato's belief in himself wavered. His body was deteriorating, far weaker than in the past. The Rinnegan was constantly consuming his life force. He knew full well—those eyes would eventually kill him.
Perhaps this was the price.
But even more than that, he had a weakness—Konan.
After his death, what would happen to her? He had protected her since childhood. Once he was gone, even though Konan had Kage-level strength, the crimes of the Akatsuki had made enemies of the entire ninja world.
He didn't want Konan to die with him. If he survived, nothing else mattered.
But if he died, she couldn't be dragged down with him. If Renji truly brought peace to the ninja world, there was no reason to continue this fight.
"What about Madara and the others? They definitely won't stand by."
Judging from their attitude earlier, Konan was sure they wouldn't back down.
In that case, their decision seemed irrelevant.
"They have their own plans. We don't need to carry them out. From the beginning, we acted for peace!"
Nagato's eyes flared with his Rinnegan as he looked into the distance.
"I won't let them control me. If they want to move, I'll intervene!"
He had always pursued peace. His cooperation with them had been purely strategic.
"Should we contact Konoha's Hokage?"
"Do as you see fit. Just get a general understanding of life in Konoha, whether the feudal lords still hold power, and what daily life looks like for the ordinary people in the Land of Fire. As for those other people—they don't matter."
Those great nations and large villages had always been arrogant, enjoying the best resources. Nagato didn't think it was worth trying to understand them.
Konan understood. With this, she now knew exactly what she needed to do.
She found it ironic. Her first visit to Konoha was for this. Back when they were still Jiraiya's students, they had thought about visiting Konoha someday. But things changed, and they never went.
Now, they were technically enemies.
Konan sighed in her heart and asked, "Shouldn't I stay to protect you?"
Nagato's combat strength was weak in person. Due to his condition, he needed someone by his side. If an enemy got close, he'd be in real danger.
"No need. If you go, I'll recall the Six Paths of Pain."
With the Six Paths nearby, there would be no problem. Konan accepted that and didn't argue.
Though she usually stayed by Nagato's side, with the Six Paths present, her presence wasn't essential.
"Tobi, shall we cooperate with Orochimaru?"
At this point, they had no choice but to seek Orochimaru's help—otherwise, defeating Konoha was impossible.
Even with Nagato's power.
Zetsu had always known where Orochimaru was, but he never paid attention. Orochimaru wasn't someone he had considered important. After all, he wasn't a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths. No matter how talented he was, he could only go so far.
He had no divine bloodline—he could never stand at the peak.
But now, they had no choice.
Because in terms of science, Orochimaru truly was a genius. Back in Konoha, he had studied Reanimation—exactly what they needed now.
"Let's go. That guy should know what to do."
Tobi's face twisted into a cold smile. Truthfully, he didn't like the idea of reviving Uchiha Madara.
But in the current situation, there was no winning without him. Reanimation was their best card.
Everyone knew—under Reanimation, one could not become a jinchūriki.
And that was Tobi's only safeguard: as long as Uchiha Madara wasn't fully resurrected and only existed in reanimated form, he posed no real threat to him.
Orochimaru had defected from the Akatsuki not long ago and established the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields. After leaving the Allied Shinobi Forces, he rushed back in haste.
There were things he needed to confirm.
In the lab, Orochimaru turned his head slightly, as if sensing something, and said coldly, "Come out. You've been here for quite a while, haven't you?"
Had an enemy come knocking?
A dark glint flickered in Orochimaru's eyes—he had just fled from the Akatsuki.
If those lunatics came after him now, he'd be in danger.
And as the saying goes: the more you fear something, the more likely it happens. When he turned and saw who had arrived, Orochimaru's expression instantly fell. That black cloak with red clouds—it could only be the Akatsuki.
He had jumped through several hideouts, and yet they still found him?
That androgynous face… Orochimaru felt a wave of irritation. Zetsu's tracking ability was indeed formidable.
"Orochimaru, you really made me work to find you."
"Zetsu, just the two of you?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he calculated—if it was only Zetsu and this masked man he'd never seen before, then maybe… he could kill them both here.
Zetsu was publicly known to lack fighting strength, and the masked man didn't seem particularly famous either. Couldn't beat Itachi, but maybe he could beat these two?
"Ara, is Orochimaru-senpai planning to kill us? How scary~"
That guy…
With Tobi's exaggerated whimpering, it was impossible not to feel he was being deliberately sarcastic.
"Of course. If it's just you two, I can't imagine how that Pain guy had the guts to send you."
Since his intentions were exposed, Orochimaru didn't bother to hide them. He clearly wanted to kill the two in front of him.
If he took Zetsu out now, the Akatsuki wouldn't be able to track him so easily in the future.
After all, Zetsu was the only one in the Akatsuki capable of finding him.
"Orochimaru, we're here to make a deal."
Zetsu showed no interest in fighting. He wasn't worried—Tobi could easily take on Orochimaru.
But that wasn't their purpose here.
"A deal? Heh… makes sense. Your group probably isn't thrilled about seeing the ninja world unified under Konoha, right?"
With Zetsu's intel network, there was no way they didn't know what was happening in the ninja world.
So they came to him for this?
"Unfortunately, I won't return to the Akatsuki. Unless… you let me study Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan."
A glimmer of obsession lit up Orochimaru's eyes. If they traded Itachi for him, he might consider going back.
Though he would likely be scorned within the Akatsuki—driven off by Itachi—he didn't care. His obsession with the Mangekyō had reached a breaking point.
Especially after seeing Renji unleash carnage on the battlefield with his Mangekyō—Orochimaru felt he had to study it.
"Sorry. Uchiha Itachi is off-limits. But we can offer you something you wouldn't expect."
Zetsu's eyes flickered. If they wanted Orochimaru's help, they had to pay something.
Though disappointed, Orochimaru was also curious. "So… you didn't come to take me back to the Akatsuki?"
This clearly wasn't Pain's doing—they'd come on their own?
Orochimaru wasn't a fool.
Since joining Akatsuki, he had noticed the organization had two internal factions. Zetsu, though seemingly weak, clearly had his own agenda.
"We want you to use Reanimation to bring several people back. In return, we'll give you access to certain things you'll find quite... interesting."
Zetsu got straight to the point—he needed them resurrected.
Correction: not just "several," but a lot of people. To take on Renji and the entire Allied Forces, they had to bring back the strongest shinobi of the past.
"Who?"
Reanimation?
Orochimaru's interest was piqued. It wasn't exactly a secret that he'd been working on it. But few had ever come seeking this technique. Even though he had nearly completed it, its current performance was far from ideal.
No matter how much he improved it, Orochimaru found the results lacking. He began to suspect the issue wasn't with the jutsu—but with the sacrifices.
Still, that wasn't the outcome he wanted.
"Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Hiruzen Sarutobi… those Kage."
Right now, they lacked high-end combat strength. As for Uchiha Madara, Zetsu hadn't revealed that plan yet. That would depend on Tobi's decision—his identity being public or secret led to two very different strategies.
"Interesting. And what do I get in return?"
Orochimaru wasn't surprised by the names—but he also knew he wouldn't lift a finger unless he gained something.
If things went badly, those revived shinobi might turn on him.
He had to be compensated.
As the conversation went on, excitement grew visibly on Orochimaru's face. He felt as though he was touching the edge of the world's true secrets. And he wanted to see it himself: the strongest of the past… versus the strongest of the present.
In the end, both sides left with answers they were satisfied with.
(End of Chapter)
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