Chapter 255 — Sneaking into the Hidden Rain Village
Inside the storage scroll lay mountains of silver notes, piles of gold and silver ornaments, and countless jewels yet to be appraised—treasures stacked so high they still hadn't been converted into usable currency.
"If Mr. Kakuzu were willing to take charge of it, that would be ideal," Fugaku said casually.
Seeing the flicker of desire in Kakuzu's eyes, Fugaku pressed at the perfect moment.
"A financial manager doesn't have much to do, you know. Just counting money every day. Appraising gold, silver, precious stones… handling wealth. Nothing dangerous. Nothing difficult."
Kakuzu didn't need to hear more.
To him, a workplace was nothing more than a place where money flowed.
It didn't matter if it was the Akatsuki or Konoha—he had no ideological loyalty to either.
The Akatsuki had simply been a safe shelter where he could indulge in counting money.
And now the Fifth Hokage of the strongest hidden village was personally overlooking his past as a missing-nin and even his assassination attempt on the First Hokage to recruit him?
Only an idiot would hesitate.
Konoha was richer.
Konoha was stable.
Konoha was public and legitimate.
The choice was obvious.
"Hokage-dono has spoken," Kakuzu said with a small smile. "Then I can only accept with gratitude."
Fugaku dismissed Susanoo's grip and let Kakuzu land gently. He even stepped forward and patted the dust off Kakuzu's robe, smoothing the wrinkles.
Kakuzu looked at the Fifth Hokage up close.
If he launched an attack right now, he was certain the success rate would be one hundred percent.
But he didn't move.
He stood still and allowed Fugaku to neaten his clothes.
Only a fool throws away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds.
"Good," Fugaku said warmly. "Actually, I still have something to take care of. Why don't you head to Konoha first?"
He took out a fresh storage scroll, unsealed paper and pen, and began writing.
"I'll give you a letter of introduction. When you arrive at Konoha, hand it to Nara Shikaku—my assistant. He'll arrange your position as the village's financial manager."
Kakuzu had already guessed the truth: Fugaku wasn't here by coincidence.
He must have obtained intelligence on the Akatsuki and come to eliminate the problem at its root.
Kakuzu wasn't going to betray his old employer by exposing Nagato.
But he wasn't going to help them either.
He accepted the introduction letter silently, turned around, and disappeared into the rain without a single glance back.
Fugaku watched him fade into the misty street, satisfied.
One problem solved.
Then he turned and continued toward the village.
Earlier, he had not stepped fully into Ame's monitored territory, so Nagato didn't detect the clash with Susanoo.
Nagato remained unaware that a loyal subordinate had defected—though at least Kakuzu hadn't backstabbed them on the way out.
At that moment, Nagato was seated among a pile of scrolls that Zetsu had gathered from across the world, skimming through them with obvious irritation.
Useless. Low-rank. Redundant.
He tossed aside another stack. Nothing suited him.
Konan entered and reminded him of their previous discussion.
Nagato perked up.
Dust Release.
He too had heard of the Tsuchikage Ōnoki's feared technique—one that reduced everything to dust, unstoppable by conventional defenses.
The two exchanged a glance.
Tomorrow, they would set out for the Land of Earth.
If they could obtain Dust Release, their chances against Uchiha Fugaku would rise—if only slightly.
Meanwhile, Fugaku had already walked through Amegakure's main gate.
"Perhaps 'sneaked in' isn't the right term," he thought.
He simply walked through the entrance with an umbrella, letting the drizzle blur his silhouette, and the guards' eyes.
When questioned, he cast an effortless genjutsu.
The guards relaxed, nodded, and let him through.
The stone-paved streets glistened under the constant rain. The cool air and well-maintained drainage system kept the village clean and strangely peaceful.
His shoes barely touched puddles as he walked.
From atop a high tower, Pain sensed an unfamiliar chakra signature through the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
Routine response: dispatch nearby shinobi to investigate.
Not long after Fugaku entered, two Amegakure shinobi approached him.
Fugaku didn't run.
He simply waited for them mid-street.
As they opened their mouths to question him, the Sharingan whirled.
They froze.
"Where is Nagato?" Fugaku asked.
No response.
Of course—Nagato was a top-secret existence. Ordinary Ame shinobi weren't allowed to know.
He adjusted the question.
"Where is Pain?"
Still nothing. Their clearance didn't reach that far either.
"Where is your superior?"
This time, they answered immediately.
"Take me to him," Fugaku instructed.
At the tower entrance, other guards glanced at him suspiciously, but because their own men were leading him, they said nothing.
They arrived at their superior's office.
Seeing his subordinates burst in without knocking, the officer frowned and rose to reprimand them—until he saw Fugaku standing behind them.
That overwhelming presence made him straighten instinctively.
"Who is this—?"
One glance from the Sharingan silenced him.
Under genjutsu, he divulged the location of Pain.
But Pain was not in this particular tower.
"A pity," Fugaku thought. "Would've saved me time."
Konan, however, was a different matter—Nagato told her everything.
If he could find her, Nagato's location would naturally follow.
"Where is Konan?"
Surprisingly, the Ame officer knew.
Fugaku nodded.
"Good. Take me there."
As for the two controlled shinobi, Fugaku knocked them out with a tap and slipped them beneath the desk.
He would return for Konan next.
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