Such a tumultuous matter naturally couldn't be hidden from Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were wandering the ninja world.
Tsunade had only met Yahiko once as a child and naturally didn't recognize him as an adult. She simply sighed about it and moved on.
Jiraiya was different. He recognized Yahiko at a glance. Confused and shocked, he naturally had to get to the bottom of it.
Knowing that Yahiko was from the Land of Rain, Jiraiya went there directly to investigate.
Jiraiya didn't report it to the village, planning to do so only after he understood the situation. Based on his good impression from the past, he subconsciously believed Yahiko must have some unspoken reason...
As the saying goes, when things reach an extreme, they reverse. Although the Akatsuki had become like rats in the street, hunted by everyone in the ninja world, their immense fame and terrifying track record also attracted the world's scum.
These dregs of the ninja world were also looking for Akatsuki members, but their goal was to join the Akatsuki.
As long as people exist in this world, they will inevitably leave traces. No matter how deeply the Akatsuki hid, they couldn't withstand the serious digging of the vast majority of the ninja world's forces...
Nothing can withstand a truly serious effort.
The core members were well-hidden, and even if discovered, they wouldn't easily get into trouble. The outer members were a different story.
One by one, the outer members were dug up by the various forces of the ninja world, either killed or captured.
The Akatsuki's tendrils in the ninja world were being rapidly severed...
Nagato didn't care much about the loss of the outer members. Only the core members were important, but the most important were only himself and Konan.
No matter how heavy the Akatsuki's losses, even if all the core members were killed, as long as he and Konan were alive, the Akatsuki could still make a comeback!
Therefore, after ordering all members to go into hiding, Nagato didn't pay much more attention. He even had the leisure to convene a meeting of the core members to discuss how to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails...
To act so brazenly, it showed just how arrogant and conceited Nagato, who saw himself as a god with a mission of peace, had become. His arrogance knew no bounds.
The failure to capture the Eight-Tails did not make Nagato restrain himself. It was just carelessness. With all six of them attacking together, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki would not be able to escape.
Land of Rain, in the belly of a deep mountain shrouded in clouds and misty rain.
Ten figures stood on the ten fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Some were physical bodies, others were colored phantoms.
The Deva Path of Pain said with a blank expression, "There was an accident in the capture of the Eight-Tails. Kumogakure's support arrived too quickly, and we failed."
"Now, our Akatsuki holds seven Tailed Beasts, with only the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails remaining."
"We must capture the two Tailed Beasts as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the greater the possibility of an accident."
"Therefore, I have decided that we will use the combined strength of everyone to deal with these two Tailed Beasts."
"Zetsu, what is the status of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails?"
The physical Black and White Zetsu said with a serious expression, "The Eight-Tails is no longer in Kumogakure. It will take time to find its specific location."
To be on the safe side, the Fourth Raikage, A, had moved Killer B to the Turtle Island, a giant turtle that wandered the seas with an unfixed location.
Being at sea, with its location constantly changing, it was not something that even White Zetsu, with his intelligence-gathering abilities, could find easily.
"The Nine-Tails is the same as always, still living a normal life in Konoha."
The Deva Path of Pain nodded. "In that case, we will concentrate our forces to capture the Nine-Tails."
"Konoha is playing a waiting game, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki rarely leaves the village. We can only capture them by force."
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. We will launch a surprise attack on Konoha in seven days!"
The fact that Naruto was also a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was unknown to Nagato and the others.
Taught by Kageyama Kogetsu and Kushina, Naruto was very strong even without using the Nine-Tails' power, thanks to the vast chakra of the Uzumaki clan.
Naruto also remembered Kageyama Kogetsu and Kushina's teachings: not to use the Nine-Tails' power unless it was a matter of life and death for himself or his comrades.
"Yes."
"Alright."
"Understood."
"I can't wait."
After a series of messy responses, the members left one by one.
About twenty minutes after the Akatsuki meeting ended, its contents appeared once again in the Hokage's office.
Kageyama Kogetsu, his face still youthful but his authority growing deeper by the day, held a cigarette between his lips. He squinted as he finished reading the contents of the scroll and then casually tossed it onto his desk.
"Tsk... this lineup is much bigger than in the original story. A full-scale assault, huh? How terrifying."
"But things can't always go your way. I think I'll cause a little trouble for you."
"Someone."
With a soft call from Kageyama Kogetsu, an ANBU ninja appeared in a flash, kneeling on one knee.
"Lord Hokage."
Kageyama Kogetsu picked up a pen, wrote a note, folded it, and casually threw it out.
"Find Squad Leader Shikaku and have him coordinate the contents of this note."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
That afternoon, a piece of news spread from Konoha...
The news was about the general background of the Deva Path of Pain, Yahiko, the suspected death of Hanzō of Amegakure, and the Akatsuki's suspected takeover of the village.
The Akatsuki was currently the hottest topic in the ninja world. Anything related to them generated a huge amount of discussion, let alone such explosive news.
Upon receiving the news, the great ninja villages immediately dispatched powerful ninja-led teams to the Land of Rain to investigate.
As the instigator, Konoha naturally sent people as well.
Kageyama Kogetsu didn't send the Konoha 12. Instead, he sent two Root squads and instructed them to act cautiously and let the ninja from the other villages probe the situation first.
The Land of Rain was located in the center of the continent, a true battleground. Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure were not far away, and it wouldn't take long for their ninja to arrive.
...
Amegakure, at the top of the tallest building.
Konan was reporting the latest news from the ninja world to Nagato. The news from Konoha was of the utmost importance.
"To think Konoha has such accurate information about Big Brother Yahiko. It seems our teacher told them."
Nagato was displeased, but his expression remained blank as he spoke, as if it were no big deal.
"Our teacher is a Konoha ninja. It's normal for him to tell Konoha after getting the news. It's just that Konoha's guess happened to be right."
"Nagato, what should we do?"
Konan's face was filled with worry. This situation was not easy to resolve.
The five great ninja villages were serious. Even if Hanzō were alive, he wouldn't be able to intimidate them, nor would he dare to.
When the ninja from the other villages entered Amegakure to investigate, it would be fine for a short time, but flaws would inevitably be exposed over a longer period.
If they were to kill the investigation teams from the other villages, it would be an admission of guilt.
Once the five great ninja villages were angered and started a war, even if they could win, Amegakure would surely be reduced to ruins.
The Land of Rain would once again be ravaged by the flames of war, and the current peace would be gone.
Konan could see this, and so could Nagato. For a moment, he was also troubled...
After a long period of thought, Nagato made his decision. His face was serious. "At this point, we can only evacuate."
"Konan, go and gather the ninja who know of our existence and ask them."
"If they are willing to come with us, have them temporarily renounce their status as Amegakure ninja, disguise themselves, and leave the village first."
"If they are unwilling, for the sake of the hard-won peace in Amegakure and the Land of Rain, we can only silence them."
"Konan, you cannot be soft-hearted."
Konan nodded. "Don't worry. I stopped being soft-hearted long ago. I believe most of them will be willing to come with us."
A rare smile appeared on Nagato's face. "That would be for the best."
"Besides evacuating, we must find a new nest to serve as a scapegoat to attract the attention of the great ninja villages."
"Time is short. Let's choose the Land of Grass, which has always had friction with our Land of Rain and is now close to the Land of Fire."
"Send a message to the organization members. Those who want to clash with the great ninja villages and have some fun can go for a stroll in the Land of Grass."
"Alright."
A smile also appeared on Konan's face, her tone quite cheerful.
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