"Right, one more thing," Uchiha Yorin added. "We're rebuilding Uzushio — we're calling scattered Uzumaki clansmen back. What do you think about that?"
"The Uzumaki clan, huh…"
Nagato gave a bitter, mocking little smile. "I don't care about that anymore."
Yorin: "That's honestly a pity."
It made sense though.
People talked big about how great the relationship was between Konoha and the Uzumaki clan. But when Uzushio was attacked, how many troops did Konoha actually send to help?
When Uzushio fell, Konoha never lifted a finger to help the survivors.
And when it got specific — down to Nagato himself — he and his parents barely managed to flee to the Land of Rain… only to be killed by Konoha shinobi.
When his parents saw those Konoha hitai-ate, stamped with the Uzumaki spiral symbol — did they feel that deep, gut-twisting sense of irony?
Given that, Nagato's attitude toward Konoha was exactly what you'd expect. Even if it wasn't burning hatred, it was absolute distrust.
So of course he wasn't going to talk about "rebuilding Uzushio" with them.
Yorin: "That was under Old Man Third's administration. Mistakes were inevitable. And honestly, it's mostly Danzō's fault. I suspect the whole destruction of Uzushio was orchestrated by that bastard from the start.
Tell you what — we Edo Tensei Danzō out, let you beat the hell out of him as catharsis. How's that sound?"
Senju Tobirama: "Hold up. Excuse me. What the hell did you just say? No one was going to tell me about this?! Someone explain. Right now."
When he heard "the Uzumaki clan was wiped out," Tobirama's eyes went wide — and when he heard it might've been Danzō's doing, he was even more stunned.
Dude.
"I stayed behind to cover you brats' retreat, and this is how you pay me back?"
Even putting personal friendship aside: Konoha just sat there and watched its strongest, most loyal ally get annihilated. That's like chopping off your own arm and calling it a diet. You treat your top warhorse like that, what do you expect the rest of the herd to feel?
"Son of a…"
Senju Tobirama was regretting everything.
If he'd known it would go like this, he never would've handed the Hokage's hat to Sarutobi. Let those idiots go die — he could've done another twenty years himself, no problem…
Although, to be fair, when he stayed behind that day, even he didn't think he'd go down that easily.
The Gold and Silver Brothers were just two clowns. Even together, they weren't his match.
Who knew they had such busted one-shot cheese up their sleeves?
…
Uchiha Yorin: "Anyway, old man, we'll talk about your mess later. So, Nagato — is that settled?"
Nagato: "Yeah. Let's settle it that way."
Yorin: "Just fighting feels a bit dull, though. Want to put a wager on it?"
Tsunade: "Hm?!"
At the word "wager," Tsunade's head snapped up. Yorin promptly pushed her back down and shot her a vicious look — pure eye-threat:
If you dare gamble again, I swear I'll break both your legs.
Tsunade instinctively glanced toward Tobirama. Tobirama turned his head and pretended to study the ceiling.
For anything else, if Yorin bullied Tsunade, he'd absolutely stick up for his granddaughter.
But gambling? Different story. When it came to that, he couldn't bring himself to intervene. If anything, seeing someone finally taking her to task made him feel relieved.
He still winced when he thought of how the entire Senju estate had basically been "managed" into the ground by Tsunade. No (not really)… but emotionally, yes. From his point of view, the damage was the same.
After that, he actually started to look at Yorin more favorably. His opinion went from "annoying little Uchiha" to "eh, not bad" in an instant.
Nagato: "So what's the stake?"
Nagato wasn't Tsunade, but if he could both beat Yorin and win something off him, that'd be double satisfaction.
Yorin: "If I win, you return to Uzushio under the name Uzumaki Nagato — and eventually become the First Uzukage."
Nagato: "No problem. But if I win…"
Yorin: "Well?"
He sounded casual. Nagato was known for having low material desires. Outside of philosophy and ideology, he hardly cared about anything. Yorin was curious: what would he ask for?
No way he still wanted to fight over leadership of Akatsuki at this point… right? Surely he wouldn't.
So he waited to hear it.
"…"
Everyone turned toward Nagato, waiting.
Nagato clearly felt the pressure. He took a couple deep breaths, then finally looked straight at Yorin and said:
"If I win, I want you to marry Konan."
Konan: "…Huh?"
Everyone else: "…Huh?"
Tsunade: "Huh??"
Yorin: "Okay, I surrender."
Everyone: "HUH???"
…
After a stretch of chaos, and managing to restrain several girls who very much wanted to swing first and ask questions never, Yorin finally looked at Nagato and asked:
"Bro. Isn't that a little… much? You could at least talk to Konan first."
Nagato, though, seemed to have gone into full "screw it" mode. All his earlier hesitation was gone, replaced by a grim sort of determination.
"I've already set foot on a road I can't turn back from, Yorin," he said. "I've decided I'll fight to the death for the peaceful world Yahiko believed in.
But Konan is innocent. She hasn't stained her hands the way we have. I don't want her to keep suffering for our sake. In other words…"
He looked him in the eye.
"I want you to take care of her after I die."
Then he added, almost like he was chewing glass, "You're a bastard. A bad person. A complete, unrepentant womanizer. But unfortunately, of everyone I know… you're the most reliable."
He turned then to Konan. "I'm sorry, Konan. But this is the only way I know how to bless you."
"You— you idiot, what are you—"
"Most importantly," Nagato cut her off, "Konan… you do love Uchiha Yorin, don't you?"
Before she could burst out, he nailed the words home: "If you didn't, no matter what, I would never have brought this up. Please trust me."
That shut her up. She stood there, face flushed, unable to get a word out.
Nagato turned back to Yorin.
"Yes. Konan likes you. It's in her eyes when she looks at you, in the way she talks to you. Everything about her says so. She's torn up about it — because of who you are, and because of your… complicated romantic history, she doesn't know how to tell you.
But it doesn't matter.
As her older brother, I'll say it for her, and put it on the table. So, Yorin — what's your answer?"
When he finished, everyone's eyes snapped to Yorin, waiting.
And Yorin, with the most annoying tone in the world, repeated himself:
"I already said."
He looked at Nagato and said, "I surrender."
Tsunade, Mei, Pakura: "Tch."
Konan's face went scarlet.