"You...!" Konan used her hands forcefully to pull at Kaoru's hand, her eyes filled with nearly close to breaking apart in rage, looking very much like a battered little wife.
"Why won't you let us return to Amegakure? That's our territory, painstakingly fought for, and the people there need our protection!" Almost shouting, Konan used all her strength to say these words.
"You're really naive. Do you think Amegakure is still yours now? At this point, you've already become like this. Once out of my control, I guarantee your lives will be immediately taken by Uchiha Obito. You have no life left—what protection can you give to Amegakure?!"
After finishing this stern speech, Kaoru released his grip on Konan's throat. She immediately knelt on the ground, coughing repeatedly.
"You... from the beginning to the end, you never really intended to let us go, did you?" After coughing, Konan whispered, her eyes showing a hopeless, disillusioned look.
"I already told you, I'm actually saving you," Kaoru sighed upon seeing her state. "Do as you see fit. Anyway, I've made my decision, and Nagato's life is now in my hands."
Hearing Kaoru's words, Konan could only wear a bitter expression.
"Oh, right, Konan. Nagato's leg was destroyed by Hanzō's trap when he saved you. How long ago was that?" At this moment, Kaoru suddenly asked.
"Why do you ask?" Konan was stunned at first, then involuntarily recalled the past: "Probably... more than ten years ago, I suppose."
Because of her negligence, she was captured, leading to Yahiko's death and Nagato's disability. Over the years, Konan had been deep in self-blame. If she had been more cautious back then, she wouldn't have ended up like this now.
"So... have you ever thought about letting Nagato stand up again?" Kaoru continued to ask.
"Let him stand up..." Konan murmured, with a hint of incredulous hope.
"Yeah, Konan, you must want that too..." Kaoru walked over to her, squatting down and gently touching her face: "This way, your guilt can be eased a bit..."
"But... how can we do that?!" Completely ignoring Kaoru's touch on her face, Konan shouted loudly.
"It's very simple. Don't you have someone in the Akatsuki called 'Zetsu'?" Kaoru withdrew his hand and stood up again.
"Zetsu...," Konan murmured, recalling the one who can merge with any object, the White Zetsu.
"That White Zetsu isn't an ordinary creature. His main body has many parts. These guys are artificial humans made from First Hokage's cells, with Senju's power—enough to help Nagato stand again!" Kaoru explained with a smile: "Transplant White Zetsu's leg onto Nagato, and everything will be fine..."
"Can he really stand up again...?" Nagato, on the other side, looked down at the floor and kept repeating this question.
Seeing this scene, Kaoru couldn't help but smile. He knew how to control people's hearts. Simply threatening and oppressing them wouldn't work. Even if your subordinates outwardly obeyed, their hearts wouldn't. Only by combining reward and punishment can you truly gain their loyalty. That's the way to govern people.
"But... how do we find White Zetsu?" Konan's face was full of anxiety. "When Pain fought you, he must have been watching nearby. Now that we've been defeated, Zetsu must also know. It's probably not easy to find him now..."
"No need for us to find him. He will come to us on his own," Kaoru said with a smile. He was very clear that in this situation, both Zetsu and Obito would inevitably come. Without the Rinnegan, they couldn't awaken the Outer Gedo Statue. Obito's dream was just empty talk, so to fulfill the lingering dream of Rin, Obito would do anything—regardless of the cost!
And White Zetsu, being the will of Madara, would naturally follow Obito. The Black Zetsu would also come. If Madara's plan failed here, then the resurrection of his mother, Kaguya, would be even more distant.
"Alright, you all stay here for now..." After saying this, Kaoru no longer paid attention to Nagato and Konan, but directly went to the office that was once Danzō's.
"Rinnegan..." Kaoru arrived at the desk, took out a disinfected container from his arms, and examined it carefully.
Inside the container, the purple Rinnegan with ripple-like patterns was soaking.
"I already know how to use the Rinnegan and the sealing techniques, but... how should I use these Rinnegan?" Kaoru pondered.
The Rinnegan is the ultimate eye opened by Uchiha Madara, who transplanted the cells of the First Hokage before dying. Although it seems that just having the Uchiha clan's and Senju's power is enough to awaken the Rinnegan, Kaoru believed that wasn't the case.
Uchiha Madara and Hashirama are reincarnations of the Sage of Six Paths' first and second sons. To awaken the Rinnegan, Kaoru thought one probably needed to fuse the chakra of the Sage's first and second sons. Even if he fused the First Hokage's cells, he would only gain Wood Release, not the Rinnegan, since he's neither Indra nor Asura.
But what about the Rinnegan? And Madara? They are just vessels of powerful strength, not gods. When Kaoru surpasses them, he will be a true god!
While contemplating, Kaoru already decided how to use the Rinnegan. Since he knew how to use it, he didn't need to transplant it into himself to wield its power... If that's the case...
In the Land of Water, two Root organization ninjas rushing back to Konoha were in a hurry.
Because they had obtained enough intel on this trip, they needed to report immediately.
"Your masks look like... Root organization ninjas from Konoha..." At this moment, a cold voice sounded. The space in front of them twisted, and a man wearing an orange mask slowly appeared.
"Who are you...?" Seeing the newcomer, the two Root ninjas froze, then clenched their teeth.
Their leader, Kaoru, had told them that encountering this masked Akatsuki member meant they should run immediately—this was the top priority.
"Judging by your expressions... you seem to recognize me. Did Danzō tell you that?" Obito snorted coldly.
Without saying more, the two Root ninjas turned around and prepared to activate their teleportation techniques to escape.
"What's going on? My chakra..." Just as they were about to flee, they suddenly found their chakra rapidly dissipating.
"I won't let you run just like that..." Confused, their bodies suddenly shrouded in a white membrane, which slowly transformed into the appearance of White Zetsu.
Spore Technique!!!
"Damn it, what kind of monster is this?!" The two Root ninjas were shocked and angry, but they were entangled by White Zetsu and couldn't move.
"Run when you see me... Seems like I can get important information from both of you..."
Looking at the two immobilized Root ninjas, Obito's only visible right eye flickered with crimson light, then he stepped forward...
"You really didn't expect this... Now, the leader of the Root organization is no longer Danzō, but Uchiha Kaoru," after using genjutsu on the two ninjas, Obito sighed.
"With his ability, becoming the leader of the Root isn't a big problem," Black Zetsu said.
"But, Obito, have you thought about how to deal with Kaoru? Even Six Paths of Pain was defeated by him, and we..." White Zetsu spoke again, worry evident on his face.
"Don't worry. I have a forbidden technique that can deal with him. Even Uchiha Kaoru can't escape its control..." Obito gritted his teeth, his eyes darkening, the Rinnegan's three-tomoe slowly rotating.
Seeing Obito's expression, White Zetsu also showed a smile: "I see. So that's the technique, huh... I look forward to it."
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