"Found him!"
"However, he has rejoined Konoha."
Black Zetsu finished speaking and immediately fell silent.
Unlike when dealing with Obito, Konan and Nagato were far too guarded against him.
But it didn't matter!
As long as it didn't affect his plan to save his mother, Black Zetsu couldn't be bothered to care about Nagato and Konan's current attitude; he was treating this almost strictly as business.
Konan was stunned to hear this and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't Orochimaru a Rogue Ninja of Konoha?"
"Konoha's world has changed," Black Zetsu shook his head with a sigh.
He had no intention of hiding anything; after all, this information was public knowledge throughout the Ninja World. It was only because the Land of Rain was so isolated that they didn't know yet.
And so...
Black Zetsu simply told the two people in front of him everything about the changes in Konoha.
Konan's expression grew heavy. "I really didn't expect such a major event to happen in Konoha."
"It is indeed a bit troublesome," Pain nodded in agreement.
According to the Akatsuki Organization's standard procedure, anyone who dared to betray the organization must be purged.
But this matter with Orochimaru was a little complicated!
It wasn't that Pain feared Konoha, but the Akatsuki Organization was currently in a dormant phase. He didn't want to declare war on Konoha or any of the other Great Ninja Villages for the time being, as it would greatly impact the Akatsuki's upcoming plans.
Konan asked, "Pain, what should we do?"
"Let's declare war on Konoha," Pain pondered for a moment before speaking directly. "Orochimaru must die!"
Black Zetsu looked bewildered. Was Nagato really this reckless?
Actually, it wasn't just him; even Konan was stunned. "But our Akatsuki Organization isn't ready yet. Now is not the time for you to step into the spotlight..."
Unfortunately, however...
Before Konan could finish her sentence, she was directly interrupted by Nagato.
"Konan, the plan has to change!"
"Don't forget one thing: as a former member of the Akatsuki Organization, Orochimaru knows about our tailed beast weapon plan."
"Since he has rejoined Konoha, will he keep it a secret for the Akatsuki?"
"I don't think so!"
"So, in other words, Konoha already knows the Akatsuki's objective!"
"Whether we like it or not, the leak of information is a foregone conclusion. Although it will certainly affect the Akatsuki's plans, we must step onto the stage ahead of schedule."
Hiss!
Following Pain's words, Black Zetsu and Konan's expressions changed drastically.
That's right!
As a former member of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru knew about the tailed beast weapon plan. Now that he had rejoined Konoha, would he help the Akatsuki keep their secret?
Black Zetsu's headache worsened!
When he was chatting with Obito earlier, he really hadn't considered this point. Hearing Pain mention it now, he also grew anxious.
At this stage, the Akatsuki Organization really wasn't suited to step into the public eye!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but speak up. "Pain, calm down first. This matter is too big; the Akatsuki isn't ready yet!"
"Pain, Black Zetsu is right!" Hearing this, Konan also spoke up to persuade him. "How about we wait a bit? The Akatsuki really isn't prepared."
"If we step onto the stage so hastily, both the Akatsuki's tailed beast weapon plan and your Rinnegan will be targeted by the entire Ninja World."
"At that time, not only will hunting the Tailed Beasts become more difficult, but more importantly, with the Akatsuki's current strength, we truly cannot withstand a combined offensive from the Five Great Nations."
Pain fell silent at those words.
He also knew that Black Zetsu and Konan's words made sense. The current Akatsuki Organization was somewhat different from the original work; they were not prepared to step into the spotlight.
The Akatsuki's funds and materials were barely half-collected, and the shortage of personnel was much greater than in the original work.
More importantly... the Akatsuki in the original work was largely successful because the Five Great Ninja Villages didn't initially take them seriously, considering them just a mysterious mercenary organization.
By the time the Five Great Ninja Villages reacted, the Akatsuki had already collected most of the Tailed Beasts, with only Konoha's Nine-Tailed remaining.
But what about now?
The Akatsuki was still in its dormant phase and didn't have a single Tailed Beast in its hands. If they were to be exposed and step onto the stage now, it would be very troublesome to collect the Tailed Beasts moving forward.
"I have decided—the plan will be moved forward!"
"Because of that fellow Orochimaru's defection, Konoha must have learned of the Akatsuki's goal."
"So what we must do now is race against time with Konoha."
"We need to collect as many Tailed Beasts as possible before the Great Nations can react."
"The base in the Land of Rain will certainly not be safe for much longer."
"We need to find another location that the Five Great Ninja Villages cannot find to go back into dormancy, hiding in the shadows to continue collecting the Tailed Beasts as much as possible. This is the only way I can think of right now."
Pain pondered for a moment and still put forward his idea.
Yes!
Since Konoha already knew ahead of time, remaining dormant was no longer possible.
Therefore, he wanted to collect as many Tailed Beasts as he could before Konoha notified the other ninja villages, and then have the entire Akatsuki hide away to find opportunities to collect the remaining ones.
Konan thought carefully for a moment, then nodded and said, "I agree. It's the only way."
"This—alright then!"
Black Zetsu sighed and then spoke directly: "I will find a suitable new base as soon as possible. The Akatsuki should also be prepared to relocate at any time."
Black Zetsu appeared very dedicated to this matter.
Although changing the original plan made him very unhappy, he also knew that given the current situation, Nagato's choice was the most appropriate one, bar none.
Therefore...
In order to save his mother, he had to help with this!
After speaking...
Black Zetsu immediately merged into the ground, starting to consider where in the Ninja World to place the Akatsuki's new base to avoid the search range of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
After Black Zetsu left, Pain also spoke up: "Konan, let's go back as well."
"Prepare for a meeting tonight!"
...Meanwhile, on the other side.
Land of Fire, New Konoha.
At this time, Uchiha Jin was unaware that because of Orochimaru's joining, the Akatsuki Organization was heading down a different path from the original work.
Of course...
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care!
Ever since the mess with the Sarutobi and the other three clans had been settled, he basically didn't even go to the Hokage Office anymore.
He spent almost every day at home, either cultivating or researching the Small Tower, hoping to take his strength a step further.
After all... he knew very well that in a place like the Ninja World, while things like political schemes were useful, what truly decided the outcome was strength.
Thinking about the situation he would face in the future, to be honest, he really felt a bit of a sense of urgency.
Therefore...
He had almost completely delegated his authority. Unless he encountered a very urgent matter, he, as the Hokage, simply did not interfere.