Ren, of course, had no idea that Akatsuki was preparing to strike Konoha—or that the masked man, Uchiha Obito, had already begun cooperating with Orochimaru.
But even if Ren did know, he wouldn't have cared.
Just as Akatsuki believed Konoha's growth threatened them, Ren understood the same truth from the other side: as Konoha continued to expand, whether it was the Four Great Villages or Akatsuki, they would all become the biggest obstacles on his path to success.
"Looks like I'll be busy from now on…"
Now that he had a clearer idea of how he wanted to reshape the shinobi world, Ren felt lighter than he had in days. He leaned back, stretched, and muttered to himself, "Hopefully the shinobi world gets more interesting. Otherwise… it'll be too boring."
BANG!
A knock sounded at the door.
"Fifth Hokage-sama," a voice reported, "villages large and small across the shinobi world have all signed the Konoha Treaty and are willing to cooperate with us. Only Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village) refused—flat-out."
Tsunade—one of the Three Sannin—strode into the office in a hurry.
"It refused?" Ren's brows drew together instinctively. But when he thought of the current state of the Land of Rain, he quickly understood.
At this stage, the Hidden Rain was Akatsuki's base. If it had agreed to sign the Konoha Treaty, that would have been a real surprise.
As for Tsunade, her status now wasn't just "one of the Three Sannin." She was also Ren's appointed Hokage assistant, responsible for handling external affairs.
"It's more than refusing," Tsunade said, her face turning cold. Her fist clenched, teeth grinding. "Nagato—the Hidden Rain's leader—killed one of our shinobi."
Ren gave a soft, humorless laugh.
"Then issue the order," he said flatly, looking at Tsunade. "Declare war on Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village). If they won't sign the treaty—and they kill our people—then they pay the price."
There was something else Ren didn't say out loud.
He had been wondering how to go to the Hidden Rain to sign in.
Now the reason had delivered itself to his doorstep.
If the Hidden Rain wanted to be "disobedient," then Konoha would declare war. As for Akatsuki… he would wipe them out. Simple.
"What?"
Tsunade stared. "We're going to war just like that?"
She was genuinely stunned.
Since when was starting a war with a village so casual?
It felt absurdly casual—like starting a war was no more serious than assigning a routine mission.
She couldn't help recalling the Third Hokage's era—back then, forget declaring war. Even if another village openly humiliated Konoha, her teacher would still smile and swallow it.
"That's right." Ren shrugged, utterly indifferent. "I'm bored anyway. We'll fight the Hidden Rain for fun."
"…Alright."
Tsunade hesitated, still finding it hard to believe, but finally nodded. Deep down, she could only offer a silent prayer for the Hidden Rain.
Meeting the Fifth Hokage really was their bad luck.
"Wait."
Just as Tsunade turned to carry out the order, Ren's Observation Haki picked up something. His expression shifted with faint surprise.
"No need to declare war," he said. "Akatsuki's people… are already in Konoha."
"Akatsuki?" Tsunade frowned, thinking. "That mercenary group from the Land of Rain?"
"No." Ren placed both hands on the desk, his gaze sharpening. "Akatsuki is an evil organization made up of S-rank missing-shinobis from various countries."
He narrowed his eyes, tone incredulous. "By all logic, Akatsuki should still be lying low right now. And they're actually daring to make a move against Konoha?"
Then it clicked.
"Are they here for the Three-Tails, the Five-Tails, the Eight-Tails, and the Nine-Tails?"
Ren's expression turned into one of sudden understanding.
Compared to the original course of events, Konoha now held four of the nine tailed beasts. If Akatsuki was determined to strike, it wasn't impossible.
And Nagato had always wanted Konoha to experience pain.
Still—
Ren was already being called the god of the shinobi world.
Was it really a good idea for Akatsuki to come slap him in the face like this?
"For the tailed beasts?" Tsunade shook her head, baffled. She couldn't understand what was so great about them.
The Three-Tails, Five-Tails, and Eight-Tails were practically like docile cats in Konoha—lying around and "guarding the gate."
"Akatsuki wants to use the tailed beasts to create tailed-beast weapons and conquer the world."
Ren rose slowly to his feet, a cold glint passing through his eyes.
"I was going to go to the Hidden Rain and deal with you there," he said calmly. "But since you've come to Konoha yourselves… then you can all stay here."
At the same time—
Inside a mysterious underground cavern somewhere in the Land of Fire…
After an unknown amount of time, Nagato spoke without expression.
"The distance is enough," he said. "We'll stay here."
Konan nodded, her expression cool. After a brief hesitation, she still couldn't help saying, "The Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Ren—is very strong. I think we shouldn't act rashly."
"There's no time."
Nagato shook his head with absolute firmness. With the help of his mechanical apparatus, he shifted his body slightly and said in a low voice, "I've gained far better control of the Rinnegan now. I can still contend with Uchiha Ren."
His gaze darkened.
"But once Ren becomes even stronger… I won't be able to do anything."
There was helplessness in him as he said it.
Originally, according to his plan, Akatsuki would remain in hiding for several more years—gathering vast sums of money in the shadows, preparing for what came next.
But Konoha had produced a monster.
In an instant, Akatsuki's entire rhythm was shattered.
They were being forced to implement the Konoha Tailed Beast Plunder Plan ahead of schedule.
"…Sigh."
Konan looked at Nagato—who had all but lost the ability to walk on his own—and let out a quiet breath.
She understood better than anyone: Nagato was clinging to a life that was no longer truly human, all for Yahiko's dream—for "peace" in the shinobi world.
If she stopped him…
She didn't know whether Nagato would still have any reason to keep living.
"Don't worry," Nagato said after a moment, voice steady. "I'm not asking to defeat Uchiha Ren. As long as we can take the Three-Tails, the Five-Tails, and the Eight-Tails… that counts as success."
He paused, then spoke with calm confidence.
"I should be able to hold Uchiha Ren down."
Konan drew in a breath and nodded. "Understood. The members are already in position."
"Good."
Nagato's Rinnegan flared with astonishing power. He brought his hands together, and chakra surged through his body as he murmured,
"Akatsuki's rise… begins with the Konoha Tailed Beast Plunder Plan."
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