"Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, is currently in the Grass Ninja Village."
Obito directly dismissed Pain's speculation.
"As for that Uchiha girl by his side..."
Obito paused, seemingly organizing his words.
"I've utilized quite a bit of our intelligence network and even traced back some potentially relevant records, but I haven't found any traces of her past.
It's as if... she appeared out of thin air."
"All we know for now is that one of her Dōjutsu is Amaterasu."
"While the other isn't entirely certain, based on her performance in battle and Chakra characteristics... it's suspected to be Kagutsuchi, which can control flames."
Hearing Obito mention the combination of Amaterasu and the suspected Kagutsuchi, Deva Path Pain's cold Rinnegan showed no significant ripples; instead, a trace of nearly imperceptible contempt flickered through them.
Amaterasu?
Nothing to fear.
In the eyes of Pain—or rather, Nagato behind the scenes—mere Amaterasu was a complete joke before the power of the Rinnegan.
The powerful repulsive field of Shinra Tensei was enough to completely repel and annihilate the flames along with their accompanying Chakra before they even reached him. As long as his reaction was timely enough, Amaterasu's 'never-extinguishing until consumed' property wouldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.
As for Kagutsuchi, which could control the form of Amaterasu's flames and grant them more variations?
That was even more insignificant.
No matter how exquisite the flame control, it's futile if it doesn't hit the target.
Before absolute power and the comprehensive abilities of the Rinnegan, such technical Dōjutsu saw their deterrent power greatly diminished.
That female Uchiha was nothing to fear.
Pain's judgment was swift and certain.
His true attention was focused more on the other target Obito had described.
Only that Nine-Tails Jinchuriki required some attention.
A Perfect Jinchuriki meant being able to freely use the Tailed Beast's massive Chakra and unique abilities.
This was indeed an opponent that needed to be taken seriously.
Following that, the information about Wood Release mentioned by Obito caused the slight alarm that had just risen in Pain's heart to quickly subside, even carrying a hint of disdain.
The previous intelligence from Zetsu said he could use Wood Release, but could only summon a Wood Golem about thirty meters tall...
Pain sneered inwardly.
A thirty-meter Wood Golem?
What did that amount to?
Perhaps useful on an ordinary battlefield, but in a truly top-tier confrontation...
At most, he's only fit to sit at the same table as Hanzou.
Hanzou was certainly strong.
But he, who possessed the Rinnegan, was the one who killed the Demigod—a true God!
This near-absolute confidence stemmed from his deep mastery of the Rinnegan's power, his obsessive ideology of 'letting the world feel Pain,' and his firm belief in his own 'destiny' formed after Nagato was twisted by Pain and ideals.
He firmly believed that the power of the Rinnegan was enough to crush anything considered 'powerful' in the conventional sense.
Therefore, after the initial assessment, Pain did not view this mission as an insurmountable obstacle, but merely as a 'trouble' that required a bit of seriousness.
However, Obito's next words caught him and Konan somewhat by surprise.
"Don't be careless."
"To ensure our plan can be implemented and to deal with even stronger enemies that may appear in the future..."
"As a partner, I have decided to transplant the First Hokage's cells into you."
This proposal was the solution Obito arrived at after witnessing some of Naruto and Hikari's strength, especially after sensing they might pose a threat to the Eye of the Moon Plan, believing it to be the most stable and beneficial for his long-term layout.
He quickly ruled out other candidates:
Uchiha Itachi—that guy is a lunatic!
On the surface, he's a cold-blooded rogue ninja who slaughtered his entire clan, but in reality, his heart only holds Konoha, with a warped obsession for the Village.
Transplanting Hashirama cells into him would be nothing but aiding the enemy.
It would only make that dangerous brother-con even harder to deal with and completely uncontrollable.
Nagato was different.
Nagato possessed the Bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, born with massive Chakra and tenacious vitality, which inherently provided a certain foundation for compatibility with Senju Hashirama's cells.
More importantly, Nagato was the public leader of Akatsuki, a key pawn in executing the Tailed Beast Capture Plan, and a crucial support for his Uchiha Madara identity.
Making Nagato stronger would help advance the plan.
Furthermore, Obito had deeper calculations in his heart:
A Nagato with a healthy body, and perhaps even stimulated into even greater potential, might just possess strength surpassing Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
This would better deal with unexpected factors like Naruto.
More crucially, he could take advantage of the transplant surgery to leave some hidden contingencies or restrictions inside Nagato's body.
Just like Uchiha Madara had done to him.
This way, once the nine Tailed Beasts were gathered and the Gedo Statue was revived, when Nagato needed to perform the Rinne Tensei no Jutsu to resurrect Uchiha Madara, or when Nagato lost his utility...
He could easily kill him and seize those vital Rinnegan!
Transplanting Hashirama cells would both enhance immediate combat power and pave the way for long-term schemes, killing two birds with one stone.
Hearing this sudden proposal, Konan, who had been quietly listening, couldn't help but ask:
"Transplanting the First Hokage's cells... what's the use?"
She hid her vigilance.
This man calling himself Madara was not to be trusted at all.
Obito seemed to have expected this question. He didn't directly explain the powerful recovery, Chakra boost, and potential for Wood Release that Hashirama cells brought; instead, he chose a more direct demonstration that would touch Nagato and Konan's inner vulnerabilities.
He slowly raised his left hand, which he had just attached using a White Zetsu Clone's arm before coming.
Then, under the gaze of Pain and Konan, like snapping a crisp lotus root, he easily and casually—crack—snapped his own left wrist!
There was no blood at the break, showing an odd woody fibrous texture, characteristic of White Zetsu's body.
Immediately after, Obito nonchalantly reattached the severed hand, and the break quickly fused back together.
With a soft poof, a faint white mist rose from the joint.
Then, in the slightly startled eyes of Pain and Konan, in just three short seconds, the five fingers of Obito's left hand, which had just been snapped and reattached, began to flexibly flex, clench, and open, fully regaining normal mobility.
As if that horrifying self-mutilation had never occurred.
After finishing this hair-raising demonstration, Obito's exposed right eye looked at Pain, his voice carrying a seductive deepness:
"The use is..."
"To let Nagato's body return to that of a normal person."
"No longer suffering from weakness.
To be able to walk and run freely like an ordinary person, possessing a healthy and vibrant body."
"Perhaps... because of this, it can stimulate the deeper powers of the Uzumaki Bloodline and the Rinnegan within you."
Pain's Rinnegan shifted slightly, and Konan's pupils contracted.
This... how is it possible!