Seeing Hidan's face full of panic, Gento walked behind his desk and sat down calmly.
Looking at Hidan with a smile, he said:
"But... this is what I originally look like."
Hidan's face turned dead pale.
Gento continued:
"During the Akatsuki meeting just now, didn't you still call me that detestable Gento Uchiha and say you wanted to show me some color?"
"What? You can't recognize me now?"
The expression on Hidan's face changed at once.
He immediately replaced his shocked expression with an obsequious look.
Forcing the muscles on his face to compile what he believed to be his most sincere smile, he said:
"Lord Gento! You have truly misunderstood me!"
"I, Hidan, am absolutely loyal to you, and have never once forgotten my undercover mission!"
"As for those words during the meeting earlier..."
"That was entirely to paralyze the rest of the Akatsuki, so I could better fit into my undercover identity!"
"That was acting! Just acting!"
The corner of Gento's mouth twitched a bit.
Hidan's speed of changing faces was truly second to none.
Gento did not continue to tease him, shifting the conversation:
"In today's Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Konan are also my people."
"Add you and me disguised as Nanashi..."
"Right now, nearly half of the Akatsuki are our people!"
Hidan was shocked to his core.
…Had the Akatsuki already been corrupted by him to this extent?
Nearly half of the organization had been turned!
He truly is a demon!
While Hidan thought this in his heart, he spoke up:
"Lord Gento!"
"I, Hidan, swear to the heavens, and swear to Lord Jashin, that I will execute any of your instructions without the slightest compromise!"
Gento nodded in satisfaction:
"Right now, there is indeed something I need you to do."
"Please speak!"
"Take Kakuzu and head to the Hidden Stone Village to capture Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Be swift, avoid unnecessary complications, and once captured, immediately contact Pain to organize the extraction of the Tailed Beast."
Hidan dared not refuse upon hearing this, hurriedly nodding:
"Understood! I will definitely cooperate with Kakuzu to take down the Five-Tails as quickly as possible!"
Gento nodded in satisfaction, transforming back into the appearance of Nanashi.
He placed his hand on Hidan's shoulder, activating the Flying Thunder God.
Space shifted.
The next instant, the two had returned to Kakuzu's side.
Seeing the figures of Hidan and Nanashi appear, Kakuzu raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the two.
"Back?"
Nanashi said nothing more, merely nodding to Kakuzu before his figure flashed, disappearing once again.
Kakuzu's gaze immediately turned toward Hidan:
"What intelligence did Nanashi tell you?"
Hidan had restored his carefree demeanor, grinning as he laughed:
"Intelligence on Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Let's depart! Don't let others beat us to it!"
Kakuzu glanced at him, unsure if he believed it or not, only nodding indifferently:
"Let us go."
The two headed off in the direction of the Hidden Stone Village.
...
On the other side, Gento returned to the Hidden Gento Village.
This time, warning Hidan was just right to make him speed up the capture of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
Currently, the Akatsuki had already gathered three Tailed Beasts: the One-Tail, Four-Tails, and Seven-Tails.
At this rate, the Five-Tails and Six-Tails should also fall into their hands very soon.
Once the Akatsuki finished capturing the Five-Tails and Six-Tails, it would be time for him to draw in the net.
Reclaim the Tailed Beasts, seize Nagato's Rinnegan, and annihilate the Akatsuki.
When that time came, adding the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, and Nine-Tails in his own hands, he would be able to complete the system's Tailed Beast collection quest and obtain a chance to copy a child's talent trait.
Furthermore, the life energy required by the Divine Tree was still insufficient; the Land of Lightning still needed to be thrown into chaos for a while longer.
The time to make a move had not yet arrived.
The Akatsuki's side was progressing step by step and could not be rushed either.
What else could he do to enhance his own strength?
He went through the plot of the original work in his mind from beginning to end.
Suddenly, a thought flashed like a bolt of lightning.
Edo Tensei!
Or even taking it a step further, using Reanimation to resurrect some deceased powerhouses!
Two names were the first to emerge in his mind: Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
These two were peerless powerhouses the shinobi world only saw once in a millennium.
Even in a war against the Otsutsuki, they would be of immense help.
Hashirama's Wood Release and Sage Mode, and Madara's Perfect Susanoo and Rinnegan, were powers more than capable of turning the tide of battle.
However, Edo Tensei required the bodily tissue of the deceased.
Madara's corpse was hidden by Obito and could not be found at all right now, so it could only wait until after the Akatsuki was destroyed.
As for the other shinobi suitable for Edo Tensei, Hashirama Senju, his remains should still be tightly guarded within the Hidden Leaf.
As a result, this matter had to be discussed with Tsunade.
The Edo Tensei technique itself went against moral ethics, and with Hashirama being Tsunade's biological grandfather, he needed to seek her opinion first regardless.
Moreover, annexing the Land of Lightning in the future would also require the Hidden Leaf's support, so he could talk to Tsunade about it all together.
So Gento stood up and walked to the side hall.
The wet nurse was holding Shiva, looking at the moon under the veranda.
Gento took his son, kissing him on the forehead:
"Come, Daddy will take you to find Mommy."
With a flash of the Flying Thunder God, the father and son vanished from the palace.
...
Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage Office.
Tsunade was sitting behind the desk reviewing documents, her brow slightly knit as her pen wrote rapidly.
Beside her sat thick stacks of documents.
Shizune stood behind her, cradling Tonton in her arms, occasionally helping Tsunade organize the reviewed documents.
Suddenly, space fluctuated.
Gento, holding Shiva, appeared in the center of the office.
Tsunade did not even raise her head, her pen continuing to move across the paper.
Shizune, on the other hand, raised her head.
Seeing Gento and Shiva, she walked over with familiarity, taking Shiva from Gento's arms.
Cradling him in her arms, she kissed the little guy's cheek, then winked at Gento, stepping out of the office with Shiva while shutting the door tightly behind her.
Before heading out, she even cast an "I understand" look at Gento.
Gento was momentarily caught between laughter and tears.
In Shizune's eyes, his coming to see Tsunade was purely to do "bad things"?
Was he really that lustful?
Tsunade finished processing the documents in her hand, put down her pen, and stretched.
The loose Hokage robe tightened with her movements, outlining a very exaggerated, explosive curve.
Leaning against the back of her chair, she turned to look at Gento, a trace of a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"By the way, you have been coming to my place quite frequently lately."
As she spoke, she had already reached out to begin unbuttoning her collar.
With an expression that said she would do it herself, saving him the trouble.
This left Gento beside her momentarily at a loss for words.
"Cough!"
Gento coughed lightly in some embarrassment.
"Um... this time I came to see you, it isn't for that."
Tsunade's fingers were already on the third button.
Hearing this, she immediately raised her head, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Gento then teased her:
"By the way, since giving birth to Shiva, you have actually grown increasingly proactive."
"Where did that Tsunade who used to be full of resistance go?"
"I still prefer the way you looked when you said 'only this once.'"
Being teased by Gento, Tsunade's cheeks flushed crimson all over .
She could not help but feel somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
Indeed, ever since she was schemed against by this detestable man before her, she had actually subtly become more and more lustful!
Still, her competitive nature made her stubborn, refusing to admit it.
"Hmph! Who says I'm being proactive!"
"Oh? Lady Tsunade is unbuttoning her own clothes, yet that doesn't count as proactive?"
Tsunade's cheeks grew even redder.
She immediately held up a document, fanning herself with it as she said:
"Hmph! It's just that I'm too hot!"
Looking at Tsunade's cute and enticing appearance, Gento's desire could not help but be stirred as well.
Before discussing serious business, relaxing a bit seemed quite nice too.
Thus, Gento took the initiative to walk toward Tsunade and said:
"Forget it. Since Lady Tsunade happens to be in the mood, allow me to help you out."
With those words, Gento's devilish hands had already reached out toward Tsunade.
---
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