After his identity was exposed, Nagato did not panic. He spoke calmly:
"This is not Uzushio Village. It is the territory of the Land of Waves. Like me, you are an outsider."
"Is that so?" Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled. "Go ask the residents of the Land of Waves whether they support Uzushio Village or Gato, that bone-devouring bastard."
"Still, I should thank your Akatsuki. If your organization's Masked Man had not controlled Gato and attacked Uzushio Village, I truly would have had no reason to make a move against the Land of Waves. Come to think of it, Akatsuki's actions really aren't clean."
"Attacking Konoha and releasing the Nine-Tails, secretly manipulating the Fourth Mizukage, starting a war for Iwagakure..."
"Based on everything that has already happened, my wariness toward Akatsuki is entirely justified. Besides, you attacked Uzushio Village not long ago."
Naruto's words plunged Nagato into silence. Although the attack on Konoha and the manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage had been the Masked Man's unilateral actions, serving Iwagakure was an undeniable fact.
All of it had been meant to deepen the conflicts among the Five Great Nations, make them distrust one another, and increase the odds of successfully capturing the Tailed Beasts.
After a moment of silence, Nagato tried to explain. "The attack on Uzushio Village was Orochimaru's unilateral action. At the time, Uzushio Village had not even been established. That place was merely a gathering spot for rogue ninja."
"As for the other incidents, those are Akatsuki's internal secrets. I cannot disclose them."
Naruto snorted. "Wasn't it just collecting the Tailed Beasts and reviving the Ten-Tails? When the Masked Man contacted me a few months ago, he told me about Akatsuki's plan to collect the Tailed Beasts."
"The Masked Man actually told you that?!"
Nagato's expression