"Attack Konoha?" Nagato fell silent.
His parents had been killed by Konoha shinobi, and the people who had betrayed the Akatsuki Organization and brought about its downfall were also Konoha shinobi. There was no doubt that he hated Konoha. But his teacher, Jiraiya, was a Konoha shinobi.
His feelings toward Jiraiya were complicated.
When he was young, Jiraiya had saved his life, taught him Ninjutsu, and shown him the importance of loving peace. In his heart, Jiraiya had always been a special presence, both teacher and father.
It could be said that the original ideals of the Akatsuki Organization had been shaped by Jiraiya.
But although Jiraiya's ideals were right, they were far too naive, completely at odds with this world and impossible to realize.
That was why the Akatsuki Organization had been destroyed the first time. Yahiko had died as a result, and Nagato had been crippled.
But even so, he had never hated Jiraiya, and he didn't want to face him in battle.
"Hey, Leader, if you don't want to kill Jiraiya, you can leave him to me when the time comes." Uchiha An said, being very "considerate."
"If you really don't want to see him, that's even simpler. Just find a few beautiful women to flirt with him before the battle and delay him for a few days. He'll definitely show up late."
"You really do know everything!" Nagato's expression stiffened. He gave An a long look, then shook his head. "If we're going to destroy Konoha, we can't avoid the Sannin. I'll settle things with him myself."
"It began with him, and it'll end with him."
"That works too." Uchiha An nodded noncommittally. "So, is our deal settled?"
Nagato nodded solemnly.
"Agreed! Once my body has recovered, I'll launch an attack on Konoha, destroy it, and take the Nine-Tails."
"Haha..." Uchiha An laughed happily. The tomoe in his Sharingan spun, transforming into a Mangekyo. "Then what are we waiting for? Let me treat your injuries!"
He stood up and moved closer to Nagato, placing a hand on him. He converted all his Pupil Power into Yang Release and poured it into Nagato's body.
"Hey, your body really is in terrible shape."
As soon as Uchiha An began treating him, he felt as if Nagato's body were a bottomless pit, swallowing every last drop of his Yang Release.
When he'd been injured before, Yang Release had healed him in an instant. Its effects rivaled the First Hokage's Wood Style, and it took only a tiny amount of power to achieve an incredible result.
But Nagato's body was so badly depleted that even though An kept pouring Yang Release into him, it only improved Nagato's condition slightly.
As An pushed his Pupil Power to its limits, Blood Tears began streaming from his left eye again. He didn't care at all, continuing to wring every last bit of Chakra from himself and convert it into Yang Release.
"All right, that's enough for today!" Nagato flicked him several steps away. "Your eye needs time to rest, and my body won't recover in a day or two. There's no need to rush."
"Konan, find him a room. Treat him once a day at this time, and I should be fully recovered before long."
Konan nodded and gave Uchiha An a grateful look, then gestured for him to follow.
"Fine, then I'll wait patiently for a few days."
Uchiha An wiped away the tears beneath his eyes without a care, squinting as he followed Konan out of the High Tower.
Konan found a clean room in the High Tower and showed Uchiha An inside.
Uchiha An glanced around, then asked:
"Hey, which room does Lord Orochimaru stay in?"
"We'll be partners from now on, so we ought to get to know each other better."
Konan gave him a long look but didn't ask anything. She simply pointed him in the right direction, then took her leave.
As soon as Konan was gone, Uchiha An stepped outside and ambled toward the room where Orochimaru lived. When he arrived, he knocked on the door. "Knock, knock."
"Hey, Lord Orochimaru, it's your good partner! I came to hang out!"
The door opened, revealing Orochimaru's sinister face.
"So it's An. I've been thinking about the information you mentioned earlier!"
"Come in!"
Orochimaru stepped aside, and Uchiha An walked in. He looked around to see that the place was neat and tidy, with books and scrolls everywhere, but no experimental equipment. Clearly, this wasn't Orochimaru's laboratory.
He found a place to sit. Orochimaru sat opposite him, poured the tea, and got straight to the point without bothering with pleasantries.
"That 'Art of Immortality' you mentioned earlier—what exactly is it?"
Uchiha An leisurely took a sip of tea, then replied unhurriedly:
"Before that, let me tell you a story, Lord Orochimaru."
"It's a story about the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan."
"Once upon a time, there was a Rabbit Goddess... Later, she had two sons. One was named Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, and the other was Ōtsutsuki Hamura..."
"Later, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo became the Sage of Six Paths and had two sons of his own. One was named Asura, and the other Indra..."
"Later came Senju Hashirama... Uchiha Madara..."
"So, if you trace the Uchiha Clan's lineage back far enough, it leads all the way to the Sage of Six Paths and the Rabbit Goddess."
He briefly explained some of the background to Orochimaru, but aside from the bloodline connections, he didn't mention any of the important details.
"Ah, I see!" Orochimaru listened, fascinated, and couldn't help but remark, "As expected of one of Konoha's noble clans. Outsiders surely know nothing of such secrets."
"But what does any of this have to do with the Art of Immortality, aside from showing how noble the Uchiha Clan's bloodline is?"
"Heh..." Uchiha An smiled mysteriously. "What if I told you that the Rabbit Goddess and her two sons were all still somewhere in the Ninja World?"
"What?" Orochimaru's expression changed instantly. "That's impossible!"
"It's been so many years. They..."
Halfway through his sentence, Orochimaru suddenly realized what An meant and asked in a trembling voice:
"Could it be the Art of Immortality?"
"Exactly!" Uchiha An nodded. "The genuine Art of Immortality!"
"The Rabbit Goddess's Art of Immortality is called 'Kekkei Mōra.' It's an ability formed by combining all seven nature transformations—Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Yin, and Yang—and surpasses both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta."
"But the Rabbit Goddess belonged to the Ōtsutsuki Clan and was born with Kekkei Mōra. If you want to obtain it, you'll have to find a way to combine it yourself after birth."
"Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's Art of Immortality is a step below hers, and it's called 'Sage of Six Paths.' You only need to create a Rinnegan and then become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki to attain it."
"Ōtsutsuki Hamura's Art of Immortality is the weakest, but also the easiest to achieve. It's called the 'Tenseigan.' All you need to do is gather a large number of Byakugan and fuse them together, and you'll naturally obtain it."
Orochimaru's pale face flushed an unnatural red. His eyes gleamed wildly, and his long, snake-like tongue kept licking his lips.
After a long while, he finally calmed down. Looking at Uchiha An, who was leisurely sipping his tea, he asked in a low voice:
"Of the three methods, you only told me how to create the Tenseigan. That means you actually want me to plunder a large number of Byakugan from Konoha."
"Right?"
Before you continue