The God Tree Has Withered

When Uzumaki Nagato returned to Amegakure with Konan, it was raining.

The rain in the Land of Rain never ceased. Fine, dense threads of water fell from the sky, striking the iron-gray buildings, the waterlogged ground, and the shoulders of the two figures. Konan opened a paper umbrella and held it over Nagato's head; a white flower was painted on the paper surface.

Nagato sat in his mechanical chair, watching the window in silence. He had barely spoken throughout the journey, and Konan had not asked him why. She knew Nagato was thinking, and about something of great importance.

They passed through the underground tunnels of Amegakure, walked down a long corridor, and arrived at a vast space in the deepest part of the village.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood right there.

It was a colossal wooden statue, taller than any building. Its eyes were tightly shut, its mouth agape as if letting out a silent scream. The surface of the statue was covered in strange patterns, resembling both tree bark and veins. Ten massive, pillar-like protrusions extended from its back, their ends jagged and uneven, as if something had been hacked away.

The entire statue radiated an ancient, heavy, and oppressive aura. Standing before it, one could not help but feel small and filled with dread.

Nagato stopped in front of the statue and looked up at it.

"Nagato." Konan watched his silent back and asked softly, "What have you been thinking about the whole way?"

Nagato remained silent for a moment before saying, "I am thinking about what that Uchiha clansman said."

"The method of national fortune?"

"Yes." Nagato nodded. "He said that a spirit could be used to guard the fortune of a nation. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path... should also count as a spirit."

Konan looked at him, not answering immediately.

"I know what you are thinking." Nagato's voice was calm. "The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path contains the sealed husk of the Ten-Tails; it is too dangerous. But precisely because it is dangerous, it is powerful enough. A weak spirit cannot anchor the fortune of a nation."

"Have you truly decided?" Konan knew Nagato's character; he rarely made decisions, but once he did, he seldom changed his mind.

"I have decided." Nagato reached out, his withered fingers pointing toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. "After Yahiko died, I thought my life was left with nothing but pain and hatred. I used the Rinnegan to control this statue and created the Six Paths of Pain, wanting to make the world feel pain."

He paused.

"But the words that Uchiha spoke made me think for a long time. Perhaps... there is another path. Not to stop pain with pain, but to create peace with power, just as the Sage of Six Paths and Senju Hashirama once did."

"Do you trust him?"

"No." Nagato first shook his head, then nodded. "But the method of national fortune he gave is real. I can feel it."

Konan said nothing more. She watched Nagato lower his hand and look at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The massive statue remained silent in the dim light, like a slumbering beast.

"Let it become the guardian spirit of the nation," Nagato finally decided. "Once I have mastered the method of national fortune, I will find a way to bring Yahiko back."

When Yahiko was mentioned, Nagato's voice trembled slightly. Konan's eyes turned red, but she did not cry. She simply walked to Nagato's side and placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"I will stay with you," she said. "No matter the outcome."

Nagato did not turn back, but a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth. He closed his eyes and began to recall the contents of the runes Naro had given him—the cultivation method for national fortune. Although he had not officially begun, he needed to arrange the affairs of the Akatsuki before he could enter seclusion with peace of mind.

"Konan, how is the situation with Orochimaru?"

Konan folded her umbrella and pulled a scroll from her sleeve. "The subordinates reported that he returned to the base, took some experimental equipment and data, and then left. He did not tell anyone where he was going, nor when he would return."

"He will not return," Nagato said.

"He won't?"

"Mm." Nagato's voice was calm. "Orochimaru is a man who will never submit to others. He came to the Akatsuki because there were things here that interested him—the Rinnegan, the Sharingan, forbidden techniques. Now that he has obtained the secret of immortality in the Land of Whirlpools, he has no interest in the Akatsuki."

"Then what shall we do? According to the rules, defectors must be hunted down."

"No pursuit," Nagato opened his eyes. "Now is not the time to make enemies."

Konan looked at him in surprise. If it were the Nagato of the past, he would never let such a thing slide. The Akatsuki had rules: once you joined, you could not leave; to leave was to defect, and to defect meant death. This was for the security of the organization and to protect its secrets.

But now, Nagato said "no pursuit."

"I am not yet clear on the true effects of the method of national fortune," Nagato explained. "Rashly making enemies is not conducive to accumulating my strength. Although Orochimaru has betrayed the organization, his goal is not us. He will not take the initiative to provoke the Akatsuki, and we have no need to provoke him now."

"What if he leaks the Akatsuki's intelligence?"

"He won't." Nagato dismissed Konan's concern. "Orochimaru is a smart man. He knows that leaking the Akatsuki's intelligence will bring him no benefit. He is not the type to be loose-lipped."

Konan nodded and asked about the corresponding issues: "Then what if someone asks about him? Kakuzu, Uchiha Madara, and the others."

"Stall," Nagato said bluntly. "Just say Orochimaru is out conducting research and will not return for the time being. If anyone presses, say his whereabouts are classified, as per the organization's arrangements. When we can no longer stall, we will think of another way."

"I understand." It was the first time Konan had heard Nagato use such a method, and she felt a little uncomfortable. She asked with concern, "Nagato, you have changed a bit. Is it because of that method of national fortune..."

"Uchiha Naro's method of national fortune has no issues, it is just..." Nagato knew what Konan was worried about—that he had been bewitched by some kind of genjutsu. "It is just that it contains not only cultivation methods but also other content, knowledge we have never been exposed to."

"What kind of knowledge? Senjutsu?"

"It is about methods of governing a nation and managing subordinates. Compared to those methods, our previous ways of doing things were too crude. For the sake of our future, we must make some changes." Nagato thought for a moment and continued, "The first thing: go and organize the Bounty Exchange channels within the organization. I need the members to take on more missions."

"Bounty Exchange missions?" Konan was puzzled. "The commissions for those missions are low, and they are dangerous."

"The amount of the commission is not important; what matters is having a source of income," Nagato said. "We need money to buy supplies."

"Buy supplies? What kind of supplies?"

"Food, medicinal herbs, clothing, building materials... buy everything," Nagato said. "Think about the lives the civilians in the Land of Rain lead. They are at war every day, dying every day, and cannot even get a full meal. If we want to change the Land of Rain, relying on the power of ninjas is not enough. We must rely on money, grain, and the hearts of the people."

Konan was stunned once again. She had never heard Nagato speak like this. The Nagato of the past only cared about one thing—using the Tailed Beasts to create a massive technique to make the whole world feel pain, thereby achieving peace. As for what the civilians ate or wore, that was not something he would consider.

But now...

"Nagato, you really have changed," Konan said softly.

"It is not a change," Nagato turned his head, his Rinnegan glowing faintly in the dim light, "it is finally understanding. When Yahiko was alive, he wanted to change the Land of Rain through peace. He took in orphans and helped the commoners, wanting everyone to be able to live. I spent over a decade becoming the person Yahiko would have least wanted to be."

He paused, "Now, I want to try Yahiko's path."

Konan's tears finally fell. She turned her head away, wiped them with her sleeve, and took a deep breath, "Very well. I will make the arrangements."

"Also, call the members of the organization; I am holding a meeting." Nagato withdrew his gaze and continued to look at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

The next day, the atmosphere at the Akatsuki base was more solemn than usual.

The main hall of the base was not large, but it was enough to hold several dozen people. Several oil lamps hung on the walls, their flames flickering in the draft, stretching people's shadows long and short. In the center of the hall stood a rectangular stone table, around which sat or stood several people, each wearing a cloak embroidered with red clouds.

Kakuzu leaned against the corner, counting money in his hands without even lifting his eyes. Hidan sat beside him, boredly fiddling with his Triple-Bladed Scythe, muttering something about his religion.

Sasori sat at one end of the stone table, his puppet Hiruko placed beside him. His face was hidden behind the puppet's mask, making his expression unreadable. Deidara stood behind him, hands in his pockets, chewing on something and occasionally letting out a grunt.

Kisame Hoshigaki leaned against the door frame, Samehada wrapped on his back like a sleeping giant fish. He squinted, watching the drizzling rain outside the hall.

There were also a few peripheral members of Akatsuki standing further away, not daring to approach the stone table.

Konan stood at the other end of the stone table, her face expressionless.

Nagato was not present—or rather, his Pain Deva Path was. The man with orange hair and black receivers embedded in his face stood behind the head of the stone table, arms crossed, eyes closed as if in deep thought.

This was Nagato's "spokesperson."

"Everyone is here." The Deva Path opened his eyes, his voice devoid of emotion, "Let us begin."

Hidan stopped fiddling with his scythe and looked up, "Yo, how rare. So serious. With all this time, I could have offered many more sacrifices to Lord Jashin."

"Cut the crap and get to the point," Kakuzu said, still counting his money without looking up.

"I called everyone here today because there are some matters to arrange." The Deva Path glanced at him, pulled a scroll from his sleeve, and placed it on the stone table, "Starting today, the organization's mission focus will shift. We need to raise funds."

Deidara grunted and asked, "Raise funds? For what? Didn't we only need to carry out bounty missions before?"

"The past is the past, and now is now," the Deva Path said coldly, "The organization's plan is advancing, and it requires a large amount of capital and supplies. The specific purpose is not convenient to disclose for now, but you only need to know—the more money, the better."

Sasori's voice came from behind the puppet mask, hoarse and low, "So, you are just making us work more?"

"You could say that. Take more missions from the Bounty Exchange. Difficulty is no object; the higher the commission, the better. After completing a mission, seventy percent of the commission must be turned over to the organization, to be managed by Konan."

As soon as these words were spoken, several people frowned simultaneously.

"Seventy percent?" Hidan's voice rose an octave, "On what grounds? It used to be a fifty-fifty split; the organization took fifty percent, and we kept fifty percent."

"The past is the past," the Deva Path repeated, "From now on, it is seventy percent."

Kakuzu finally stopped counting his money and looked up at the Deva Path, "And what about our expenses?"

"A portion will be allocated uniformly by the organization," the Deva Path said, "If you need anything, you can apply to Konan, and she will arrange it."

Kakuzu's mouth twitched. He cared about money more than anything in his life; having to turn over so much of his hard-earned cash was worse than being killed, but he did not lash out, merely snorted.

Hidan wanted to say something else, but Kakuzu tugged his sleeve, and he shut his mouth.

Deidara shrugged, "Fine, it's not like I have anywhere to spend money anyway."

Sasori did not speak, but the look in his eyes behind the puppet mask was unpleasant.

"Rest assured, I am not just making you work so hard for nothing; I will find opportunities to compensate you individually later." The Deva Path scanned the room, and seeing no one else speak, he placated them before putting away the scroll, "There is one more thing: Orochimaru is away conducting research and will not return for some time. You do not need to wait for him; arrange your own missions accordingly."

The statement was made casually, but everyone present heard the subtext—Orochimaru was not coming back for a while, and as for when he would return, no one knew.

Hidan muttered under his breath, "That guy didn't run off, did he?"

Kakuzu glanced at him but said nothing.

The Deva Path ignored Hidan's muttering and continued, "Konan will notify you of the specific mission assignments. Nothing else. Meeting adjourned."

He turned around, closed his eyes, and said no more.

The group left the hall one after another.

Kakuzu and Hidan walked in front, Kakuzu whispering as they walked, "Orochimaru has run off."

Hidan was stunned, "How do you know?"

"I guessed," Kakuzu's voice was cold, "Nagato's tone didn't sound like 'away conducting research'; it sounded more like 'he isn't coming back'."

"Then why not hunt him down?"

"None of our business," Kakuzu pushed open the base doors, the drizzle drifting in and landing on his shoulders, "We just earn our money; don't ask about anything else."

The two disappeared into the curtain of rain.

Sasori and Deidara walked behind. Deidara used his hand to shield himself from the rain, complaining about the terrible weather in the Land of Rain.

"Master Sasori, do you think Orochimaru really ran away?"

"He ran," Sasori's voice came from behind the mask, "He is not a man who stays put."

"Then why didn't Nagato issue a kill order?"

Sasori was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps he has no time to bother with him."

Deidara gave a grunt of "Mm," and did not ask further.

Kisame walked behind Uchiha Itachi, Samehada shifting slightly on his back. He looked at the pitch-black sky outside and muttered to himself, "Interesting."

Only the Deva Path and Konan remained in the hall. The Deva Path opened his eyes, the ripples within his Rinnegan slowly rotating.

"Nagato, Kakuzu has likely already guessed the truth about Orochimaru."

"I know," the Deva Path said. "Kakuzu is a very clever man. Let him guess; as long as we do not admit it, he will not stir up trouble."

Konan nodded, signaling she understood.

The Deva Path turned and walked toward the depths of the hall. His pace was slow, each step steady and firm. He stopped before an iron door at the end of the corridor. Konan followed behind him and reached out to push the iron door open.

Behind the door was a small secret chamber. There were no windows, only an oil lamp casting a dim, yellowish glow upon the walls. In the center of the room, a thin, red-haired man sat in a wheelchair, his eyes closed, his breathing steady.

The Deva Path retreated to the side, closed his eyes, and fell silent. He was merely one of the Six Paths of Pain controlled by Nagato—a corpse without a will of its own. Yet, his existence allowed Nagato to command the entire organization without having to appear in person.

Konan walked to Nagato's side, crouched down, and looked at his face. "Are you truly going into seclusion to practice that method of destiny?"

"Mm." Nagato knew Konan was still somewhat worried, but much of the method of destiny could only be grasped intuitively and could not be put into words. Unable to explain it clearly to her, he could only offer reassurance. "I need time to digest the method of destiny that Naro provided. The affairs of the organization are temporarily left to you."

"I will handle them," Konan said, her tone filled with care and concern. "But during your seclusion, if Uchiha Madara comes looking for you..."

"He will certainly come," Nagato confirmed Konan's words. "He will come to ask me why I suddenly changed the plan."

"Then how should I answer him?"

Nagato thought for a moment and said, "Just say we are preparing to collect the Tailed Beasts. Raising funds and procuring supplies are all to make capturing the Tailed Beasts more convenient later on. This reason should be enough to fool him."

"What if he presses for more?"

"He will not press," Nagato said, shaking his head. "Uchiha Madara is a man of deep schemes. He will not directly fall out with me; he will only observe from the shadows."

Konan was silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "Then practice well. I will handle the matters outside."

Nagato looked at her, a glimmer of softness in his Rinnegan. "Konan, thank you for your hard work."

Konan shook her head without a word. She turned and walked out of the secret chamber, gently closing the iron door.

Nagato sat alone in the chamber, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and began to recall the contents of the runes Naro had given him—the cultivation method for destiny. The knowledge within the runes felt as if it were carved into his mind, clear and vivid; every line of text and every rune was etched before his eyes.

"...The way of destiny lies in gathering and dispersing. To gather is to live; to disperse is to perish. The destiny of a nation lies in the hearts of the people. Where the hearts of the people turn, there shall destiny return..."

Nagato recited it silently, over and over again.

He needed to understand these contents before he could formally begin his practice. This was not a task for a day or two; it might take months, or even longer.

But he was not in a hurry; he had plenty of time. The chamber was very quiet, with only the occasional "crackling" sound from the oil lamp's flame. Nagato sat in his wheelchair, his withered fingers resting on the armrests, his breathing gradually becoming steady and profound.

He began his meditation.

Outside the chamber, Uchiha Obito stood in the shadows of the corridor. He wore his spiral-patterned mask, revealing only his right eye. That eye glowed red in the darkness, the three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly rotating.

He looked toward the direction of the secret chamber and remained silent for a long time.

He had not attended the meeting just now—as the "mastermind" behind the Akatsuki, he rarely appeared in public. Most of the time, he obtained information through White Zetsu.

But today's meeting was too abnormal.

Nagato had suddenly called a meeting, suddenly announced a shift in mission focus, and suddenly ordered the preparation of funds and supplies... everything was too sudden.

Obito stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the iron door. He wanted to push it open and enter, but halfway there, his hand stopped.

Nagato was in seclusion; he would not see him.

Obito withdrew his hand and turned to leave. He walked along the corridor toward the exit, and White Zetsu emerged from the wall to follow behind him.

"Obito, Nagato seems to have changed," White Zetsu's voice was very soft, tinged with curiosity.

"I know."

"Aren't you going to ask him why?"

"Even if I asked, he wouldn't say." Obito walked out of the base's entrance. The drizzle fell upon him, yet it seemed to be blocked by something, not a single drop touching his clothes. He looked up at the gray, gloomy sky.

"Nagato..." he muttered to himself, "you had best not ruin my plans."

Then, his body began to distort, rotating and shrinking like a vortex, finally vanishing into the air. White Zetsu disappeared along with him.

"Nagato, your reaction is quite beyond my expectations," Orochimaru said in his own secret chamber, looking at the intelligence spat out by a snake. "In the past, if I had dared to betray him, he would have sent people to hunt me down long ago. No action this time... interesting."

"Immortality..." Orochimaru murmured to himself, "this is far more interesting than playing some game of peace alongside Nagato."