Everything had happened so fast that Yahiko didn't react until Hanzo appeared beside him in a flash. At the last possible moment, he managed to dodge the blow to his vital organs, but the kunai still plunged into a spot just below his heart.
Yahiko's eyes filled with terror, and he instinctively stumbled backward. Konan and Nagato had also reacted, rushing forward to help him.
Seeing blood seep from Yahiko's abdomen and his face turn pale, Konan's heart clenched. She snapped:
"Hanzo, you never intended to form a genuine alliance with us!"
Hanzo looked at Yahiko, who had narrowly survived, with some disappointment. He stopped where he was instead of pressing the attack, and gazed with keen interest at Nagato's red hair.
That fiery red hair reminded Hanzo of a long-extinct clan: the Uzumaki Clan.
The Uzumaki Clan was said to be an extremely mysterious family. Even great ninja villages like Kumogakure and Kirigakure had failed to uncover its hidden secrets.
If he was a member of the Uzumaki Clan who had been left behind, then perhaps he really did have the Rinnegan?
Had that mysterious White-skinned One really told him the truth?
A glint of fervor flashed in Hanzo's eyes. He chuckled.
"Are you waiting for your subordinates to come to your aid? There are only a few dozen of them. Don't forget, this is Amegakure!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cries of battle and a series of agonized screams rose from below the platform.
"Hanzo, you're despicable!"
"What do you stand to gain from this?"
Injured, Yahiko looked both shocked and furious. He couldn't understand why Hanzo would do this.
Even if he wanted to completely absorb the Akatsuki, there was no need to go this far, was there?
Besides, the Akatsuki members below were the organization's