Nagato glanced at the "Madara" who had asked the question, then looked over at the people standing on the Demonic Statue's fingertips, counting from right to left.
They were...
Jigen, Black Zetsu, "Madara," who was using the alias Tobi, Kakuzu, Hidan, Konan, and Hiruko.
The Akatsuki operated in pairs. He himself was partnered with Konan, while Kakuzu and Hidan were old partners.
As for the other pairings, given how powerful the newcomer Jigen was, Nagato, as the organization's public leader...
Had maliciously assigned "Madara" to partner with Jigen.
Hiruko, being one of their own, had also received a Blessing and gained Sage Mode, just like Nagato.
With Sage Mode, Hiruko didn't need to fear White Zetsu's surveillance, so Nagato had paired him with Black Zetsu, intending for them to keep an eye on each other.
There was no helping it. That creature named White Zetsu, Black Zetsu's other half, was far too vile in its ability to hide.
Without the sensory abilities of Sage Mode, even Nagato had been unable to detect with the Rinnegan that Amegakure had already been completely "surrounded" by White Zetsu.
But when Nagato saw Black Zetsu and Jigen looking at him too,
He immediately cast those thoughts aside. After pausing to gather his words, he slowly replied to "Madara":
"As everyone knows, I'm not only the organization's leader, but also the leader of Amegakure."
"By chance, my ninjas spotted Uchiha Yuzhen while carrying out a mission in the Land of Wind. In the great desert there..."
"He made an appearance in a place called the Land of Loulan, and he stayed there for quite some time."
That was a lie.
It was the story Yuzhen-kun and Nagato had come up with together.
Yuzhen-kun had said that he'd been making appearances in the Land of Loulan