The rain was still falling, harder than before.
The cold rainwater mingled with the stench of mud, washing over the three Akatsuki members' faces, still marked with shock and confusion.
The man had vanished, along with the enormous stone sphere he had brought with him, as if neither had ever been there.
But the severed red hair, the distinct marks on Yahiko's neck, and the blood at the corners of Nagato and Konan's mouths reminded them that what had just happened was no illusion.
"What is this..."
Konan opened her palm. A tiny metal fragment, smeared with mud, lay quietly in it.
The fan-shaped clan crest stood out sharply against the dim sky.
"The Uchiha Clan crest."
Yahiko leaned in for a look, and his expression darkened further.
Uchiha? That powerful clan from Konoha?
Why would an Uchiha have the same eyes as Nagato? Why would he wield a godlike power? How could he know about their secret agreement with Hanzo?
Countless questions tangled together, weighing on all their hearts.
"Bastard!"
Yahiko slammed his fist into the nearby rock. It landed with a dull thud.
"Some guy playing mysterious! He must be a spy sent by Konoha to sabotage our cooperation with Lord Hanzo!"
His voice trembled slightly with anger and humiliation.
Being picked up like a chicken by some unknown man— the humiliation was driving him mad.
"He's not a spy."
Nagato, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
His voice was low, a little hoarse.
"I could feel it... those eyes... They're of the same origin as mine. The powers he used just now, the Preta Path, Banshō Ten'in... They're all abilities of these eyes."
Nagato raised a hand and covered his left eye.
The helplessness of being completely suppressed, like a forgery confronted with the original, still lingered deep in his soul.
"What he said... might be true." Nagato's voice dropped even lower. "These eyes... might really not be mine."
"Nagato! What are you talking about?"
Yahiko grabbed Nagato by the shoulders and shook him, worked up.
"Don't let that bastard get to you! Your power is yours! You're our comrade, our savior!"
"But Yahiko," Konan cut in calmly, her expression more serious than ever, "what that man said about Hanzo and Shimura Danzō working together... Do you really think he made it up?"
"How could he know about Danzō? That's the darkness hidden within Konoha. We've only heard rumors about it! He even knew where we were going to meet next!"
"Um..." Yahiko was at a loss for words.
That was right. That was the strangest part.
Their enemy seemed to have a mind's eye, seeing all their cards—and even dangers they themselves didn't know about—as clearly as day.
"So what!"
Yahiko stiffened his neck and raised his head stubbornly.
"Even if Hanzo really is plotting something, that only proves our path is harder than we thought! We should be all the more sincere and make him see how determined we are!"
"Kill him? How would that make us any different from the bastards who start wars? If we do that, we'll betray our own ideals!"
Yahiko's words rang out like a hammer.
This was the path he had always believed in, and the reason Akatsuki had been founded.
Konan fell silent. She knew she couldn't persuade Yahiko.
Nagato was silent too. He looked at his best friend, at the unwavering light in his eyes, and the scales in his heart began to swing wildly once more.
On one side was the cold, cruel reality that man had brought with him.
On the other was a warm, distant dream he had pursued with his comrades for many years.
Who should he believe?
"I'm going."
Yahiko took a deep breath and made his decision.
"I have to meet Hanzo. I'll ask him to his face whether he really wants to work with us!"
"Yahiko, that's too dangerous! If that man was telling the truth, you'd be walking to your death!" Konan cried anxiously.
"I don't believe it!" Yahiko shouted. "I don't believe our dream, our ideals, are nothing but a joke in the end! I don't believe that killing is the only way to solve the world's problems!"
He turned to Nagato.
"What about you, Nagato? Are you still willing to believe in me? To believe in the future we imagined together, a world without war?"
Nagato looked at the hand Yahiko held out, and the fervent hope in his eyes.
He remembered the man's cold command, Yahiko gasping for breath with a hand around his neck, and himself collapsing helplessly to his knees.
Humiliation...
Helplessness...
He clenched his fists tight.
Then he slowly raised a hand and clasped Yahiko's.
"I'll go with you."
Nagato's voice was quiet, but his resolve was absolute.
"Whether what lies ahead is peace or hell."
"Nagato..." Konan looked at the two of them, their minds made up, and could only sigh helplessly.
She knew she couldn't stop them.
All she could do was stay by their side and protect them with her life.
Elsewhere in the Land of Rain, atop an abandoned steel tower.
Space twisted, and Lin Feng appeared out of nowhere. He stumbled and nearly lost his balance.
"Damn, I'm still dizzy."
He rubbed his temples and plopped down on the cold steel platform, with none of his earlier lofty bearing left.
[Host, please remember to maintain your persona.]
"Give me a break. There isn't even a ghost out here in the middle of nowhere. I'm allowed to relax, aren't I?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes at the air.
[Second mission evaluation: A+.] [Persona performance: Perfect. Successfully planted the impression of 'invincibility' and 'omniscience' in the target's mind.] [Plot progression: Excellent. Successfully cornered Akatsuki, perfectly setting the stage for the 'hero's entrance' in the upcoming plot.] [Excitement factor: Outstanding. The 'hair-cutting' punishment was deeply humiliating, and the overwhelming advantage of 'Banshō Ten'in' over 'Shinra Tensei' greatly satisfied reader expectations.] [Room for improvement: Energy control was somewhat rough. 'Devastating Planetary Destruction' consumed too much Chakra, making the subsequent spatial transfer unstable.] [Total reward: Rinnegan technique 'Banshō Ten'in' proficiency increased to 'Advanced.' Total Chakra increased slightly.]
Lin Feng looked at the evaluation on the system panel and gave a smug snort.
"Obviously. My acting's good enough to win an Oscar."
He savored the scene from earlier, especially how he had suppressed Nagato until he vomited blood and toyed with that hotheaded Yahiko. It felt amazing.
That was the power of an information gap.
I know your future. I know your weaknesses. I know everything about you.
And you know nothing about me.
That felt a hundred times better than simply crushing someone with superior strength.
"Now I just have to sit back and enjoy the show."
Lin Feng got to his feet and walked to the edge of the tower, gazing down at the city, barely visible through the rain.
He knew that idealistic fool, Yahiko, would walk straight into the trap Hanzo and Danzō had laid.
He was as good as dead.
And only after Yahiko died, after Nagato watched his dearest friend die before his eyes, after reality crushed all his hopes and dreams to pieces—
That would be when he, Lin Feng, playing the role of "Uchiha Madara," would appear again.
As a savior.
As the mentor who alone could understand his pain.
And he would take Nagato under his wing for good.
"Tsk, tsk. I really am a villain."
Lin Feng stroked his chin. Far from feeling guilty, he was practically buzzing with excitement.
Then he suddenly remembered something, opened the system shop, and stared at the dazzling array of items, nearly drooling.
[Hashirama Cells (Beginner Version): 10,000 Acting Points. Slightly increases recovery and Chakra.] [Flying Thunder God Technique scroll: 50,000 Acting Points. Master it and you'll be the fastest man in the Ninja World.] [Limited Edition Uchiha Gunbai (with deflection function): 88,888 Acting Points. The ultimate prop for showing off—try it and see!]
"Everything's so expensive..." Lin Feng looked at his paltry three-digit balance of Acting Points and winced.
Looks like acting alone wasn't enough. He'd have to make something big happen.
His gaze returned to the center of Amegakure, to the tallest tower, the one belonging to "the demigod" Hanzo the Salamander.
Maybe... he could go collect some interest first?
Just then, through the Rinnegan's extraordinary range of vision, he spotted three figures setting out from Akatsuki's base, heading resolutely into the depths of Amegakure.
At their head was the orange-haired young man, Yahiko.
He walked with firm steps and a resolute gaze, as if heading off to a grand ceremony rather than a deadly trap.
A cold smile curled Lin Feng's lips.
"The actors are in place."
"Well then... let the show begin."
Before you continue