The Truth of That Year

A side room in the tower.

The room was not large.

A bed, a table, and a window.

Rain pattered endlessly outside.

Uchiha You sat beside the table, with Kubikiribōchō leaning against the wall.

Kisame stood by the door, glanced at his own room, then at Uchiha You.

"This organization is pretty interesting."

"We nearly started fighting on the first day."

Uchiha You said,

"If you don't fight them once, they won't know how much you're worth."

Kisame smiled.

"Were you deliberately provoking Pain just now?"

Uchiha You did not deny it.

"Akatsuki is not Konoha."

"In Konoha, if you follow the rules, others will use those rules to suppress you."

"In Akatsuki, if you follow the rules, others will only think you're weak."

"If you want to have a voice here, you first need to let them know you have the power to flip the table."

Kisame nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense."

Then he suddenly looked at Uchiha You.

"So what are you planning to do next?"

Uchiha You looked out at the curtain of rain.

"Find someone to talk to."

Kisame froze.

"Talk?"

Uchiha You said calmly,

"Some things cannot be said in front of everyone."

"Especially in a place like Akatsuki."

Kisame thought for a moment, then grinned.

"What do you need me to do?"

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"Rest."

"And while you're at it, don't let Tobi come bother me."

"I'm good at that."

Late at night.

The rain grew heavier.

Uchiha You left his room.

The corridor was dim, and the pipes in the walls continuously emitted low vibrations.

This was the Rain Village Tower.

It was also the core of Pain's control over Hidden Rain.

The power of Uchiha You's Black Umbrella eye spread slightly as he sensed the flow of chakra through the rain.

The Rain Tiger at Will Technique was indeed exquisite.

But the more exquisite a technique was, the clearer the chakra pathways it left behind.

To others, it was a surveillance network.

To Uchiha You, it was a map.

A moment later, he stopped before a door.

Konan's presence lay beyond it.

Uchiha You raised his hand and knocked.

Knock.

Knock.

Konan's cold voice soon came from inside.

"Who is it?"

"Uchiha You."

After a brief silence, the door opened.

Konan stood behind it, her expression indifferent.

"What do you want with me?"

Uchiha You looked at her.

"Talk."

Konan frowned.

"We have nothing to talk about."

Uchiha You said calmly,

"About Yahiko."

Konan's gaze changed instantly.

Sheets of paper silently appeared.

Sharp as blades.

Her voice turned freezing cold.

"What do you know?"

Uchiha You did not retreat.

"I know more than you imagine."

Konan stared at him intently.

A moment later, she stepped aside.

"Come in."

The door closed.

Only a dim lamp lit the room.

Konan stood by the table, paper still floating around her.

If Uchiha You said one wrong word, she would attack at once.

Uchiha You sat down, looking calm.

Konan said coldly,

"Speak."

"If you're only trying to test me with Yahiko, I'll kill you."

Uchiha You said calmly,

"Hanzo of the Salamander set a trap and used your life to threaten Yahiko and Nagato."

"To keep Nagato from killing you, Yahiko threw himself onto a kunai and died."

"From that day onward, Nagato completely abandoned the ideals you once shared."

Konan's pupils contracted slightly.

Very few people knew about that matter.

How could Uchiha You, an Uchiha from Konoha, know?

Her voice carried suppressed killing intent.

"Who told you?"

Uchiha You did not answer. Instead, he continued,

"You always believed it was merely Hanzo's betrayal."

"But have you ever considered why Hanzo, at the time, had suddenly learned your movements so precisely?"

"Why was he so certain that killing Yahiko would destroy Akatsuki?"

"Why were there ninja in that ambush who did not belong to Hidden Rain?"

Konan's breathing caught slightly.

Uchiha You raised his eyes to look at her.

"Because there was also Konoha's Root behind that incident."

"Shimura Danzō."

Boom!

The paper erupted instantly.

Dozens of paper blades hovered before Uchiha You, less than half an inch from his throat.

The killing intent in Konan's eyes was nearly tangible.

"Say that again."

Uchiha You's expression did not change.

"Danzō was involved in Yahiko's death."

"He did not want an organization capable of bringing peace to emerge in the Land of Rain."

"He needed the Land of Rain to remain chaotic."

"He also needed Hanzo to keep you in check."

"So he helped Hanzo set up that trap."

Konan's fingers trembled slightly.

She wanted to deny it.

But she knew that many of the details Uchiha You mentioned matched up.

That ambush back then had indeed come too suddenly.

Hanzo's actions had not seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision either.

And the name Danzō...

She had heard of it.

Konoha's darkness.

A man who could betray anyone for profit.

Konan's voice was hoarse.

"Evidence."

Uchiha You said calmly,

"I killed three Root members."

"I saw part of the old records in their minds."

"There are more complete records in Danzō's Root Base."

"If you want evidence, I can take you to Konoha and retrieve it yourselves."

Konan fell silent.

Only the sound of rain remained in the room.

After a long while, she asked,

"Why are you telling me this?"

Uchiha You looked at her.

"Because I want to kill Danzō."

"And you have reason to kill him too."

Konan's expression was complicated.

"You want to use us."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Yes."

"But I did not lie to you."

"Using someone and deceiving them are two different things."

Konan said nothing.

Uchiha You continued,

"I won't say these things in public."

"Because that would embarrass you and Nagato, and it would also make Tobi wary."

At the mention of Tobi, Konan's brow shifted slightly.

Uchiha You did not delve further, merely leaving it at that.

"Not everyone in Akatsuki is on the same side as you."

"Konan, you should know that better than I do."

Konan's gaze darkened slightly.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Uchiha You stood up.

"Tomorrow."

"Let me meet Nagato alone."

Konan's pupils constricted.

"You know Nagato?"

Uchiha You looked at her, his voice calm:

"Six Paths of Pain is very strong."

"But he isn't the real body."

"The true holder of the Rinnegan is Nagato."

The paper pieces suddenly tightened.

Konan's killing intent was even stronger than before.

This was Akatsuki's highest secret.

Yet Uchiha You knew about it.

Konan said coldly:

"You know too much."

Uchiha You said lightly:

"That's why I have to stay alive."

"Because what I know can help you kill the people who truly deserve to die."

Konan fell silent.

Kill him?

Of course she had considered it.

But she wasn't confident she could.

Even Pain's Shinra Tensei had failed to force Uchiha You back by much.

Besides, since Uchiha You had dared to come see her alone, it meant he was confident he could escape.

Most importantly—

Yahiko's death.

Danzo.

Those words were like thorns, already lodged in her heart.

She couldn't pretend she hadn't heard them.

After a long while, Konan withdrew the paper pieces.

"I'll ask Pain."

Uchiha You smiled.

"You'll let him meet me."

Konan said coldly:

"You're very confident."

Uchiha You walked toward the door.

"It's not confidence."

"It's that I struck the place that hurts you most."

The door opened.

Uchiha You stepped into the sound of rain.

Konan stood inside the room, unmoving for a long time.

Under the dim light, her fingers slowly clenched.

Yahiko.

Danzo.

Konoha.

If what Uchiha You said was true...

Then perhaps she and Nagato had been missing one person from the direction of their hatred all these years.