A New Plan!

Upon hearing this, Yūhi Uzuki said in surprise, "Shadow Village? Wasn't that still just an idea of yours?"

Riu said, "That's right, just an idea. But power can quickly turn an idea into reality! Get Tobi and come with me!"

The room they had originally lived in had already been transformed into a strategic command center.

Under the bright lights, a map of the Shinobi World hung on the south wall, displaying the Five Great Nations, the Five Great Ninja Villages, and the smaller nations and villages scattered around them at a glance.

Riu walked up to the map and tapped a small nation located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, surrounded by four countries, with the little wooden stick in his hand.

That was the Land of Waterfalls, a land made up of countless waterfalls. The massive waterfalls prevented invasions from other countries, and one of them concealed the Hidden Waterfall Village.

Riu said, "Soon, Takigakure will vanish from the map, and our Shadow Village will rise from Takigakure's ruins."

Tobi said, "There are so many countries to choose from, so why did you set your sights specifically on Takigakure's patch of land? Could it be because the terrain is excellent, easy to defend and hard to attack, and perfect for sightseeing too~?"

Riu sat on the table, crossed one leg over the other, and said solemnly, "The terrain is one factor, but it isn't the main one. Takigakure is the only village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages that possesses a Tailed Beast!"

Yes, the Seven-Tails belonged to Takigakure, and to this day, it had no Jinchūriki yet. (The Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki from the original story, Fu, had not been born at this point.)

Riu continued, "Though Takigakure is a small village in a small country, it possesses a Tailed Beast that only great nations and great villages should have. By conquering Takigakure, not only can I obtain a Tailed Beast for free, but I also won't disrupt the balance of military power among the Five Great Nations maintained by the Tailed Beasts..."

The small wooden stick in Riu's hand tapped the map of the nations bordering the Land of Waterfalls again. "And look~ the Land of Waterfalls happens to border the Land of Iron, so we won't have to waste too much time traveling. Once we're done, we can head to the Land of Iron and find the Five Kage along the way~"

Tobi nodded. "Mm... indeed, that's a good idea."

Yūhi Uzuki said, "Yu, are you planning to go there directly and wipe out Takigakure?"

After careful consideration, Riu said, "No. I naturally don't want to make a big fuss. It takes a full day to travel from the Land of Fire's border to Takigakure, so I'll first send a Zetsu as an envoy to ask whether Takigakure is willing to submit in my name, Uchiha Riu."

"If they are willing to submit, then everyone will be happy. If they aren't willing to submit... then they should quickly evacuate the civilians in the village. They can call for outside aid if they need to, and prepare for battle if they need to. In any case, at this time tomorrow, I, Uchiha Riu, will arrive on schedule to clear the field!"

Yūhi Uzuki's bright eyes shone. As expected, Yu would never lay a hand on innocent civilians...

Riu jumped down from the table. "Also, have the others move everything we can take from our base. This underground base will become history after today!"

"Okay~ I'll make the arrangements right away." The White Zetsu representative attending the meeting sank back underground, and the White Zetsus began moving in an orderly manner.

There was a secret chamber in the underground base that no one but Riu was allowed to enter. Rin's corpse was stored there.

Inside a large glass vessel, Rin lay naked, her delicate and lovely young body submerged in green fluid. Her eyelids were closed as though she were deeply asleep—if not for the fist-sized hole in the left side of her chest... that was Kakashi's handiwork.

Within this body that had once belonged to Uchiha Obito remained a deep attachment to Rin, an attachment more than a hundred times stronger than his attachment to Konoha or Kakashi.

Moreover, Rin had been one of Riu's favorite female characters before he transmigrated, so Riu had never given up on the idea of reviving her.

"Rin, sleep a little longer. One day, I'll restore you just as you were..." Riu put on gloves and gently placed his hand on the vessel.

Whoosh! Accompanied by the Kamui Vortex, the apparatus and Rin's body were transferred into the Space-Time Dimension, placed somewhere that only Riu could ever reach.

"Next, there's still one big guy left. Where should I put it..." Riu muttered as he vanished into the vortex.

In the base's main chamber, Riu looked up at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, its hands bound by chains and its knees folded beneath it, towering dozens of meters high.

"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the empty shell of the Ten-Tails... It wouldn't be bad to enshrine it in Shadow Village, but Nagato's growth is also crucial to my plans. Right now, he's weak beyond belief..."

Riu placed his hand on the statue.

A huge vortex released from his right eye swallowed the statue...

After obtaining the Complete Hashirama Body, Riu's Chakra had become unimaginably vast. Even transferring an enormous object like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was effortless...

Outside Amegakure, atop a tall tower.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a vortex, Riu appeared before Nagato and Konan.

"Mr. Yu, it's been a long time," Nagato greeted him.

"Not that long, just over a month~" Riu said.

"But Mr. Yu's great name has already resounded throughout the Shinobi World..."

Riu took a seat nearby and asked, "How is the recruitment of Akatsuki members going?"

"We are still searching. After all, our influence is not yet great, but I believe there will be progress soon..."

Riu said, "Oh, that's slower than I expected, but never mind. The Three-Tails still has a long time before it revives, so there's no need to rush. Oh, right, I'll soon be establishing my own hidden village."

Nagato and Konan looked at each other, surprise in both their eyes.

"Where?"

"Takigakure in the Land of Waterfalls. That way, the Seven-Tails will soon be mine as well. As for Konoha's Nine-Tails, once the time is right, I'll personally make a move. Then Akatsuki's targets will be reduced to the One-Tails through Six-Tails, greatly easing the pressure."

"I see. Mr. Yu has truly thought everything through," Nagato said.

"Also, the reason I came this time is to grant you power. I intend to seal the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path inside your body..." Riu said, his gaze deep.

Nagato was abruptly stunned.

Konan frowned. "Why do something so reckless? That power doesn't belong in this world at all. How can you seal something so dangerous inside Nagato's body? You should know that Nagato became the way he is now because of the statue!"

Riu examined Nagato's emaciated frame and said in a deep voice, "That is precisely why we must do this. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is the Ten-Tails' shell and contains incomparably powerful life force. It can make up for Nagato's greatest weakness!"

"But can you guarantee there won't be any risk?" Konan asked.

"Nagato is a distant relative of the Senju Clan and inherited the Uzumaki Clan's immense vitality. I guarantee that he'll be fine..." Riu assured her.

Konan clenched her delicate fists, her gaze filled with worry.

At that moment, Nagato said, "Mr. Yu, there is something I don't understand. You once said that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path is a necessary tool for sealing Tailed Beast Chakra. If it is sealed inside my body..."

Riu said, "Don't worry, I won't seal it completely. It will only be a 'partial seal.' That way, you can gain the Demonic Statue's life-force enhancement, and when necessary, you can also summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to seal Tailed Beast Chakra."

"I understand, Mr. Yu. I accept..." Nagato said.

"Nagato..." Konan said anxiously.

"Konan, Mr. Yu is our savior. He would never harm us! And besides... I need power right now!" Nagato cut her off.

"Then let's begin..." Riu rose to his feet.