Kakuzu spoke next, picking up where Sasori had left off:
"Hmph. Whether it's a hypocritical show of kindness to win people over or preserve his phony image as 'Hokage,' or whether he's genuinely kind to the point of stupidity, none of it changes one fact."
Kakuzu's green eyes, weathered by the years, narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze piercing the distance:
"He has the strength to back up that kind of 'self-indulgence.'
'Mercy' without strength is just a joke."
Kakuzu added this with the cold judgment of someone weighing practical interests.
Then, however, he shifted the subject, his gaze drifting almost imperceptibly toward the man in the spiral mask ahead of them.
"Still..."
Kakuzu lowered his voice, probing with an old fox's suspicion.
"Judging by the scraps of intelligence we've been receiving about Konoha and the man himself, Naruto Uzumaki is certainly no 'good man' in the traditional sense."
"When ruthlessness is called for, he shows his enemies no mercy. And when it comes to expansion and annexation, he's even more aggressive and efficient than the First Hokage was."
Kakuzu was comparing the First Hokage's methods with Naruto's.
There was something else that bothered him: Pain, Konan, and Uchiha Itachi...
The timing of their disappearances was suspicious.
Kakuzu looked at Obito's back again, scrutiny flickering in eyes that had seen through countless schemes and betrayals.
He always felt that this man called Tobi knew far more of the inside story than he let on.
Had he planned something?
Or did he have some secret connection or deal with Konoha?
With Samehada slung over his shoulder, Kisame spread his sharp-toothed mouth in a silent grin.
Deidara gave an impatient "Tch." He cared more about the possible clash of "art" in the distance than the organization's internal scheming.
Sasori remained silent, but Hiruko's