At the mention of Shihōin Naraku's name, the members who had begun murmuring over Zetsu's intelligence immediately fell silent.
A man's reputation was like a tree's shadow!
Naraku's fame had indeed reached that level.
Even without appearing, he could strike fear into people's hearts.
And Naraku had earned that deterrent power through one battle after another.
As for the strongest proof of his strength, it was Flame Mountain, which was still burning fiercely.
Everyone in the Akatsuki, including Nagato, had personally visited Flame Mountain!
Even the most stubborn among them would have no other thoughts after seeing Flame Mountain with their own eyes.
The gap in strength was right there for all to see, and no one could deny it.
Besides, this was not their first time facing Shihōin Naraku.
When Naraku had fought the Six Paths of Pain last time, everyone had watched from a distance.
They had seen Naraku take down the Six Paths of Pain one by one with their own eyes, then gain the upper hand.
Even their leader had lost to Shihōin Naraku, let alone them.
Everyone's gaze settled on the Deva Path, waiting for his decision.
"There is no need for us to clash head-on for now!" the Deva Path said. "Once the sealing ritual is complete, everyone can retreat at any time!"
There was one very troublesome issue at the moment: the sealing of Shukaku, the One-Tail, was not yet finished!
If the sealing had been finished, they could simply avoid him for now and retreat, then settle the score when an opportunity arose later.
The problem was that the sealing was unfinished, and completing it would take roughly another full day and night or more.
In other words, even if Shihōin Naraku was about to arrive, they had to hold out and