" Nagato, do you think... that person will really come?"
Inside the Mizukage's office building at the very center of Kirigakure, Konan and her friends were hiding there as if nothing had happened.
The Third Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, sat solemnly in the main seat, saying nothing.
Clearly, the secret of his manipulation has not yet been exposed, and he is still under Obito's control.
Besides Nagato and Konan, Obito, wearing a Obito, and the Black and White Zetsu also exist here.
Of course, Obito's current public identity is Madara Uchiha.
"He will definitely come; the White Zetsu's intelligence is accurate."
"Of course, I'm the best intelligence master. I saw that guy fight his way from Sunagakure to Iwagakure."
White Zetsu spoke with a look of self-satisfaction.
With the ability to Spore Clone, White Zetsu's intelligence gathering ability is second to none among the Hokage, especially in monitoring the movements of the entire Shinobi World on a large scale.
On the other side, Black Zetsu interrupted White Zetsu's boasting, speaking cautiously:
"However, that person is very strong; almost both Sunagakure and Iwagakure were wiped out. We must be careful this time."
"Yes, yes. That person can fly and uses Space-Time Ninjutsu; he's a very troublesome opponent!"
The White Zetsu beside them continued to add to the discussion.
"Regardless, this person has already collected the Tailed Beast from Sunagakure and Iwagakure, which aligns with our goal."
"Whether we cooperate and negotiate with him to get him into our plans, or concentrate all our efforts on attacking him and taking back the Tailed Beast, we must negotiate with him."
Obito, disguised as Madara Uchiha, spoke.
"Yes, I share the same thoughts as Madara." Nagato nodded.
"Regardless of who the other side is, our pursuit of peace will never change."
"If he shares our ideals and joins Akatsuki, then he will be our comrade."
"If he chooses to oppose us, then let's combine all our strength to destroy him."
"Peace will not yield to anyone; that is my only demand."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Regardless of their motives, Nagato was still the leader of Akatsuki at the moment.
Obito is on the second level, and Black Zetsu, who is on the third level, both rely on the power of the other's Rinnegan and would never oppose the other.
Furthermore, Xu Xiao's current intelligence indicates that he has already subdued the Tailed Beast of Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, which means he has essentially done their work ahead of schedule.
The goal has shifted from using Akatsuki to fight against the Five Great Shinobi Villages to targeting just this one person, which sounds simpler.
Just as Nagato said, as long as Xu Xiao is subdued, whether by persuasion or force, they can quickly complete their original plan and bring true peace to the world.
"I've already ordered everyone to defend the edge of Kirigakure. Since the enemy can control Konoha and simultaneously dismantle Sand and Iwa ninja, Kumo ninja definitely can't stop them."
"Ultimately, Kirigakure is where we can wait in comfort; he will definitely come."
"At that time, as long as..."
"Bang!"
Nagato was interrupted by a loud bang before he could finish speaking, followed by a powerful shockwave that swept in, blowing the Mizukage's Office building to smithereens, leaving only a dilapidated structure.
The entire Kirigakure was awakened by this tremendous noise, and even the thick fog that shrouded the village year-round was blown away by the shockwave.
"This is!!!"
The people in the Mizukage's Office couldn't help but stare in astonishment into the distance, their faces filled with shock.
As far as they could see, there was a huge crater, about two kilometers in diameter.
Everything in the pit had vanished, leaving only the dark rock layers and a luminous giant struggling to stay afloat.
"That's Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo! He's fighting someone?"
The first to lose his composure was Obito, who was the first to recognize the Sharingan's signature ability— Susanoo.
Although he couldn't activate Susanoo Gundam because his eyes weren't fully aligned, he had heard of this power from the real Madara Uchiha.
Who had the power to cause that attack, and even force Uchiha Itachi to activate his Susanoo defense?
"My clone didn't give any warning; the explosion just happened. It was more than ten times more powerful than an S-rank Ninjutsu. It must be that guy who controls Konoha who arrived quietly."
Nagato sensed that his Six Paths Puppets had also been affected by the attack and were no longer able to sense anything.
Clearly, that attack had destroyed all his puppets, and the fate of the other Akatsuki members was unknown.
Of course, given the attack in front of them, which was comparable to Tailed Beast full-power Tailed Beast Bomb, it would be difficult for anyone to survive except for Hidan, that follower of the Jashin.
Even Uchiha Itachi only survived Xu Xiao's attack because Xu Xiao approached him directly, and he reacted instantly.
"Ban, please go check on it for me. My puppet needs time to be summoned again."
Nagato spoke to Obito was standing beside him.
"I'll be right there."
Obito nodded, immediately sank into the ground, and quickly headed towards the center of the battlefield.
He wasn't incapable of distinguishing between what was important and what wasn't; with the Nagato puppet destroyed, his combat strength had almost plummeted to rock bottom.
If we force the other party to take action, this sickly guy might just die right there in front of him, and then we'll be short of someone who can use the power of the Rinnegan.
The Rinnegan is a crucial element of the ' Eye of the Moon ' plan; before the arrival of the dream-fulfilling master Kabuto, this was their only opportunity to implement the plan.
Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield
Looking at the orange-red Susanoo that had risen dozens of meters tall from the ground, Xu Xiao smiled with satisfaction.
"Not bad, this thing's defensive capabilities are definitely not to be underestimated."
"To withstand my Nuclear Explosion Fist and only develop a crack instead of shattering completely is quite an impressive ability."
The Susanoo before Xu Xiao could no longer be described as having just a few cracks; it was on the verge of shattering.
Dense cracks covered every corner of Susanoo. As the price for taking Xu Xiao's experimental Nuclear Explosion Fist, Susanoo Uchiha Itachi were bleeding continuously, and he could barely open his eyes to see people.
Strong defense, right? You traded your eyes—no, your life—for it!
If he hadn't activated his Perfect Susanoo in response to Xu Xiao's provocation, he probably would have perished in the explosion.
Even if Uchiha Itachi had managed to withstand this attack, he knew he would have no chance to defend or retaliate.
Her already failing eyesight was now on the verge of blindness, and her ailing body was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to be extinguished.
As for Xu Xiao's sarcastic remarks, Uchiha Itachi didn't want to hear them at all.
'Such a powerful figure, no wonder Konoha changed hands to him, but I wonder what Sasuke...'
Uchiha Itachi thought of his beloved younger brother. Ever since hearing about the upheaval in Konoha, his biggest worry had been his disappointing younger brother.