"To raze Konoha to the ground... Are you prepared to take action yourself?"
Pain frowned slightly. Destroying Konoha prematurely would go against the Akatsuki's original intentions. Their goal was to deter all the major ninja villages and bring absolute peace to the Shinobi World. They could destroy a ninja village if necessary, but they would never wage war for the sake of the Tailed Beast.
What's the difference between Akatsuki and the Five Great Rogue Ninja Villages?
"No, this mission will be carried out by Akatsuki; my strength has not yet recovered."
Upon hearing Madara Uchiha's shameless plan, deep underground in Amegakure, the emaciated Nagato couldn't help but cough twice, an unnatural flush rising to his cheeks Madara Uchiha far exceeded Nagato's comprehension.
At the top of the Tower of God, Pain, due to Nagato's poor condition, entered a state akin to 'shutting down'. Madara Uchiha sensed something was amiss; it seemed Nagato's body was nearing its limit, and the Rinnegan needed to be retrieved as soon as possible to prevent a situation from spiraling out of control...
A moment later, Nagato reconnected with Pain, and the black Chakra rods established a new Chakra channel.
" The Akatsuki's strength is currently inferior to Konoha's, and the losses from attacking Konoha are something we cannot afford. If your strength has not yet recovered, then let's cancel it."
Madara Uchiha's hands, hidden beneath his sleeves, clenched tightly. If the real Madara Uchiha hadn't distrusted him completely, insisted on placing the Rinnegan on Nagato, and had Black Zetsu constantly monitor him to prevent him from stealing Nagato's Rinnegan, then all of this would have ended long ago!
Taking a deep breath, ' Madara Uchiha ' suppressed his anger and tried to speak calmly:
" Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure are all attacking Konoha. Now is the most vulnerable time for Konoha. If we miss this opportunity, we will never have another chance to obtain the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail."
But Pain's expression suddenly darkened without warning, and an astonishing aura erupted. His Rinnegan, composed of rings of gray ripples, stared intently at ' Madara Uchiha ' in front of him.
Let alone the injured Madara Uchiha, even Madara Uchiha in his prime would still perish before these God Eyes!
"I am the leader of Akatsuki, I am God! Offending God's majesty deserves punishment!"
Feel the pain!
An invisible repulsive force expanded outwards from Pain's center. This process seemed slow, but it actually reached the position where ' Madara Uchiha ' was standing in an instant. However, this unstoppable repulsive force passed directly through ' Madara Uchiha's' body.
Pain's pupils contracted. Although he and Konan had designated Madara Uchiha as their hypothetical enemy and made some pre-battle preparations, they had never believed Madara Uchiha's claim of being injured. However, they had not expected that they would still underestimate Madara Uchiha's strength.
"So, can we talk properly now?"
Madara Uchiha appeared quite relaxed at this moment, dodging Shinra Tensei as if it were no challenge for him at all, but for Nagato and Konan, this was clearly not good news.
How do you want to talk?
This time, Pain did not directly reject Madara Uchiha's proposal; Madara Uchiha now possessed strength sufficient to warrant their attention.
"Since Akatsuki is unwilling to attack Konoha, let's each take a step back. Iwagakure has already begun its advance into the Land of Lightning. That old man Ōnoki has abandoned all principles for Iwagakure. Kumogakure will inevitably withdraw its troops afterward, which means that Konoha is destined to win this time."
"After the war, Naoki Senju will most likely lead a group to flex their muscles in front of other ninja villages, so I request that the Akatsuki intercept and kill Naoki Senju at this crucial moment!"
Pain did not refuse. The Three-Tails inside Naoki Senju was one of Akatsuki's targets. Although the awakening of Wood Release was a bit troublesome, all Kekkei Genkai were insignificant in the face of these two God Eyes!
Furthermore, Kakuzu, the treasurer of the Akatsuki's Hokutai, also died at the hands of Naoki Senju. Pain did not want revenge, but without Kakuzu his treasurer, the Akatsuki's finances suddenly became strained, and someone had to be held responsible for this consequence.
Seeing that Pain remained silent, Madara Uchiha knew that the plan against Naoki Senju had been finalized, and the Akatsuki would do everything in its power to remove the most stubborn obstacle to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"Looking forward to good news from the Akatsuki."
Space slowly twisted into a spiral shape, and the black spatial rifts made people keep their distance. The figure of ' Madara Uchiha ' became more and more illusory, and finally disappeared completely from the top of the Tower of God.
" Madara Uchiha...?"
Pain took one last look at the spot where ' Madara Uchiha ' had disappeared, then returned to the tongue of the Asura Statue, watching the never-ending drizzle over Amegakure. This was the scene that brought Nagato the most peace of mind.
After leaving Amegakure, Madara Uchiha returned to his dark, sunless cave. As soon as he entered, he removed the spiral mask from his face and slammed it to the ground.
"Damn Nagato! He's just someone who inherited the Rinnegan's power, yet he dares to be so arrogant!"
The sound of the mask hitting the ground startled Black Zetsu underground, and the pitcher plant let out a strange laugh before slowly emerging from the ground.
"Hehehe, what did Nagato do to you this time, Obito? Remember Madara Uchiha's plan."
" Black Zetsu! What are you doing here? Has the battle in Konoha ended?"
Madara Uchiha's true identity was revealed in a single sentence, but he showed no unease, because it wasn't exactly a secret anyway.
Obito had no idea that Black Zetsu be there, let alone witness such a humiliating scene. He calmly picked up the mask from the ground; thankfully, it was of excellent quality and hadn't shattered, thus concealing his embarrassment...
"It's almost over. Although Kirigakure Mizukage Mei Terumi, is still able to maintain her rationality and has begun to persuade Ōnoki of Iwagakure not to withdraw his troops, the Kirigakure Ninja below are getting restless and are thinking about attacking Konoha Ninja Village Tenten. They have already fallen into Naoki Senju's trap."
"That idiot Ōnoki, he's always so short-sighted. I remember Iwagakure was a client of Akatsuki, wasn't it?"
Black Zetsu grinned, revealing his somewhat unkempt mouth, and chuckled twice before saying:
" Iwagakure is Akatsuki's biggest client; over 40% of their war contracts come from Iwagakure. Without Ōnoki, Akatsuki wouldn't have reached its current size."
Obito nodded, seeing that this war, which aimed to overthrow Konoha, had come to an end. Next, it would be Akatsuki to enter the fray...
" Black Zetsu, get ready. Always keep track of Naoki Senju's location. The mission to retrieve the Three-Tails is urgent."
"Yes."