Amegakure, the Akatsuki's base.
After Nagato regained consciousness, he returned to a familiar place.
Although Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was an absolute pinnacle of power in the Shinobi World, far surpassing the Five Kage, his extremely weak body meant that Nagato physical form was not much better than that of an ordinary person, making it impossible for him to unleash his full potential.
As a result, Nagato was humiliatingly thrown off his feet by the blast, and his head slammed cleanly into the ground. Although it was a desert, the rough and hard sand still knocked Nagato unconscious.
This was indeed embarrassing, and my head was still spinning, but Nagato had more important things to figure out.
The most important thing, of course, is Konan's safety. In that explosion, Konan, who possessed Paper Release, able to avoid the blast? If Konan is alright, has she returned to Amegakure, or has she been captured by Konoha?
Konan wasn't by his side, it's most likely the latter...
Secondly, there's the issue of his own actions: who brought him back, and what was their purpose?
Is it Hidan, whose Hidan remains unknown? Or is it an Akatsuki member cleaning up the battlefield?
Moreover, Nagato faces a most fatal problem: he is unable to contact Pain's Deva Path.
The force of the explosion knocked Nagato unconscious, let alone the actual combat. Five of the Six Paths of Pain were destroyed, and new puppets hadn't even been made yet. If Pain's Deva Path hadn't been there to protect him, Nagato wouldn't have been able to close his eyes in peace.
But as a figure pushed open the door, many of Nagato's doubts were resolved, while even more questions arose.
"Jue, how could it be you?"
Nagato stared warily at the black and white face inside the pitcher plant. Black Zetsu had already joined Akatsuki, and although he was a core member, he was only responsible for intelligence work. This was not only because his abilities were suitable, but also because Nagato wanted to prevent Zetsu from stealing core intelligence. The intelligence that Zetsu was responsible for was only from outside the Akatsuki, not from within the Akatsuki itself.
It certainly wouldn't include him, the leader of the Akatsuki, and the one hiding behind the scenes!
But now Jue has sent him back to his residence and is even more brazenly appearing in front of him.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is White Zetsu, and his name is Black Zetsu. Actually, the name Zetsu is wrong. Secondly, why can't it be me? I went through so much trouble to rescue you from the desert of the Land of Wind, and you were chased by Naoki Senju the whole way. It was really scary."
White Zetsu made exaggerated expressions, gesticulating wildly as he showed off his achievements, not to claim credit, but to see Nagato's increasingly unpleasant expression.
"Enough, shut up!"
Black Zetsu's reprimand instantly silenced the unruly White Zetsu, but this familiar tactic reminded Nagato of the interrogation methods used by the Amegakure ninjas. Did this mean he was now also a prisoner...?
" Nagato, we are not the 'gen' of Akatsuki, but subordinates of Madara Uchiha. Do you understand now?"
How could they not understand? The remaining members of Akatsuki are all undercover agents, either from Akatsuki or Konoha. Among the ordinary members, there are also many undercover agents from the Five Great Nations, especially from Iwagakure, with whom they have the deepest cooperation.
That old man has probably infiltrated the Akatsuki's lower ranks to the core. Never underestimate an old man, especially one who has lived through three Shinobi World Wars; the older he gets, the more formidable he becomes.
However, the fact that Zetsu was also a spy for the Masked Man was somewhat unexpected for Nagato. Zetsu joined Akatsuki much earlier than the Masked Man, which means they had been plotting to take over Akatsuki for a long time?
This conjecture startled Nagato, giving him an absurd feeling that he had been completely orchestrated. But before he could confirm it with words, another figure pushed open the door and entered.
" Madara Uchiha, you seem to be a little late." White Zetsu, never one to learn his lesson, teased Obito Uchiha, who was a little late, once again.
"Hmph." Obito snorted disdainfully, then turned his gaze to his greatest gain this time— the Rinnegan.
However, Obito Uchiha did not rush to seize the Rinnegan, but instead chatted casually.
"When you led the Akatsuki to intercept Naoki Senju, I went to Konoha and saw the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Even though he knew what fate awaited him, Nagato remained calm. The Tailed Beast Weapon Plan had encountered insurmountable obstacles, and apart from Konan, there was no one else who could make him lose his composure.
Moreover, neither Zetsu nor the Masked Man seemed to understand the power of the Rinnegan, and they underestimated him, thinking that by sealing Pain's Deva Path deep underground, he was powerless?
"Oh, then may I ask if Madara Uchiha brought the Nine-Tails back?"
Nagato gave the Masked Man a sarcastic remark, suggesting that if the Masked Man had truly captured the Nine-Tails, he should be busy sealing Nine-Tails or dealing with Konoha's pursuers and retaliation, rather than having the leisure to chat with him.
"No, Sannin Jiraiya guarding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so there was no chance for him to strike," Obito Uchiha replied calmly, showing no sign of anger. After all, who would get angry at a dead man?
However, the actual situation in Konoha differed slightly from what Obito said. Jiraiya did indeed protect Naruto 24 hours a day, but the one who truly stopped him was not Jiraiya, but Kakashi.
With the same Mangekyō Sharingan and even sharing the same Kamui Dimension, Kakashi was Obito's greatest weakness, and also the only ninja who could counter Kamui Intangibility.
But there's no need to tell Nagato about such embarrassing past events.
Nagato, who had originally planned to continue his taunts and Nagato for time, swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Jiraiya, one of the Sannin... It's Jiraiya- sensei! I never imagined he would eventually return to Konoha...
"The operation failed... So, Madara Uchiha is here seeking comfort?"
Nagato stared defiantly at Obito Uchiha's exposed Sharingan. He already knew that this Madara Uchiha was an imposter. Although Space-Time Ninjutsu was difficult to deal with, after his battle with Naoki Senju, he had already come up with a way to counter the Masked Man.
"No, I'm here to take the Rinnegan. This power never belonged to you. Now Sharingan."
Obito Uchiha's Sharingan emitted a bewitching red light, clearly indicating that it was an extremely profound Sharingan Genjutsu. The Rinnegan's immunity to visual Genjutsu is only relative; it is far from being immune to Sharingan Genjutsu.
A truly skilled Genjutsu can activate Genjutsu without eye contact, trapping the target in the Genjutsu.
However, Obito Uchiha's Genjutsu was clearly still lacking in skill. After Nagato fell into the Genjutsu, he quickly broke free and manipulated Pain's Deva Path to approach the Masked Man, releasing his Dōjutsu at almost zero distance.
Shinra Tensei!