Chapter 275: Nagato

Sarutobi Clan.

"Father, rest assured, I will lead the Sarutobi clan out of this predicament."

Sarutobi Asuma, looking at his father with clouded eyes and a dazed expression, wearily recounted recent events and his plans without missing a detail.

The demented old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, showed no reaction to his son's words, prompting a bitter smile from Asuma.

"Father, rest well. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."

Facing his father in such a state, Asuma dropped all his guards, sharing everything openly.

"Take good care of my father."

"Yes!"

Before leaving, Asuma reminded the servants, and a maid, a commoner, respectfully nodded in response.

As Asuma walked away, the maid respectfully picked up a face towel to wipe the cheeks of the dazed Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Strangely, even though Hiruzen was sitting right there, the maid acted as if she didn't see him, respectfully sitting alone to one side, wiping the air with the towel as if cleaning an invisible person.

In this eerie scene, Hiruzen's clouded, vacant gaze gradually vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

"Come out."

From a ripple in space, a mysterious person with a mask and a Sharingan eye appeared, the enigmatic Masked Man who secretly investigated the five great ninja villages.

"Heh, the once powerful Third Hokage of Konoha, now fallen to such a state, even his clan marginalized to the edges. I wonder, Third Hokage, what are your thoughts on this?"

Faced with such mockery, Hiruzen remained calm and unmoved. After all he had been through over the years, a mere provocation wouldn't anger him.

"Heh, why so silent? Did Asuma's words touch your heart?"

Masked Obito continued mocking, "Look at the current situation, so similar to the Uchiha clan of the past."

"Similarly marginalized, similarly under surveillance, similarly internal strife within the clan. But the difference is! The Sarutobi clan did not produce geniuses like the Uchiha clan."

Masked Obito, mocking and shaking his head, let out a sarcastic laugh.

"At least the Uchiha clan produced geniuses like Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Yoru in difficult times, stabilizing the clan. But what about the Sarutobi clan?"

"Asuma has passion but lacks the talent of a clan leader, leading to the clan's division, with the militant faction gaining the upper hand. Tsk, with your current strength, do you think you could win a surprise attack?"

Obito's laughter carried a vengeful, twisted desire, but Hiruzen coldly chuckled.

"Whoever you are, I don't care to know. But one thing is clear! You're nothing but a rat hiding in the dark, playing your petty schemes."

Facing the masked man, Hiruzen, although wary, showed more disdain. He was more concerned about Uchiha Yoru.

Watching the unyielding Hiruzen, Masked Obito shrugged helplessly, "Well, if that's what you think, let's wait and see. This is the information you need."

A scroll slowly appeared before them, and Hiruzen smiled upon seeing it.

"I'm really curious, where do you get the confidence to confront Uchiha Yoru?"

Masked Obito pretended to be confused, while Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled coldly in his heart, indifferently saying: "The forbidden techniques mastered by Konoha are not something that someone like you, always hiding and fleeing, can understand."

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought the opponent was shallow and wouldn't know these secrets.

However, Masked Obito secretly sneered, thinking, 'Old man, from the moment you started collecting things in secret, I knew what you were up to.'

"Really don't know what you, old man, are thinking. Nowadays, the village is at the pinnacle of the ninja world, with military strength surpassing any other time, and yet you insist on killing Uchiha Yoru, tsk tsk."

In response to Obito's mockery, Sarutobi Hiruzen sneered: "What do you Uchihas understand? The more powerful the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, the more paranoid they become mentally. Uchihas only bring disaster."

"The old man admits, Konoha's current strength is unprecedented, but such a powerful Konoha cannot fall into the hands of Uchiha. At the same time, I also have to thank Uchiha Yoru."

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed coldly, and he said in a deep voice: "I will do everything in my power to remove these unstable elements of Uchiha. Then, under Tsunade's rule, I can rest in peace."

The Uchiha clan is paranoid, but isn't Sarutobi Hiruzen also paranoid!

Watching this, Masked Obito sneered, thinking, 'Old man, you really are a stubborn stone.'

Under the ideology of the Second Hokage, his disciples not only inherited his beliefs but even surpassed them. The notion that the Uchiha clan is a destabilizing factor in the village is almost ingrained in their bones.

At this point, after experiencing many setbacks, Sarutobi Hiruzen's thinking became even more crazy and paranoid. He believed that before Uchiha Yoru could lead Konoha down the path of war and destruction, as the Third Hokage, he had the duty and responsibility to resolve this issue.

Eliminate the village's unstable factors, and then hand Konoha over to Tsunade, at least ensuring the village's peace.

No matter what the Uchihas do, in their eyes, there is always a problem, even if they have done so much for the village. It's acceptable, but the Uchihas cannot hold power. That's the bottom line.

"If the old man's guess is right, Uchiha Yoru's speculation is correct. You are not the descendant of Uchiha Madara, but an experiment of the Root. The power of Wood Release and Uchiha's power seem to coexist harmoniously in you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, with a knowing look, as if he had seen through everything, and Masked Obito smiled and nodded in response,

"Hehe, seems like nothing can be hidden from you old folks, right."

Masked Obito is also a master of disguise. Seeing that impersonating Uchiha Madara failed, he now pretends to be misunderstood by everyone in the ninja world.

"Why should the Uchihas be superior, while I have to live a life neither human nor ghost, hiding and fleeing in the ninja world? You old folks! And Uchiha Yoru!"

At this moment, Masked Obito's eyes revealed his resentment and jealousy, his hatred for Konoha and envy for Uchiha Yoru were unmistakable.

However, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, he remained silent. The mysterious Masked Obito, although powerful, was not as great as Uchiha Yoru, and among those who lurk in the ninja world, he was only good at cunning schemes and deceit.

Uchiha Yoru was different. Now leading the Uchiha clan, he had already overturned Konoha, which was a major concern.

Moreover, with Tsunade awakening the power of Wood Release, a mysterious person, though troublesome, was just a being lurking in the dark depths of the ninja world.

Therefore, compared to this, Sarutobi Hiruzen was more eager to eliminate Uchiha Yoru.

"Third Hokage, now we have a common enemy."

Masked Obito looked at the Third Hokage seductively, and Sarutobi Hiruzen sneered, as he was also using the other party.

"Right, but the old man's strength alone is not enough, so I need you..."

No one expected that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would secretly start contacting the mysterious person, Masked Obito.

…

Border of the Land of Rain.

As soon as I entered the Land of Rain, a light drizzle appeared in the world, truly worthy of being called the crying country, with its perennial floods.

Looking at the distant Rain Village, three figures slowly appeared on a clay ball.

Nagato, sitting in a wheelchair, the cold and beautiful Konan standing by his side, and the other person was the now famous Night God.

At this moment, the three of them were looking at the Rain Village, and Uchiha Yoru said with emotion, "It seems that the Rain Village is about to witness the fall of a demigod."

Under Uchiha Yoru's teasing and relaxed tone, Nagato also revealed a firm smile.

"There's only one god in the ninja world, Mr. Yoru, don't you feel lonely?"

Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a bitter smile, "I never expected that our meeting back then was fated by the Rinnegan, and even more so, that when we met again, we would share the same ideals."

Nagato also sighed with emotion, "Yes, back then you were just an ordinary Jonin of the Konoha, even suppressed, but who would have thought, in just a few years, you have become the god of the ninja world."

"Yes, who would have thought that you, with your disabled legs, had the Rinnegan, and now you're ready to replace the demigod and become another god of the ninja world. But are you capable now?"

Uchiha Yoru asked with a relaxed smile, and Nagato, rarely showing a relaxed demeanor, shrugged and slowly stood up from the wheelchair.

"So it was all a disguise."

Watching Nagato sit back in the wheelchair calmly, Uchiha Yoru said with a smile, without any fear or greed for the Rinnegan.

"Facing an existence like Mr. Yoru, I don't think there's a need for lies."

Nagato spoke very candidly, "I admit Mr. Yoru's peace philosophy is effective, but it takes too long."

"Just like the First Hokage, when Mr. Yoru unifies the ninja world, how old would you be then? Or what happens to the ninja world after you die?"

"You know, after the death of the First Hokage, the ninja world erupted into an unprecedented war."

Nagato continued with a firm tone, "As Mr. Yoru wrote in his book, as long as there are human emotions and desires, wars will never cease. Therefore, a terrifying weapon that can deter the ninja world must appear, even if we die."

"As long as we find a ninja who can inherit the ideals before we die, they can be passed down from generation to generation, and only then can the ninja world truly be at peace."

Looking at Nagato, who had strayed from the path, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded.

"Your idea is not bad, but I believe I can end this chaos. At the same time, I will discover the true meaning of life and achieve immortality."

"It seems there has been some breakthrough in the research of the Sannin Orochimaru." Nagato also smiled.

Obviously, Orochimaru's research on immortality did not escape the eyes of the major forces, especially since Konoha spared no effort in spreading the news to bring down Orochimaru's reputation.

The Impure World Reincarnation technique, an incomplete theoretical jutsu, it's not surprising that the Akatsuki organization had heard of it.

Uchiha Yoru did not refute, but instead said with a smile, "Your Akatsuki organization is collecting the Tailed Beasts of the ninja world to create a powerful weapon. Do you think you can subdue everything with just military power?"

Similarly, Uchiha Yoru also revealed the plans of the Akatsuki organization.

After exchanging a glance, both of them broke into smiles, showing no signs of enmity.

As a bystander, Konan felt an unprecedented calmness. The two seemed to understand each other, both striving for peace.

"This is perfect. I create the most powerful weapon to deter the ninja world with force, which will help Mr. Yoru unify the ninja world faster. Maybe this weapon will eventually need to be handed over to Mr. Yoru."

Nagato smiled broadly, fully aware of the cost of using some powerful ninja techniques. He knew he might not live much longer, but there was someone perfect to carry on his will.

It must be said, this is a distorted world.

Uchiha Yoru shook his head, speechless. "That's why over the years, I haven't touched the Tailed Beasts, even the Tailed Beast of Land of Waves, just to see how far your Rinnegan can see, Nagato."

"Then, Mr. Yoru, about the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!"

Nagato showed interest, even considering persuading Uchiha Yoru to give up on the Nine-Tails.

But Uchiha Yoru shook his head: "You should know the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the son of the Fourth Hokage, and Jiraiya, so I can't hand it over to you."

Nagato seemed disappointed, not wanting to confront Uchiha Yoru.

"However, I hope you can delegate the capture of the Nine-Tails to someone else, like the mysterious masked man behind your Akatsuki organization."

Uchiha Yoru's words silenced Nagato.

"Mr. Yoru, do you know his identity?"

"I have some guesses. It's not likely Uchiha Madara, but probably his successor."

Uchiha Yoru spoke calmly and unflinchingly, looking at them both.

"Here is next year's invitation for Rain Village to participate in the Chunin Exams."

Uchiha Yoru calmly presented a sophisticated invitation, to which Nagato smiled and nodded.

"So, Mr. Yoru, is there any deal you have in mind for this visit?"

Over the years, they had corresponded, even uncovering their past acquaintance, but never addressed it. Today was their first meeting.

Uchiha Yoru smiled at Nagato and nodded: "Isn't Akatsuki the best mercenary ninja organization? I once commissioned you personally to find powerful summoning beasts in the ninja world, offering a generous reward."

"I heard Hanzo's summoning beast, the Salamander, is quite strong."

Looking at Uchiha Yoru, Nagato couldn't help but smile. "It seems Mr. Yoru is really sparing no effort to strengthen his forces."

"No choice, big family, big business. As you said, if we are gone, it's not good if those below can't hold their ground."

Uchiha Yoru replied with a relaxed smile, only having come to Sound Village and encountering Akatsuki's Nagato by chance, learning his target was Rain Village.

The original story didn't detail when Hanzo of Rain Village was killed by Nagato, but there's evidence to speculate the approximate time.

During the Chunin Exams, ninjas from Rain Village participated, their forehead protectors still bearing four lines. Under Nagato's rule, the forehead protector had a scratch, marking a rogue ninja.

This proves one thing: the change of leadership in Rain Village and Hanzo's death occurred between the Chunin Exams and the Shippuden period, within four years.

This time, Nagato seems to have acted earlier.

~~~

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