Chapter 201: Konan’s Shock—Do I Know More About the Akatsuki Than You?

"You don't need to act like that. I'm not here to talk to you about the Akatsuki. After all, when it comes to the Akatsuki, you don't know as much as I do." Seeing that Konan was dead set on not speaking to him, Uchiha Akira wasn't in a rush. He didn't seem bothered at all.

In truth, Akira wasn't lying when he said he wanted to talk to Konan—it wasn't even about the Akatsuki.

With his knowledge from his past life and a god's-eye view of everything, was there really anyone in the entire ninja world who knew more than him?

Akira's words finally got a reaction out of Konan.

But it was just a glance, filled with disdain and mockery.

Clearly, she didn't believe a word he said.

After all, who was she? One of the original founders of the Akatsuki!

How could there be anything about the organization that she didn't know?

Did this outsider think he knew more than her?

Was he trying to get her attention with such a ridiculous statement?

Seeing the scornful look in her eyes, Uchiha Akira didn't get angry.

He didn't need to. He could easily guess what was going through her mind without even trying.

"You shouldn't be so stubborn. Let me ask you a few questions. If you can answer them, then I'll admit you know as much as I do." Akira looked at Konan with a calm smile.

Konan remained silent, but inwardly she was amused.

Ask me questions? See if I can answer them?

Was he going to ask how many members the Akatsuki had? Or what their abilities were? Or maybe what the organization's true goal was?

Ha! Was this some kind of test to gather information about the Akatsuki? How foolish did he think she was?

"First, let's talk about Nagato. Do you know where his Rinnegan came from? After all, the Uzumaki clan has never had someone born with the Rinnegan, right?" Akira asked, his tone casual.

Boom!

Konan's mind went blank.

What? Uchiha Akira knew about Nagato? He even knew that Nagato had the Rinnegan?

That was something not even the other members of the Akatsuki knew!

"Did Jiraiya-sensei tell you this?" Konan finally broke her silence after a long pause, her voice tense.

If Akatsuki had a spy working for Uchiha Akira, that was impossible. Only she, Nagato, and the masked man knew this secret.

So, the only reasonable explanation was Jiraiya.

Akira didn't bother denying it.

After all, Konan had already created her own explanation. Even if he said otherwise, she wouldn't believe it.

People tend to believe what they come up with themselves, especially women.

Akira continued, "Back when the masked man claimed to be Uchiha Madara and approached you all, did you really believe him? Weren't you curious about his true identity?"

Boom!

Akira's words hit Konan like a thunderbolt, leaving her stunned again.

The first question could be explained by Jiraiya's knowledge, but the second one—Jiraiya didn't know anything about that!

It wasn't possible that anyone in their inner circle had leaked the information to Akira.

"Do you… do you know who the masked man really is?" Konan asked after another long pause, unable to contain her curiosity.

Akira smiled inwardly. He knew there was no way Konan could keep her composure now.

Then, Akira hit her with the third bombshell question.

"You don't actually believe that gathering the Tailed Beasts is just for some superweapon to force peace, do you?"

Konan was completely shocked now, her expression one of disbelief.

How could Akira possibly know this? That was something even most of the Akatsuki members weren't aware of.

Yet Akira knew?

He even understood the mechanics of the Tailed Beasts and the true purpose of their collection?

There was no way that she or Nagato had leaked this information to him. Impossible.

Did the masked man, who claimed to be Uchiha Madara, tell him? That was equally impossible.

So, how did he know?

"Who… who are you really? How do you know about the Akatsuki's real goals?" Konan asked, her eyes wide as she stared at Akira, as if she had seen a ghost.

At first, she had thought that Akira was testing her, trying to pry information about the Akatsuki from her.

But now, it was clear that Akira already knew the deepest secrets of the Akatsuki!

In front of him, the Akatsuki really didn't have any secrets left, did they?

"Could it be… Is it some kind of special eye power? Can your eyes read people's minds or extract information?" Konan asked after a moment, trying to make sense of the situation.

No one could have told Akira this information, so the only explanation was his Mangekyō Sharingan.

After all, the Uchiha's Mangekyō powers were known for their strange and extraordinary abilities.

"A mind-reading eye technique? Gotta love the imagination," Akira thought to himself, almost laughing at Konan's guess.

"Your eye technique lets you see into my mind and know everything I know, doesn't it?" Konan asked, her tone filled with fear.

If Akira really had a power that allowed him to read minds, then was there any secret in the world that could remain hidden from him?

"Give me a break! If I could read minds, do you think I'd waste my time talking with you?" Akira said, rolling his eyes.

"Now that you mention it, that does make sense." Konan thought about it for a moment and realized Akira's words were logical. She nodded slightly, deciding not to press the matter further.

"Since you don't want information on the Akatsuki, then what is it you want to talk about?" Konan asked, now willing to have a conversation with Akira after being shaken by his soul-piercing questions.

"It's simple. I'm curious about your explosive tags. How exactly do you produce tens of thousands of them at once?" Akira asked.

Producing over thirty thousand explosive tags in the blink of an eye was truly an impressive ability.

Not to mention the six hundred billion tags she used in the original story to trick Obito.

Akira was genuinely curious about how her explosive tags worked.

He knew about techniques like the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu and Explosive Tag Multiplication Jutsu, which could quickly replicate weapons and tags. But producing tens of thousands or even six hundred billion? That was on another level.

"This is one of my abilities. I can produce a large number of explosive tags," Konan explained, not seeing any reason to hide it.

"A built-in printing press, huh? You can just churn out explosive tags like they're nothing," Akira couldn't help but think to himself.

Now, the mystery of her six hundred billion explosive tags was finally clear. Collecting that many tags across the entire ninja world would be impossible. Even buying them would cost enough to bankrupt a nation.

So, it all made sense now. It was Konan's unique ability.

In fact, calling her power "Tag Release" would be more accurate.

She could toss explosive tags around like they were free samples, unlike others who had to treat them like precious currency.

"So, what exactly is this technique?" Akira asked, his curiosity piqued.

If he could learn this technique, he could produce an endless supply of explosive tags, which would basically make him rich forever.

"This technique isn't just a simple jutsu. It's more like a Kekkei Genkai, and it works in combination with my paper-based abilities," Konan replied, surprisingly cooperative.

"So, it's a combination of paper manipulation and something similar to a Kekkei Genkai?"

"Does that mean I can't copy it? Since it requires both abilities, and I can only copy one?" Akira's expression dropped in disappointment.

"It seems your eye technique can only take one ability, but not both, huh?" Konan said with a slight smirk, having figured out an important piece of information about Akira's abilities.

"What if you make me a hundred thousand explosive tags?" Akira asked. Since he couldn't do it himself, why not get Konan to do it?

"And what's in it for me?" Konan didn't refuse outright, but she didn't agree either.

"Do you even know your situation? You're a prisoner! You're in no position to negotiate!" Akira said, his expression turning fierce.

"If you want to kill me, then do it! But if you think I'll live just to be exploited by you, that's not happening!" Konan straightened her back, her face full of defiance.

"You're not afraid I'll dress you in something completely humiliating and parade you around the village?" Akira taunted, knowing this was something no woman would want.

*************Important*******************

I'm back with this fanfiction! I didn't spend as much time on it as I would have liked because I was focusing on my other translated novel, "Naruto: Max Level." From now on, I plan to release two chapters per day. Additionally, I will add an extra chapter for every goal power stone I receive. The pace is in your hands!

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 270+ at patreon.com/Emik01.