How Will You Choose Now?

"Yes!"

The trio from Akatsuki responded simultaneously, their faces showing a trace of joy. They were clear that the information they had just received meant they had yet to lose contact with Ao. As long as they had a way to reach him, they were satisfied.

Having this line of communication meant a lot to them since their true intention wasn't really to align themselves under Minato Namikaze but rather to meet an elder from the Otsutsuki clan. Essentially, each of them had come for Ao.

They understood Ao's request to keep his identity hidden very well; as such an influential figure, revealing his identity could invite unnecessary troubles.

"Whether you can stay in the Hidden Leaf Village depends entirely on Minato. Do you understand what I mean?" Ao's gaze swept over the trio again, reiterating his point because he sensed a certain detachment in them as if they were influenced by something else, though he wasn't sure what.

Just now, he had quickly considered what issues the Akatsuki might have encountered during their formation. Logically, the only early threat to Akatsuki could have been from Hanzo, but Ao had already made sure that Hanzo wouldn't interfere at this time.

This mystery deepened his intrigue as he didn't really want to know what had happened; he just hoped that the Akatsuki's entry into the Hidden Leaf Village would serve a positive purpose.

Unbeknownst to him, the trio's seeming collapse was primarily due to the profound ideas he had instilled in them, which led to cognitive dissonance and diminished their interest in many real-world matters.

"???"

Upon hearing Ao's words, question marks popped up over their heads. They didn't quite grasp Ao's intent as it seemed from his literal words that they should simply seek allegiance with their senior brother. Could there be another underlying meaning?

Their gazes focused intensely on Ao, filled with confusion. Normally, they wouldn't care so much about anyone else's words. Still, Ao's words were taken as gospel due to his terrifying and formidable presence.

Yet, they needed to figure out what exactly they were supposed to do with Minato, suspecting it wasn't just a simple allegiance, and felt they needed to grasp the implications fully.

"Your arrival is quite timely," Ao said with a slight smile, understanding that since they had come, he should make good use of them, allowing them to realize their value and connect more closely with Minato, who indeed needed loyal followers. The brotherly bond could prove handy, plus his presence in the village would prevent them from causing too much trouble.

"If you had come earlier, Minato wouldn't have returned yet, and you would have no one to seek out."

"Be aware of your identities. At this point, you are still shinobi from the Rain Country, which has had hostile relations with the Hidden Leaf."

"If you had come later, you might have missed this opportunity entirely."

"Because now is the time for leadership change in the Hidden Leaf!"

"Your senior brother is about to become the new Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!"

"As the saying goes, it's easy to add decorations but hard to send coal in the snow!"

"If you had arrived after he became Hokage, your allegiance might seem opportunistic, but now you can use your strengths to help him achieve that role."

"He's facing some troubles now!"

As explained, it effectively plants the idea of Minato's situation into the minds of the Akatsuki trio. Their power might not be outstanding now, but their potential was high.

"Troubles?!"

A giant question mark hovered in the minds of the Akatsuki trio. They hadn't expected Ao to reveal that their potential ally, Minato, was encountering difficulties. What exactly was going on?

Initially, they weren't concerned with such matters, but Ao's repeated mentions piqued their curiosity.

"I won't go into details now. Once you meet Minato, you'll understand what to do. And I must emphasize again, do not mention anything about me. Just say you acted on Jiraiya-sensei's advice."

Ao shook his head slightly; there wasn't much more to say. He didn't know what specific help Minato needed; just setting the stage was enough; the rest was up to Minato.

"Any other questions?"

After laying everything out, Ao realized he had been talking all the time without considering their thoughts. They must have questions of their own, or else they might risk another meeting at Ichiraku Ramen soon.

Although confident he wouldn't be discovered, Ao preferred to minimize such disturbances to his peaceful life.

"Um..."

Konan nodded slowly, the other two still appearing nervous, but they indeed had many questions for Ao.

"Feel free to speak..."

Ao said casually, but upon seeing their hesitant expressions and the curious gazes of other Akatsuki members, he realized they might prefer to keep some secrets less public.

"Let's do this..."

With a clap of his hands, Ao formed a hand seal, and terrifying chakra surged from his body, causing the air around him to ripple. Everyone was deeply shocked by the raw power of his chakra.

"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"

Chakra flowed down Ao's legs into the ground, causing the earth to tremble as wooden structures sprang up, interlocking to form row houses.

"Wood Release technique?!"

Everyone gasped in unison, understanding the significance of such a technique. It was the art of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who had dominated the shinobi world with his unmatched Wood Release. With his passing, such techniques had disappeared from the ninja world, yet here was Ao, effortlessly executing it.

"Many of you have traveled long; go rest inside for a bit."

Ao scanned the Akatsuki members, inviting them into the newly formed houses, then turned his attention back to the trio.

"Come with me. Let's talk in a more private place. You can speak freely about anything; don't be so formal with me."

Leading the way, Ao walked into one of the wooden houses, with the trio following nervously behind, still visibly constrained despite his assurances.

They entered the wooden house, which was fully furnished and ready for habitation.

"This..."

Stunned by their surroundings, which were far more impressive than anything they had in the Rain Country, the trio felt incredibly satisfied. If allowed, they would happily reside there permanently.

"Consider this a temporary residence. I'll remove the technique tomorrow, but you can rest here today. Anything you want to ask, just say it," Ao smiled at the trio.

"This house can last until tomorrow?" Konan's pupils dilated in surprise.

"Once created, it can exist permanently. I need to remove it tomorrow actively. I don't want you staying here too long or leaving such a village within the Hidden Leaf," Ao explained.

"Hiss..."

The trio gasped again, not expecting the structure to be permanent. They thought it was impressive enough to last a day, but Ao had planned to remove it actively.

Their respect for Ao deepened as they realized the true extent of his powers.

"That... Nagato has some questions for you," Konan began cautiously, looking nervously at Ao.

"Go ahead and ask," Ao nodded towards Nagato, already anticipating his questions since initiating their interaction.

"These Rinnegan eyes..."

Taking a deep breath, Nagato struggled to articulate his thoughts, overwhelmed by the myriad of questions he had. Seeing Ao's Rinnegan had confirmed their kinship, shocking him since he hadn't encountered another possessor of such eyes in the world.

"Do they truly have more uses?" Nagato's nervousness peaked; he had heard about the potential of the Rinnegan from Konan but wanted to listen to it from Ao himself. Since gaining the eyes, he had yet to detect new powers beyond his painstakingly learned Wind Release techniques.

"Of course," Ao nodded without hesitation, having anticipated this topic since it was Nagato's primary concern.

"Strength! That's what you're lacking now!" Ao thought, aware that Nagato's Rinnegan was merely ornamental without substantive abilities, making his strength the weakest in their group. With solid power, many actions were possible.

"I can help you activate your Rinnegan," Ao offered calmly, his gaze intense but expression neutral as if discussing something mundane.

"But do you really need me to do that? Would you rather activate the Rinnegan through your efforts? The Rinnegan is immensely powerful, but I hope you use this power wisely. Do you understand?"

The gravity of Ao's tone made it clear he was offering a choice but also leaving the consequences up to Nagato. He could activate the Rinnegan anytime, but whether this was right or wrong wasn't for him to decide.

"Now, how will you choose?" Ao's gaze fixed on Nagato, whose decision now carried significant weight, not just for himself but for their collective future.