Nagato lowered his head and looked at this body that could now walk freely on the ground. A trace of complexity passed through his eyes before he raised his head again and looked calmly at this so-called "Madara".
"What did you do to Tobi?" Obito Uchiha asked in a deep voice after recovering himself. "What exactly happened?"
"Nothing much," Nagato said evenly. "I fought Hanzo and got injured. This White Zetsu named Tobi helped me and now is staying on me of his own will."
Of his own will…
The half-bodied White Zetsu nearby twitched his mouth, knowing that Nagato was talking nonsense. With Tobi's restless nature, there was no way he would obediently become a tool and stay worn like this.
It was obvious that Nagato had used some method to control Tobi and prevent him from leaving. The truth was clear to anyone who thought about it.
"You…"
Obito Uchiha had clearly guessed as well, frowning as he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could finish, Nagato interrupted him.
"This White Zetsu lets me move freely, which will make future plans more convenient."
Nagato raised his hand and clenched it, then looked at Obito Uchiha with a faint smile. "As the true leader of Akatsuki, you would not mind a mere White Zetsu, right?"
A mere White Zetsu?
Tobi was a special individual with important abilities, and this man had taken him outright. Obito's expression darkened behind the mask, yet he found no words to refuse or argue.
He could see the chill in Nagato's eyes and guessed that Nagato was angry about the hidden value of White Zetsu. It was anger close to openly breaking with him.
Obito had never wanted Nagato to gain the ability to walk freely. In his view, Nagato only needed to serve as a vessel for those eyes and act as a tool.
That was why he never told Nagato the true value of White Zetsu, nor did he replace Nagato's useless legs with a White Zetsu body. Now, however, that outcome was clearly impossible.
"Of course I do not mind. It is only a White Zetsu."
Obito Uchiha forced down the bitterness in his chest and returned to his usual calm manner. "I just did not expect it could let you stand. Congratulations."
Hearing this, Nagato looked at him deeply and could not help recalling the words of that 'Shadow'. If he were the old, deceived Nagato, he would not have doubted this at all.
In the past, when dealing with "Madara", Nagato had always been in the lower position. The true leader of Akatsuki had seemed to be "Madara".
But after the guidance from Ryuji Hyuga and that figure atop the mountain of corpses, the "Madara" before him now looked suspicious no matter how he viewed him. No, not just suspicious, but even a bit forced.
It felt like someone desperately imitating another person's manner, yet lacking that person's spirit and presence. All that could be copied were the voice and appearance.
"Could it really be as 'Shadow' said, that this guy was never Madara Uchiha to begin with?" A darker shade entered Nagato's eyes.
"By the way."
Stared at by Nagato, Obito Uchiha felt uneasy and hurriedly changed the subject. "How are Hanzo and Amegakure?"
"Hanzo has agreed to cooperate and has officially joined Akatsuki," Nagato replied calmly.
"…" Obito fell silent again, then spoke with doubt. "You mean cooperation? Joined?"
Cooperating with the enemy who caused Yahiko's death, and making peace with the Hanzo you once hated. The idea itself sounded unreal.
"Yes," Nagato nodded. "Konan has also been sent to assist Hanzo. I have regained mobility, so I no longer need Konan by my side."
"In future actions, Amegakure will act openly while Akatsuki stays in the shadows. That benefits us."
Obito Uchiha and Zetsu stood there in a daze, listening to Nagato speak with ease. It felt as if they had been hit by some kind of Genjutsu.
They had only been gone for a short time, yet everything had changed. Nagato not only spared Hanzo, but brought him into Akatsuki and even sent Konan to his side.
It had been just one day, but control seemed completely lost. The shift was too sudden to accept.
"Wait, Nagato!" Obito finally cut him off. "Are you sure Hanzo is trustworthy? He was in league with Danzo Shimura!"
"You should understand that I would not joke about our plan," Nagato said without emotion. "Relax. His life is in my hands now."
Hearing this, Obito Uchiha could say nothing more. He still felt uneasy, but he knew Nagato would not joke about matters like this.
Though he did not understand why Nagato spared Hanzo, it was clear that Nagato had seized his lifeline. This was not madness.
The situation was still under control.
"Although there were some twists, Amegakure is already in our hands. According to our agreement, it is time to help you fulfill your long-held wish."
Looking at Obito as he relaxed slightly, Nagato continued in his usual calm tone. "So, what do we do next?"
Seeing that Nagato still remembered their agreement, Obito Uchiha suppressed his inner turmoil and steadied himself. The current chaos of the Ninja World made Nagato's restored mobility even more valuable.
No matter what, their immediate goal was the same. They both sought to capture the nine Tailed Beasts.
Just as Nagato had turned a blind eye to his actions, Obito would also step back as long as Nagato continued the plan to seize the Tailed Beasts. Their final clash was inevitable, but not now.
"First, we recruit members for Akatsuki."
Taking the lead again, Obito spoke according to the original plan. "Besides me, we need ten more people. The current members are you, Konan, Zetsu…"
"And Hanzo," Nagato added before asking, "Why are you not counted?"
"…"
A vein pulsed on Obito's forehead beneath the mask as he endured the irritation and continued. "When the time is right, I will join. For now, you will lead Akatsuki."
This was clearly a declaration of authority. Nagato did not mind and remained calm.
"I currently have two candidates in mind."
Obito Uchiha raised two fingers. "First, Kakuzu, who stole a Forbidden Technique from Takigakure and became an immortal ninja. Second, Sasori, the puppet genius who betrayed Sunagakure."
"These two?" Nagato knew some of their information and nodded. "That works. They qualify. Let Hanzo and Konan go recruit them."
Hearing this, Obito Uchiha frowned. "You will not go yourself?"
"I also have a candidate."
Nagato spoke calmly and looked at Zetsu beside Obito. "You mentioned before that a powerful monster appeared in the Land of Hot Water, right?"
At these words, the usually silent Black Zetsu opened his eyes wide. A strong sense of foreboding rose in him as he looked at Nagato.
"I was curious back then who could be called a 'monster' by Zetsu, but I had to set it aside due to my condition."
As Black Zetsu feared, Nagato continued, "Now that I can move again, I plan to see this so-called monster for myself. We will see if he is worthy of joining Akatsuki…"
"No!"
Before Nagato could finish, a hoarse voice interrupted him.
"No."
Obito Uchiha froze for a moment and turned his head to look at Zetsu beside him. No, more accurately, it should be Black Zetsu. Even he had not expected the usually silent Black Zetsu to speak up so suddenly.
"Reason," Nagato said calmly.
Under the questioning gazes of Obito and Nagato, Black Zetsu's liquid like body rippled slightly. After a moment, it spoke in a serious tone, saying that the so called monster was very strong, extremely strong, and that as the leader of Akatsuki, Nagato should not put himself in danger.
This explanation was unacceptable not only to Nagato but even to Obito. Now that Nagato could move freely, the power he could display was far beyond what Zetsu or even Pain could match. As long as that monster was still human, it was impossible for it to stand against someone who possessed the Rinnegan.
"That's enough, Zetsu. I am a god now. You are not thinking that some mortal could defeat me, are you?" Nagato clearly did not accept Black Zetsu's explanation either, but after a brief pause he turned to Obito and said that since Zetsu was so certain, then Madara should act together with him.
Hearing this, Obito Uchiha instinctively wanted to speak and refuse on behalf of Zetsu, but he saw Black Zetsu turn its body to look at him. The meaning was obvious, it wanted him to agree to Nagato's proposal. If it were possible, Black Zetsu would never allow Nagato to try to approach that suspected Outsider existence, even if that being was most likely no longer in the Land of Hot Water.
However, Black Zetsu also understood that continuing to block him would inevitably make Nagato suspicious. The two impulsive words just now had already made it regretful, because they were completely out of line with its usual taciturn nature. Since it could no longer stop this, the best choice was to let Obito go along and ensure that Nagato would not come into direct contact with it.