Chapitre 74: Chapter 74: Discovering Obito’s Disappearance
"Hiruzen, that old geezer, actually returned as Hokage!" Nagato scoffed upon hearing the news.
After three days of recovery, Nagato had fully healed.
"Is Konoha really that desperate?" Konan questioned, puzzled. "The Fourth Hokage is dead, but surely they could find someone else to lead? Why would they need to reappoint the Third Hokage, who's already well past his prime?"
Nagato shook his head. "No, Konoha has plenty of capable candidates. There's Jiraiya-sensei, Orochimaru, Tsunade, even Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head. Any one of them could be Hokage."
"Most likely, it's just Hiruzen clinging to power," Nagato sneered.
Konan sighed. "These old-timers are all the same. Hanzo was like that, and Hiruzen is no different."
Hearing this, Nagato's face darkened, remembering Yahiko's fate. His tone turned icy.
"Hanzo… I'll take care of him soon enough. Keeping him alive is just ...."
Konan nodded. "Might as well. While we're at it, we can bring Amegakure under Akatsuki's control. The people there have suffered too much under Hanzo's rule."
"Hanzo lets ninja from other great nations trample through Ame as they please," Nagato sighed. "It's already hard enough for the people to survive, how can they dream of a better life?"
"Our rule will make Amegakure a better place," Konan said reassuringly.
"Without question," Nagato replied confidently. "Hanzo's greed and incompetence are no match for us."
After a moment, Nagato turned to Konan, finally voicing a matter he'd been pondering.
"Konan, I'm thinking of recruiting more rogue ninja with considerable strength. Right now, our organization is lacking in top-tier power. If we're going to go after the Tailed Beasts, we'll need more support."
Konan gave him a gentle look. "Nagato, you're the leader of Akatsuki. You don't need my approval for this."
Nagato fell silent for a while, then shook his head. "No, in my heart, Yahiko will always be the true leader of Akatsuki."
At that moment, footsteps echoed from down the hall. Nagato and Konan turned to see Zetsu, with his pitcher plant-like appearance, approaching.
"Is something wrong, Zetsu?" Nagato asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Madara may be in trouble!" Zetsu said abruptly, delivering the bombshell.
Since the night Obito returned from Konoha claiming he needed to heal, Black Zetsu hadn't sensed any trace of him. It was as if Obito had vanished from the face of the earth.
At first, Black Zetsu assumed Obito was still recovering from his wounds. But as days passed, an unsettling feeling grew.
Sensing something was wrong, Black Zetsu immediately sought out White Zetsu, asking what had happened that night.
Obito, cautious around Black and White Zetsu, hadn't let White Zetsu leave spores on him. Otherwise, Black Zetsu wouldn't have been in the dark.
Obito was Madara's proxy, a key player in his plans. If anything happened to him, it could jeopardize Madara's revival.
White Zetsu explained that Obito had gone off alone to heal and was seeking a moment of solitude, so he wasn't with him that night.
Hearing this, Black Zetsu's suspicions grew—Obito must have encountered trouble.
Obito's role in Madara's plan was crucial, a vital piece in ensuring Madara's resurrection.
Yet for Black Zetsu, Obito's fate wasn't a pressing concern. The Gedo Statue was already summoned to the Shinobi World, and now what mattered most was having someone collect the Tailed Beasts and become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
For Black Zetsu, Nagato was the prime candidate. As long as Nagato continued capturing Tailed Beasts, the Ten-Tails would be revived.
However, in Madara and Obito's original plans, Nagato wasn't meant to be the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, so he was unaware of how to become one. Realizing this, Black Zetsu adjusted his own strategy, believing Nagato had the potential.
So, as soon as Black Zetsu confirmed Obito's disappearance, he sought out Nagato, intending to help him grow stronger—faster.
For Black Zetsu, Obito's disappearance wasn't necessarily a setback, rather, it provided more freedom to act.
"Madara's in trouble?!" Nagato stared at Zetsu, shocked. "That's… hard to believe. He's probably just temporarily occupied, maybe still healing."
Nagato couldn't imagine Madara, who had seemed perfectly fine, disappearing so abruptly.
Unlike Nagato, Konan was secretly pleased by Zetsu's news.
"A blessing in disguise," she thought. "Madara, that scheming man, finally met with trouble. How fortunate."
Nagato's view of Madara had been shifting recently, and Konan doubted Madara would play such a trick.
From what she'd seen, Nagato was clearly crucial to Madara's plans. Even if Madara had some ulterior motive, Nagato's role was undeniably significant.
So, Konan didn't think Madara would fake his disappearance.
Zetsu shook his head as Black Zetsu's voice emerged. "By all accounts, three days should've been more than enough for him to recover. Given his personality, he wouldn't go silent for so long."
Nagato frowned, looking at Zetsu with suspicion. "Zetsu, weren't you supposed to stay with Madara? Why weren't you guarding him while he recovered?"
"Heh…" Black Zetsu chuckled. "Madara doesn't like having people around while he heals. Even I'm sent away."
"Regardless, it's clear Madara has disappeared," Black Zetsu stated, looking directly at Nagato. "I haven't sensed his presence anywhere in the Shinobi World these past few days. He must be in trouble."
"Could it be that Madara encountered trouble in his own space-time dimension while healing?" Nagato wondered, recalling how Obito had saved him by pulling him into a strange dimension.
"That place is inaccessible to us. If anything happened, it would have been while he was healing in the outside world," Black Zetsu surmised.
Nagato fell silent, then said, "Let's wait a bit longer. With Madara's strength, it's hard to imagine anyone managing to take him down without a trace."
"Looks like Obito made quite an impression on Nagato that night," Black Zetsu thought, amused. "He's really earned Nagato's trust… what a shame."
Black Zetsu shrugged. "Alright, we'll wait. Maybe he really is just temporarily held up."
For Black Zetsu, there was no rush to reveal his real plans to Nagato. In time, Nagato would see for himself that "Uchiha Madara's" disappearance was indeed real.
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