Bab 263: The Spy
In Konan's heart.
She believed that she, Yahiko, and Nagato could have always been together, using the Akatsuki they created to pave a road to peace in the shinobi world.
But Madara, Obito, and Dan—those Uchiha—had destroyed everything Konan cherished.
As revenge, she vowed to destroy everything the Uchiha held dear.
"Phew~"
Taking a deep breath, Konan suppressed her anger, telling herself not to act impulsively.
The more critical the moment, the calmer she had to be.
After calming herself, she asked Naruto, "By the way, how did you handle that sacrificial body?"
"My clone... was taken down."
Naruto said as he stood up, helplessly spreading his hands.
"By whom?"
Konan was startled, quickly asking, "Did Uchiha Dan discover you?"
Mentioning Dan's name made Konan's face involuntarily tense.
In her view, although Naruto's transformation clone only possessed thirty percent of his chakra, only one person in all of Konoha could match it.
Uchiha Dan.
However, Naruto's answer took Konan by surprise.
"No, it was Uchiha Itachi."
Naruto squinted his eyes, recalling, "That guy used his trump card right away, catching me off guard and sealing my transformation clone.
Fortunately, it wasn't my true body this time. Otherwise, Itachi might have actually killed me. But now that I know his abilities, he no longer threatens me."
"Was your identity exposed?" Konan asked again.
"Yeah, Itachi recognized me. Not just me, Karin might be exposed too. We should get her out of there quickly."
Naruto thought for a moment and made a decision.
If it were just a matter of personal feelings, Karin might not be in danger. Still, with Naruto's identity exposed, Sasuke would surely suspect the relationship between Karin, Naruto, and the Akatsuki.
If Karin fell into the hands of the Uchiha clan, subjected to torture, it would be a fate worse than death.
"Alright, I'll notify her immediately."
Without hesitation, Konan waved her hand, and a paper crane flew out from her sleeve, passing through the paper tree, and heading towards Konoha.
"There's something else."
Naruto took a deep breath and voiced his greatest concern, "It's highly likely that Uchiha Dan has awakened the Rinnegan."
He gradually pieced things together.
The tablet the Sage of Six Paths left mentioned that the God of Muscles would save the world. To Naruto, this prophecy seemed completely fake.
But most of the information on the tablet was true, and indeed required the power of the Rinnegan to decode.
Naruto thought about it and concluded that the only possibility was—
Uchiha Dan had also awakened the Rinnegan and then used those eyes to alter the content on the Sage's tablet.
Hearing that Dan had awakened the Rinnegan.
"What?! How do you know that?"
Konan was shocked, her voice trembling, unable to remain calm.
Because she knew very well what those eyes represented.
"This is my intuition."
Naruto didn't tell the whole truth, as he didn't want to bring up the prophecy of the God of Muscles, fearing it would demoralize Konan.
"I should have thought of this earlier."
Konan's voice trembled, not doubting Naruto's "intuition," but realizing her worst fear had come true.
The prerequisite for awakening the Rinnegan was having the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Hashirama cells.
Among these.
Uchiha Dan had long since transplanted Hashirama's cells, and to awaken the Eternal Mangekyou, he needed to fuse two sets of Mangekyou Sharingan.
This wasn't difficult for Dan.
He had at least two sets of Mangekyou Sharingan from Shisui and Obito. Although they weren't from direct blood relatives, for someone like Uchiha Dan, this was not an insurmountable obstacle.
Thus, Dan possessed the powers of both Uchiha and Senju, just like Madara in the past, and awakened the Rinnegan.
Thinking this through.
"These past eight years, it's not just you who have grown, Naruto. Your opponent has become even stronger."
Konan sighed, her expression extremely grave.
Eight years ago, Dan was already indisputably the number one shinobi, single-handedly defeating a hundred thousand ninja alliance forces, making the Four Kages bow down.
If he now possessed the Rinnegan, how terrifyingly strong he had become was unimaginable.
Moreover.
Even among those who wielded the Rinnegan, there were differences.
Nagato and Naruto's Rinnegans were transplanted from Madara, and no matter what methods they used, they could never fully utilize their power.
After all, they weren't their own eyes.
Dan was different; he had awakened the Rinnegan himself, using them freely and unrestrainedly.
If two Rinnegans were to clash, Naruto... would surely lose.
Currently.
They were at a disadvantage in terms of personal strength and the comparative strength of the Akatsuki and the Uchiha clans.
The situation was dire.
"Naruto, what's the next step? Have you thought of a plan?"
Konan looked at Naruto with a serious gaze.
Naruto had grown up and, as the leader of the Akatsuki, he had to take responsibility and guide the organization.
After serious contemplation, Naruto slowly said:
"The only good news right now is that I'm very familiar with the Rinnegan's abilities.
The urgent matter is to prevent Uchiha Dan from summoning the Gedo Statue with the Rinnegan. If he succeeds, he'll only need three more tailed beasts to resurrect the Ten-Tails and become its jinchūriki.
Once he seizes the Gedo Statue, Dan will undoubtedly lead the Uchiha clan, or even all of Konoha, to besiege the Akatsuki and seize the One-Tail, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails. However..."
Pausing for a moment, Naruto continued:
"I can still sense the Gedo Statue's presence, which means Dan hasn't yet figured out how to summon it.
Therefore, I need to find an absolutely secure place to summon the statue and temporarily seal it, preventing Uchiha Dan from sensing its existence.
As the vessel of the Ten-Tails, the Gedo Statue must remain in the Akatsuki's hands. It's our greatest asset."
Konan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, nodding in agreement.
Though Naruto was young and spirited, he hadn't chosen an aggressive strategy against Uchiha Dan. Instead, he wisely opted for a defensive approach.
Defense.
Of course, merely defending wouldn't be a long-term solution; Uchiha Dan would eventually come for them.
Fortunately.
"Although we aren't a match for the Uchiha, their enemies aren't limited to just the Akatsuki." Naruto's eyes sparkled.
According to information Karin had gathered from Tsunade.
The former Third Hokage of Konoha, now a rogue ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had mastered the forbidden technique of Edo Tensei. He could resurrect previous Hokages to launch a counterattack against Konoha.
Additionally, Orochimaru was still alive, collaborating with the manifestation of Madara's will—Black Zetsu, likely planning to revive Madara.
These individuals were not to be underestimated.
"So, our next step is to wait patiently. Once Hiruzen Sarutobi or Orochimaru wage war against the Uchiha, I'll take the opportunity to infiltrate Konoha and seize the six tailed beasts held by the Uchiha clan."
Naruto said with determined eyes.
His strategy was to avoid direct confrontation with Uchiha Dan and instead focus on capturing the tailed beasts.
With his strength, capturing the six-tailed beasts would be easy. Then, becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki would elevate him to the Sage of Six Paths level.
At that point, he would no longer need to fear Dan.
Naruto's plan was clear and precise.
"Alright, let's do that." Konan nodded in agreement.
After finalizing their plans, they left the paper tree and quickly departed from Konoha.
In Konoha Village, at the Hokage's office.
Kakashi rushed to the training area on the eighth floor.
"Is the Hokage inside?"
After asking the guard at the door, Kakashi pushed it open and entered. He saw the Sixth Hokage wearing a vest and working in the gym.
Bench pressing ten tons.
Yes, ten tons.
The barbell Dan was using for his bench press was custom-made, composed of hundreds of weight plates, looking like a mountain pressing down on his chest.
One, two, three...
Each of Dan's movements was terrifyingly steady, without any deformation. His upper body muscles were pumped and swollen, showcasing the beauty of raw power.
Kakashi stopped and patiently waited at the side.
He would not be disturbed when the Sixth Hokage was working out unless it was an emergency.
Unless one had a death wish.
Ten, eleven, twelve...
Finally, after finishing his set, Dan released the barbell, letting it fall onto the rack.
With a muffled thud.
The ten-ton barbell hitting the rack caused the entire Hokage office to tremble like an earthquake.
This intense vibration spread from the eighth-floor gym down to the first-floor mission hall.
Hmm?
Konoha ninjas moving in and out of the first-floor hall paused, looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't worry, the Hok
age is just working out."
Someone said, and everyone resumed their activities, reassured.
This scene happened almost daily, and many were accustomed to it.
Eighth floor.
"Is there something you need, Kakashi?"
Dan sat up from the dumbbell bench, casually asking.
Normally, Kakashi, as the ANBU captain, wouldn't come to him unless it was something he couldn't handle himself.
"Hokage-sama."
Kakashi stepped forward, presenting a list, and said, "The ANBU has recently re-investigated and compiled a list of spies from other villages. Please review it."
It was inevitable that Konoha would have spies from other ninja villages, given that it had become an immigrant ninja village.
Every day, talents from various countries and ninja villages would come to Konoha to study and work, dedicating their talents and youth to Konoha's development.
This phenomenon was the new era's "Will of Fire."
But in the process, those who came to Konoha inevitably had a mix of intentions, and many of them were spies.
They used various methods to steal Konoha's information, posing security risks.
So periodically, the ANBU and the police force would conduct thorough investigations of the village's spies, reporting to the Sixth Hokage for appropriate action.
Dan glanced at the list, casually saying:
"Handle it as you see fit. Except for this one named Kabuto, don't touch him for now. Just keep him under surveillance."
The name Kabuto was prominently on the list.
"Yes."
Kakashi responded.
The fact that Kabuto was a spy was something the Hokage had personally discovered. The Sixth Hokage was certain that Kabuto was a spy sent by Orochimaru.
However, instead of alerting Kabuto, the Hokage had Kakashi secretly monitor him to learn about Orochimaru's movements indirectly.
Currently, Kabuto is a jōnin and a teacher at the ninja academy.
Among his students was even the Hokage's daughter—Marisa. Because of this, Kabuto had never suspected that he had already been exposed.
After receiving Dan's instructions, Kakashi was about to leave when he noticed Itachi rushing in.
"Hokage-sama, something happened. Naruto Uzumaki has just appeared in Konoha."
Itachi wasted no time, immediately reporting the bombshell news to Dan.
Naruto Uzumaki?!
Kakashi was shocked, his whole body tensing, his pupils dilating.
Was it the Naruto Uzumaki he remembered?
Not just Kakashi, even the usually composed Dan showed a slightly surprised expression and said:
"Continue."
So.
Itachi recounted how Sasuke was lured into the forest by Naruto and defeated. Then he went to rescue him, engaging Naruto and sealing his clone.
Itachi specifically mentioned Naruto possessing the Rinnegan.
Kakashi was increasingly stunned.
Naruto was the son of his teacher, the Fourth Hokage.
During the Third Hokage's tenure, he had ordered that no one—especially Kakashi—approach Naruto or tell him the truth about his lineage.
At that time, Kakashi was a cold, emotionless individual who saw himself as a tool for the village, obeying the Third Hokage's orders without question.
Later, he deeply regretted it.
He felt a sense of guilt towards Naruto.
So over the years, Kakashi had never given up searching for Naruto, tirelessly investigating the remnants of the Akatsuki, but all efforts had been in vain.
Now, hearing Itachi's report.
He was glad to hear that Naruto was alive.
But he was worried that Naruto had joined the Akatsuki, opposing the Uchiha and Konoha.
Kakashi's mind was in turmoil, unable to calm down.
"It seems the Akatsuki can no longer hold back."
Although Dan was a bit surprised, he wasn't shocked, as he had anticipated this day.
Itachi mentioned that Naruto encountered Sasuke at the Naka Shrine, indicating that Naruto had likely seen Sage's tablet and knew how to become the Ten-Tails jinchūriki.
Thinking this through.
Dan looked at Kakashi, asking, "What's the status of the tailed beasts?"
Kakashi snapped back to attention and replied quickly, "No abnormalities so far. I will immediately increase the security."
"Hmm."
Dan nodded, regaining his calm demeanor, and not appearing overly concerned.
Itachi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said:
"There's one more thing. Naruto's arrival unexpectedly exposed a spy, and her identity... is quite special."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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