Bab 104: Chapter 104: A Funeral
"Why put it like that?" Aoba asked.
"Last time, you provided me with crucial information. I need to know, was it true?"
"Of course. I don't joke about these matters."
"If that's the case, the Akatsuki owes you a favor. Tell me, what do you want?" Konan replied, still wary of Aoba's intentions, didn't want to be in his debt..
"I'd like to say the information was free, but since you've brought it up, it seems I should ask for something if only to put you at ease.
"You must know about the one who recently defected from Konoha, right?"
"The one with Wood Release and Sharingan?" Kakuzu interjected, having apparently encountered Hidan himself but failing to recognize him. Aoba had equipped Hidan with the Kusanagi Sword instead of his iconic scythe, making him nearly unrecognizable.
"That's right. Seems you've already met," Aoba said.
"Who is that guy?" Kakuzu's expression was grim, evidently having suffered some losses.
Kakuzu, despite his experience, had struggled in their confrontation. Now, Hidan's strength, incorporating taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, his own immortality, and Wood Release, made him a formidable force at the Kage level. It was no wonder Kakuzu had trouble.
"His name is Hidan, the result of Konoha's Wood Release experiments. He's mine now. My request is that you allow him to join the Akatsuki."
"You expect me to welcome a spy of yours?" Konan responded with disbelief.
"Haha, to be blunt, there's nothing in the Akatsuki worth me investigating. I probably know more about the Akatsuki's intel than you do. I'm sending Hidan there for another purpose."
Konan wanted to argue but recalled the information Aoba had previously shared, leaving her a bit resigned.
"Fine, I agree. One more question—is the masked man really not Uchiha Madara?"
"This is complicated. He's not Madara, but he's deeply connected to him. Think of him as Madara's pawn."
"And Nagato?"
"The same."
"..." Hearing Aoba's affirmative answer, the last bit of hope in Konan's heart vanished. Over the past few days, she had conducted numerous secret investigations. Although she couldn't truly confirm anything, her findings only fueled her suspicions.
But for Konan, the real pain wasn't the Akatsuki's internal threat but her inability to convince Nagato.
Aoba had anticipated this. In many ways, Nagato was the most thoroughly developed villain in the world of the Hidden Leaf: his origins, experiences, motivations, and his unwavering execution. Uchiha Madara, despite his power, lacked Nagato's depth.
But still, Nagato was an idealist. The death of his friend Yahiko had thrown him into a state of guilt, pain, anger, and even madness.
In truth, he wanted a more complete form of revenge, maybe even the destruction of the world. But Yahiko's ideals were deeply ingrained in his mind.
These two conflicting ideals made Nagato's existence mentally agonizing, and the Rinnegan subjected his body to constant pain. One could say that Nagato was under unimaginable mental and physical pressure.
If he weren't from the Uzumaki clan, he would probably have collapsed completely by now.
In this situation, the only thing keeping him going was his belief in his destiny as the "Child of Prophecy." He believed that, as someone who had awakened the Rinnegan, he was destined to change the world.
This belief now served as Nagato's motivation.
In the original story, Konan had believed to her dying day that the Rinnegan was Nagato's own, but Aoba's revelation shattered that belief. She now understood the Akatsuki was woven into a vast conspiracy.
Aoba didn't reveal too much.
As a transmigrator, he came to this world to change the story. But he couldn't change it haphazardly. What he needed was for the timeline to develop according to his will, keeping the so-called plot always within his grasp.
So far, he had altered many details of the original story. But the overall direction of the plot remained under his control.
However, Aoba knew that this control was not permanent. As he changed more and more things, a day would come when the storyline would completely spin out of control.
His goal was to strengthen himself as much as possible so that, before that day arrived, he would possess overwhelming power.
Besides that, he had started trying to nurture his own subordinates. He aimed to build both strength and influence to the point where nothing could shake him.
Konan had more questions, but she hesitated and ultimately remained silent. Kakuzu, however, seemed intrigued by Aoba.
Kakuzu, a veteran who had survived since the First Shinobi War, was indeed valuable to Aoba. But now wasn't the time to recruit him.
After Konan and Kakuzu left, Aoba quickly returned to Konoha. Today, Konoha was holding a significant event, and he couldn't skip it.
It was a funeral.
It had been a long time since Konoha held such an event. The entire village was enveloped in a sorrowful atmosphere.
Of course, it wasn't only because of the Third Hokage's death. More so, it was because so many had perished in the war.
In a village, people were often distantly related or long-time neighbors. Almost everyone had lost a family member or acquaintance.
Thus, this funeral wasn't only for the Hokage but also a collective funeral for all those who had died.
Aoba had proposed this idea last night, and the village quickly incorporated it. Although he didn't hold any official position in Konoha, Aogawa Aoba's words still carried immense weight.
A gentle drizzle fell from the sky, adding a melancholic touch to the occasion.
As Aoba stood among the crowd, he couldn't help but feel like a villain. He had allowed all this to happen, knowing he could have prevented it.
He realized he had miscalculated. Using Orochimaru's hand to cleanse Konoha had been a way to avoid bearing the moral burden himself. But he now understood that morals and conscience wasn't something that could simply be turned off. Those with a sense of conscience would always carry some guilt.
Holding onto this sliver of remorse, Aoba placed a flower before the memorial stone.
A sharp eagle's cry suddenly pierced the solemn atmosphere, interrupting the service.
"Scouts northeast of Konoha have encountered a large force of Cloud shinobi and have signaled for reinforcements!" someone announced.
Aoba turned and nodded to Kakashi before vanishing from the crowd.
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