Chương 371: Chapter 371: The Return of the Whitebeard Pirates! Nagato's Compromise!
Konan wanted to initiate a second ideological reform within the Akatsuki!
This was an idea that sprang to Nagato's mind.
The first ideological reform of the Akatsuki took place shortly after Yahiko's death, and it was related to "Uchiha Madara."
At that time, the new ideologies that emerged within the Akatsuki were basically provided by "Uchiha Madara" to Nagato and others.
So, this would be the second ideological reform.
Nagato wasn't particularly opposed to this.
After all, he had come to know that "Uchiha Madara's" actual identity was "Uchiha Obito."
This made him somewhat skeptical of the ideas proposed by Uchiha Obito.
However, due to a lack of better ideas, the Akatsuki had continued on its original path for over a year.
Nagato gazed at Konan before him and couldn't help but ask, "Konan, what do you want to do?"
Now, if someone like Uchiha Itachi were to obstruct the alliance between the Akatsuki and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Nagato wouldn't know from which angle to argue.
Last time, it was she who betrayed Uchiha Obito.
Konan nodded affirmatively, "Yes. There's really no need for the Akatsuki and the Whitebeard Pirates to be opposed to each other, is there? After all, there's no conflict between the two."
Konan said, "The Whitebeard Pirates want a harmonious family, and we want a peaceful world; this aligns well."
The Akatsuki was used to operating independently, and suddenly having an ally was indeed hard to get used to.
The Akatsuki left to her and Nagato by Yahiko was, in Konan's eyes, like a child she had nurtured with calm dedication.
His thoughts.
Nagato paused, glancing at Kimimaro and Haku. Nagato couldn't help but interject, "Are you suggesting that I form an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Two paths lay before Nagato.
She wouldn't allow anyone to hinder the development and progress of the Akatsuki.
To confront one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages with the full force of the Akatsuki was probably the organization's limit at present.
But it had to be said that the feasibility was indeed there.
After all, how could he not be aware of the commotion at the time?
"What if... we follow the approach of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Seemingly guessing Nagato's thoughts, Konan continued, "To achieve this goal, the power of just one organization like the Akatsuki is indeed not enough. Therefore, we need an ally. An ally who is not keen on war, who has almost no ambition, and whose strength is not inferior to ours."
If the Akatsuki were to decline, wouldn't there be no one to control the other shinobi villages?
Of course, there was something even more important... not even Nagato dared to guarantee that the Akatsuki could oppose the entire world.
Then Konan would not hesitate to eliminate this unstable factor.
Konan shared her idea: "For instance, we could use our formidable power to make Sunagakure Village bow down, and then we could install a Kazekage in Sunagakure Village who is controlled by our Akatsuki organization."
However, Nagato felt that the sustainability of this idea was not great.
Could it be made available for shared use by Akatsuki?
"But..." Nagato frowned and said, "Among our members, some have a rather poor relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates. The Whitebeard Pirates have taken over the Uchiha clan, and obviously, on our side, there is someone they despise to the bone."
Konan spoke calmly, "You should know about some of the things the Whitebeard Pirates have done in the ninja world, right? Through their overwhelming power, they made one ninja village after another submit to their pirate crew, turning those villages into vassals on the surface, completely obeying their commands."
Nagato nodded; he was well aware of the actions taken by the Whitebeard Pirates.
Nagato opened his mouth, lost in thought.
The first path was to continue on the route once arranged by "Uchiha Obito."
Compared to the vast ninja world, Akatsuki's power was not weak, but its size was too small.
And he realized that if Akatsuki could really ally with the Whitebeard Pirates, then the Tailed Beasts previously taken by the Whitebeard Pirates...
Konan had used this tactic more than once.
Her words and aggressive proposals reached Nagato's ears.
The idea Konan spoke of would require Akatsuki to have the power to oppose all ninja villages on its own.
Konan also stared at Nagato, "If it comes to that, without our nod, the ninja world will not ignite any wars. Whoever wants to start a war, we will nip it in the bud immediately."
After listening to Konan's words, Nagato's index finger gently tapped on the armrest of his wheelchair.
However, to achieve the concept of a "great world alliance" that Konan spoke of, they indeed needed to borrow the power of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"In this way, bringing one ninja village after another under Akatsuki's command, forming a huge world alliance. And our Akatsuki organization would be the central hub and actual controller of this alliance."
Because at that time, she believed that Obito had already become a threat to Akatsuki.
The second path was the concept suggested by Konan.
He was weighing his options.
He mentioned Uchiha Itachi.
The idea proposed by Konan was very simple and very brutal.
He was judging.
The former was an outsider, and moreover, one who had deceived him.
Konan's eyes remained unflustered as she uttered a chilling statement, "Sometimes, it's best to discard unstable elements when they should be discarded."
The latter was his companion, someone he spent day and night with.
The person he trusted the most.
The person he cared about the most.
The person he was most concerned about.
"If we're to eliminate internal threats, it's not just Uchiha Itachi alone."
Nagato finally spoke, "There's also someone named Zetsu, and someone named Biwa Juzo. And, several new members who have joined must also be eliminated."
"..."
...
Land of Wind.
Sunagakure Village.
A Sunagakure ninja climbed to the rooftop of the village's tallest building and yanked down a pirate flag of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He threw the pirate flag down and shouted to the group of ninjas gathered below, "Sunagakure Village doesn't need the protection of pirates! I've taken down the last pirate flag. Sunagakure Village belongs to us, the Sunagakure ninjas!"
The group of ninjas below cheered in unison.
They were all quite young, mostly Sunagakure Genin or Chunin, similar to the situation in Kirigakure Village. In fact, they were even more radical than those in Kirigakure Village.
"Well done! We've had enough of the higher-ups' weakness, sitting in high positions and doing nothing, even bowing to pirates. The pirates have been gone for over a year, and they didn't dare to do anything about the pirate flags left behind. They have no guts!"
"That's right! Sunagakure Village belongs to us, the Sunagakure ninjas! Not the Whitebeard Pirates! The higher-ups are weak, so let's elect a tough Kazekage!"
"Only we young people are the future of Sunagakure Village. The higher-ups are all remnants of the old era!"
"Drive out the Whitebeard Pirates!!!"
"..."
However, these passionate young ninjas didn't know that in a dusty building not far away, the higher-ups of Sunagakure Village were watching them.
The so-called higher-ups were actually the elite Jonin, clan patriarchs, and some department heads of Sunagakure Village.
A clan patriarch sneered, "Tsk, they think they could do this without our permission?"
Yes, everything happening in Sunagakure Village was allowed by these higher-ups.
No one wanted a group of pirates standing over them.
But they didn't dare to openly clash with the Whitebeard Pirates, even though the Whitebeard Pirates had been missing for over a year.
Just in time, these young ninjas, who thought they had awakened their bloodline, stood up.
So, the higher-ups of Sunagakure Village went along with it, allowing them to do so.
They even fanned the flames, placing many agents among the crowd.
This way, they could get rid of the Whitebeard Pirates' control without being involved.
Why not?
...
Meanwhile.
On the other side of Sunagakure Village.
Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari stood in front of the village gate, along with two others, Jozu and Izo.
"Is this Sunagakure Village? To have such a place in the vast desert, it's truly remarkable!" Izo exclaimed as he looked at the "desert city."
"Strange..." Temari sensed something was off. "Why aren't there any gatekeepers here?"
Normally, there should be a few gatekeepers at the village entrance to prevent any intruders from entering.
But now, she couldn't see a single gatekeeper.
"Hahaha, let's go in and see for ourselves!"
Jozu walked forward boldly, not fearing any traps ahead. He looked at the Sunagakure gate and pushed it open with one hand.
The heavy gate was actually pushed open by his single hand!
As they entered Sunagakure Village, they heard a commotion in the distance.
"Temari, did you notice..." Kankuro swallowed nervously and quickly reminded her, "The pirate flags hanging in the village seem to be gone..."
Temari suddenly realized what felt strange!
Yes!
Where were the pirate flags?
Ever since the Whitebeard Pirates visited Sunagakure Village, the entire village had been covered with their flags.
But now?
Where were the pirate flags?
"Gosh!" Temari's face changed. "Could it be..."
She suddenly thought that some people in the village might not accept the Whitebeard Pirates.
Plus, the Whitebeard Pirates had been missing in the ninja world for over a year.
Hiss!
Maybe...
Temari quickly said, "Let's go check out that noisy place!"
Before long, Gaara and the others arrived at the gathering place.
Their arrival caused the cheering crowd to suddenly fall silent.
Mainly because Jozu, over five meters tall with a fierce face, was too conspicuous in this place.
Moreover, many people recognized Gaara.
The sudden silence made Temari's face turn pale.
She saw a group of ninjas tearing at a piece of black cloth.
If she wasn't mistaken, that black cloth seemed to be the Whitebeard Pirates' flag?
Oh no!
Her worst fear had come true!
"That, that guy is..." A teenage Sunagakure Genin looked at Gaara in disbelief. "He's the monster who betrayed Sunagakure Village and joined the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"He's a Jinchuriki!" A ninja's eyes widened in disbelief. "Didn't he leave with the Whitebeard Pirates after killing his father? Why is he back!?"
"The other two kids seem to be the son and daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa!"
"And who are those two? That guy is so tall! He's almost as tall as Whitebeard!"
"Look! The tattoo on that big guy, isn't it the Whitebeard Pirates' tattoo?"
"Huh? They're from the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Impossible!"
A group of Sunagakure ninjas were shocked.
How could the Whitebeard Pirates, who had been missing for over a year, suddenly appear?
How could Gaara, who had been missing for over a year, suddenly return to Sunagakure Village?
Izo raised an eyebrow, listening to the ninjas' discussions and sensing their emotions. He said, "It seems the people here don't really welcome us, the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Jozu stared at the torn Whitebeard Pirates' flag.
His rugged face was expressionless, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
But it was obvious that the smile on his face had disappeared.
Gaara's small hand was already bulging with veins.
The veins on his forehead were also trembling slightly.
He could accept being called a "monster" because his past misbehavior had indeed caused trouble for the village.
But!
He would never allow anyone to tear the Whitebeard Pirates' flag!
Nor would he allow anyone to slander the Whitebeard Pirates!
He would never allow anyone to insult Pops!
Killing intent began to show in Gaara's eyes, and the visible tailed beast chakra started to crawl up his skin. The small gravel on the ground began to float slowly.
Gaara was unusually angry.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Sunagakure higher-ups, who had been observing the commotion, also saw the unusually tall Jozu.
"Who is that?" A Sunagakure Village elder frowned. "And why did it suddenly go quiet over there?"
Next to him, an Anbu Jonin was holding a telescope, his expression changing slightly under the mask.
Then, in a serious tone, he said to the group behind him, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have bad news... Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, the three of them... have returned."
The Anbu Jonin's words were shocking: "And it seems they brought two members of the Whitebeard Pirates with them! The Whitebeard Pirates, who had been missing for over a year, have appeared in our Sunagakure Village!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
"What!?"
Finally, a patriarch of a certain ninja clan in Sunagakure Village stood up in disbelief: "The Whitebeard Pirates appeared? How is that possible? How... how could it be at this time, how could it be such a coincidence?!!"
Granny Chiyo, who was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed, opened her cloudy eyes. "The Whitebeard Pirates? Are you sure..."
The Anbu Jonin nodded. "Not entirely sure, but... that big guy has a very obvious Whitebeard Pirates tattoo."
Granny Chiyo's fingers kept rubbing the armrest of the chair.
Although her wrinkled face showed no emotion, her subtle body movements revealed...
She was deeply shocked inside.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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